U.S. patent application number 12/237709 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-22 for methods, systems and apparatus for delivery of media.
Invention is credited to Marc Davis, Ronald Martinez.
Application Number | 20090024452 12/237709 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39416474 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090024452 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martinez; Ronald ; et
al. |
January 22, 2009 |
METHODS, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERY OF MEDIA
Abstract
Systems, methods and apparatus for collecting data and
presenting media to a user are provided. The systems generally
includes a data gathering module associated with an electronic
device. The data gathering module communicates gathered data to a
management module, which manages at least one user profile based on
the gathered data. The management module may select media for
presentation to a user based on the user profile, and the selected
media may be displayed to the user via a media output device
co-located with the user, such as a display of the user's mobile
electronic device or a television, computer, billboard or other
display co-located with the user. Related methods are also
provided.
Inventors: |
Martinez; Ronald; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Davis; Marc; (San Francisco,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YAHOO! INC. C/O GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP
MET LIFE BUILDING, 200 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10166
US
|
Family ID: |
39416474 |
Appl. No.: |
12/237709 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11562979 |
Nov 22, 2006 |
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12237709 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.34 ;
705/7.29 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0201 20130101;
G06F 16/437 20190101; G06Q 30/0205 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/10 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method comprising: collecting electronic device data of a
plurality of mobile electronic devices; maintaining a plurality of
user profiles based on the electronic device data; reviewing the
plurality of user profiles to determine a user having a potential
interest in purchasing a good or service; presenting a media
display opportunity to vendors; receiving bids from the vendors to
display an advertisement to the user; selecting, from the bids, a
winning bid associated with a first vendor of the vendors;
selecting a media output device via which to deliver a targeted
advertisement associated with the first vendor; and causing the
delivery of the targeted advertisement to the selected media output
device.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the causing the delivery of the
targeted advertisement further comprises causing the delivery of
one or more of an advertisement, a coupon, and entertainment.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the collecting electronic
device data further comprises collecting at least one of temporal
data, spatial data and interaction data.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the collecting at least one of
temporal data, spatial data, and interaction data further comprises
collecting at least one of interpersonal communication data, media
data, relationship data, transaction data and electronic device
interaction data.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising producing deduced
information, wherein the deduced information comprises at least one
of past location information, present location information,
predicted future location information, past activity information,
present activity information, predicted future activity
information, primary location information, secondary location
information, preferences information and social network
information.
26. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting a media output
device via which to deliver a targeted advertisement associated
with the first vendor further comprises selecting a media device
via which to deliver at least one of a vibration, a smell, and a
taste.
27. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting a media output
device via which to deliver a targeted advertisement associated
with the first vendor further comprises selecting at least one of a
taste sensory output device, a touch sensory output device, and a
smell sensory output device.
28. A system comprising: a user data gathering module associated
with a mobile electronic device, wherein the user data gathering
module gathers electronic device data of the mobile electronic
device; an authenticator for receiving and authenticating third
party data received from at least one third party; a profile
management module that receives the electronic device data and the
third party data; a user profile associated with a user, wherein
the profile management module manages the user profile and wherein
the user profile includes at least some of the electronic device
data and the third party data; and a media presentation module that
receives at least a portion of the user profile and facilitates
presentation of selected media to a media output device associated
with the user, wherein the selected media is based on at least a
portion of the user profile and comprises an advertisement.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the media presentation module
facilitates presentation of selected media to at least one of a
taste sensory output device, a touch sensory output device, and a
smell sensory output device.
30. The system of claim 28, wherein the selected media is a message
comprising at least one of taste, smell, and vibration.
31. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic device data
includes at least one of spatial data, temporal data, and
interaction data and the third party data includes at least one of
spatial data, temporal data, and interaction data.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein the interaction data includes
at least one of interpersonal communication data, media data,
relationship data, transaction data, and device interaction
data.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein the relationship data includes
at least one of social network data and user identity data.
34. The system of claim 28, wherein the selected media further
comprises at least one of a coupon and entertainment.
35. A method comprising: collecting electronic device data of a
plurality of mobile electronic devices; maintaining a plurality of
user profiles based on the electronic device data; reviewing the
plurality of user profiles to determine a user having a potential
interest in purchasing a good or service; selecting a media output
device via which to deliver an advertisement to the user; and
transmitting the advertisement to the selected media output
device.
36. The method of claim 35, further comprising receiving a bid from
a vendor to display the advertisement to the user.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the receiving a bid from a
vendor to display the advertisement further comprises receiving a
bid from a vendor to display at least one of an advertisement, a
coupon, and entertainment.
38. The method of claim 35, wherein the collecting electronic
device data further comprises collecting at least one of temporal
data, spatial data and interaction data.
39. The method of claim 35, wherein the selecting a media output
device via which to deliver the advertisement to the user further
comprises selecting at least one of a taste sensory output device,
a touch sensory output device, and a smell sensory output
device.
40. The method of claim 35, wherein the transmitting the
advertisement to the selected media output device further comprises
transmitting a message comprising at least one of a taste, a smell,
and a vibration.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to methods, systems and apparatus for
delivery of media. In one embodiment, a user profile is maintained
and media is delivered to a mobile electronic device associated
with the user profile.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A great deal of information is generated when people use
electronic devices, such as when people use mobile phones and cable
set-top boxes. Such information, such as location, applications
used, social network, physical and online locations visited, to
name a few, could be used to deliver useful services and
information to end users, and provide commercial opportunities to
advertisers and retailers. However, most of this information is
effectively abandoned due to deficiencies in the way such
information may be captured. For example, and with respect to a
mobile phone, information is generally not gathered while the
mobile phone is idle (i.e., not being used by a user). Other
information, such as presence of others in the immediate vicinity,
time and frequency of messages to other users, and activities of a
user's social network is also not captured effectively. There
exists a need for methods, systems and apparatus to collect and
communicate data associated with users and their electronic
devices.
SUMMARIES OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Systems, methods and apparatus for collecting data and
presenting media based thereon are provided. The systems generally
include a data gathering module associated with an electronic
device. The data gathering module communicates gathered data to a
management module, which manages at least one user profile based on
the gathered data. The management module may select media for
presentation to a user based on the user profile, and the selected
media may be displayed to the user via a media output device
co-located with the user, such as a display of the user's mobile
electronic device or a billboard or other display co-located with
the user.
[0004] In one aspect, systems for selecting media for presentation
to a media output device are provided. In one embodiment, a system
comprises a data gathering module, a profile management module, a
user profile and a media presentation module. The data gathering
module is associated with an electronic device and gathers
electronic device data of the electronic device. The profile
management module receives the electronic device data and manages a
user profile based thereon. The user profile is associated with a
user of the electronic device and includes at least some of the
electronic device data. The media presentation module receives at
least a portion of the user profile and facilitates presentation of
selected media to a media output device associated with the user.
The media selected by the media presentation module is selected, at
least in part, based at least in part on the user profile. In one
approach, the electronic device data includes at least one of
spatial data, temporal data, and interaction data. In one
embodiment the electronic device data includes at least two of
spatial data, temporal data, and interaction data or subsets
thereof, and, in a particular embodiment, the electronic device
data includes at least two of spatial data, temporal data, and
interaction data. In one approach, the interaction data includes at
least one of interpersonal communication data, media data,
relationship data, transaction data, device interaction data and
subsets thereof. In one approach the interaction data includes at
least two of interpersonal communication data, media data,
relationship data, transaction data, device interaction data and
subsets thereof. In one approach, the relationship data includes at
least one of social network data and user identity data. The user
profile comprises at least some of the electronic device data, and
in a particular embodiment includes deduced information that is
deduced based on at least one of the spatial data, the temporal
data, and the interaction data. In this regard, the profile
management module may correlate one or more of the spatial data,
the temporal data, and the interaction data to deduce at least some
of the deduced information. Thus, the user profile may include at
least one of past location data, present location data, and
predicted future location data. The user profile may include past
activity information, present activity information, predicted
future activity information, and preferences information. In a
particular approach, the user profile is one of a plurality of user
profiles and the profile management module manages the plurality of
user profiles, where at least some of the deduced information is
deduced based at least on a comparison of two or more of the
plurality of user profiles. In one embodiment, each of the
plurality of user profiles is associated with an electronic device
and the media presentation module selects media for presentation to
at least one of the electronic devices based at least on a
comparison of two or more of the plurality of user profiles.
[0005] In another aspect, the systems may include an authenticator
for receiving and authenticating third party data received from at
least one third party. Thus, the profile management module may
receive the electronic device data and the third party data, manage
a user profile associated with a user, where the user profile
includes at least some of the electronic device data and the third
party data. In one embodiment, the user profile comprises deduced
information that is deduced based on the electronic device data and
the third party data. Thus, the profile management module may
correlate one or more of the electronic device data and the third
party data to deduce at least some of the deduced information.
[0006] In another aspect, methods for selecting media for
presentation to a media output device are provided. In one
embodiment, a method includes the steps of collecting data,
maintaining user profiles based on the collected data, selecting
media from a media inventory, selecting a media output device, and
causing delivery of the selected media. The collecting data step
generally includes collecting at least two of spatial data,
temporal data and interaction data from a plurality of electronic
devices. The interaction data generally includes at least one of
interpersonal communication data, media data, relationship data,
transaction data and electronic device interaction data. In one
approach, the collected data is uniquely identified via a unique
identifier, such as via a unique identifier utilized with data
collecting modules resident on the electronic devices, or via a
phone number associated with the electronic devices. The step of
maintaining user profiles generally includes maintaining a
plurality of user profiles based on at least one of temporal data,
spatial data, and interaction data. In one approach, at least one
unique identifier is utilized to facilitate user profile
identification and maintenance. In one embodiment, the user
profiles include at least some of the collected data. In one
approach, the maintaining step comprises correlating data from at
least one of the temporal data, spatial data and interaction data
to generate deduced information. At least some of the deduced
information may be included in one or more of the user profiles.
The step of selecting media from a media inventory is generally
based at least in part on one user profile. In one approach, the
selecting step comprises comparing at least a portion of the user
profile (e.g., current location data) to media of a media inventory
and selecting at least one targeted media for delivery. The step of
selecting a media output device via which to deliver the selected
media generally comprises comparing the location of a user (e.g.,
the location of a user associated with a user profile) to media
output devices proximal the user, and selecting one or more media
output devices co-located with the user. In one embodiment, the
media output device is a mobile electronic device of the user. In
another embodiment, the media output device is a display co-located
with the user, such as a billboard, a computer or a television. In
another embodiment, the media output device is a device associated
with the third party, such a business or government entity. The
causing delivery step is generally accomplished by transforming the
media to conform to the selected media output device(s) and
transmitting the selected media to the selected media output
device(s).
