U.S. patent application number 17/304581 was filed with the patent office on 2021-10-14 for methods and systems for evaluating the display of electronic content to individuals in geographic zone having inner boundary.
The applicant listed for this patent is Verizon Media Inc.. Invention is credited to Joseph HUGHES, Patrick McDEVITT.
Application Number | 20210319476 17/304581 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005671165 |
Filed Date | 2021-10-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210319476 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McDEVITT; Patrick ; et
al. |
October 14, 2021 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR EVALUATING THE DISPLAY OF ELECTRONIC
CONTENT TO INDIVIDUALS IN GEOGRAPHIC ZONE HAVING INNER BOUNDARY
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for electronic distribution of
electronic content. The method includes retrieving data indicating
transmission of electronic content to a plurality of electronic
devices within a geographical zone extending between an inner
boundary extending around a target location and an outer boundary
extending around the target location; receiving data indicating
presence of one of the plurality of electronic devices in a target
geographical zone, the target geographical zone being located
within the inner boundary; determining a time difference between
transmission of the electronic content to the one of the plurality
of electronic devices and the one of the plurality of electronic
devices' presence in the target geographical zone; and determining
an electronic device conversion occurred when the time difference
is less than a threshold period of time associated with the
electronic content.
Inventors: |
McDEVITT; Patrick; (Hanover,
NH) ; HUGHES; Joseph; (Lancaster, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Verizon Media Inc. |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005671165 |
Appl. No.: |
17/304581 |
Filed: |
June 23, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14310874 |
Jun 20, 2014 |
11074613 |
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17304581 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/22 20130101;
G06Q 30/0267 20130101; H04L 67/20 20130101; G06Q 30/0242 20130101;
G06Q 30/0261 20130101; H04W 4/021 20130101; H04W 4/027 20130101;
H04L 67/306 20130101; H04W 4/023 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201;
H04L 67/289 20130101; H04L 67/24 20130101; H04W 4/022 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; H04W 4/021 20060101 H04W004/021; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; H04W 4/02 20060101 H04W004/02 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A computer-implemented method for executing an electronic
distribution of electronic content to user devices, the method
comprising: determining a target geographical zone for distribution
of electronic content, the target geographical zone corresponding
to a travel lane of a roadway or highway within a geographical zone
extending between an inner boundary extending around a target
location and an outer boundary extending around a target location;
determining a time difference between a time of transmission of the
electronic content to the electronic device and a time of presence
of the electronic device in the target geographical zone; and
determining that a conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than an estimated travel time from a location of the
electronic device at the time of transmission of the electronic
content to the target geographical zone.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the target geographical zone is
associated with the target location.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving data indicating the
time of presence of the electronic device in the travel lane of the
roadway or highway comprising the target geographical zone
comprises receiving data indicating a time of presence of the
electronic device within a geofence defining the target
geographical zone.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving data indicating the
time of presence of the electronic device in the travel lane of the
roadway or highway comprising the target geographical zone
comprises receiving data indicating a time of connecting the
electronic devices with a device associated with the target
location.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein the electronic content relates
to an advertiser or content provider affiliated with the target
location.
26. The method of claim 22, wherein one or both of the inner
boundary and the outer boundary is defined by a radius around the
target location.
27. The method of claim 22, wherein one or both of the inner
boundary and the outer boundary is defined by a driving time or
driving distance to the target location from each of a plurality of
points along the respective inner or outer boundary.
28. The method of claim 22, further comprising calculating the
estimated travel time from the location of the electronic device at
the time of transmission of the electronic content to the target
geographical zone based on traffic data.
29. A system for managing an electronic distribution of electronic
content to electronic device users, the system comprising: a data
storage device storing instructions; and a processor configured to
execute the instructions to perform a method comprising:
determining a target geographical zone for distribution of
electronic content, the target geographical zone corresponding to a
travel lane of a roadway or highway within a geographical zone
extending between an inner boundary extending around a target
location and an outer boundary extending around a target location;
determining a time difference between a time of transmission of the
electronic content to the electronic device and a time of presence
of the electronic device in the target geographical zone; and
determining that a conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than an estimated travel time from a location of the
electronic device at the time of transmission of the electronic
content to the target geographical zone.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the target geographical zone is
associated with the target location.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein receiving data indicating the
time of presence of the electronic device in the travel lane of the
roadway or highway comprising the target geographical zone
comprises receiving data indicating a time of presence of the
electronic device within a geofence defining the target
geographical zone.
32. The system of claim 30, wherein receiving data indicating the
time of presence of the electronic device in the travel lane of the
roadway or highway comprising the target geographical zone
comprises receiving data indicating a time of connecting the
electronic devices with a device associated with the target
location.
33. The system of claim 30, wherein the electronic content relates
to an advertiser or content provider affiliated with the target
location.
34. The system of claim 30, wherein one or both of the inner
boundary and the outer boundary is defined by a radius around the
target location.
35. The system of claim 30, wherein one or both of the inner
boundary and the outer boundary is defined by a driving time or
driving distance to the target location from each of a plurality of
points along the respective inner or outer boundary.
36. The system of claim 30, wherein the method further comprising
calculating estimated travel time from the location of the
electronic device at the time of transmission of the electronic
content to the target geographical zone based on one or more of
date, time, and traffic data.
37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions,
then instructions, when executed by a computer system cause the
computer system to perform a method, the method comprising:
determining a target geographical zone for distribution of
electronic content, the target geographical zone corresponding to a
travel lane of a roadway or highway within a geographical zone
extending between an inner boundary extending around a target
location and an outer boundary extending around a target location;
determining a time difference between a time of transmission of the
electronic content to an electronic device and a time of presence
of the electronic device in the target geographical zone; and
determining that a conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than an estimated travel time from a location of the
electronic device at the time of transmission of the electronic
content to the target geographical zone.
