Address point data mining

• US 9,544,721 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jouaux, Francois M., Tribble, Guy L., Chitta, Rama Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahsan, Umair
• Application Number:
  US13/952,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20150031397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/423, 455/404.2, 701408-409, 701/426, 701/461, 701/468, 701/532, 345606-610, 379/201.006, 382/113, 382/103, 382/201, 382/293, 382/294
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/09 for tracking people
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Techniques for address point data mining are described. An address point data mining method, system, or program product can determine geographic coordinates of an address based on geographic locations of one or more user devices. Each user device can be a mobile device operable to determine a location using a global navigation system (e.g., GPS), wireless signal triangulation, or other techniques. During the course of a time period (e.g., a day or week), the user device can stay at a location for a significant amount of time. The system can crosscheck this location with a geocoded geographic coordinates of a registered address (e.g., a billing address) that is associated with the mobile device. The system can determine whether the geocoded geographic coordinates are accurate based on result of the crosscheck.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a location of a mobile device;

determining, based on account information of a user of the mobile device, an address associated with the user;

determining assumed geographic coordinates of the address;

confirming that the assumed geographic coordinates indicate a geographical location of the address in response to determining that a plurality of conditions have been satisfied, the plurality of conditions including;

a first condition that the location of the mobile device is designated as a significant location of the user, wherein the mobile device designates the location of the mobile device as the significant location upon determining that, according to a series of location readings, the mobile device stayed for more than a threshold amount of time at the location; and

a second condition that a distance between the significant location and the assumed geographic coordinates satisfies a match threshold distance that corresponds to a count of the location readings in the series, wherein a lower count corresponds to a larger match threshold distance; and

upon the confirming, storing the assumed geographic coordinates in association with the address,

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the account information comprises an identifier of an account of the user, the account being associated with one or more network-based services subscribed by the user, and

the address includes an address associated with the account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assumed geographic coordinates of the address include geocoded geographic coordinates determined using address interpolation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the assumed geographic coordinates of the address comprises:

submitting, by the mobile device, the identifier of the account to a server; and

receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, a representation of the assumed geographic coordinates of the address, wherein the assumed geographic coordinates are geocoded by the server.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

after determining the distance satisfies the match threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a confirmation sleep duration.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy the match threshold distance:

determining that the distance satisfies a nearby threshold distance, the nearby threshold distance being a distance that is larger than the match threshold distance;

then

validating the significant location based on at least one of spatial calculations or previously stored significant locations; and

designating geographic coordinates of the validated significant location as confirmed geographic coordinates.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising, after determining that the distance satisfies the nearby threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a reconsideration sleep duration.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy a nearby threshold distance that is greater than the match threshold distance:

designating the assumed geographic coordinates as a non-match; and

starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a non-match sleep duration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices comprise one or more server devices.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices; and

a non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause the one or more computing device to perform operations comprising;

determining a location of a mobile device;

determining, based on account information of a user of the mobile device, a address associated with the user;

determining assumed geographic coordinates of the address;

confirming that the assumed geographic coordinates indicate a geographical location of the address in response to determining that a plurality of conditions have been satisfied, the plurality of conditions including;

a first condition that the location of the mobile device is designated as a significant location of the user, wherein the mobile device designates the location of the mobile device as the significant location upon determining that, according to a series of location readings, the mobile device stayed for more than a threshold amount of time at the location; and

a second condition that a distance between the significant location and the assumed geographic coordinates satisfies a match threshold distance that corresponds to a count of the location readings in the series, wherein a lower count corresponds to a larger match threshold distance; and

upon the confirming, storing the assumed geographic coordinates in association with the address.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the account information comprises an identifier of an account of the user, the account being associated with one or more network-based services subscribed by the user, and

the address includes an address associated with the account.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises receiving the location of the mobile device from the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the assumed geographic coordinates of the address comprises:

submitting, by the mobile device, the identifier of the account to a server; and

receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, a representation of the assumed geographic coordinates of the address, wherein the assumed geographic coordinates are geocoded by the server.

14. The system of claim 10, the operations comprising:

after determining the distance satisfies the match threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a confirmation sleep duration.

15. The system of claim 10, the operations comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy the match threshold distance:

determining that the distance satisfies a nearby threshold distance, the nearby threshold distance being a distance that is larger than the match threshold distance;

then

validating the significant location based on at least one of spatial calculations or previously stored significant locations; and

designating geographic coordinates of the validated significant location as confirmed geographic coordinates.

16. The system of claim 15, the operations comprising, after determining that the distance satisfies the nearby threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a reconsideration sleep duration.

17. The system of claim 10, the operations comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy a nearby threshold distance that is greater than the match threshold distance:

designating the assumed geographic coordinates as a non-match; and

starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a non-match sleep duration.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more computing devices comprise one or more server devices.

19. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause one or more computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining a location of a mobile device;

determining, based on account information of a user of the mobile device, an address associated with the user;

determining assumed geographic coordinates of the address;

confirming that the assumed geographic coordinates indicate a geographical location of the address in response to determining that a plurality of conditions have been satisfied, the plurality of conditions including;

a first condition that the location of the mobile device is designated as a significant location of the user, wherein the mobile device designates the location of the mobile device as the significant location upon determining that, according to a series of location readings, the mobile device stayed for more than a threshold amount of time at the location; and

a second condition that a distance between the significant location and the assumed geographic coordinates satisfies a match threshold distance that corresponds to a count of the location readings in the series, wherein a lower count corresponds to a larger match threshold distance; and

upon the confirming, storing the assumed geographic coordinates in association with the address.

20. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, wherein:

the account information comprises an identifier of an account of the user, the account being associated with one or more network-based services subscribed by the user, and

the address includes an address associated with the account.

21. The non-transitory storage device of claim 20, the operations comprising storing the address using a representation of the address in a database record.

22. The non-transitory storage device of claim 20, wherein determining the assumed geographic coordinates of the address comprises:

submitting, by the mobile device, the identifier of the account to a server; and

receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, a representation of the assumed geographic coordinates of the address, wherein the assumed geographic coordinates are geocoded by the server.

23. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, the operations comprising:

after determining the distance satisfies the match threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a confirmation sleep duration.

24. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, the operations comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy a nearby threshold distance, the nearby threshold distance being a distance that is greater than the match threshold distance:

determining that the distance satisfies a nearby threshold distance that is larger than the match threshold distance;

then

validating the significant location based on at least one of spatial calculations or previously stored significant locations; and

designating geographic coordinates of the validated significant location as confirmed geographic coordinates.

25. The non-transitory storage device of claim 24, the operations comprising, after determining that the distance satisfies the nearby threshold distance, starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a reconsideration sleep duration.

26. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, the operations comprising, upon determining the distance does not satisfy a nearby threshold distance:

designating the assumed geographic coordinates as a non-match; and

starting a timer for triggering determining the significant location in a next iteration, the timer configured to trigger the next iteration after a non-match sleep duration.

27. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, wherein the assumed geographic coordinates of the address include geocoded geographic coordinates determined using address interpolation.