[0007] In a related aspect, the method may include the step of
receiving third party data from at least one third party, the third
party data including at least one of temporal data, spatial data
and interaction data and authenticating at least one of the
electronic device data and the third party data. In one embodiment,
the authenticating step may include the steps of comparing a third
party certificate to authenticating information and allowing use of
the third party data for the maintaining step. In another
embodiment, the authenticating step may include the steps of
comparing the third party data to preexisting data of the user
profiles, determining whether the third party data satisfies a
predetermined number of authenticating criteria, and allowing use
of the third party data for the maintaining step. Thus, the method
may also include the step of correlating at least one of the
electronic device data and the third party data to produce deduced
information.
[0008] In another aspect, methods of facilitating collection of
electronic data are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes
the steps of associating a data gathering module with an electronic
device, collecting interaction data via the data gathering module,
compensating a user based on the collecting interaction data step,
and maintaining a user profile based at least in part on the
interaction data. The compensating step may include compensating
the user for facilitating the collection of the interaction data in
return for an agreement by the user to allow the collected
interaction data to be utilized to maintain a user profile and/or
for an agreement by the user to allow the collected interaction
data to be shared with third parties and/or for an agreement by the
user to allow the presentation of media to the user. In one
approach, discounted services and/or discounted merchandise are
provided as at least part of the compensation to the user. In one
embodiment, the method includes the step of enabling the user to
select one of the data collection levels (e.g., the amount of
interaction data, spatial data and/or temporal data collected)
and/or the data sharing levels (e.g., with whom the collected data
is shared and to what degree the collected data is shared). The
method may thus include the step of compensating the user with
compensation in proportion to the data collection levels and/or the
data sharing levels. In this regard, the method may include the
step of selecting a first data collection level for a first type of
data and may include the step of selecting a second data collection
level for a second type of data. The method may include the step of
selecting a first sharing level for the first data type and the may
include the step of selecting a second sharing level for the second
type of data. One or more of these selecting steps may be
facilitated via a data gathering module or a component thereof or
related thereto. In this regard, in one embodiment, the user may
accomplish one or more of these selecting steps. The first and
second types of data may be any one of the spatial data, temporal
data and interaction data and any subset thereof. In one
embodiment, the first type of data includes data from at least two
of the spatial data, temporal data and interaction data. In one
embodiment, the second type of data is data not included with the
first type of data. The first and second sharing levels may relate
to one or more of data shared with various entities, such as
businesses, governmental entities and relations, such as personal
relations. In one approach, the first sharing level may allow for
sharing of the first type of data with a first entity and the
second sharing level allows for sharing of the second type of data
with a second entity. In a particular embodiment, the first and
second types of data may include at least some common data, and
this common data may be shared with the first entity but is not
shared with the second entity. In one embodiment, the method
includes the step of compensating the user at a first compensation
rate relative to the first data collection level and/or the first
sharing level. The method may include the step of compensating the
user at a second compensation rate relative to the second data
collection level and/or the second sharing level.
[0009] In another aspect, methods for maintaining a plurality of
user profiles and receiving compensation therefore are provided. In
one embodiment, a method comprises collecting electronic data from
a plurality of mobile electronic devices, maintaining a plurality
of user profiles, each of the user profiles being associated with
at least one mobile electronic devices, enabling access, by one or
more vendors, to at least a portion of the user profile information
for at least some of the plurality of user profiles, and receiving
compensation from the one or more vendors for the enabling access
step. The method of may include enabling access to a first tier of
the user profile and receiving compensation step comprises
receiving compensation at a first level. The method may also
include the step of enabling access to a second tier of the user
profile and receiving compensation step comprises receiving
compensation at a second level, which may be higher than the first
tier level of compensation. In one embodiment, a request for access
to the second tier of the user profile may be received, and access
to the second tier may concomitantly or subsequently enabled. In
another approach, at least a portion of a first one of the
plurality of user profiles is resident on a mobile electronic
device and is associated with a first user. In this approach,
access to at least a portion of the first user's profile may be
facilitated by the first user, and at least a portion of the
compensation may be provided to the first user for facilitating
access to the profile. In another approach, the method may include
receiving, from the one or more vendors, offers for a right to
present media to a first user, accepting one of the offers, and
enabling the presentation of media to the first user.
[0010] In another aspect, methods for facilitating collection of
information associated with a mobile electronic device are
provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises collecting
electronic device data via one or more operational modules resident
on a mobile electronic device, providing collected electronic data
to a data gathering module resident on the mobile electronic
device, and compensating a third party for the providing step. The
method may also include the steps of maintaining a user profile
based on the collected electronic data, enabling access, by one or
more vendors, to at least a portion of the user profile; and
receiving vendor compensation from the one or more vendors for the
enabling step. In one approach, the compensating step may include
at least a portion of the vendor compensation to the third party.
In this approach, the user profile may include first information
and second information, the first information being based on data
collected by a first operational module of the mobile electronic
device, the first operational module being associated with a first
party, the second information being based on data collected by a
second operational module of the mobile electronic device, the
second operational module being associated with a second party. The
method may thus include the step of compensating the first party at
a first compensation rate, the first compensation rate being
related to the amount of data provided to the data gathering module
by the first operational module. The method may further include the
step of compensating the second party at a second compensation
rate, the second compensation rate being related to the amount of
data provided by the second operational module to the data
gathering module. In this approach, the first compensation rate may
be related to a ratio of the first information to total information
of the user profile, and the second compensation rate may be
related to a ratio of the second information to the total
information of the user profile.
[0011] In another aspect, methods for facilitating collection of
user information are provided. In one embodiment, the method may
comprise maintaining a plurality of user profiles, each of the
profiles being associated with a user of a mobile electronic
device, collecting, via a first mobile electronic device associated
with a first user, other user data, the other user data being
associated with at least one or more others users of the mobile
electronic devices, not including the first user, providing the
other user data to a maintainer of the plurality of user profiles,
and compensating the first user for at least one of the collecting
the other user data step and the providing the other user data
step. In one approach, the method may include the steps of enabling
access, by the first user, to at least a portion of the user
profile information of other users, allowing the first user to
update the user profile information of the other users, and
compensating the first user for updating the user profile
information of the other users.
[0012] In another aspect, methods for presenting a media display
opportunity are provided. In one embodiment a method includes the
steps of collecting electronic data from a plurality of electronic
devices, each of the electronic devices being associated with a
user, maintaining a plurality of user profiles for each user of the
electronic devices, each of the user profiles comprising user
profile information that is based on collected electronic data,
reviewing the plurality of user profiles, locating one or more
media display opportunities based on the reviewing step, and
presenting the media display opportunity to at least one vendor. In
one approach, the method includes the steps of receiving one or
more offers from at least one vendor for a right to present media,
accepting at least one offer from at least one vendor, and causing
presentation of media to at least one media output device
co-located with a user, where the media is related to the vendor(s)
whose offer(s) was/were selected, and where the user is associated
with one of the plurality of user profiles. In one approach, the
reviewing the plurality of user profiles step includes the steps of
correlating the electronic data of the plurality of user profiles
to metadata associated with media of a media inventory and
selecting at least one user profile based on the correlation. In
one approach, the media display opportunity comprises information
relating to at least one of the user's current location, the user's
predicted future location, the user's predicted future activities,
and the user's preferences. In one approach, the method includes
the steps of determining that at least one user is co-located with
the at least one vendor and, after or concomitant to the
determining step, completing the reviewing, locating and presenting
steps.
[0013] As may be appreciated, various ones of the inventive
aspects, approaches and embodiments described above may be combined
to yield various systems and methods for presenting media.
Furthermore, these and other aspects, advantages, and novel
features of the invention are set forth in part in the description
that follows and will become apparent to those skilled in the art
upon examination of the following description and figures, or may
be learned by practicing the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
mobile electronic device including a data gathering module of FIG.
1.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
management module of FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
user profile of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of
data collection system useful with a media delivery system.
[0019] FIG. 6a is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system utilizing a mobile electronic device.
[0020] FIG. 6b is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system utilizing a mobile electronic device.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system utilizing a mobile electronic device.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system employing a peer-to-peer network.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a
media delivery system for a plurality of users.
[0024] FIG. 10a is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for presenting media.
[0025] FIG. 10b is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for facilitating collection of data.
[0026] FIG. 10c is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for facilitating collection of data.
[0027] FIG. 10d is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of
a data gathering preferences section of a data gathering
module.
[0028] FIG. 10e is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for facilitating collection of data.
[0029] FIG. 10f is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for sharing and collecting user information.
[0030] FIG. 10g is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for receiving compensation by enabling access to user
profiles.
[0031] FIG. 10h is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for authenticating third party data.
[0032] FIG. 10i is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for receiving compensation by sharing access to user
profiles.
[0033] FIG. 10j is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for presenting media display opportunities.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to the accompanying
drawings, which at least assist in illustrating various pertinent
embodiments of the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system for delivering
media. The system 1 includes a data gathering module 10, a
management module 20, a user profile 30, and a media output device
40. The data gathering module 10 collects electronic data,
communicates with the management module 20, and provides the
electronic data to the management module 20. The management module
20 receives the electronic data from the data gathering module 10
and manages a user profile 30. As discussed in further detail
below, the user profile 30 generally includes at least some of the
collected electronic data. The management module 20 also
communicates with the media output device 40, which is capable of
outputting selected media (M) (e.g., a visual and/or audio message)
for consumption by a user (e.g., for viewing and/or hearing).
[0036] The data gathering module 10 gathers electronic data,
generally by being resident on an electronic device. As discussed
in further detail below, the data gathering module 10 may interface
with various other modules of the electronic device to collect data
associated with the electronic device. For example, the data
gathering module 10 may actively and/or passively gather electronic
data associated with use of the electronic device. One example of
actively gathered data includes data gathered due to interaction
between a user and the electronic device, referred to herein as
interaction data. One example of passively gathered data includes
data gathered irrespective of user interaction with the electronic
device. For example, spatial data and/or temporal data may be
passively collected during transport of a mobile electronic device,
such as a mobile phone.