38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37,
wherein the target geographical zone is associated with the target
location.
39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein receiving data indicating the time of presence of the
electronic device in the travel lane of the roadway or highway
comprising the target geographical zone comprises receiving data
indicating a time of presence of the electronic device within a
geofence defining the target geographical zone.
40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,
wherein receiving data indicating the time of presence of the
electronic device in the travel lane of the roadway or highway
comprising the target geographical zone comprises receiving data
indicating a time of connecting the electronic devices with a
device associated with the target location.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate
generally to providing electronic content based on geographical
mapping information. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of
the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for providing
targeted electronic content to individuals in a geographic region
having an inner boundary and evaluating the targeted electronic
content.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Recently, the use of electronic maps has become widespread
through the use of in-vehicle or portable global positioning system
("GPS") devices, mobile devices, and other electronic devices.
These electronic maps often convey information about roads,
traffic, buildings, landmarks, terrain, etc., related to
geographical regions of interest. Some electronic maps may be
interactive, allowing users, for example, to view their current
location on a map of a particular area and the surrounding areas.
Many providers of electronic mapping services allow users to input
origin and destination locations and provide various routing
directions to and from those locations. The routing directions may
be generated based on one or more of travel time, travel distance,
traffic, construction, rout preference (e.g., tolls, highways,
etc.), and time-of-day. Electronic map providers may determine and
update routing information based on a user's location using GPS or
other location detecting means transmitted via a signal emitted by
a user's electronic device. Based on this location information, the
electronic maps may provide users with real-time information, such
as live traffic information and dynamic routing adjustments.
[0003] Electronic content providers, such as advertisers and
content publishers, also have been using various methods to send
electronic content to users. Such conventional methods include
sending email messages, presenting banner ads on websites, sending
text messages, presenting pop-up ads, placing ads in online search
results, etc. These content providers have found that users are
more likely to view and act on content (e.g., redeem a coupon,
click on an ad, etc.) if the content is relevant or otherwise
tailored to them. Therefore, increasingly, content providers have
been seeking and using content targeting methods based on various
attributes of a user. For example, content providers target users
based on a user's web browsing history, etc.
[0004] Some online content providers, such as advertisers and
content publishers, have been sending targeted content to users'
electronic devices based on the physical location of the user by,
e.g., analyzing the IP address and other user information (e.g.,
search history, cookies, etc.) transmitted or retrievable from a
user's electronic device, sometimes in the context of an electronic
mapping application. For example, many online advertisers and
publishers deliver electronic content (such as ads and multimedia)
to users' devices based on IP address-based inferences of each
user's general location, e.g., which city or country they are
predicted to be in. However, such methods are coarse, in that they
do not target content based on information more granular than the
general area or region where the user is located. Such methods are
also susceptible to location misdirection based on user tools such
as virtual environments or desktops, and IP address detection
blocking. As a result, other methods for geographically targeted
ads and content have been developed based on more granular levels
of targeting. For example, businesses may "push" ads and/or content
to users' devices when the user enters and connects to a Wi-Fi
and/or Bluetooth network operated by the business. However, such
methods are quite limited by the relatively short reach of the
wireless network employed. Such methods are unable to reach a
sufficiently large local audience that is within a desired area for
making a decision to patronize the business.
[0005] Other online content providers target users within a
predetermined geographic zone so that users within the zone receive
the targeted content. For example, some online content providers
detect the presence of an electronic device user within a certain
radius of a target location, or encourage users to inform the
content provider of their presence by "checking-in," and then send
the user an ad or other electronic content. These radius or other
geographic based methods of providing electronic content may be
arbitrary and may not account for variations (e.g., the presence of
the advertised goods, services, point-of-interest ("POI"), or
target location) within different geographic regions. This may
result in the electronic content being provided to too few or to
too many users.
[0006] Specifically, these predetermined geographic zones, commonly
referred to as geo-fences or geofences, are digital, virtual
boundaries having a predetermined size. Electronic content
providers, such as national advertisers, often approach geographic
targeting by constructing the same size radius geofence around each
of their properties (e.g., a 2-mile radius around every store).
While this is simple for the advertiser, it can sometimes involve
delivery of electronic content, e.g., advertising, to individuals
that have either: (i) already decided to, or already started,
patronizing the advertised venue or service, or (ii) are close
enough to the advertised venue or service to be within visible
sight of the advertised venue or service, and therefore within its
region of influence. For example, existing geofences might result
in advertising a restaurant promotion to an individual who is
already moments away from, or currently at, the restaurant
advertising the promotion. Likewise, existing geofences might
result in advertising a promotion to an individual who is within
eyesight of the restaurant advertising the promotion, and therefore
unlikely to benefit from further advertising of the promotion.
[0007] Accordingly, a need exists for methods and systems of
providing improved dynamic targeting of electronic content based on
other factors, for example, a geographic zone having an inner
boundary and an outer boundary.
SUMMARY
[0008] According to certain embodiments, systems and methods are
disclosed for detecting a conversion of electronic content. One
method may include retrieving data indicating transmission of
electronic content to a plurality of electronic devices within a
geographical zone extending between an inner boundary extending
around a target location and an outer boundary extending around the
target location. The method further comprises receiving data
indicating presence of one of the plurality of electronic devices
in a target geographical zone, the target geographical zone being
located within the inner boundary. Additionally, the method
comprises determining a time difference between transmission of the
electronic content to the one of the plurality of electronic
devices and a presence of the one of the plurality of electronic
devices in the target geographical zone, and determining that an
electronic device conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than a threshold period of time associated with the electronic
content.
