Systems and methods to determine the name of a physical business location visited by a user of a wireless device and verify the authenticity of reviews of the physical business location

• US 9,076,165 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enhanced Geographic LLC
• Inventors: Busch, James David
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US14/281,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20140256360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/436, 455/456.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Methods and systems that ascertain and record the specific named location of a user of a wireless device. A geographic location of a mobile device based on a geographic location sensor is received. A selection of the likely locations that may have been visited is provided to the wireless device based on location data. A verification of the specific named location of the user is received from the wireless device based on the provided selection of locations. The location history is updated with, for example, the location of the wireless device, the specific named location visited, and time of day information. A user may then provide a review of the specific named location visited. The review is stored in a format associated with the user. A portion of the user'"'"'s profile may also show a third party that the user has visited the physical named location that was reviewed.

Claims

1. A method, used by a location based service system including at least one server having at least one network interface, of identifying a physical named location visited by a user of a wireless device having a wireless communication interface and a geographic location sensor, comprising the acts of:

receiving, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined using the geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

transmitting, to the wireless device, a plurality of named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received geographic location information to a database including named locations and associated geographic location information;

receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated named location, selected from the plurality of named locations, corresponding to the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify that the physical named location has been visited by the user of the wireless device;

storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location in a location history associated with the user and associated with a user profile;

receiving, via a communication session with the user, a review of the physical named location and storing the review as being associated with the user;

transmitting the review of the physical named location to a third party; and

,

transmitting at least a portion of a profile associated with the user to the third party, the portion of the profile indicating that the user has been to the reviewed physical named location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the review is stored only if it is received while the user is determined to be located at the physical named location.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the review is stored only if it is received within a period of time after the user is verified to have visited the physical named location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location to a social networking service using an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information associated with the indicated named location to a social networking service using an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a list of contacts from a social networking service with a link established with the social networking service through an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographic location sensor of the wireless device comprises at least one of:

a cellular radio (e.g., “

Cell Tower Triangulation”

), a wireless internet radio (e.g., “

Wi-Fi”

or 802.11, or a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) radio.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the wireless device, updated geographic location information corresponding to an updated location of the wireless device;

transmitting to the wireless device, an updated plurality of named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device; and

receiving from the wireless device, an additional indicated named location selected from the updated plurality of named locations, corresponding to an additional physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify the additional physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device; and

storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the additional physical named location in a location history associated with the user; and

,

receiving, via the at least one network interface via a communication session with the user, a review of the additional physical named location.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the review is stored only if it is received while the user is determined to be located at the additional physical named location.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the review is stored only if it is received within a period of time after the user is verified to have visited the additional physical named location.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting a location history listing including the indicated named location and the additional indicated named location.

12. A location based service system comprising:

a first network interface configured to receive, at a first time of day from a wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined using a geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

a processor configured to select a plurality of named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device at which a user of the wireless device may be located by comparing the geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device to a database including named locations and associated geographic location information, and wherein the processor is further configured to use information representative of the first time of day to select the plurality of named locations;

a second network interface, that is the same or different from the first network interface, configured to cause communication, to the wireless device, of the plurality of named locations;

a third network interface, that is the same or different from the first and second network interfaces, configured to receive from the wireless device, an indicated physical named location, chosen from the plurality of named locations, corresponding to the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify that the physical named location has been visited by the user of the wireless device;

a data storage device configured to store information in a location history associated with the user indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the indicated physical named location;

the system configured to receive, via a communication session with the user, a review of the physical named location; and

storing the review as being associated with the user;

the system configured to transmit the review of the physical named location to a third party; and

,

the system configured to transmit at least a portion of a profile associated with the user to the third party, the portion of the profile indicating that the user has been to the reviewed physical named location.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the review is stored only if it is received while the user is determined to be located at the physical named location.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the review is stored only if it is received within a period of time after the user is verified to have visited the physical named location.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the geographic location sensor of the wireless device comprises at least one of:

a cellular radio (e.g., “

Cell Tower Triangulation”

), a wireless internet radio (e.g., “

Wi-Fi”

or 802.11), or a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) radio.

16. A method, used by a location based service system using at least one or more computers, of identifying a branded establishment visited by a user of a cell phone, the cell phone configured to detect its location comprising the acts of:

receiving an approximate geographic location of the user'"'"'s cell phone based at least in part on data obtained from a geographic location sensor in the cell phone;

causing the received approximate geographic location to be compared to the locations of a plurality of branded establishments stored in a database in the one or more computers and, from the comparison, selecting from the database at least two branded establishments at least one of which the user has likely visited and which are in the vicinity of the received approximate geographic location;

causing communication, to the cell phone, of information that indicates the names of the at least two branded establishments at least one of which the user has likely visited and which are in the vicinity of the received approximate geographic location;

receiving, from the cell phone, data confirming one indicated branded establishment that was chosen by the user, from among the at least two branded establishments, as having been visited by the user;

storing in memory the indicated branded establishment visited by the user in a location history of indicated branded establishments corresponding to the user;

receiving, via a communication session with the user, a review of the indicated branded establishment and storing the review in a format associated with the user;

transmitting the review of the branded establishment to a third party; and

,

transmitting at least a portion of a profile associated with the user to the third party, the portion of the profile informing the third party that the user has been to the branded establishment.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the review is stored only if it is received while the user is determined to be located at the indicated branded establishment.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the review is stored only if it is received within a period of time after the user is verified to have visited the indicated branded establishment.

19. The method of claim 16, further configured to communicate, to a third party, the user'"'"'s review as well as information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the indicated branded establishment.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the geographic location sensor of the wireless device comprises at least one of:

a cellular radio (e.g., “

Cell Tower Triangulation”

), a wireless internet radio (e.g., “

Wi-Fi”

or 802.11), or a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) radio.