[0037] One embodiment of an electronic device including a data
gathering module is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the
electronic device is a mobile electronic device 50, such as a
mobile phone, a mobile email device, a mobile portable digital
assistant, or a laptop computer, to name a few. The mobile
electronic device 50 includes a spatial module 52, a temporal
module 54, and one or more other module(s) 56 that may communicate
with the data gathering module 10. The spatial module 52, temporal
module 54 and other module(s) 56 may be pre-existing components of
the mobile electronic device. The data gathering module 10 may
interface with these modules (e.g., via an application program
interface) to facilitate the communication. The spatial module 52
may communicate spatial data to the data gathering module 10, the
temporal module 54 may communicate temporal data to the data
gathering module 10, and the other module(s) 56 may communicate
other data, such as interaction data to the data gathering module
10. As discussed in further detail below, any one of the spatial
module 52, temporal module 54 and/or other module(s) may be
integrated with the data gathering module 10.
[0038] One notable aspect of this embodiment is that the data
gathering module 10 may communicate with the spatial module 52, the
temporal module 54, and/or the other module(s) 56, irrespective of
whether the mobile electronic device 50 is being used by the user
and/or irrespective of whether the mobile electronic device 50 is
in communication with a network. Thus, the data gathering module 10
may collect a plurality of types of data of the mobile electronic
device 50, irrespective of user interaction with the device and
irrespective of whether the mobile electronic device 50 is in
communication with the network. Thus, substantial amounts of
spatial, temporal and other data may be collected and later
communicated to the management module 20, thereby facilitating
management and production of the user profile 30.
[0039] The spatial module 52 may be any hardware and/or software
adapted to communicate spatial data. For example, the spatial
module 52 may be a module operable to communicate location
coordinates associated with the mobile electronic device 50. In one
embodiment, the spatial module 52 may include general packet radio
service (GPRS) hardware and/or software.
[0040] The temporal module 54 may be any hardware and/or software
operable to communicate temporal data (e.g., time stamps). In one
embodiment, the temporal module 54 utilizes a local clock to
communicate the temporal data. In another embodiment, the temporal
module 54 uses a network-based clock to communicate temporal
data.
[0041] The other module(s) 56 may be any other hardware and/or
software associated with the mobile electronic device 50, such as a
communication module (e.g., a short message service (SMS), an email
and/or a voice module), a media-related module (e.g., a word
processor, an Internet browser, an audio playback module, and an
imaging module, such as a photographic device), and the like.
[0042] The data gathering module 10 may be any hardware and/or
software operable to gather data collected by the modules of the
mobile electronic device 50. In one embodiment, the data gathering
module 10 mainly comprises software operable to communicate with
modules of the mobile electronic device 50 without requiring user
interaction, and thus may act as a background agent of the mobile
electronic device 50, gathering, in the background of operation of
the mobile electronic device, data produced by the mobile
electronic device 50.
[0043] The data gathering module 10 may be preloaded on and/or
downloaded to the mobile electronic device 50 (e.g., such as via
server or a peer-to-peer network). To facilitate collection of
uniquely identifiable data, which may be used to maintain the user
profile 30, each data gathering module 10 may comprise a unique
identifier. This unique identifier may be used in conjunction with
the collected data to facilitate identification of a unique user
and maintenance of a unique user profile 30 based thereon.
[0044] As discussed in further detail below, the data gathering
module 10 may be a separate module from any of the other modules of
the system 1, or the data gathering module 10 may be integrated
with one or more modules of the system 1. For example, and as
discussed in further detail below, the data gathering module 10 may
be integrated with the management module 20 to facilitate delivery
of media to the media output device 40.
[0045] In another embodiment (not illustrated), the data gathering
module 10 may be located on a non-mobile electronic device, such as
a set-top box, a predominately stationary computer (e.g., a desktop
computer or a server), an electronic vending device (e.g., a food
and/or beverage dispensing machine), or an electronic billboard, to
name a few. In this regard, the data gathering module 10 may
interact with the modules of those devices similar to the
interaction described above with respect to the mobile electronic
device 50.
[0046] As noted above, the management module 20 receives electronic
data from the data gathering module (e.g., via wireless
communication) and manages the user profile 30 (e.g., creates
and/or updates the user profile 30). One embodiment of a management
module 20 is illustrated in FIG. 3. In the illustrated embodiment,
the management module 20 includes a profile management module 22, a
media presentation module 24, and may optionally include a media
inventory 26, which may comprise a database of media and metadata
associated therewith. The profile management module 22 receives the
electronic data from the data gathering module 10 and manages at
least one user profile 30 based on the electronic data. For
example, and as discussed in further detail below, the profile
management module 22 may update the user profile 30 with the
received data and/or may correlate the received data to deduce at
least a portion of the user profile 30.
[0047] The media presentation module 24 utilizes at least a portion
of the user profile 30 to facilitate selection of media for
presentation to a user. In one approach, and as discussed in
further detail below, the media presentation module 24 may
correlate data of the user profile 30 and data associated with the
media of the media inventory 26 to locate potential targeted
advertising opportunities. In turn, the media presentation module
24 may present these opportunities to one or more third parties
(e.g., one or more vendors), who may provide compensation for the
right to present media to the users associated with selected user
profiles. By way of illustration, the media presentation module 24
may review the user profiles to determine which users may have an
interest in purchasing one or more goods or services. In turn, the
media presentation module 24 may present a concomitant media
display opportunity to one or more vendors, who may bid for the
right to display targeted media to one or more of the users. For
example, the media presentation module 24 may determine, based on
the user profiles, that one or more users often purchase coffee on
their way to work. In turn, the media presentation module 24 may
notify one or more vendors (e.g., STARBUCKS, PEABODY COFFEE, PEET'S
COFFEE) of the potential coffee advertising opportunity. Those
vendors may then bid for the right to provide a context-based
targeted media display opportunity to the user via the media output
device 40. For example, the vendors may bid for the right to
display a coffee advertisement or coupon to the users during the
times that those users normally purchase coffee and with respect to
locations that those users normally frequent, such as determined
using one or more of spatial data, temporal data and interaction
data. Upon receiving a winning bid, the media display module 24 may
present the appropriate media for display via the media output
device 40.
[0048] In another approach, and as discussed in further detail
below, the media presentation module 24 may receive a request from
one or more third parties to provide user profiles having certain
demographic characteristics. The media presentation module 24 may
filter the user profiles in accordance with the requested
demographic characteristics, and, in turn, may provide at least a
portion of those filtered user profiles to the third party for
further processing. In one embodiment, the third party is a vendor
who selects one or more user profiles to which to deliver targeted
media. In a particular embodiment, the third party may compensate
the maintainer of the user profiles in return for access to the
user profiles and/or a right to present the targeted media.
[0049] As noted, the profile management module 22 receives
electronic data from the data gathering module 10 and manages the
user profile 30. One embodiment of a user profile 30 is illustrated
in FIG. 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the user profile 30
includes at least a portion of the electronic device data 12, which
generally includes spatial data 14, temporal data 15, and
interaction data 16. The user profile 30 may also optionally
include, and generally does include, deduced information 17. The
deduced information 17 is information that may be deduced based on
at least one of the spatial data 14, the temporal data 15, and the
interaction data 16. For example, and as discussed in further
detail below, the profile management module 22 may correlate data
of the spatial data 14, the temporal data 15 and/or the interaction
data 16 to deduce the deduced information. By way of illustration,
and as discussed in further detail below, the profile management
module 22 may correlate temporal data (e.g., time of day) with
spatial data (e.g., location) to determine a primary user location
(e.g., a residence) and/or a secondary user location (e.g., a work
location or a school location).
[0050] The spatial data 14 may be any data associated with a
location of the user and/or an electronic device. For example, the
spatial data 14 may include any passively collected location data,
such as cell tower data, GPRS data, global positioning service
(GPS) data, WI-FI data, personal area network data, IP address data
and data from other network access points, or actively collected
location data, such as location data entered by the user. The
spatial data 14 may also include weather data associated with
various locations.
[0051] The temporal data 15 is time based data (e.g., time stamps)
that relate to specific times and/or events associated with a user
and/or the electronic device. For example, the temporal data 15 may
be passively collected time data (e.g., time data from a clock
resident on the electronic device, or time data from a network
clock), or the temporal data 15 may be actively collected time
data, such as time data entered by the user of the electronic
device (e.g., a user maintained calendar).
[0052] The interaction data 16 may be any data associated with user
interaction of the electronic device, whether active or passive.
Examples of interaction data 16 include interpersonal communication
data, media data, relationship data, transactional data and device
interaction data, all of which are described in further detail
below. Table 1, below, is a non-exhaustive list including examples
of electronic data.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Examples of Electronic Data Spatial Data
Temporal Data Interaction Data Cell tower data Time stamps
Interpersonal GPRS data Local clock communication data GPS data
Network clock Media data WiFi data User input of Relationship data
Personal area network data time data Transactional data Network
access points data Device interaction data User input of location
data Geo-coordinates data
[0053] With respect to the interaction data 16, interpersonal
communication data may include any data that is received from or
sent by the electronic device and that is intended as a
communication to or from the user. For example, the interpersonal
communication data may be any data associated with an incoming or
outgoing SMS message, email message, voice call (e.g., a cell phone
call, a voice over IP call), or other type of interpersonal
communication relative to the electronic device, such as
information regarding who is sending and receiving the
interpersonal communication(s). As described below, interpersonal
communication data may be correlated with, for example, temporal
data 15 to deduce information regarding frequency of
communications, including concentrated communication patterns,
which may indicate user activity information.
[0054] Media data may include any data relating to presentable
media, such as audio data, visual data, and audiovisual data. For
example, the audio data may be data relating to downloaded music,
such as genre, artist, album and the like, and includes data
regarding ringtones, ringbacks, media purchased, playlists, and
media shared, to name a few. The visual data may be data relating
to images and/or text received by the electronic device (e.g., via
the Internet or other network). The visual data may be data
relating to images and/or text sent from and/or captured at the
electronic device. The audiovisual data may be data associated with
any videos captured at, downloaded to, or otherwise associated with
the electronic device. The media data includes media presented to
the user via a network, such as use of the Internet, and includes
data relating to text entered and/or received by the user using the
network (e.g., search terms), and interaction with the network
media, such as click data (e.g., advertisement banner clicks,
bookmarks, click patterns and the like). Thus, the media data may
include data relating to the user's RSS feeds, subscriptions, group
memberships, game services, alerts, and the like. The media data
also includes non-network activity, such as image capture and/or
video capture using an electronic device, such as a mobile phone.
The image data may include metadata added by the user, or other
data associated with the image, such as, with respect to photos,
location when the photos were taken, direction of the shot, content
of the shot, and time of day, to name a few. As described in
further detail below, media data may be used, for example, to
deduce activities information or preferences information, such as
cultural and/or buying preferences information.