[0009] According to certain embodiments, systems are disclosed for
detecting a conversion of electronic content. One system includes a
data storage device storing instructions and a processor configured
to execute the instructions to perform a method. The method may
include retrieving data indicating transmission of electronic
content to a plurality of electronic devices within a geographical
zone extending between an inner boundary extending around a target
location and an outer boundary extending around the target
location. The method further comprises receiving data indicating
presence of one of the plurality of electronic devices in a target
geographical zone, the target geographical zone being located
within the inner boundary. Additionally, the method comprises
determining a time difference between transmission of the
electronic content to the one of the plurality of electronic
devices and the one of the plurality of electronic devices'
presence in the target geographical zone, and determining an
electronic device conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than a threshold period of time associated with the electronic
content.
[0010] According to certain embodiments, a non-transitory
computer-readable medium storing instructions is disclosed. The
instructions when executed by a computer system cause the computer
system to perform a method including retrieving data indicating
transmission of electronic content to a plurality of electronic
devices within a geographical zone extending between an inner
boundary extending around a target location and an outer boundary
extending around the target location. The method further comprises
receiving data indicating presence of one of the plurality of
electronic devices in a target geographical zone, the target
geographical zone being located within the inner boundary.
Additionally, the method comprises determining a time difference
between transmission of the electronic content to the one of the
plurality of electronic devices and the one of the plurality of
electronic devices' presence in the target geographical zone, and
determining an electronic device conversion occurred when the time
difference is less than a threshold period of time associated with
the electronic content.
[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosed
embodiments, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various
exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to
explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 1A is an illustration of an electronic map overlaid by
a geofence or geographic zone having an outer boundary and an inner
boundary, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 1B is an illustration of an electronic map overlaid by
a geofence or geographic zone and containing a target geographical
zone, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an electronic map overlaid by
another type of geofence or geographic zone having an outer
boundary and an inner boundary, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an electronic map overlaid by
another type of geofence or geographic zone having an outer
boundary and an inner boundary, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a communications environment
and systems configured to generate and display electronic content
to individuals in a geographic zone having at least an inner
boundary, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 5A is a flow diagram of methods for presenting
electronic content to individuals in a geographic zone having at
least an inner boundary, according to exemplary embodiments of the
present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 5B is a flow diagram of methods for detecting an
electronic content conversion, according to exemplary embodiments
of the present disclosure; and
[0020] FIG. 6 is a simplified functional block diagram of a
computer configured as a content, geofence generating, and/or
mapping server, for example, for presenting electronic content to
individuals in a geographic zone having at least an inner boundary,
according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary
embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference
numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same
or like parts.
[0022] The present disclosure describes methods and systems for
detecting the location of an electronic device to determine the
geographic location of a user, and presenting the user with
electronic content based on the determined location. Specifically,
the present disclosure describes methods and systems for presenting
electronic content to a user based on, e.g., the user's geographic
location relative to a predefined geographic zone, such as a
geofence, associated with a geographic location, business, POI, or
any other location. In some embodiments, methods and systems are
disclosed for presenting electronic content to a user based on the
user's geographic location (e.g., detected via the user's device
location) relative to a retail location (e.g., a "brick and
mortar"), a road location (e.g., a highway exit or road
intersection), a public venue (e.g. a stadium or theater), a
commercial building, or any another point of interest.
[0023] As described above, one method for targeting mobile content
and/or advertising is through the use of a simple geofence,
typically a fixed radius around a given point. Although fast and
simple, this method can undesirably include individuals already in
the store, in the parking lot, or within eyesight of the store.
However, these individuals might not desire additional advertising
incentives, such as coupons, to be motivated to patronize the
store. As a result, according to certain embodiments, systems and
methods are described for creating geofences that include nearby
individuals who are prospective customers but exclude individuals
who are already, or are likely soon to be, customers. Accordingly,
systems and methods are described for creating geofences having,
not only an outer perimeter (within which individuals are targeted
for content delivery), but also an inner boundary around the target
POI (e.g., store), within which individuals are excluded from
targeted content delivery.
[0024] In one embodiment, methods and systems are disclosed for
presenting electronic content to a user also based on the user's
ability to travel to a particular physical location related to the
electronic content within some predetermined travel time and/or
distance. For purposes of illustration, if a user's device is
detected within an outer perimeter or geofence extending over all
of the road lanes from which the user can reach the target location
within some upper predetermined travel time or distance, then the
user may be presented with electronic content related to the target
location. However, if the user's device is detected within an inner
boundary or geofence extending over all the road lanes from which
the user can reach the target location within some lower
predetermined travel time or distance, then the user may be
excluded from delivery of the targeted electronic content. As will
be described in more detail below, either or both of the inner and
outer boundaries may be defined by such driving time and/or
distance parameters, and either or both of the inner and outer
boundaries may be defined by a simple radius, as desired.
[0025] In still further embodiments, methods and systems are
disclosed for dynamically adjusting a geofence based on date, time,
event, feedback (e.g. assessment that too many or too few users are
viewing, converting, and/or activating, etc.), and/or user
interaction with content delivered to users. For purposes of
illustration, a content provider may send a request to a content
server identifying a desired value of 250 new users per hour
between 8:00 AM and 6:30 PM in a target geographic region. The
content server or any other server in communication with the
content server may determine the size and density of the number of
individuals within the outer perimeter or geofence, but outside of
the inner boundary or geofence, at different times during the day
and adjust the size or other geometry of each of the outer
perimeter and inner boundary, so that the content is presented to
the desired number of individuals per hour throughout the requested
time range.
