Proximity and time based content downloader

• US 9,378,515 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: TWC Patent Trust, LLT (Twc Product and Technology, LLC)
• Inventors: Hassett, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US12/351,180
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Methods and systems for transmitting content to a device. In some embodiments, methods include receiving location information relating to a device, the location information usable to identify an approximate location of the device; comparing the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature; and transmitting content to the device if the approximate location of the device is within a pre-determined range of the location of the venue, wherein at least a portion of the content relates to the at least one feature. In certain embodiments, the user receives the content without the need for the user to be aware of and seek out that content. In certain embodiments, the content may have a relationship to the particular venue, or in other words, the content may be applied for use at that venue. In certain embodiments the transmission of content to the device depends not only on the user'"'"'s location, but also on the particular time of transmission. In other embodiments content is selected based upon whether the approximate location of the device is within a portion of a pre-determined range of the location of the venue.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting content to a device, comprising:

receiving a request for content from a device, the request for content usable to identify an approximate location of the device;

comparing the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature;

tailoring the content based on the approximate location of the device relative to the location of the venue, the content being related to the venue;

if the approximate location of the device is within a pre-determined range of the location of the venue, transmitting the content to the device for a first fee; and

if the approximate location of the device is outside the pre-determined range, transmitting the content to the device for a second fee, wherein the first fee is less than the second fee.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising selecting the content from a plurality of content by determining whether the approximate location of the device is within a predetermined portion of the pre-determined range.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the content from a plurality of content by determining whether the approximate location of the device has been within the pre-determined range for a pre-determined time range.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the content is transmitted to the device only if a time of transmission of the content corresponds to a pre-selected time or time range.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one of a computer, a cell phone, a pager, or a mobile electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises at least one of applications, executable programs, text, SMS, or HTML files, mp3 or other audio files, websites, wallpapers or themes, graphic images, ringtones, advertisements, coupons, movies, animation clips, or photographs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the venue comprises a plurality of places, and the location of the venue is pre-determined as a location within one place.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the content relates to the at least one feature.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first fee is free.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the venue pays at least one of the first fee or the second fee.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein an owner of the device pays at least one of the first fee or the second fee.

12. A system for transmitting content to a device, comprising:

a location comparison component executing in a memory of a computing device for receiving a request for content from a device, the request usable to identify an approximate location of the device, wherein the location comparison component compares the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature;

a content selection component for selecting content stored in the memory in a database, wherein the content selection component tailors the content based on the approximate location of the device relative to the location of the venue, the content being related to the venue; and

a transmission component for transmitting the content to the device for a first fee if the approximate location of the device is within a pre-determined range of the location of the venue, and for transmitting the content to the device for a second fee if the approximate location of the device is outside the pre-determined range, wherein the first fee is less than the second fee.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the content selection component selects the content from a plurality of content by determining whether the approximate location of the device has been within the pre-determined range for a pre-determined time range.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a first pre-determined time range corresponds to a first content, and a second pre-determined time range corresponds to a second content, and wherein the second pre-determined time range is longer than the first pre-determined time range.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the content relates to the at least one feature.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the content is an application that allows a user to input information and provides specialized content in response to the user input.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the content:

provides further information about the venue;

is useable at the venue;

is at least partial payment for an item or service for sale at the venue;

is a promotion for an item or service for sale at the venue;

or is an incentive to visit the venue again.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the venue pays the first fee and an owner of the device pays the second fee.

19. A method for transmitting content to a device, comprising:

receiving a request for content from a device;

receiving location information relating to the device, the location information usable to identify an approximate location of the device;

comparing the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature;

tailoring the content based on the approximate location of the device relative to the location of the venue, the content being related to the venue;

if the approximate location of the device is within a pre-determined range of the location of the venue, transmitting the content to the device for a first fee that is charged to the venue; and

if the approximate location of the device is outside the pre-determined range, transmitting the content to the device for a second fee that is charged to the owner of the device, wherein the first fee is less than the second fee.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the content is an application that receives user input and returns information that is related thereto in response to the user input.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the content is an application that receives information related to a location from the user and returns a weather forecast in response to the user input.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the information related to the location comprises at least one of the name of the venue, a zip code, an area code, a city, a state, or a county name.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the content is an application that is installed on the device and executed on the device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising selecting the content from a plurality of content by determining whether the approximate location of the device has been within the pre-determined range for a pre-determined time range.

25. A system for transmitting content to a device, comprising:

a location comparison component executing in memory of a computing device for receiving a request for content from a device, the request usable to identify an approximate location of the device, wherein the location comparison component compares the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature;

a content selection component for selecting content from a plurality of content stored in the memory in a database by determining whether the approximate location of the device is within one of a plurality of pre-determined ranges of the location of the venue, wherein the content selection component tailors the content based on the approximate location of the device relative to the location of the venue, the content being related to the venue; and

a transmission component for transmitting content to the device if the approximate location of the device is within one of the plurality of pre-determined ranges, wherein a first pre-determined range is within the venue and corresponds to a first content, and a second pre-determined range is outside of the venue and corresponds to a second content, and wherein the first content has a higher value than the second content.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of content corresponds to each of the plurality of pre-determined ranges.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein at least a portion of the content relates to the at least one feature.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the feature comprises at least one of access rights, a theme, a purpose, a person, event, a game, a sport, or an activity.

29. The system as in claim 25, wherein the transmission component only transmits the content to the device if a time of transmission of the content corresponds to a pre-selected time or time range.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which is encoded program code, the program code when executed by a processor executes a method comprising:

receiving a request for content from a device;

receiving location information relating to the device, the location information usable to identify an approximate location of the device;

comparing the approximate location of the device with a location of a venue, wherein the venue is associated with at least one feature;

tailoring the content based on the approximate location of the device relative to the location of the venue, the content being related to the venue; and

transmitting content to the device if the approximate location of the device is within a pre-determined range of the location of the venue, wherein at least a portion of the content relates to the at least one feature, and wherein a first pre-determined range is within the venue and corresponds to a first content, and a second pre-determined range is outside of the venue and corresponds to a second content, and wherein the first content has a higher value than the second content.