[0055] The relationship data may include data relating to the
relationships of the user of an electronic device. For example, the
relationship data may include user identity data, such as gender,
age, race, name, social security number, photographs and other
information associated with the user's identity. User identity
information may also include e-mail addresses, login names and
passwords. The relationship data may also include social network
data. Social network data includes data relating to any relation of
the user of the electronic device that is input by the user, such
as data relating to a user's friends, family, co-workers, business
relations, and the like. Social network data may include, for
example, data corresponding with a user-maintained electronic
address book. Relationship data may be correlated with, for
example, location data to deduce social network information, such
as primary relationships (e.g., user-spouse, user-children and
user-parent relationships) or other relationships (e.g.,
user-friends, user-co-worker, user-business associate
relationships). Relationship data also may be utilized to deduce,
for example, activities information.
[0056] The interaction data 16 may also include transactional data.
The transactional data may be any data associated with commercial
transactions undertaken by or at the mobile electronic device, such
as vendor information, financial institution information (e.g.,
bank information), financial account information (e.g., credit card
information), merchandise information and costs/prices information,
and purchase frequency information, to name a few. The
transactional data may be utilized, for example, to deduce
activities and preferences information. The transactional
information may also be used to deduce types of devices and/or
services the user owns and/or in which the user may have an
interest.
[0057] The interaction data 16 may also include device interaction
data. Device interaction data may be any data relating to a user's
interaction with the electronic device not included in any of the
above categories, such as habitual patterns associated with use of
an electronic device data of other modules/applications, such as
data regarding which applications are used on the electronic device
and how often and when those applications are used. As described in
further detail below, device interaction data may be correlated
with temporal data to deduce information regarding user activities
and patterns associated therewith. Table 2, below, is a
non-exhaustive list including examples of interaction data.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Examples of Interaction Data Type of Data
Example(s) Interpersonal Text-based communications, such as SMS
communication data and e-mail Audio-based communications, such as
voice calls, voice notes, voice mail Media-based communications,
such as multimedia messaging service (MMS) communications Unique
identifiers associated with a communication, such as phone numbers,
e- mail addresses, and network addresses Media data Audio data,
such as music data (artist, genre, track, album, etc.) Visual data,
such as any text, images and video data, including Internet data,
picture data, podcast data and playlist data Network interaction
data, such as click patterns and channel viewing patterns
Relationship data User identifying information, such as name, age,
gender, race, and social security number Social network data
Transactional data Vendors Financial accounts, such as credit cards
and banks data Type of merchandise/services purchased Cost of
purchases Inventory of purchases Device Any data not captured above
dealing with interaction data user interaction of the device, such
as patterns of use of the device, applications utilized, and so
forth
[0058] As noted above, the user profile 30 may include deduced
information 17. The deduced information 17 may be deduced based on
the electronic device data 12, such as deduced based on one or more
of the spatial data 14, temporal data 15 and/or interaction data
16. The deduced information 17 may thus include information
relating to deduced locations and/or deduced activities of the
user. For example, the deduced information 17 may comprise one or
more of a primary user location, secondary user location, past
locations, present location, and predicted future location
information. The deduced information 17 may include information
deduced based on a correlation of spatial data 14 in conjunction
with temporal data 15 to deduce such location data. By way of
illustration, the data gathering module 10 may transmit spatial
data 14 and/or temporal data 15 to the management module 20. The
management module 20 may thus correlate the spatial data 14 and/or
temporal data 15 to determine that a user of a mobile electronic
device is often at one or more specific locations during certain
hours of the day. In a particular embodiment, the management module
20 may correlate the spatial data 14 and temporal data 15 to
determine a primary user location (e.g., home), a secondary
location (e.g., school or work) and/or other locations.
[0059] The deduced information 17 may also include activity
information, such as past activity information, present activity
information, and predicted future activity information. In this
regard, the past, present, or predicted future activity information
may include information relating to past communications and/or
co-locations with other users. By way of primary example, the
profile management module 22 may correlate spatial data with
temporal data 15 to determine a user's activities (e.g., work,
recreation, and/or home activities). By way of secondary example,
interaction data 16 (e.g., social network data) may be correlated
to determine a user's activities and predicted future activities.
Predicted future activity information may include various
day-to-day activities of the user, and also may include search
query predictions, likely user interface actions, such as likely
clicks, likely text input, likely speech, and others. The predicted
future activity information may also include likely recipients of
communications and/or content creation information.
[0060] The deduced information 17 may also include preferences
information. The preferences information may include cultural
preferences and/or buying preferences information. The cultural
preferences information may be any preferences information relating
to the culture of the user, such as gender preferences, ethnicity
preferences, religious preferences and/or artistic preferences, to
name a few. The buying preferences may be any preferences
associated with the buying habits of the user.
[0061] The deduced information 17 may also include social network
information. The social network information may include past,
current and suggested user-to-user relationships information (e.g.,
primary relationships). In this regard, the social network
information may be deduced based on the interpersonal communication
data and/or social network data. Social network information can
also include saved proximity of others, which can provide the basis
for peer-to-peer services, such as automatic comparison of
preferences information, which may facilitate suggestion of
activities or locations that users may commonly prefer.
[0062] The deduced information 17 may include information that
overlaps with the electronic device data 12. For example, a user's
social network may include data that is both received from the data
gathering module 10 (e.g., user address book data) and also may
include deduced information based on the electronic device data 12
(e.g., deduced relationship data due to multiple interpersonal
communications with one or more other users).
[0063] Other data 18 may also be used to produce the deduced
information 17. For example, data from other sources 19, such as
other electronic devices, other user profiles and other software
and/or hardware applications may be associated with the electronic
device and this other data may be used to facilitate deduction of
the deduced information 17. By way of illustration, the other data
18 may be data associated with the user profile 30, but captured
from another electronic device, such as another mobile electronic
device or another stationary electronic device. In one approach,
the management module 20 may correlate unique identifiers of the
other sources (e.g., a physical address, a phone number and/or a
social security number) with unique identifiers of the user profile
30 to determine whether the other data 18 should be utilized with
the user profile 30.
[0064] One embodiment of a system for collecting the other data 18
from other sources and for authenticating such collected other data
18 is illustrated in FIG. 5. In the illustrated embodiment, a
management module 20, such as described above, manages a user
profile 30 based on data about a user 500. As described above, the
management module 20 may receive data from a mobile electronic
device 502 via a network 540, such as via transmission of
electronic device data to a maintainer of the user profile 30 via
the Internet. The management module 20 may manage the user profile
30 based on such received data. In another approach, the data
collected at the mobile electronic device 502 is passed to a mobile
service provider (not illustrated), who receives the collected data
and passes it to the management module 20 (e.g., via the
Internet).
[0065] An authenticator 525 may be utilized to authenticate
information received from a mobile electronic device 502 via the
network 540. In this regard, the authenticator may compare
information received from the mobile electronic device 502 (e.g.,
the phone number associated with the mobile electronic device 502)
to authenticating information (e.g., user identity information,
described above, such as a known phone number for user 500) to
authenticate the received data and associate it with user 500. Once
authenticated, the received data may be provided to the management
module 20.
[0066] The authenticator 525 may be any suitable hardware and/or
software that facilitates receipt of data and authentication of at
least one of the data and the provider of the data. For example,
the authenticator 525 may be a computerized device (e.g., an
application server utilizing an application program interface
(API)) capable of communicating with other computerized devices via
the Internet. The authenticator 525 may be integrated with the
management module 20, the data gathering module 10 and/or the user
profile, or may be a separate component.
[0067] In a related approach, data from a business, such as a
television subscription service (e.g., COMCAST) or another
audio-visual viewing service (e.g., YOUTUBE.com), for viewing at a
television 524 or similar display by the user 500 may be provided
to the management module 20 via a network 542. For example, data
relating to the user's viewing habits, current viewing activity
and/or interaction with the viewing service may be provided to the
management module 20 via the network 542 and the authenticator 525.
In one approach, viewing data is collected by the viewing service
provider and is provided to the management module 20 by the viewing
service provider. In another approach, viewing data is collected
directly by the management module 20 via the network 542 and
authenticator 525, such as when the audio-visual services are
provided via the Internet. The collected data may be authenticated
via authenticator 525 to ensure that the received data is related
to the user 500. For example, the authenticator may compare a
signal address (e.g., an IP address or set-top box identifier) to
authenticating information (e.g., a known IP address range or
set-top box address of the user 500) to authenticate the received
data and associate it with the user 500. Once authenticated, the
data may be provided to the management module 20 for further
processing.
[0068] In a further related approach, data from the user's
interaction with a computerized device may be provided. For
example, the user 500 may interact with various web-sites of the
Internet 544 using a graphical user interface (GUI) 528 and a
computer 526. The GUI 528 may comprise use of an Internet browser,
such as FIREFOX and/or INTERNET EXPLORER, for instance. During
interaction with a web-site, the user 500 may provide information
that enables a web-site provider 548 (e.g., an on-line merchant) to
authenticate the user, such as the user's name, physical address,
IP address, transactional data (e.g. financial institution account
information), a login/password system, a smart card, to name a few.
The web-site provider 548 may also collect data about the user 500
while the user 500 utilizes the provider's web site 548, such as
browsing habits and click data, to name two, and possibly
information about the user's interaction with other sites (e.g.,
view review of cookies). For example, the web-site provider 548 may
collect one or more of spatial data, location data, and interaction
data, such as interpersonal communication data, media data,
relationship data and/or transactional data. Since the user 500 has
been identified, the collected data can be readily associated with
the user 500 and thus may be utilized by the management module 20
to manage the user profile 30. Hence, the web-site provider 548 may
provide such information to the management module 20 via the
authenticator 525, such as via the Internet. The provided
information may be authenticated by comparing at least some of the
provided information (e.g., the physical address submitted by the
user) to authenticating information (e.g., a known physical address
for user 500) to authenticate the provided data. Once
authenticated, the data may be provided to management module 20 for
further processing. In another approach, the web-site provider 548
itself may be authenticated (e.g., via a digital certificate) and,
once authenticated, information may be provided to the management
module 20 for further review and processing. In one embodiment,
information is provided in a structured manner to facilitate the
management module's 20 review and management of the information.
Thus, a user profile 30 may be readily updated using third party
data without requiring a literal integration between the management
module 20 and the third party.
[0069] In another approach, and with reference back to FIG. 4, a
user may proactively update his/her user profile with the other
data 18. In one embodiment, the other data is user profile data of
another entity, such as a business entity that maintains its own
user profile information. In another embodiment, the other data is
data available from a public information source, such as government
records and the like.