[0026] In further embodiments, a system may be configured to detect
an electronic content conversion, such as by determining that a
transmission of an advertisement within the geofence to a user's
device led to the presence of the user's device at the target
location. In some embodiments, the presence of the user's device
may be determined by either using a beacon at the target location
or by using another hyper-local presence detection means
corresponding to the target location.
[0027] FIG. 1A is an illustration of an electronic map 100
including a generally annular geofence 200 in the vicinity of an
exemplary target location 102. As used herein, the term "geo-fence"
or "geofence" may include a virtual geographic zone having one or
more perimeters and an area within the perimeter(s). The geofence
may or may not be visible to a user viewing an electronic map, but
for illustrative purposes, FIG. 1 depicts a geofence 200
superimposed over the electronic map 100. The target location 102
may be defined by any type or combination of GPS coordinates,
address, road intersection, building, business, POI, venue, public
space, or any other location of interest. The geofence 200 may have
any predefined radius and may be positioned at, or at any suitable
distance from, the target location 102. In one embodiment, the
geofence 200 may be centered around the target location 102. In
another embodiment, the geofence 200 may be centered at an
intersection selected near the target location 102. In yet another
embodiment, the geofence 200 may be centered at any other point or
related point within some predetermined distance from the target
location 102.
[0028] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the geofence
200 may include both an outer boundary 202 and an inner boundary
302. In one embodiment, the outer boundary 202 may define an
inclusion area and the inner boundary 302 may define an exclusion
area, such that the geofence 200 is bounded, at an outer perimeter,
by outer boundary 202, but also around the target location 102 by
inner boundary 302. In other words, the geofence 200 may include
the area extending from inner boundary 302 to outer boundary 202,
but may exclude the area inside inner boundary 302. While FIG. 1A
depicts the outer and inner boundaries 202, 302 as being
substantially circular, and depicts the geofence 200 as being
substantially annular, it should be appreciated that the outer and
inner boundaries 202, 302 and the geofence 200 may each have any
shape, such as a square, a rectangle, polygon, an irregular shape,
etc., whether defined by one or more parameters, by a content
provider or advertiser, by geographical boundaries, and/or by any
other inputs.
[0029] As will be discussed in detail below, the geofence 200 may
be generated according to parameters provided by one or more
advertisers or electronic content providers and used to target
users within the area defined by the geofence with relevant
electronic content. In one embodiment, the geofence may be
generated according to instructions received from an owner,
operator, or other affiliate of the target location 102.
Alternatively or additionally, the geofence may be generated
according to parameters defined by an advertising network, mapping
service, and/or geofencing service provider. The geofence 200 may
include any area between the outer and inner boundaries 202, 302,
including one or more portions of various routes on the electronic
map 100, such as highways having one or more exits and exit ramps,
roads, such as local roads, intersections, or any other
navigational or geographic points of interest.
[0030] In one embodiment, the geometry or properties (e.g., radius
and location) of the geofence 200 may be predetermined by the
owner, operator, or other affiliate of the target location 102. The
geofence 200 may be used by the owner, operator, or other affiliate
of one or more locations, such as target location 102, to present
users within the geofence 200 with electronic content related to
the target location 102. For example, an owner of a restaurant at
location 102 may use geofence 200 to identify users within a
certain radius or threshold distance (e.g., a geodesic distance)
from the restaurant and send electronic content to users traveling
within the geofence 200 (e.g., within outer boundary 202 but not
within inner boundary 302) via one or more servers. For purposes of
illustration, the restaurant owner or operator may transmit
electronic coupons and/or advertisements to users traveling within
the restaurant's geofence, to entice those nearby users to visit
the restaurant. As shown in FIG. 1A, geofence 200 may include, and
cause the transmission of relevant content to, any user traveling
within the geofence 200, e.g., within outer boundary 202 but not
within inner boundary 302. As a result, according to certain
embodiments, content may be delivered to users who are within some
desired distance or time of the target location 102 (e.g., within
outer boundary 202), but who are not so close as to be beyond the
need, desire, or effectiveness for further advertising or promotion
regarding the target location 102 (e.g., within inner boundary 302,
and perhaps even at or within the target location 102).
[0031] Thus, with reference to the geofence of FIG. 1A, electronic
advertising or content would not be delivered to mobile device 105A
since it is not located within the outer boundary 202 defining the
inclusion area. However, electronic advertising or content would be
delivered to mobile device 105B since it is located within the
outer boundary 202 defining the inclusion area, but not located
within the inner boundary 302 defining the exclusion area. Finally,
electronic advertising or content would not be delivered to a
mobile device within the inner boundary 302, such as within target
location 102, since it would be inside the exclusion area defined
by inner boundary 302.
[0032] The target location 102 may be defined by any type or
combination of GPS coordinates, address, road intersection,
building, business, POI, venue, public space, or any other location
of interest. Although shown as a circle in FIG. 1, each geofence
200 and/or outer/inner boundary 202, 302 may have any suitable
size, configuration, and/or shape and may be positioned at, or any
suitable distance from, the target location 102. In one embodiment,
each geofence 200 and/or outer/inner boundary 202, 302 may be
centered around the target location 102, such as a city center, but
may be positioned around any location, and be of any scale (e.g.
building, block, neighborhood, campus, county, state, etc.) In
another embodiment, each geofence 200 and/or outer/inner boundary
202, 302 may be centered at a location selected near the target
location 102 such as an associated intersection, highway, POI, etc.
In yet another embodiment, the geofence 200 and/or outer/inner
boundary 202, 302 may be centered at any other point or related
point within some predetermined distance from the target location
102. As will be discussed in detail below, each geofence 200 and/or
outer/inner boundary 202, 302 may be generated according to
parameters provided by one or more advertisers or electronic
content providers and used to target users within the area defined
by each geofence 200 with relevant electronic content. In one
embodiment, each geofence 200 may be generated according to
instructions received from an owner, operator, or other affiliate
of the target location 102. Alternatively or additionally, the
geofence may be generated according to parameters defined by an
advertising network, mapping service, and/or geofencing service
provider.
