Patent for “Systems and methods of transmitting establishment information”

Alphabet – James David Busch, Meta Platforms Inc

Search Patent for “Systems and methods of transmitting establishment information”

Abstract for “Systems and methods of transmitting establishment information”

“A computing system can receive location data from a wireless device belonging to a user. The wireless device sends a request for location data. The computing system uses the location data to determine the most likely travel routes. The computing system might respond to the search request by selecting one or more establishments based upon the probable travel routes and the location data associated with those establishments. The computing system can also transmit information to the wireless device about the selected establishment.

Background for “Systems and methods of transmitting establishment information”

“This invention generally refers to methods and systems that generate information related to geographic locations, targeted content delivery and targeted search results. Navigation systems, mobile conversion tracking and location-based services on mobile devices are all examples of the systems and methods. This invention is more specifically about methods and systems that process and report mobile location data to provide targeted content, conversion tracking and other information to mobile device users and businesses. The following references are incorporated by reference to simplify and shorten the description of this invention.

Methods and systems that deliver targeted advertising to mobile audiences can provide significant benefits. They may be able to deliver content that is relevant to them, which could lead to them visiting the advertiser’s place of business. These systems and methods provide advertisers with feedback, including conversion tracking for mobile ads that lead to sales at their retail locations. Methods and systems for paying by mobile phones, including those that are linked to mobile advertising systems and systems that track conversions, can also be of great benefit.

Methods and systems that display content better on mobile devices that take advantage of the device’s form factor and other features can provide significant benefits. Targeted content efforts currently do not take advantage of all features that mobile devices offer. Refer to reference 5 below for a simplified description of the invention. It is herein incorporated as a reference in its entirety.

Methods and systems that offer targeted search results and content based on the user’s current course, rather than the user’s radial distance, have significant benefits. Methods and systems that provide accurate cartographic information are also of great benefit. To illustrate, a car traveling north may pass a gas station located one mile south. However, it is best to continue on your route and stop at a different station three miles before the current location.

A content targeting system and methods that work with mobile devices provide a significant benefit. They not only allow users to search for results nearest to their current location, but also consider other information to deliver more useful results. These systems and methods analyze the current and historical locations, speeds, headings, or combinations thereof as they are recorded by the device. They also deliver search results information, including content from advertisers interested to target consumers in the area the consumer usually travels. In one example, if a consumer travels along a route to work where an advertiser owns a company, it would make sense for the advertiser to produce content that is more likely to reach them than another consumer who never passes any of their business locations. Another application may show that targeted content for businesses located on the right-hand side of the road might be preferred to content produced on the left. This is because it may be easier for a right-hander to turn than a left one. The content that is interesting to the target consumer will make them more likely to respond and to visit the advertiser’s business location. This is based on automobile traffic flow. The invention may include integrated navigation features that allow for the use of historical routes or the current route to show results for businesses. To better target content for mobile devices, it may be possible to use the type of businesses along the route the mobile phone is currently on, or takes, past data such as preferences and favored keywords, past search queries, history from another device, account on a remote server, reminder flags from the mobile system or another device, or other account on a remote server, and even preferences of advertisers. The following references are incorporated by reference in full to simplify and shorten the description of the invention.

“Significant benefit is provided by a content targeting methods and systems usable with mobile devices that provide feedback to the advertisers?especially those advertisers that have brick and mortar businesses?to help them judge the effectiveness of their targeted content. An indicator of the effectiveness of an advertising campaign for a business may be the following: the number of users who have received targeted content; whether they visit a location owned by the content producer; how long they spent there; and how much money they spent at that location (especially if the user uses an online payment system to pay via the mobile device).

Methods and systems that allow for the sharing of location information among friends, family, acquaintances and the general public are of great benefit. These systems and methods may give personal information, or anonomyze data depending on the privacy settings of the specific application. These systems and methods allow a user to locate family members and current information about business or popularity. Refer to 50 below for a concise description of the invention. It is herein incorporated as a reference in its entirety.

Methods and systems that provide more precise addresses, business names, or other information that matches the location of mobile devices are of significant benefit. Current location-based services only show a location on a map, or an approximate street address, which does not correspond with the actual business location. Street addresses correspond to specific locations on the road, while location information from a cellular phone typically indicates a distance from the road that represents the user’s actual business location. Street address information can also be incorrect if the geocoding algorithms used to calculate street addresses are not accurate or fail to account for variations in the addressing scheme that account for different city layouts. Refer to references 17-28 below for a concise description of the invention. They are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Navigation software is a significant benefit that takes into consideration traffic conditions when determining routes. It also uses methods and systems to calculate how many people are using a route. This allows for traffic management by allocating travelers to the best streets in order to avoid congestion. These methods and systems provide traffic information that allows users to avoid congestion. The following references are included by reference in their entirety to simplify and shorten the description of the invention: 17 through 28, 65 through 1969, and 131 below.