[0070] Table 3, below, is a non-exhaustive list including examples
of deduced information and possible methods of deriving the deduced
information.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Examples of Deduced Information Type of
Deduced Information Primary Correlation(s) Secondary Correlation(s)
Past location Spatial data Temporal data information Interaction
data Any combination of spatial. temporal and interaction data Use
of other deduced information Present Spatial data Temporal data
location Interaction data information Any combination of spatial,
temporal and interaction data Use of other deduced information
Predicted Spatial + temporal Temporal data future data Spatial data
location Spatial + interaction Interaction data information data
Any combination of spatial, temporal and interaction data Use of
other deduced information Past activity Spatial + temporal Temporal
data information data Spatial data Spatial + interaction
Interaction data data Any combination of spatial, temporal and
interaction data Use of other deduced information Present Spatial +
temporal Temporal data activity data Spatial data information
Spatial + interaction Interaction data data Any combination of
spatial, temporal and interaction data Use of other deduced
information Predicted Spatial + temporal Temporal data future data
Spatial data activity Spatial + interaction Interaction data
information data Any combination of spatial, temporal and
interaction data Use of other deduced information Preferences
Spatial + temporal Temporal data information data Spatial data
Interaction data Use of other deduced Interaction + temporal
information data Interaction + spatial data Interaction + spatial +
temporal data Social Interaction data Temporal data network
Interaction + spatial Spatial data information data Any combination
of spatial, temporal and interaction data Use of other deduced
information
A primary correlation refers to a likely method of deducing the
listed type of deduced information. A secondary correlation refers
to other methods of deducing deduced information. For example,
present location information will likely be deduced based on the
spatial data, but could be deduced using interaction data (e.g., a
calendar input by the user).
[0071] As noted above, the user profile 30 may include at least
some electronic device data 12 and may also include deduced
information 17. Since one or more of these data may be correlated
due to the data capturing ability of the data gathering module 10,
the user profile 30 may include a rich set of data, which can be
broadly categorized as: past location information, present location
information, predicted future location information, primary user
location information, secondary user location information, tertiary
user location information (and so on), past activities information,
present activities information, predicted future activities
information, preferences information (e.g., cultural and/or buying
preferences information), and social network information (e.g.,
primary relationships, secondary relationships, and so on). These
information categories are non-limiting and may overlap. For
example, present activities information may include present
location information. In another example, the social network
information may assist with cultural preferences information (e.g.,
the user has many relations between the ages of 18 and 25, is
primarily located in an urban area and thus may be amenable to a
coupon to a dance club). In another example, the cultural
preferences information may assist with buying preferences
information (e.g., the user prefers Asian food and thus might be
amenable to receipt of a coupon to an Asian restaurant).
[0072] Referring back to FIG. 3, as noted above, the media
presentation module 24 facilitates selection of media for
presentation to the media output device 40 based on the user
profile 30. In one approach, the media presentation module 24 may
compare media in the media inventory 26 to one or more user
profiles, either by request or automatically. When the comparison
justifies the presentation of the media, such as based on various
economic and demographic factors, the media presentation module 24
may select the media for presentation via the media output device
40. In one approach, the media presentation module 24 may edit,
compose, transform, reformat and/or transcode the media, to name a
few, to correspond with the desired output parameters of the media
output device 40. Thus, the media presentation module 24 may
utilize at least a portion of the user profile 30 to facilitate
selection of media for presentation to a media output device 40
associated with the user profile 30.
[0073] Any trigger may be utilized to initiate the selection of the
media. For example, the media presentation module 24 may
continuously correlate data of various user profiles to data
associated with the media of the media inventory 26 to locate
potential targeted advertising opportunities. In turn, the media
presentation module 24 may present these opportunities to one or
more third parties (e.g., one or more vendors), who may provide
compensation for the right to present media to the users associated
with selected user profiles. The trigger may be a given context
trigger, such as a time trigger, an event trigger or place trigger,
to name a few. The trigger may be a given content trigger, such as
a trigger associated with clearing, accessing, viewing, editing
and/or production of a given price of media. The trigger may be a
social trigger, such as the co-location and/or communication with a
given person or persons or type of person or persons. The trigger
may be a commerce trigger, such as the occurrence of a specific
type of commercial transaction. One or more of the above described
triggers may be utilized, and in any combination, to trigger the
comparison of the user profiles with the media inventory 26.
[0074] In another approach, the trigger may be a request from one
or more third parties to provide user profiles having certain
demographic characteristics. The media presentation module 24 may
filter the user profiles in accordance with the requested
demographic characteristics. In one embodiment, the media
presentation module may utilize a pre-selected media and provide
that media to one or more media output devices 40 associated with
the filtered user profiles. In another embodiment, the media
presentation module 24 may provide at least a portion of those
filtered user profiles to the third party for further processing.
In a related embodiment, the third party is a vendor who selects
one or more user profiles to which to deliver targeted media, and
in a particular embodiment, the third party may compensate the
maintainer of the user profiles to present that targeted media.
[0075] In one embodiment, user attention to media is facilitated by
automatically outputting media (e.g., factual media, such as
current location, weather, time and the like) from time-to-time,
such as by automatically displaying media, thereby possibly
increasing the user's attentiveness to output media. This automatic
output media may increase the likelihood that the user will be
attentive to and consume (e.g., view and/or hear) other media, such
as advertisements, coupons and the like. For example, media that
includes periodic summaries (e.g., daily, weekly, hourly, etc.) of
the user's activities may be provided to promote attentiveness to
displayed or otherwise outputted media.
[0076] The media presentation module 24 may select media based on
the electronic device data 12 and/or the deduced information 17. In
one approach, a dynamic media display opportunity analysis is
completed, wherein the media presentation module 24 correlates data
of the user profile 30 and data associated with the media of the
media inventory 26 to locate media display opportunities. In turn,
the media presentation module 24 may present these opportunities to
one or more third parties (e.g., one or more vendors), who may
provide compensation for the right to present media to the users
associated with selected user profiles.
[0077] In a related approach, the media presentation module may
compare data of one or more user profiles to metadata of media
within the media inventory 26 and selects appropriate media based
thereon. For example, the media presentation module 24 may receive
a plurality of user profiles and select those profiles related to
females between the ages of 18 and 25 who have purchased songs in
the R&B genre in the last 90 days. The media presentation
module 24 may select media relating to a future R&B concert
based on those user profiles and present that media to one or more
of the users associated with the user profiles.
[0078] The media presentation module 24 may also facilitate
tracking of user response to presented media. User response to
presented media may be tracked via user response data, which may be
categorized under interaction data, and this user response data may
be provided to the profile management module 22 to facilitate
updating the new profile 30 based thereon (e.g., updating the
preferences information). The data gathering module 10 may also
assist with or complete these functions.
[0079] The media presentation module 24 may format the media for
any output device, such as a display, and in one embodiment the
media may utilize a substantial portion of the display so as to
better present the media. In this regard, the data gathering module
10 may facilitate the display of the media by overriding other
display requirements.
[0080] The media presentation module 24 may include a transmission
module (not illustrated) that transmits a selected media to the
media output device 40. The transmission module may utilize any
form of communication, known or developed, to transmit the media to
the media output device 40.
[0081] The profile management module 22, the media presentation
module 24 and/or the media inventory 26 may be distinct modules,
such as separate software, and may be located at different
locations. For example, a first server may include the profile
management module 22 and a second server may include the media
presentation module 24. The profile management module 22, the media
presentation module 24 and/or the media inventory 26 may,
alternatively, be co-located on a single electronic device, and in
one embodiment may be integrated within that single electronic
device (e.g., a mobile electronic device). In one embodiment, the
media presentation module 24 and/or media inventory 26 may be
co-located on the electronic device with the data gathering module
10, and the media presentation module 24 may cache the selected
media to ensure media presentation to avoid a display latency
penalty. As noted above, any of these modules may also be
integrated with the data gathering module 10, such as when any one
of the modules are an electronic device associated with the data
gathering module 10.
[0082] With continued reference to FIG. 3, the media output device
40 communicates with the media presentation module 24 and outputs
the selected media. The media may be audio, visual and/or
audiovisual media, such as text, graphics, animation, or an audio
message, to name a few, and may be interactive. The media may also
include other sensory messages, such as vibrations, smells, tastes
and the like. The media may include advertisements, coupons, and
entertainment, to name a few.
[0083] The media output device 40 may be a display associated with
the user profile 30, such as a display of a mobile electronic
device or a similar device co-located with the user, such as a
television, a computer, and a billboard, to name a few. The media
output device 40 may automatically output (e.g., display) the
selected media without user interaction. Thus, in one embodiment,
no user interaction is required for output of the media (i.e., the
media is displayed in the absence of user interaction with the
media output device).
[0084] Referring now to FIG. 6a, one embodiment of a system for
delivering media to a mobile electronic device is illustrated. The
system includes a mobile electronic device 502 (e.g., a mobile
phone) that includes a data gathering module 10. The mobile
electronic device 502 may communicate with a remote server 508, for
example, via an application program interface ("API") 518. As
described above, the data gathering module 10 may gather electronic
device data associated with the mobile electronic device 502. In
this regard, the data gathering module 10 may communicate with one
or more modules of the mobile electronic device 502, such as a
spatial module 52, a temporal module 54 or other module(s) 56. The
mobile electronic device 502 may have a unique identifier, for
example, a unique phone number or a uniquely identified data
gathering module 10, which facilitates correlating the collected
data to a user 500 of the mobile electronic device.
[0085] At predetermined intervals, or as requested by the remote
server 508 or by the mobile electronic device 502, the data
gathering module 10 may upload electronic device data to the remote
server 508 for further processing. Thus, in the illustrated
embodiment, the remote server 508 may act as a profile management
module, as described above, and may maintain a user profile 30a
associated with the user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502.
As described above, this user profile 30a may include at least some
of the electronic device data and may include deduced
information.
[0086] The remote server 508 may communicate with a media server
512. In this regard, an API 518 may be utilized to facilitate
communication between the remote server 508 and the media server
512. Thus, the remote server 508 is capable of providing at least a
portion of the user profile 30a to the media server 512. The media
server 512 may utilize at least a portion of the user profile 30a
to facilitate selection of media from the media inventory 26. Thus,
in the illustrated embodiment, the media server 512 may act as a
media presentation module, as described above.
[0087] After receipt of at least a portion of the user profile 30a,
the media server 512 may select one or more media from the media
inventory 26 for presentation to the mobile electronic device 502.
For example, the media server 512 may compare data associated with
the user profile 30a to data associated with media of the media
inventory 26 to facilitate selection of targeted media for delivery
to the user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502. Upon selection
of one or more targeted media from the media inventory 26, the
media server 512 may facilitate presentation of targeted media to
the mobile electronic device 502, such as via transmission to the
mobile electronic device 502.