[0033] FIG. 1B depicts an electronic map 100 having a boundary 103
surrounding target location 102, within inner boundary 302.
Boundary 103 may define a target geographical zone, for example, a
region in which the detection of a presence of a device is deemed
to be equivalent to presence at the target location. A target
geographical zone is explained in further detail below with respect
to method 550.
[0034] FIG. 2 depicts an electronic map 100 having a geofence
defined by an outer boundary 204 (e.g., defining an inclusion area)
and an inner boundary 304 (e.g., defining an exclusion area). In
this example, inner boundary 304 may extend some predetermined
radius from target location 102, whereas outer boundary 204 (shown
covering the shaded roads) may cover a plurality of roads or other
lanes of traffic or transportation routes including points from
which an individual is within a predetermined threshold of travel
time and/or distance from the target location 102. For example,
outer boundary 204 may cover any portions of roads or other
transportation routes where individuals at those portions are
within, e.g., 10 minutes from target location 102 or 5 miles from
target location 102. Of course, the predetermined travel times
and/or distances may be set to any amount, no matter how low (e.g.
within seconds of feet from target location 102) or high (e.g.,
within hours or miles from target location 102). In the example of
FIG. 2, electronic content and/or advertising may be delivered to
individuals determined to be inside the inclusion area (e.g.,
within outer boundary 204 and therefore within some predetermined
travel time and/or distance), but outside of the exclusion area
defined by inner boundary 304 (e.g., no closer than some
predetermined radius from target location 102).
[0035] FIG. 3 depicts an electronic map 100 having a geofence
defined by an outer boundary 206 (e.g., defining an inclusion area)
and an inner boundary 306 (e.g., defining an exclusion area). In
this example, outer boundary 206 may extend some predetermined
radius from target location 102, whereas inner boundary 306 (shown
covering the shaded roads) may cover a plurality of roads or other
lanes of traffic or transportation routes including points from
which an individual is within a predetermined threshold of travel
time and/or distance from the target location 102. For example,
inner boundary 306 may cover any portions of roads or other
transportation routes where individuals at those portions are
within, e.g., 5 minutes from target location 102 or 1 mile from
target location 102. Of course, the predetermined travel times
and/or distances may be set to any amount, no matter how low (e.g.
within seconds of feet from target location 102) or high (e.g.,
within hours or miles from target location 102). In the example of
FIG. 3, electronic content and/or advertising may be delivered to
individuals determined to be inside the inclusion area (e.g.,
within outer boundary 206 and therefore within some radius from
target location 102), but outside of the exclusion area defined by
inner boundary 306 (e.g., no closer than some predetermined travel
time and/or distance).
[0036] Of course, it should be appreciated from the description of
FIGS. 1-3 that any of the inner boundaries and outer boundaries may
be of any type, configuration, and/or shape. For example, both the
inner and outer boundaries may be defined by radii or other lengths
or shapes relative to target location 102. Alternatively, both the
inner and outer boundaries may be defined by travel times and/or
distances relative to target location 102. Alternatively, the inner
boundary may be defined by a radius or distance from target
location 102, whereas the outer boundary may be defined by a travel
time and/or distance relative to target location 102.
Alternatively, the inner boundary may be defined by a travel time
and/or distance relative to target location 102, whereas the outer
boundary may be defined by a radius or distance from target
location 102.
[0037] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary environment 400 in
which content may be presented to a user's mobile electronic device
410 having GPS and/or a mapping software application. The mobile
electronic device 410 may be any device connected to, or capable of
connecting to a network 405, such as the Internet. Examples of such
mobile electronic devices 410 may include mobile phones 415, in-car
or portable GPS devices 420 and 430, computers 425 (e.g., laptops
and tablets), smart watches, etc. The mobile electronic devices 410
may send and receive information via the network 405 and/or one or
more satellites 455. The mobile electronic devices 410 also may
communicate with a system of servers 435 via the network 405. The
system of servers 435 may include one or more servers, such as
content server(s) 440, geofence generating server(s) 445, and/or
mapping server(s) 450 in communication with each other. In
addition, the system may include one or more content providers 460
in communication with the server system 435. Examples of content
providers may include advertisers, news agencies, government
agencies, publishers, etc.
[0038] The content server 440 may include a database of parameters
received from one or more content providers 460 for sending content
to users within a geofence, such as any of the geofence types
described with reference to FIGS. 1-3, or the like. Such parameters
may include parameters related to the geofence, demographic
characteristics of users, and/or any other suitable parameters, or
combination of parameters. Examples of parameters related to the
geofence may include a travel distance and/or time from the target
location, travel direction, travel speed, type of route (e.g.,
highway, tollway, road, local road, etc.). Examples of parameters
related to the demographic information of a user may include
vehicle type, average speed of the user, past online search
history, driving habits, etc. Examples of other content parameters
the content server 440 may receive from one or more content
providers 460 may include weather conditions, date, day, time,
etc., any of which may be used to control whether and how to
transmit electronic content and/or advertising to user devices
identified within one or more geofences. For example, for purposes
of illustration, a fast food chain may wish to deliver promotional
coupons to individuals who are within 5 miles of each of their
stores, but not to users who are already in or right next to their
stores. The fast food chain might add parameters regarding the time
of day for delivery, demographic profiles of targeted individuals,
and so on. As another example, a golf course might wish to deliver
a promotion to any individuals within 25 miles of the course, but
not to individuals who are already on the course, or within a mile
of the course. Again, the golf course may add additional
parameters, such as to only display the promotion during certain
days of the week, or during certain weather patterns, or to certain
demographics of individuals. As another example, in the days or
weeks preceding Independence Day, a fireworks store in one state
might wish to send an online ad and/or coupon to users traveling on
a highway within 10 minutes travel time to the closest highway exit
to the fireworks store in a direction towards another state where
there is a higher state tax or prohibition on fireworks. Of course,
it should be appreciated that any type of business or entity might
target geofences to any combination of roads or intersections or
locations, at any desired day or time, to target any desired
segment of the population, with any relevant electronic content
and/or ads. The parameters received by the content server 440 may
be processed by the content provider 460 and saved in a database,
which may be accessed by the one or more geofence generating
servers 445.