An incentive system that encourages consumers to visit the advertiser’s business location is a significant benefit. These systems and methods allow for digital coupon delivery that can be used with mobile devices. An incentive may be provided by the advertising system in the form of a coupon, discount or coupon that can be used at the advertiser?s business. The discount’s value or type may depend on the effort required by the consumer from their current travel route to reach the advertiser’s place of business. Other conditions may be imposed by the advertiser or advertising system on the incentive.

Methods and systems that encourage customers to visit businesses where it takes relatively little effort from the customer or business to implement an incentive mechanism are of great benefit. The coupon may be valued according to how much effort it would take for the customer to travel to the store from their current location. The methods and systems can automatically apply the coupon at the purchase price, or provide an easy way to use the coupon. The following references are included by reference to simplify and shorten the description of the invention.

Advertising methods and systems with one or more of the following features provide significant benefit: An interface that allows advertisers to create or input targeted content into an advertisement system; a database that includes business locations and optionally other information like phone numbers and business classes; a secure database that tracks information for mobile devices, as well as tracking information. A search engine, a mapping or navigation system and a software package that provides a user interface that allows for location-based targeted content to be displayed on mobile devices. Any combination of these elements and other elements may be created within the spirit or invention. Refer to the references 69-83 below for a concise description of the invention. They are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Methods and systems that encourage users to use the extremely useful cell phone tracking features are of significant benefit. Despite the benefits this invention provides, there will be some resistance to the implementation of the invention. This is due to privacy concerns. Electronic Freedom Foundation is one example of many organizations and individuals who are hesitant to have their internet browsing habits, search habits, emails, and website viewing habits recorded. Even if the information isn’t associated with any personal data, this is true. Some people go so far as to disable cookies and other helpful features that are non-threatening in order to increase privacy online. Many people are very cautious about their internet location and are more resistant to having their location made public to any system that can analyze it. Recent court cases have highlighted the dangers of cell phone tracking. Refer to references 84-86 below for a concise description of the invention. They are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

“In order to reduce complexity and length of Detailed Specification and to establish the state-of-the art in certain areas technology, Applicant herein expressly includes by reference all the following materials identified below in each numbered paragraph. These incorporated materials do not necessarily constitute prior art. Applicant expressly authorizes Applicant to swear behind any incorporated material. The file wrapper may contain the entire text of any non-patent literature that is incorporated below.

“Applicant believes the material incorporated below is?non-essential?” It is used to illustrate the state of art or indicate the background of invention, in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57. If the Examiner believes any of the above-incorporated material is?essential?, applicant will amend the specification to expressly recite the material. The applicant will amend the specification in order to expressly cite the essential material that has been incorporated by reference, as permitted by 37 CFR 1.57(c).(1)-(3).

“The invention includes methods and systems for obtaining data about location from mobile devices, processing that data, sending content out to a device using location data. Integration of location with web-based applications accessed with standard computers or laptops, integration location data with conversion tracking system, integration location data with customer relation management systems and systems to determine retail business location performance. Integration with social uses of mobile location data and integration with navigation use of location associated with mobile devices.

“It is the object of the invention that methods and systems are provided for obtaining location information from mobile devices.

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that transmit location data to remote systems.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that store location data from mobile devices.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that stream location information in real-time.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and devices that store and periodically transmit location data to remote systems.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that enable the user to selectively enable or disable tracking features.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield location-based services to devices without the need for constant tracking of the device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield location-based services based on search queries, requests of driving directions, and dialed numbers.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield search results and targeted content for locations along routes the user has taken or plans to take.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that periodically return location-based content based upon location data that has already been generalized before sending the information to protect the user’s privacy.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems that process location data from mobile devices.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems that process location data from a smartphone to determine which business the user is visiting.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and methods that process location data from a smartphone to determine which businesses the user visited.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and data that can collect location data from a smartphone and compare it to business location information to identify specific businesses or types businesses that the mobile device user visits.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and data that can collect location data from a smartphone and compare it to business location information to identify the businesses that a user of a smartphone is able to visit conveniently.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and devices that can collect location data from multiple mobile devices and compare it to business location information to determine which types of businesses users visit with their many mobile devices.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and processes that process location data from a smartphone to determine the user’s current route.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and techniques that process location data from a smartphone to determine the routes the user has taken previously.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and processes that process location data from a smartphone to determine the route that the user prefers to take.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the user’s speed.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the current behavior of a user (e.g. driving, walking on streets, walking in shopping centers).