[0088] In a related embodiment, at least a portion of the user
profile 30b may be located on the mobile electronic device 502 to
facilitate direct presentation of targeted media to the mobile
electronic device 502 via the media server 512. For example, when
the mobile electronic device 502 is co-located with the media
server 512, the media server 512 and/or mobile electronic device
502 may recognize such co-location (e.g., via a personal area
network communication, such as BLUETOOTH communication). In turn,
the media server 512 may receive at least a portion of the user
profile 30b to facilitate selection of delivery of media to the
mobile electronic device 502. As provided above, the media server
512 may utilize data of the user profile 30b to compare to media of
the media inventory 514 and transmit appropriate targeted media to
the mobile electronic device 502. For example, the media server 512
may communicate a targeted advertisement and/or targeted coupon to
the mobile electronic device 502 based on at least a portion of the
user profile 30b.
[0089] In another related embodiment, and with reference to FIG.
6b, a user 500 associated with the mobile electronic device 502 may
visit a vendor 518. Data gathered via the data gathering module
(not illustrated) may be communicated to a management module 20
indicating that the user 500 is co-located with the vendor 518. The
management module 20 may compare data of a user profile 30 that
corresponds with the user 500 and may select appropriate targeted
media for delivery to an media output device co-located with the
user 500. For example, the media may be output to a display of the
mobile electronic device 502. In another instance, the media may be
presented to one or more other displays co-located with the user,
such as a billboard, television, computer, and the like. The media
may be, for example, an advertisement, a coupon, or other
invitation to do business with the vendor 518. In the illustrated
embodiment, the management module 20 is located proximal the vendor
518, such as on a server co-located with the vendor 518. However,
the management module 20 may be located remote from the vendor 518.
Also, portions of the management module 20 may be split and located
at different locations. For example, a profile management module 22
may be located remote from the vendor 518, and a media presentation
module 24 may be co-located with the vendor 518.
[0090] As described above, one or more of spatial data, temporal
data, interaction data, and/or deduced information may be utilized
to facilitate selection of media for delivery to the user 500 of
the mobile electronic device 502. For example, spatial data may
include current location data so that the media presentation module
24 may determine one or more vendors proximally located with the
user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502. Temporal data may be
utilized to indicate the time at which the user is proximal the
vendors 518. Deduced information, such as past activity
information, past location information, preferences information,
and social network information may be utilized to facilitate
selection of an appropriate media for presentation to the user 500
of the mobile electronic device 502. In one embodiment, cultural
preferences and/or buying preferences information are utilized by
the media presentation module 24 to facilitate presentation of
media to the user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502. In
another embodiment, relationship data, such as social network
information, may be utilized to facilitate presentation of media to
the user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502. For example, the
media presentation module 24 may determine that two or more users
are co-located (e.g., via current location data). In turn, the
media presentation may compare the user profiles associated with
each of the users and present media to one or more of the
co-located users based thereon (e.g., based on advertisement). Many
combinations of data are possible for producing deduced information
and/or selecting media, and all such combinations are within the
scope and spirit of the instant invention.
[0091] The user profile 30 may be utilized to facilitate delivery
of media to more than one electronic device. For example, and with
reference to FIG. 7, a user 500 may be associated with a mobile
electronic device 502. The user 500 may also be associated with one
or more other electronic devices, such as a television 524 and/or a
computer 526. In this regard, the management module 20 may be able
to associate these other electronic devices with the user profile
30 via, for example, electronic data associated with such
electronic devices (e.g., set-top box location information received
from a business entity) and/or via deduction using electronic
device data and/or other deduced information. In one instance, the
user profile 30 may include primary location information, as
described above, indicating that the user 500 is primarily located
within a certain geographic vicinity. The management module 20 may
receive data from other electronic devices and/or vendors
associated with such electronic devices, indicating a similar
geographical vicinity. Thus, the management module 20 may deduce
that one or more of those electronic devices are associated with
the user 500 of the mobile electronic device 502 and update the
user profile 30 to indicate such.
[0092] In the illustrated embodiment, the management module 20 may
determine a current location of the user 500, such as via spatial
data (e.g., present location information) or deduced information
(e.g., predicted future location information). Upon determining a
likely location of the user 500, the management module 20 may
select one or more electronic devices for delivery of media to the
user 500. Upon selection of the electronic device(s), the
management module 20 may utilize data associated with the user
profile 30 to facilitate delivery of media to the selected
device(s) for sensing by the user 500 (e.g., viewing and/or hearing
of the media by the user).
[0093] By way of illustration, the management module 20 may
determine that the user 500 is located at his/her primary location
and may determine that the user 500 makes an interpersonal
communication to a food vendor on this particular day of this week.
Thus, the management module 20 may compare at least a portion of
the user profile 30 to food-related media in the media inventory
26, and select one of those food-related media for presentation to
the user 500, such as a coupon or advertisement of a food vendor
proximal to the user's primary location. This media may be
presented to one or more of the mobile electronic device 502, the
television 524, and the computer 526, or any other electronic
device co-located with the user at the primary location. In the
illustrated embodiment, the management module 20 comprises a remote
server 508 located at a first location and a media server 512
located at a second location, while the user 500 is at a third
location. However, as described above, any of these modules may be
co-located with one another, such as resident in the mobile
electronic device 502 of the user 500.
[0094] As noted above, at least a portion of the user profile 30
may be located on the mobile electronic device 502 to facilitate
delivery of media to the mobile electronic device 502. In addition,
at least a portion of the management module 20 may also be located
on the mobile electronic device 502 to facilitate presentation of
the media. Thus, peer-to-peer media delivery may be
facilitated.
[0095] For example, and with reference to FIG. 8, a first mobile
electronic device 806 may include a data gathering module (not
illustrated) and may be associated with a first user 800. A second
mobile electronic device 810 may also include a data gathering
module (not illustrated) and may be associated with a second user
802. At least a portion of a management module (not illustrated)
may be associated with each of the mobile electronic devices 806,
810. When the mobile electronic devices 806, 810 are co-located,
the management modules of each of the devices 806, 810 may
communicate with one another to facilitate presentation of selected
media based on the user profiles of each of the mobile electronic
devices 806, 810. For example, the management modules of each of
the devices 806, 810 may share relationship data, such as social
network data, to determine whether a common relationship is shared
by the users 800, 802 of the mobile electronic devices 806, 810. If
such a common relationship exists (e.g., both the users know or are
acquainted with a third party), a message may be displayed via
media output devices associated with the mobile electronic devices
806, 810 to communicate to each of the users 800, 802 that they
have a common relationship. In the illustrated embodiment, messages
are provided via displays of the media output devices of the mobile
electronic devices 806, 810, indicating that the users 800, 802
have a common relationship and that the users 800, 802 are
co-located with one another. An image of one user may also be
provided to the other user.
[0096] Referring now to FIG. 9, one embodiment of a system for
collecting information about a plurality of users utilizing a
plurality of electronic devices is provided. The system includes a
plurality of electronic devices (600A, 600B through 600n), and a
plurality of data gathering modules (1000A, 1000B through 1000n)
associated with those electronic devices. As provided above, the
data gathering modules (1000A, 1000B, through 1000n) may
communicate data associated with each of a unique user (900A, 900B
through 900n). The users (900A, 900B through 900n) may be uniquely
identified via a unique identifier associated with each of the data
gathering modules (1000A, 1000B through 1000n) and/or using a
unique identifier, such as a phone number, social security number,
address or other uniquely identifying characteristic. As described
above, one or more management modules 2000 may receive electronic
data and maintain a plurality of user profiles (3000A, 30000B
through 3000n) based on received electronic data for each of those
electronic devices (600A, 600B through 600n). Any of the above
described data gathering and correlation techniques may be employed
by the management module(s) 2000 to facilitate maintenance of the
user profiles (3000A, 3000B through 3000n). The user profiles may
contain any of the electronic device data or the deduced
information, as described above. The management module(s) 2000 may,
from time to time, select media for presentation to one or more of
the users (900A, 900B through 900n). The selected media may be
displayed to one or more of the users (900A, 900B through 900n) via
one or more media output devices 4000 co-located with one or more
of the users (900A, 900B through 900n). For example, media may be
output via a mobile electronic device of a user, such as a mobile
phone and/or one or more other displays co-located with a user,
such as a billboard, television, or computer.
[0097] Methods of presenting media to a user are also provided, an
embodiment of which is illustrated in FIG. 10a. In this embodiment,
the method includes the steps of collecting electronic data of at
least one electronic device 1101, maintaining at least one user
profile based on the electronic data 1102, selecting media based on
at least one user profile 1103, selecting a media output device via
which to deliver the selected media 1104, and causing delivery of
the selected media to the selected output device 1105.
[0098] The collecting step 1101 may be accomplished via, for
example, a data gathering module resident on the electronic device.
The collecting step 1101 may also include the collecting of and
receiving of information from other sources, such as from vendors
and relations of the user and/or user interaction with other
electronic devices, as described in further detail below.
[0099] The collected data is generally maintained at a central
location to facilitate the maintenance of the user profiles. For
example, the user profiles may be maintained on a remote server. In
one approach, the collected electronic data is periodically
uploaded to the remote server via data management modules. In
another approach, data is provided to the server via a wired
connection (e.g., the Internet, a telephone network, a cable
television network). In another approach, the collected data is
maintained at the electronic device on which the data is
collected.
[0100] The maintaining a user profile step 1102 generally includes
the step of creating and/or updating user profiles based on the
collecting data step 1101. The maintaining a user profile step 1102
may also include the step of producing deduced information. As
described above, the deduced information may be deduced based on
collected electronic data. As described above, the deduced
information may comprise any one of past location information,
present location information, predicted future location
information, past activity information, present activity
information, predicted future activity information, primary
location information, secondary location information, preferences
information, and social network information. Thus, the step of
maintaining a user profile may include the step of receiving
collected electronic data, deducing deduced information based on
collected electronic data, and updating a user profile to include
at least some of the deduced information. As described above, the
deduced information is generally deduced by correlating one or more
of spatial data, temporal data, and/or interaction data.
[0101] In a particular embodiment, the maintaining a user profile
step 1102 may comprise comparing a first user profile to at least
one other user profile to produce at least some deduced
information. In this regard, it is noted that, sometimes,
information about one user may be deduced from information about a
second user, especially when such users share common
characteristics, such as a common social network, a common
preference, a common age group, and/or a common geographic
location, to name a few. Thus, the step of maintaining the user
profiles 1102 may include the steps of comparing a first user
profile to at least one other user profile, producing deduced
information based on this comparing step, and maintaining at least
one of the user profiles to include at least some of this deduced
information.