[0039] The geofence generating server(s) 445 may generate one or
more virtual electronic geofences based on the parameters received
by the content server 440 and may retrieve relevant mapping
information from the mapping server 450 in order to accurately
generate the geofence in accordance with the parameters received
from the content provider 460. According to various embodiments,
the geofence generating server(s) 445 may generate, maintain, and
implement any number of geofences, simultaneously, for any number
of roads and/or intersections, businesses, promotions, etc. Each
geofence, inner boundary, and/or outer boundary maintained by the
geofence generating server(s) 445 may have any desired shape, such
as the shapes depicted in FIGS. 1-3, the shape of an annular donut
(e.g., a "geodonut"), the shape of portions of one or more road or
highway lanes, the shape of an intersection, the shape of a
plurality of road/intersection portions, a polygon (or plurality
thereof), a rectangle (or plurality thereof), etc. In one
embodiment, the geofence generating server(s) 445 may generate the
one or more geofences based on inputs received from content
server(s) 440, mapping server(s) 450, content provider(s) 460, or
any other publishers, advertisers, etc. The geofence generating
server(s) 445 may, in combination with the mapping server(s) 450,
monitor the location of one more users' devices relative to
perimeter/area information associated with each geofence (e.g.,
relative to both the inner and outer boundaries) to generate and
maintain an updated list of the devices that enter and remain
within each geofence (e.g., that are within the outer boundary but
not within the inner boundary).
[0040] The mapping server 450 may store and process information
regarding road geometry, road intersections, routing graphs,
traffic patterns, road closures, event information, average traffic
speed, etc. In addition, the system may be in communication with
the electronic devices 410 via the network 405 and/or satellite(s)
455 to receive location, travel, and any other user information
that may be used to generate geofences and identify devices within
each geofence in accordance with the content parameters. For
illustrative purposes only, the server system 435 is shown in FIG.
4 to include servers 440, 445, and 450 in a unitary structure,
however, it should be understood that any or all of the servers
440, 445, and 450 may be external to each other and owned and/or
operated by different entities, as long as electronic communication
may occur within one or more of the servers 440, 445, and 450. Any
of servers 440, 445, and 450 may operate in conjunction with each
other, and/or perform the functions of each other.
[0041] FIG. 5A is a flow diagram of a method 500 for presenting
online content to a user. The method 500 may include a step 502 of
receiving, from a content provider 460, an identification of one or
more parameters for displaying electronic content and/or
advertisements to users. The content provider 460 may be an
advertiser or other content publisher as discussed above. The
parameters may be any suitable parameters such as, e.g., an
identification of a physical location, a time threshold, and/or
distance threshold, and any other additional parameters, such as
user demographics, time-of-day parameters, promotions, inner/outer
boundary preferences, etc. The location parameters may include a
physical location (e.g., street address, highway exit, map
coordinates, etc.) and a predefined threshold distance, and/or
travel time to the physical location. The physical location may be
the physical location of an entity or business related to the
electronic content and/or advertising or another location close to
the entity relation to the online content (e.g., the closest
highway exit to the entity, the closest major intersection to the
entity, etc.)
[0042] The threshold parameter, used for either the inner and/or
outer boundaries, may be any suitable value, e.g., about 1 to 5
miles of travel distance, about 3 to 10 minutes travel time (by
driving, walking, etc.), and so on. The user demographic
information may include the type of vehicle, age, gender,
interests, income, category, number of travelers with the user,
etc. For example, a restaurant may wish to advertise its lunch
buffet to users within 3 miles of the restaurant's physical address
or 3 miles from the closest highway exit to the restaurant, but not
to users inside or within x-feet of the restaurant, and may wish to
target advertisements to users driving in large capacity vehicles
(e.g., buses, vans, etc.,) and therefore provide these parameters
to the content server(s) 440.
[0043] A geofence may be generated at step 504 by a geofence
generating server 445 or any other suitable entity. The dimensions
and properties (e.g., shape, geometry, number) of the geofence may
be based on the parameters electronically received at step 502. For
example, as described above with respect to FIG. 2, the geofence
may be generated for a particular target location 102 so as to
cover an area extending between an inner boundary (which itself
surrounds the target location 102) and an outer boundary (which may
entirely or partially surround the target location 102 and/or the
inner boundary). Alternatively, as described above with respect to
FIGS. 2 and 3, the geofence may be generated so as to cover some or
all of the road portions within some predetermined travel time
and/or travel distance from a particular target location or entity,
either as an inclusion area or exclusion area. A geofence may be
generated at step 504 by a geofence generating server 445 or any
other suitable entity. The dimensions and properties (e.g., shape,
geometry, number) of the geofence(s) may be based on the parameters
electronically received at step 502 by the content server 440. In
addition, the geofence generating server 445 also may be in
communication with the mapping server 455 to retrieve mapping
information such as geographic borders (e.g. city, county, state,
etc.), natural borders (e.g. mountains, rivers, lakes, etc.) for
use in generating the geofence. The geofence generating server 445
may also electronically receive data from other servers for use in
generating the geofence based on any other parameters identified in
the request at step 502.
