Communication system for sending advertisements based on location determination and previously specified user selections

• US 9,107,030 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Thomas E. Coverstone
• Inventors: Coverstone, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US10/020,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,989 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/410, 455/414.1, 455456-457, 455/466, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/404.2, 342/357.07, 370/310.2, 370/312, 370/328, 370/338, 709/217, 705/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless communication system that is used with a wireless communication device and a position location system, the wireless communication device being capable of communicating with the position location system. The wireless communication system includes a memory device for storing position locations of the wireless communication device and for storing transactions made relating to the wireless communication device, a processor for determining trends by recalling stored information from the memory device and processing the recalled information, and a transmitter for transmitting targeted broadcasts to the wireless communication device based on the current location of the communication device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system for use with a wireless communication device and a position location system providing position location data indicating positions of the wireless communication device as the wireless communication device moves, said wireless communication system comprising:

a memory;

a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to receive the position location data, the processor being configured to process the position location data to determine whether the wireless communication device is in proximity to a certain location and to determine whether an advertisement should be sent to the wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location in accordance with a plurality of historical demographics associated with the user of the wireless communication device, the processor being configured to track and to store user action and user inaction based on the advertisement transmitted to the wireless communications device, the processor being configured to update a plurality of historical demographics based on the user action and the user inaction, the processor being configured to track patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements and to update a particular user demographic stored in the database based on the tracking patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements, the processor being configured to add the user to an existing user demographic based on the tracked patterns of usage of the user, wherein the user is a registered user, and wherein unregistered users are part of the existing user demographic; and

a transceiver operatively coupled to the processor, the transceiver being configured to transmit the advertisement to the wireless communication device if the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location and if the plurality of historical demographics indicate that user is interested in receiving the advertisement when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location, the transceiver being configured to receive a response to the advertisement from the wireless communication device, the transceiver being configured, based on the received response, to transmit a version of the advertisement to the wireless communication device that includes a discount, wherein the advertisement to which the wireless communication device responded is a teaser advertisement, wherein the version of the advertisement that includes the discount is a full version of the advertisement, and

wherein the wireless communication device includes a handheld cellular device.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the position location system includes the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the handheld cellular device includes a cellular phone.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver transmits the advertisement to the wireless communication device only if the advertisement is of interest to the user based at least on historical demographics of a first kind and historical demographics of a second kind that are tracked by the processor.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein the historical demographics of the first kind include a history of purchases made by the user of the wireless communication device, and wherein the historical demographics of the second kind include a history of positions of the wireless communication device.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to update one or more of the historical demographics associated with the user based on one or more of frequented routes, frequented restaurants, and frequented stores.

7. A wireless communication system for use with a wireless communication device and a position location system providing position location data indicating positions of the wireless communication device as the wireless communication device moves, said wireless communication system comprising:

a memory,

a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to receive the position location data, the processor being configured to process the position location data to determine whether the wireless communication device is in proximity to a certain location and to determine whether a database of user demographics indicates that the user of the wireless communication device has an interest in receiving an advertisement when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location, the processor being configured to track patterns of usage based on the advertisement transmitted to the wireless communications device, the patterns of usage including one or more of response to the advertisement, non-response to the advertisement, request of additional information, travel to particular destinations based on the advertisement, and travel over particular routes based on the advertisement, the processor being configured to store the patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements and to update a particular user demographic stored in the database based on the tracking patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements, the processor being configured to add the user to an existing user demographic based on the tracked patterns of usage of the user, wherein the user is a registered user, and wherein unregistered users are part of the existing user demographic; and

a transceiver operatively coupled to the processor, the transceiver being configured to transmit the advertisement to the wireless communication device if the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location and if the database of user demographics indicates that the user of the wireless communication device has an interest in receiving the advertisement when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location, the transceiver being configured to receive a response to the advertisement from the wireless communication device, the transceiver being configured, based on the received response, to transmit a version of the advertisement to the wireless communication device that includes a discount based on user demographics of the user, wherein the advertisement to which the wireless communication device responds is a teaser advertisement, wherein the version of the advertisement that includes the discount is a full version of the advertisement, and

wherein the wireless communication device includes a handheld cellular device.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein the position location system includes the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein the handheld cellular device includes a cellular phone.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein the transceiver transmits the advertisement to the wireless communication device only if the advertisement is of interest to the user based at least on historical demographics of a first kind and historical demographics of a second kind that are tracked by the processor.

11. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the historical demographics of the first kind include a history of purchases made by the user of the wireless communication device, and wherein the historical demographics of the second kind include a history of positions of the wireless communication device.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein the patterns of usage includes responses to the advertisement, non-responses to the advertisement, requests of additional information, travel to particular destinations based on the advertisement, and travel over particular routes based on the advertisement.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to update one or more of the historical demographics associated with the user based on purchases made by the user.

14. A method of operating a wireless communication system for use with a wireless communication device and a position location system to provide position location data indicating positions of the wireless communication device as the wireless communication device moves, wherein the wireless communication device includes a handheld cellular device, said method comprising:

storing in a memory a database of user demographics;

receiving the position location data from the position location system;

processing the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location;

processing the database of user demographics for an indication that the user of the wireless communication device has an interest in receiving an advertisement when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location;

transmitting the advertisement to the wireless communication device if the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location and if the database of user demographics indicates that the user of the wireless communication device has an interest in receiving the advertisement when the wireless communication device is in proximity to the certain location;

adding the user to an existing user demographic based on the tracked patterns of usage of the user, wherein the user is a registered user, and wherein unregistered users are part of the existing user demographic;

tracking patterns of usage based upon the advertisement transmitted to the wireless communications device, the tracked patterns of usage including an applicable one or more of response to the advertisement, non-response to the advertisement, request of additional information relating to the advertisement, travel to particular destinations based on the advertisement, and travel over particular routes based on the advertisement, wherein the advertisement to which the wireless communication device responds is a teaser advertisement, and wherein a full version of the advertisement that includes a discount can be sent after the wireless communication device responds;

updating a particular user demographic stored in the database to include the user based on the tracked patterns of usage of the user;

tracking patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements; and

updating a particular user demographic stored in the database based on the tracking patterns of usage that are independent of the transmitted advertisements.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving comprises receiving the position location data from a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein transmitting the advertisement to the wireless communication device comprises transmitting the advertisement to the handheld cellular device.

17. The method according to claim 14, comprising:

receiving a response to the transmitted advertisement from the wireless communication device; and

transmitting, in response to the received response, a version of the previously transmitted advertisement including a discount.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising:

receiving a response to the transmitted advertisement from the wireless communication device; and

transmitting, in response to the received response, a version of the previously transmitted advertisement including a discount based on the tracked patterns of usage of the user.

19. The method according to claim 18, comprising:

tracking purchases made by the wireless communication device.