[0102] The deduced information may also be deduced based on
previously deduced information. For example, first deduced
information may be deduced based off spatial, temporal, and/or
interaction data, as noted above. This first deduced information
may provide a good basis for deducing other deduced information.
Thus, this first deduced information may be correlated with
temporal data, spatial data, and/or interaction data to produce
second deduced information. At least one user profile may be
maintained based on at least a portion of the second deduced
information.
[0103] In a related embodiment, deduced information may be deduced
based on a correlation of first deduced information and second
deduced information, either of which may be deduced based on any of
spatial data, temporal data, interaction data, and deduced
information. In this regard, third deduced information may be
deduced by correlating the first deduced information with the
second deduced information. At least one user profile may be
maintained based on at least a portion of this third deduced
information.
[0104] The selecting media step 1103 generally comprises utilizing
at least a portion of the user profile (e.g., current location
information). In one approach, a dynamic media delivery analysis is
completed where at least a portion of the user profile is compared
to metadata of a media inventory and media is then selected based
on the comparison. In one embodiment, characteristics of the user
profile may be compared to characteristics of the media to
facilitate selection of the media. For example, locations of one or
more users may be compared to media inventory metadata to determine
whether any of the media may be suitable for delivery to any of
those locations. In turn, media may be delivered to those users, or
a further comparison of the media metadata to the user profiles may
be undertaken to further tailor the media and/or ascertain whether
to present the media. Thus, targeted media presentation,
irrespective of user location, may be achieved.
[0105] The selecting the media step 1103 may be initiated by any
suitable trigger. For example, the selecting the media step may be
initiated based on spatial data and/or temporal data, such as when
the user and/or the mobile electronic device of the user are
located in a desired geographical vicinity, or at a desired time.
The trigger may be in accordance with a given media content, such
as concomitant with clearing, accessing, viewing, editing and/or
production of a given price of media content. For example, when the
price of merchandise and/or services attains a certain level, the
selecting media step 1103 may be triggered. The trigger may also be
a community type trigger, wherein the media is selected when the
user is co-located with a given person or persons, or when the user
communicates with a given person or persons. The trigger may also
be a commerce type trigger, wherein the media is selected with the
occurrence of a type of commercial transaction. Any one of these
triggers may be used alone to trigger the selecting media step
1103, or may be used in any combination to trigger the selecting
media step. The media selection may be accomplished at the
electronic device or may be accomplished remotely from the
electronic device, such as on a server remote from the electronic
device.
[0106] The selecting a media output device step 1104 is generally
accomplished by comparing the user's present location or predicted
future location to a catalogue of media output devices proximal at
least one of those locations. For example, it may be determined
that a user of an electronic device is co-located with one or more
displays (e.g., co-located with a television at a friend's house).
This determination may be based on the user profile, which may
include current location data. Upon determining which displays are
co-located with the user, one or more of those displays may be
selected for delivery of the selected media. In one approach, a
mobile electronic device associated with the user is selected as
the media output device. In another approach, a different media
output device co-located with the user is selected, such as a
billboard, television, computer or any other display, and/or a
speaker or other audio output device co-located with the user,
and/or another sensory output device co-located with the user
(e.g., a taste, smell or touch sensory output device). Any one of
these media output devices alone or in any combination may be
selected to provide media.
[0107] In one embodiment, the media may be delivered to at least
two media output devices co-located with the user, such as a first
media output device, which may be an output device of a mobile
electronic device, and a second media output device, which may be a
visual display, not including the mobile electronic device output.
Upon selection of the one or more media output devices, the media
may be transformed to the appropriate format for delivery to the at
least two media output devices. For example, the first media may be
delivered in an audio-only format, such as when a user is driving
and the media is to be delivered to a mobile electronic device
co-located with the user. Concomitantly, a related media may be
delivered to a billboard located proximal the road/highway on which
the user is driving. The audio media provided to the mobile
electronic device may convey to the user of the mobile electronic
device that a visual message is about to be displayed via the
above-noted billboard (e.g., "User, don't forget your wife's
birthday is tomorrow. This message brought to you by ABC Jewelers,
conveniently located just off the next exit.").
[0108] The media output device may be selected using the at least
one electronic device or may be selected using another electronic
device, such as via a server remote from the at least one
electronic device. In turn, the causing of the delivery of the
media step 1105 may also be accomplished at the at least one
electronic device, or may be accomplished remote from the at least
one electronic device, such as on the server remote from the at
least one electronic device. Any known or developed methods of
causing delivery of media to an electronic device may be used, such
as wireless communication.
[0109] As may be appreciated, modules of an electronic device may
be proprietary and thus, it may be difficult to receive information
from such modules. However, if the manufacturers of such modules,
or other parties associated therewith, had an incentive to provide
collected information, they might agree to facilitate sharing of
information between the data gathering module and those modules,
making it easier to collect information. In this regard, the
present invention also encompasses methods for facilitating
collection of information associated with a mobile electronic
device, one embodiment of which is illustrated in FIG. 10. In the
illustrated embodiment, the method includes the steps of collecting
electronic data via one or more operational modules of an
electronic device 1106, providing the collected data to a data
gathering module 1107, and compensating the third party associated
with the operational modules for providing the collected data 1108.
Thus, methods of collecting electronic data of at least one
electronic device 1101 may be facilitated.
[0110] One manner of compensating the third parties may be to
provide the third parties with at least a portion of the
compensation received from others for providing access to the user
profiles and/or for allowing presentation of media rights, as
described in further detail below. In this regard, the method may
also include the steps of maintaining at least one user profile
based on the electronic data 1102, such as described above, and
enabling access to one or more of those user profiles 1150. As
described in further detail below, compensation may be received
1152 for enabling access to such user profiles 1150 and/or for
providing rights to present media to users 1154. At least a portion
of this compensation may be provided to the third parties
associated with the operational modules that provide collected
electronic data.
[0111] In one embodiment, a user profile may comprise first
information and second information, the first information being
based on data collected by a first operational module of the mobile
electronic device, and the second information being based on data
collected by a second operational module of the mobile electronic
device. In this regard, the method may include the step of
compensating a party who enabled the provision of the first
information at a first compensation rate. The method may also
include the step of compensating a party who enabled the provision
of the second information at a second compensation rate. In a
particular embodiment, the first compensation rate may be related
to a ratio of the amount of first information within the user
profile to a total amount of information within that user profile.
In turn, the second compensation rate may be related to a ratio of
the amount of second information in the user profile compared to
the total amount of information in the user profile.
[0112] Difficulties may arise in obtaining user permission to
collect data. For example, privacy concerns and/or privacy laws may
be implicated by gathering one or more of the spatial, temporal
and/or interaction data. To overcome such concerns and/or laws,
methods may be employed for obtaining user agreement to the data
collection. For example, a user may agree to allow collection of
data for compensation. In one instance, a user may be provided an
electronic device having a data collection module resident thereon
at a discount, or for free, in return for an agreement by the user
to allow collection of electronic data. In another instance, users
may be compensated in proportion to the amount of data they collect
and share.
[0113] One method of facilitating collection of electronic data is
illustrated in FIG. 10c, the method including the step of
associating a data gathering module with an electronic device 1111,
obtaining user agreement to allow collection of data 1112,
collecting electronic data of the electronic device 1101, such as
described above, and maintaining a user profile based on the
collected electronic data 1102, as described above. As may be
appreciated, users may be hesitant to allow data collection. Thus,
one embodiment includes compensating a user for allowing collection
of data 1115 in exchange for an agreement by the user to allow the
collection of the data. As discussed in further detail below, the
compensation may be based on the various levels of data collected
and shared 1117, and the compensation provided to the user may be
relative (e.g., proportional) to the amount of data collected and
shared by the user 1118. Since, in this embodiment, the user is
allowed to choose the amount of data that is collected and shared,
user privacy concerns may be curtailed.
[0114] One system for facilitating selection of data collecting and
sharing levels is illustrated in FIG. 10d. In the illustrated
embodiment, a data gathering module 10, such as described above,
includes a data gathering preferences module 1120, which allows the
user to select one or more data collection options 1121. For
instance, the data gathering preferences module 1120 may allow the
user to select whether to collect any of the spatial data, the
temporal data, and the interaction data, such as the interpersonal
communication data, media data, user identifying information data,
social network information data, transactional data and/or device
interaction data, and whether to share such data. Thus, the user
can select the amount of data to be collected and to whom this data
can be shared. In the latter regard, various permission levels may
be set for the sharing of the collected data. In one approach, the
data preference modules 1120 may enable the user to select the
levels at which collected data will be shared with various
relations. By way of primary example, collected data may be shared
with family at a first level and collected data may be shared with
businesses at a second level, the first level including a greater
amount of collected data than the second level. In one instance, a
first type of data may be selected to be shared with a first entity
(e.g., friends), but at least some of that first data is not
selected to be shared with a second entity (e.g., businesses). Many
other data collecting and sharing preference combinations are
possible and all such combinations are within the scope and spirit
of the instant invention.
[0115] As noted, and with reference back to FIG. 10c, methods of
compensating the user for allowing data collection 115 may be based
on the amount of data the user allows to be collected and shared
1118. For example, a first tier of compensation may be provided if
the user allows the collection and sharing of data at a first
level, such as sharing of at least some spatial data category. A
second tier of compensation, which may be higher than the first
tier of compensation, may be provided if the user allows the
collection and sharing of a data at second level, such as allowing
the collection of more spatial data, temporal data and/or
interaction data, or allowing the sharing of data with more
entities (e.g., friends, family, co-workers, business relations,
vendors, government entities, and other entities). In turn, third,
fourth, and so on, levels of compensation may be provided for the
collection and sharing of even greater amounts of data or the
sharing of data with more entities. The compensation may be
provided by the maintainer of the user profile and/or other parties
interested in obtaining data related to users and/or their
electronic devices, such as advertisers or vendors.
[0116] Methods for facilitating collection of user information
utilizing other users are also provided, one embodiment of which is
illustrated in FIG. 10e. In the illustrated embodiment, the method
includes the steps of maintaining at least one user profile 1102,
such as described above, collecting data about users via other
users 1130, providing the other user data to a maintainer of the
user profiles 1132, and compensating users 1134 for at least one of
the collecting the other user data step 1130 and the providing the
other user data step 1132.
[0117] The collecting other user data step 1130 may be accomplished
in a variety of manners, such as via personal area network
communications between one or more mobile electronic devices 1137.