[0044] At step 506, one or more of the servers 435 may generate or
receive an indication that a user's electronic device has entered a
physical space defined by the geofence. For example, the geofence
generating server 445 and/or mapping server(s) 450 may determine
the location of a user's mobile electronic device 410, via the
network 405 and/or satellite(s) 455, relative to a stored perimeter
and/or area associated with each of a plurality of known geofences.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, the determination
may be made: first, as to whether the user's device 410 is located
within an outer boundary of the geofence (e.g., within the
inclusion area), and second, as to whether the user's device 410 is
located within an inner boundary of the geofence (e.g., not within
the exclusion area). According to certain aspects of the present
disclosure, the method may be configured to proceed upon
determining that the user's electronic device 410 is indeed located
within the inclusion area defined by the outer boundary of the
geofence, but not located within the exclusion area defined by the
inner boundary of the geofence. The user's electronic device 410
may be detected by accessing GPS data or any other suitable method
(e.g., Wi-Fi triangulation, etc.) of detecting the location of the
electronic device 410 within the geofence parameters. The
indication may be an electronic request sent by the geofence
generating server 445 to the content server via the network. The
indication may include any additional information about the user
received via the user's electronic device 410, such as previous map
searches, demographic information, etc. In addition, the indication
may be generated and sent by the user device's operating
system.
[0045] At step 508, the content server 440 may send electronic
content and/or advertisements provided by the content provider 460
via the network 405 to the user's electronic device 410 based on
the parameters identified by the content provider 460 at step 502.
As described above, the electronic content and/or advertisements
may include, by way of example, electronic coupons, electronic
promotions, recommendations, product/service rankings, sponsored
content, opinion content, advertisements, any of which may be
embodied in any type or combination of text, graphics, animation,
video, one- or two-dimensional barcodes, unique identifiers,
electronic messages (e-mail, SMS, etc.), mobile application
notification, etc. As described above, the electronic content
and/or advertising may be related to the products, services, or
other business of the owner, operator, or affiliate of the target
location associated with the respective geofence. For example, when
a user's device enters the physical space defined by a geofence
requested or sponsored by a department store (e.g., in the
inclusion area but not the exclusion area), the user may be
presented with an advertisement or promotion for the user to
purchase goods from the department store. When a user's device
enters a portion of a highway or road (preceding an exit or
intersection) covered by a geofence requested or sponsored by a gas
station, restaurant, or hotel, the user may be presented with an
advertisement or promotion for the user to purchase goods or
services associated with the gas station, restaurant, or hotel,
respectively.
[0046] At step 508, the content server 440 may automatically send
electronic content and/or advertisements provided by the
advertiser/content provider 465 via the network 305 to the user's
electronic device 110 based on the parameters identified by the
advertiser/content provider 465 at step 502. As described above,
the electronic content and/or advertisements may include, by way of
example, coupons, promotions, recommendations, product/service
rankings, sponsored content, opinion content, advertisements, any
of which may be embodied in any type or combination of text,
graphics, animation, video, one- or two-dimensional barcodes,
unique identifiers, and/or electronic messages (e-mail, SMS, etc.),
mobile application notification, etc. As described above, the
electronic content and/or advertising may be related to the
products, services, or other business of the owner, operator, or
affiliate of the target location associated with the respective
geofence. For example, when a user's device 110 enters the physical
space defined by a geofence requested or sponsored by a department
store (e.g., in the inclusion area but not the exclusion area), the
user may be presented with an advertisement or promotion for the
user to purchase goods from the department store.
[0047] FIG. 5B is a flow diagram of a method 550 for detecting an
electronic content conversion, For example, method 550 may aid in
determining whether transmission of an advertisement as electronic
content by method 500 leads users to visiting the target
locations.
[0048] The method 550 may include a step 552 of retrieving data
indicating transmission of electronic content to one or more
electronic devices within a geographical zone extending between an
inner boundary extending around a target location and an outer
boundary extending around the target location. For example,
whenever electronic content is transmitted to an electronic device,
information related to the transmission may be stored in one or
more databases (not illustrated) in servers 435. The stored
information may include but is not limited to, identity of devices
to which particular content is transmitted, time of transmission to
these particular devices, information related to additional
characteristics of devices or users associated with the devices to
which electronic content is transmitted, and preferred time
thresholds for a conversion of an advertisement. For example, if
the device appears in a region associated with the target after
receiving an advertisement it may be considered to be an indication
that a user carrying the device has arrived in the region
associated with the target in response to receiving the transmitted
electronic content.
[0049] In step 554, method 550 may include receiving data
indicating presence of an electronic device in a target
geographical zone. Specifically, one or more of the servers 435 may
receive an indication that a user's electronic device has entered a
target geographical zone. The target geographical zone may be
defined by parameters indicating that the device is close to the
target, at the target, or within the vicinity of the target. In
some embodiments, the target geographical zone is located within
the inner boundary of the region in which the electronic content is
transmitted.
[0050] Accordingly, one or more servers 435 may receive data
indicating that the user device is within the target geographical
zone based on using a hyper-local geofence and/or by using beacon
detection. For example, the data may indicate the presence of a
device is within a region based on a geofence around the target,
serving as the target geographical zone, which may be defined by
application of similar concepts as method 500. Accordingly,
geofence generating server 445 and/or mapping server(s) 450 may
determine the location of a user's mobile electronic device 410,
via the network 405 and/or satellite(s) 455, relative to a stored
perimeter and/or area associated with each of a plurality of known
geofences affiliated with target locations. The user's electronic
device 410 may be detected by accessing GPS data or any other
suitable method (e.g., Wi-Fi triangulation, etc.) of detecting the
relatively precise location of the electronic device 410 within the
geofence parameters, such as target geographical zone 103. The
indication may include any additional information about the user
received via the user's electronic device 410, such as previous map
searches, demographic information, etc. In addition, the indication
may be generated and sent by the operating system of the user's
device.
