Displaying location-specific images on a mobile device

• US 9,148,753 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Dorfman, Barnaby M., Gold, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US13/921,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20140057657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 701408-409, 701/428, 701516-517, 701/423, 701/484, 701/426, 340990-991, 340/993, 705 268- 269, 705 15- 16, 705/22, 705/27.1, 705/26.1, 705/26.7, 705/26.41, 705/14.4, 705/14.73, 455/456.1, 456/456.1, 707/999.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• 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 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system is provided for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display. The system generally comprises three components: a mobile device having a screen, a position identification system (e.g., a GPS receiver) that determines the position of the mobile device, and a database containing location-specific images taken at various locations. Each location-specific image is associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken. Based on the position of the mobile device as determined by the position identification system, a location-specific image is selected from the database and displayed on the screen of the mobile device. For example, when a user is using the mobile device as a car navigation system, a location-specific image of the user'"'"'s destination location can be selected and displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the destination location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying a location-specific image on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, to one or more computer systems and from the mobile device via a wireless communication network, a shopping list that includes one or more items and a location of the mobile device;

determining, by the one or more computer systems, a category for at least one item in the shopping list;

identifying, by the one or more computer systems, one or more stores based at least in part on (a) the category for the at least one item corresponding to the one or more stores, (b) the one or more stores being a determined distance from the location of the mobile device, and (c) availability of the at least one item at the one or more stores;

selecting, by the one or more computer systems, for each of the one or more stores, a respective location-specific image from a plurality of location-specific images;

sending, from the one or more computer systems and to the mobile device via the wireless communication network, the respective location-specific image for each of the one or more stores; and

providing, by the one or more computer systems for display on the mobile device, the respective location-specific image for each of the one or more stores.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, from the one or more computer systems to the mobile device via the wireless communication network, information identifying a respective geographic location for each of the one or more stores; and

providing, by the one or more compute systems for display on the mobile device, respective directions for traveling from the location of the mobile device to the respective geographic location of each of the one or more stores.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the respective location-specific image for each of the one or more stores includes one or more respective objects that are located at or near each of the one or more stores.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, to one or more computer systems and from a mobile device via a communication network, a shopping list that includes at least one item and a location of the mobile device;

identifying, by the one or more computer systems, at least one store based in part upon (a) the at least one store being a determined distance from the location of the mobile device and (b) availability of the at least one item at the at least one store;

selecting, by the one more computer systems, a location-specific image for the at least one store from a plurality of location-specific images; and

sending, from the one or more computer systems and to the mobile device via the communication network, the at least one location-specific image.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the location-specific image includes one or more objects that are located at or near the at least one store.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying at least one category for the at least one item,

wherein the at least one store is identified further based at least in part upon the category for the at least one item corresponding to the at least one store.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a current time corresponding to the mobile device; and

obtaining data describing business operating hours for the at least one store,

wherein the at least one store is identified further based at least in part upon the at least one store being open for business at the current time according to the business operating hours.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, the at least one store is identified further based in part upon the at least one store being a favorite store according to a user profile for a user operating the mobile device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

obtaining, from the mobile device to the one or more computer systems via the communication network, a new image corresponding to the at least one store; and

store the new image and an association of the new image with the at least one store.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that the new image includes fewer pedestrians than the location-specific image; and

removing the location-specific image and a second association of the location-specific image with the at least one store.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the location-specific image includes a name and an address of the at least one store.

5. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory device including instructions that, upon being executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to;

receive, from a mobile device via a communication network, a shopping list that includes at least one item and a location of the mobile device;

identify at least one store based at least in part upon (a) the at least one store being a determined distance from the location of the mobile device and (b) availability of the at least one item at the at least one store;

select a location-specific image for the at least one store from a plurality of location-specific images; and

send, via the communication network, the location-specific image to the mobile device.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing system to:

identify at least one category for the at least one item,

wherein the at least one store is identified further based at least in part upon the category for the at least one item corresponding to the at least one store.

7. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing system to:

determine a current time corresponding to the mobile device; and

obtain data describing business operating hours for the at least one store,

wherein the at least one store is identified further based at least in part upon the the at least one store being open for business at the current time according to the business operating hours.

8. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the at least one store is identified further based at least in part upon the at least one store being a favorite store according to a user profile for a user operating the mobile device.

9. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the system to:

obtain, from the mobile device, a new image corresponding to the at least one store; and

store the new image and an association of the new image with the at least one store.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing system to:

determine that the new image includes fewer pedestrians than the location-specific image; and

remove the location-specific image and a second association of the location-specific image with the at least one store.

11. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the location-specific image includes one or more objects that are located at or near the at least one store.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the location-specific image includes a name and an address of the at least one store.