In this regard, it will be noted that, when such mobile electronic
devices are proximal other personal area network enabled
communication devices, those devices may share information. Thus,
when a first user is proximal other users who have enabled personal
area network communications, the first user may collect information
about those users via his/her mobile electronic device. As may be
appreciated, the first user may not normally have an incentive to
collect such other user data information. However, by providing
compensation to the first user, an incentive is realized, and the
first user may collect such other user data and provide such other
user data to a maintainer of the user profiles. In return, the
maintainer of the user profiles may compensate the first user for
collecting and/or providing the other user data. In one embodiment,
the maintainer of the user profiles may compensate this first user
via monetary compensation. In another embodiment, the first user
may be compensated via discounted merchandise and/or services, such
as via discounted or free mobile electronic devices and/or
discounted or free services relating thereto.
[0118] In a related embodiment, the maintainer of the user profiles
may desire others to update user profiles. Thus, the method may
also include the steps of enabling access, by a first user, to at
least a portion of other user profile information 1135, allowing
the first user to review and/or update the other user profile
information 1136, and compensating the first user for updating the
user profile information 1134. In this regard, the enabled access
may be provided via a network, such as the Internet, or by
downloading at least a portion of the other user profile(s) to the
mobile electronic device of the first user.
[0119] As noted above, the methods may include the step of
maintaining at least one user profile based on electronic data.
Maintenance of the user profiles is important to provide accurate
user profile data, which may increase third party demand for such
user profiles. In this regard, and with reference to FIG. 10f, one
or more user profiles may be shared with third parties 1140, such
as relations of the users 1142 or businesses 1144. In one approach,
the user profiles are shared with relations 1142 (e.g., family,
friends, businesses, government entities, and other relations) and
those relations receive at least a portion of the user profile,
such as via an electronic device, such as a mobile phone capable of
communicating via a personal area network. The electronic devices
of the relations 1142 may also have data collecting capability and
may store and share data, not only relating to their electronic
device, but also from the electronic devices of other users, thus
enabling the collection of other users information 1146. In turn,
this other users information may be provided to the maintainer of
the user profiles, who may maintain the user profiles 1102 based
thereon. In this regard, it should be noted that, since many of the
mobile electronic devices may be uniquely identified, such as via a
data gathering module having a unique identifier associated
therewith or via a phone number, associating the collected data
with other user profiles may be readily facilitated.
[0120] In a related embodiment, user profiles may be shared with
one or more businesses 1144. In this regard, the businesses 1144
may agree to collect user information based on interaction of user
and the business (e.g., transactional data, browsing habits data).
For example, the businesses 1144 may agree to collect user
information 1148 via interactions with mobile electronic devices
(e.g., via a personal area network). The businesses may agree to
share this collected user information 1148 with the maintainer of
the user profile, such as via a compensation arrangement. One
compensation arrangement would be a joint data sharing arrangement,
wherein the maintainer of the user profiles agrees to provide a
portion of the user profile to the business in return for an
agreement by the business that it will share at least some of its
collected user information 1148. Thus, the business may be able to
present targeted media to the users and the maintainer of the user
profiles may be able to maintain more accurate user profiles.
[0121] In a particular embodiment, and with reference to FIG. 10g,
one method for receiving compensation includes the steps of
collecting electronic data of at least one electronic device 1101,
maintaining at least one user profile based on the electronic data
1102, enabling access to one or more of user profiles 1150, and
receiving compensation for enabling access to the user profiles
1152. The collecting of electronic data step 1101 and maintaining
user profile step 1102 may be completed, as described above.
Enabling access to user profiles 1150 may be completed in a variety
of manners, such as by allowing vendors to access a database
containing at least a portion of user profiles. In another
embodiment, at least a portion of the user profiles may be sent to
the vendors for their access.
[0122] Irrespective of how access is provided, the illustrated
embodiment provides for receiving compensation for enabling access
to the user profiles 1150. As noted above, the collecting
electronic data step 1101 may enable the maintenance of rich user
profiles, thereby allowing one or more vendors to readily identify
which users to present targeted media. Thus, vendors may be willing
to provide compensation to the maintainer of those user profiles,
and in some circumstances, directly to the users themselves, in
order to receive such user profiles. For example, the vendor may be
willing to provide monetary, merchandise, and/or service
compensation in return for access to at least a portion of the user
profiles. In another embodiment, the vendors may be willing to
provide access to the user information those vendors collect in
return for access to at least a portion of the maintained user
profiles.
[0123] For example, a plurality of users having electronic devices
may be proximal a plurality of food service locations, at least
some of which are adapted to receive at least a portion of the user
profiles associated with the mobile electronic devices. Those food
service businesses may review received user profiles and, upon
locating one or more user profiles that are in accordance with
certain media delivery preferences, such as cultural and/or buying
preferences of the user, may bid for a right to provide a coupon,
an advertisement, or other media to one or more of the users. In
one approach, the businesses may take into account their own
conditions, such as economic conditions, capacity rate, and a food
delivery rate, to name a few, to facilitate whether compensation is
justified for obtaining access to the user profiles and/or
providing media to the users of the user profiles. As noted, the
compensation may be provided to the maintainer or supplier of the
user profiles, and in one approach at least some of the
compensation is provided to one or more users for sharing their
individual profiles, such as when the users have a personal area
network enabled that allows the sharing of the user profile locally
with the vendors. In one approach, the maintainer of the user
profile may require an access charge to access one or more of the
user profiles. This access charge may be charged on a per access
basis, a time basis (e.g., unlimited access for one week), or
otherwise.
[0124] In another embodiment, the method may include the step of
receiving, from one or more vendors, offers for an exclusive right
to present media to a first user 1156, the first user being
associated with the user profile received by the one or more
vendors. Thus, after access to the user profiles has been enabled
1150, a reverse auction mechanism may be utilized to determine a
right to provide media. Thus, the method may also include the step
of accepting one of the offers 1158, and enabling the presentation
of the media to the first user 1154.
[0125] In a particular embodiment, the method includes the step of
receiving a request for greater access to the user profiles 1151.
In this regard, the enabling access step 1150 may provide access to
a first tier of the user profile, and the receiving compensation
step 1152 may include receiving a first level of compensation.
Concomitantly or afterwards, a request from one or more of the
vendors for greater access to the user profiles may be received
1151, the request requesting access to at least a second tier of
the user profile, the second tier of the user profile including
information of the user profile not included in the first tier of
the user profile. For example, the first tier may be akin to an
abstract of each of the user profiles, and the second tier may
include more detailed information than contained in the abstract.
The method may further include the step of enabling access to the
second tier of the user profile and receiving additional
compensation therefore, the latter of which has been included in
step 1152 in the illustrated embodiment for the sake of clarity.
This additional compensation may be any of the above-noted types of
compensation.
[0126] As noted above, the enabling access step 1150 may be
provided by the maintainer of the user profiles or may be enabled
by the users themselves. Thus, one embodiment of the present method
provides for facilitating access to the user profile information by
a first user. In this regard, the compensation may be provided
directly to the first user, as described in further detail
below.
[0127] In another embodiment, and with reference to FIG. 10j, the
method may include the step of reviewing one or more of the user
profiles 1180 and locating one or more media display opportunities
based on the review 1182. For example, a dynamic media display
opportunity analysis may be completed, wherein the data of the user
profiles are correlated with metadata associated with media of a
media inventory 1186 and various ones of the user profiles, which,
for example, meet one or more media opportunity criteria, may be
selected as media display opportunities. Concomitantly or
afterwards, the method may include the step of presenting one or
more of the media display opportunities to one or more vendors
1184. For example, an electronic communication may be made between
the maintainer of the user profiles and the vendors to notify the
vendors of the media display opportunity. Such communication may
include data about the opportunity, such as electronic data and/or
deduced information associated with one or more of the user
profiles 1188. In particular, the communication may include one or
more of current location information, predicted future location
information, predicted future activity information and preferences
information. The vendors, in turn, may review the data and/or
provide compensation for the right to display targeted media to one
or more of the users 1154, such as via an auction mechanism, e.g.,
where vendors bid for the right to present media 1190, or by
meeting a minimum threshold compensation level, as determined by
the maintainer of the user profiles and/or the user themselves.
[0128] As noted, data obtained by other sources, such as businesses
and government entities, may also be used to maintain the user
profile (1102). One issue associated with the use of such data is
authenticity. Inaccurate data can lead to inaccurate user profiles,
and thus presentation of less preferred media, In this regard, an
authentication interface, such as an application server utilizing
an API may be utilized to authenticate the provider of the
information and/or to authenticate the information itself. In one
embodiment, and as illustrated in FIG. 10h, spatial data, temporal
data and/or interaction data gathered by one or more businesses or
government entities 1172 may be presented to an authentication
interface 1174 via a network, such as the Internet. The
authentication interface may authenticate the third party (e.g.,
via a digital certificate) prior to allowing the data to be
utilized in maintaining the user profiles 1102 and/or or the
authentication interface may authenticate the data itself, such as
via a comparison of the collected data to authenticating
information, such as via user identity data and/or transactional
data. In the latter regard, a plurality of data provided by the
third party may be reviewed and compared against known user
profiles to determine whether the data is sufficiently authentic to
justify use in maintaining user profiles. If the comparison
indicates that the data is authentic (e.g., a predetermined number
of authentication criteria are met) the third party data may be
provided to a maintainer of the user profiles 1176 and complied
with preexisting data to facilitate maintenance of the user profile
1102. If the comparison does not indicate that the data is
authentic, the data may be rejected 1178. Hence, collection and
authentication of data from third parties is facilitated. As
described above, such third parties may be compensated for the
authentication of and/or the provision of the data.
[0129] As noted above, the method may include the step of selecting
media based on the user profile. As described above, one way of
selecting media is to compare at least a portion of the user
profile to data associated with media of the media inventory and
select one or more media based on the comparison. A related
embodiment of selecting media is provided in FIG. 10i. In the
illustrated embodiment, the media selection may be facilitated by
enabling access to at least a portion of the user profile 1150,
such as to one or more businesses, for which compensation may be
provided to the user 1163 or the maintainer of the user profile
1162. The businesses may receive at least a portion of the user
profile and review the profile 1164 to ascertain whether they may
be interested in providing media to the user of the user profile.
For example, the businesses may review the profile to determine
whether the profile matches one of the parameters associated with
delivery of media criteria, such as cultural preferences, buying
preferences, relationship data, and/or predicted future locations
and/or predicted future activities data. If the businesses are not
interested in providing media to the user, nothing further may
occur. However, if the businesses are interested in providing media
to the user, those businesses may, for example, bid for the right
to provide the media 1166 or request greater access to the user
profiles 1168. In either case, compensation may be provided to one
of the user 1163 and the maintainer of the user profile 1162.
[0130] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and
adaptations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the
art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such
modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope of
the present invention.
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