[0051] In an alternative embodiment, the target geographical zone
may be defined by using beacon detection, which, for example, may
define a region in which a user's device may connect to another
device associated with a target. For example, a Wi-Fi router may be
associated with a target location. Therefore, any area from which a
device may connect to the Wi-Fi router may be defined as the target
geographical zone. The various types of connections that may define
a target geographical zone may include Wi-Fi, near field
communications (NFC), and Bluetooth. In additional embodiments,
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons may be utilized. For example,
devices, such a mobile phone, using a location determination
protocol may define the target geographical zones.
[0052] In step 556, method 550 may include determining a time
difference between transmission of the electronic content to the
electronic device and a presence of the electronic device in the
target geographical zone. For example, the data retrieved from a
database (not illustrated) in servers 435 may indicate the time
that a particular advertisement was transmitted as electronic
content to a particular device at a particular time. Server 435 may
also determine or receive information/indication related to the
presence of a user device in the target geographical zone including
the time that a device's presence is first detected. Information
related to a user device is not limited to the device's initial
detection, but may include continuous tracking of the device within
the target geographical zone, including physical movement, spending
behavior, etc. For example, a database (not illustrated) in servers
435 may contain information regarding the time that an
advertisement was transmitted to user device 105B between inner
boundary 302 and outer boundary 302. That information may be used
along with the time that user device was first detected to be
presented in target geographical zone 103 to determine the time
difference.
[0053] In step 558, method 550 may include determining that an
electronic device conversion occurred when the time difference is
less than a threshold period of time associated with the electronic
content. Specifically, the time difference between the transmission
of electronic content to a particular device and the detection of
that particular device in the target geographical zone is compared
to a threshold period of time associated with the electronic
content. In some embodiments, the threshold period of time may be a
user selection. Alternatively, it may be a function of various
factors such as traffic patterns, traffic detection, and timings.
For example, advertisements transmitted at different times may have
different threshold periods of time for the same electronic
content. For, example it may be determined that during rush hour
traffic on a highway from 3-5 p.m., it may take a user up to an
hour to reach the target location after receiving the
advertisement. In that scenario, the threshold period of time may
be an hour, while at other times with an expected normal traffic
flow, the threshold period of time may be lower. Similarly, on
particular days, such as weekends or holidays, the threshold period
of time may vary. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the threshold
period of time may be dependent on various factors such as
transmission of advertisements. In other embodiments, the threshold
period of time may be a function of various algorithms. For
example, there may be live monitoring of traffic, a function of
unique thresholds for different regions within the geofence where
transmission occurs. As a more specific example of the threshold
time being a function of unique thresholds for different regions
within the geofence where transmission occurs, a coffee shop may
advertise to users located within a particular geofence that
includes roads and a grocery store. It is likely that user devices
that receive the transmission while at the grocery store will
continue to shop and then proceed to the coffee shop based on
seeing the advertisement. However, someone on the road may proceed
comparatively more quickly to the coffee shop in response to
receiving an advertisement.
[0054] FIG. 6 provides a functional block diagram illustration of
computer hardware platforms consistent with any of the devices and
servers described herein. FIG. 6 illustrates a network or host
computer platform 600, as may typically be used to implement a
server. It is believed that those skilled in the art are familiar
with the structure, programming, and general operation of such
computer equipment and as a result, the drawings should be
self-explanatory.
[0055] A platform for a server or the like 600, for example, may
include a data communication interface for packet data
communication 660. The platform may also include a central
processing unit (CPU) 620, in the form of one or more processors,
for executing program instructions. The platform typically includes
an internal communication bus 610, program storage, and data
storage for various data files to be processed and/or communicated
by the platform such as ROM 630 and RAM 640, although the server
600 often receives programming and data via network communications
670. The hardware elements, operating systems, and programming
languages of such equipment are conventional in nature, and it is
presumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar
therewith. The server 600 also may include input and output ports
650 to connect with input and output devices such as keyboards,
mice, touchscreens, monitors, displays, etc. Of course, the various
server functions may be implemented in a distributed fashion on a
number of similar platforms, to distribute the processing load.
Alternatively, the servers may be implemented by appropriate
programming of one computer hardware platform.
[0056] Program aspects of the technology may be thought of as
"products" or "articles of manufacture" typically in the form of
executable code and/or associated data that is carried on or
embodied in a type of machine-readable medium. "Storage" type media
include any or all of the tangible memory of the computers,
processors or the like, or associated modules thereof, such as
various semiconductor memories, tape drives, disk drives and the
like, which may provide non-transitory storage at any time for the
software programming. All or portions of the software may at times
be communicated through the Internet or various other
telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, may
enable loading of the software from one computer or processor into
another, for example, from a management server or host computer of
the mobile communication network into the computer platform of a
server and/or from a server to the electronic device. Thus, another
type of media that may bear the software elements includes optical,
electrical and electromagnetic waves, such as used across physical
interfaces between local devices, through wired and optical
landline networks and over various air-links. The physical elements
that carry such waves, such as wired or wireless links, optical
links, or the like, also may be considered as media bearing the
software. As used herein, unless restricted to non-transitory,
tangible "storage" media, terms such as computer or machine
"readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in
providing instructions to a processor for execution.
[0057] The many features and advantages of the disclosure are
apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended
by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of
the disclosure which fall within the true spirit and scope of the
disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and variations
will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation
illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within
the scope of the disclosure.
* * * * *