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver digital advertisements or content to a user based on routes or along routes that the user takes.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver targeted ads or content to mobile phones.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver search results and advertisements to a user based on locations the user has previously visited.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver digital ads or content based entirely, or partially, on the physical location or speed of the mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver digital ads or content based entirely, partly, or all, of the following characteristics of a mobile device: the physical place, speed, heading, or both.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver digital ads or content based entirely, or partially, on any combination of or all of these characteristics of the mobile phone: previous physical locations and speeds, and prior headings.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and routes that are route-guided based on traffic conditions and user preferences.

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver search results based on the routes the user takes.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that show businesses of interest to a person.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that inform individuals about nearby businesses they usually visit when they’re in unfamiliar areas.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that generate advertisements formatted according to the capabilities of the targeted device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the route the user takes with their mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the current route taken by the user of the mobile phone.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield targeted information based on the type of businesses along the route the device user takes.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target ads based on the types of businesses the user of the device visits most often.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems that target ads based on the businesses close to the mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the history of content the user has interacted.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on keywords associated with the mobile device user.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that target content based on the current status and user.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that display targeted content differently on the mobile device under different circumstances.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that display targeted content even when the mobile device remains stationary.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that display targeted content while the mobile device is being moved.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that display targeted information prior to the mobile device passing through an entrance to the business place.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that display targeted information before the mobile device reaches the business location.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and content that target content based upon the mobile device’s speed.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems that display targeted information based on the side of the street the merchant is located with respect to heading of the mobile phone.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that trigger events on a mobile device based on the location.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that track the use of the mobile device to determine if the user visits a business location or makes purchases.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that deliver coupons.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that can assign a value to a targeted coupons.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield coupon value based on how much energy a user must exert to respond to targeted content.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield coupons based on the side of a business relative to the direction the user is traveling.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield coupon value based on the location of a business relative to the heading.

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield text-based coupons.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield image-based coupons.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield coupons redeemable using a barcode displayed on the mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield coupons redeemable through wireless technologies.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods to track recipients of targeted information to determine if they visit the business location associated to the targeted content.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that verify that a user stops by a business and not just passes through it.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that determine how long a user spends at a specific business location to receive targeted content.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that integrate location-based services with search engines.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that yield location-based features when the user logs into the service from either a computer, or a mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that allow a user flag content for later notification via the mobile device based on its location.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that embed ads in web pages that communicate location information to remote systems.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that integrate targeted contents with business inventories databases.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and methods that search the inventories for stores along the routes that a user has taken with a mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that integrate payment services with location services to aid conversion tracking.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that integrate location services and online payment systems.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that integrate credit card processing with location services.”

“It is another object to the invention to provide methods or systems that determine a user’s response (e.g. action or omission to targeted content.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and tools that can determine how much money a user spends at a specific business location using a mobile device.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods, systems, and tools that can determine how much time a user of a mobile device spent at a specific business location.”

“It is another object in the invention to use gathered data that targets advertisements and content.”

“It is another object in the invention to use the collected information for market research.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that report the number and unique visitors to a particular location or to a group (e.g., retail locations, chains of locations and categories of businesses) within a specified time period.

“It is another object to the invention to provide methods that allow advertisers to obtain data about mobile devices that were present at the geographical location indicated by the advertiser (e.g. The location of their business during the time period between the advertisement being placed and the mobile device’s receipt.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods to determine if the owner or the mobile device responded to an advert or content by entering data into the mobile device, or by going to the geographical location indicated by the content or advertisement.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that aggregate customer relationship management data and display it.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that report the amount spent at a particular location or group of locations (e.g. a retail location, chain of retail locations, category of businesses) over a specified period of time.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that report the money spent over a period of time, broken down by geographical locations, regions, and areas.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that forecast earnings, performance of specific business areas, groups of businesses, chains of places, locations, types, locations, and geographical areas.”

“It is another object in the invention to provide methods or systems that facilitate social interaction.”

Summary for “Systems and methods of transmitting establishment information”