3198 results about "Geographic site" patented technology

Disclosed herein is a geofence service that enables various remote control and automatic operations based a user's current geographic position as determined by the user's mobile device's current geographic location. The geofence service enables the user to define one or more geofences based on specific geographic locations. Such geofences may be applied against several geofence applications for remote and automatic control of devices. In one embodiment, the mobile device's volume or power control settings are adjusted based on the user's location inside or outside a geofence. In one embodiment, temperature setting of a building or house is controlled based on user's proximity to a geofence. In one embodiment, electrical appliances within a home are activated and controlled automatically based on user's current geographic location.

A system and method including asynchronous location-based messaging is provided. Multimedia content may be created and associated with a specific geographic location. Notification messages associated with location-based content may be designated for receipt by particular users, for example, when the users are located within a predetermined distance of the geographic location. The notification messages, which may be transmitted to users' mobile computing devices, may include information about, as well as a pointer to, the location-based content to enable the content to be accessed immediately or at a later time through any number of interfaces.

Certain embodiments of the invention related to a method of receiving and processing trigger zone and geo-trigger content on a computing device. Trigger zones can be relevant to a current geographic position of the computing device and can be characterized by a time-based boundary and one or more requirements to be satisfied to trigger an event. The computing device can evaluate trigger zones to determine if one the one or more requirements are satisfied and trigger an trigger event if confirmed. In some embodiments, a server computer can generate a dwell-time trigger zone based on an amount of time a computing device spends at a geographic location. The dwell time trigger zone can include trigger zone data corresponding to commercial aspects particular to the geographic location. The server computer can be configured to send the trigger zone and trigger zone data to the computing device for processing.

Various techniques are provided for establishing financial transaction rules to control one or more subsidiary financial accounts. In one embodiment, a financial account management application stored on a processor-based device may provide an interface for defining financial transaction rules to be applied to a subsidiary account. The financial transaction rules may be based upon transaction amounts, aggregate spending amounts over a period, merchant categories, specific merchants, geographic locations, or the like. The device may update the financial transaction rules associated with a subsidiary account by communicating the rules to an appropriate financial server. Accordingly, transactions made using the subsidiary account by a subsidiary account holder may be evaluated against the defined rules, wherein an appropriate control action is carried out if a financial transaction rule is violated.

A help item is received from a first user by using a social help network. The help item indicates a help service to be performed for the first user by a second user of the social help network, or by the first user for the second user. Factor(s) of the first user and other users of the social network are determined, such as a geographical location of each user. Factor(s) of the help item are determined, such as a geographical location where the help service is to be performed. Based on the factor(s) of each of the first user, the help item, and the other users, a search for potential second users is performed. Each potential second user can perform the help service for the first user, or each potential second user can have the help service performed by the first user.

A system and method for providing a communication between users of a computer network are provided, the method including the steps of storing, in a database, received geo-location information, object information, brand information or other information, from a user; providing to the user a subset of previously stored digital media templates from the database for user selection; combining a user-selected digital media template with a user-selected media data object file received from the user; and tagging the geo-location information, object information, brand information or other information, to the combined user-selected digital media template and user-selected media data object file for communicating between users of the computer network.

Techniques for providing friction-free transactions using geolocation and user identifiers are described herein. These techniques may ascertain a user's location based on a location of a mobile device. A transaction between the user and a merchant may be completed with zero or minimal input from the user based on the geolocation of the mobile device and the user identifiers. In some implementations, a transaction initiated earlier is completed when the mobile device arrives at the merchant. Additionally, a parent-child or similar relationship may be established between multiple devices. Security on the mobile device based may be provided by biometric identification and calculation of variance from regular movement patterns. Advertisements may be sent to the mobile device based on bids from merchants near to the mobile device. Promotions may be sent to the mobile device when more than a threshold number of mobile devices are located at the same merchant.

A system for monitoring the post-deployment performance of a web-based or other transactional server is disclosed. The monitoring system includes an agent component that monitors the performance of the transactional server as seen from one or more geographic locations and reports the performance data to a reports server and / or centralized database. The performance data may include, for example, transaction response times, server response times, network response times and measured segment delays along network paths. Using the reported performance data, the system provides a breakdown of time involved in completion of a transaction into multiple time components, including a network time and a server time. Users view the transaction breakdown data via a series of customizable reports, which assist the user in determining whether the source of the performance problem. Additional features permit the source to be identified with further granularity.

A method is disclosed for providing advertising content for display in a page over a network. A plurality of advertisements are determined that are qualified for display at a location in the page. When an advertiser has stores located at a plurality of geographic sites, only one advertisement for a store located at a first geographic site may be displayed. Thereafter, the advertisement for a store located at a second geographic site different from the first geographic site may be displayed.

Systems and methods are provided for matching a first user in a first geographic location with a second user in a second geographic location, and enabling the first user to find the second user in the second geographic location. The first geographic location can be the same as the second geographic location. The first user and second user can be matched based on user-specific matching criteria, including a first user profile of the first user and a second user profile of the second user. The first user can communicate with the second user.

Embodiments of a location sharing network manager process are described. The process is executed on a server computer coupled to a plurality of mobile communication devices over a wireless network. Each mobile device is a location-aware mobile communication device. The process determines the geographic location of a mobile communication device operated by a user within an area, displays a map representation of the area around the mobile communication device on a graphical user interface of the mobile communication device, and superimposes on the map the respective locations of one or more other trusted users of mobile communication devices coupled to the mobile communication device over the network. A comprehensive network manager process provides management functions to allow communication with mobile phone users outside of the service network and allows for efficient communication with groups of users within the service network.

Various embodiments relate to the systems and methods for creating events, creating points of interest, associating points of interest with geographic locations, associating events with points of interest or with geographic locations, discovering events in a geographic area given a time frame, tagging and rating events and points of interest and sharing events among users. A particular embodiment includes a computer-implemented method including associating geographical locations or points of interest with events having geographical and temporal attributes in a geo-temporal data store, receiving a geo-temporal search query specified by a user, and producing search results including items from the geo-temporal data store having a pre-determined degree of relevance to the geo-temporal search query in both a geographical and temporal domain.

Systems and methods are presented for determining risk levels for consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transactions on brokering websites. The risk levels can be based on payment processing network (e.g. Visa) account data as well as external data, such as geo-location using IP addresses, fraud bureau data, and star ratings. The buying and selling consumers can have multiple risk scores for each transaction, such as a fraud, credit, return / chargeback, dissatisfaction, product misuse, nonreturnable, and defect risk scores. The buying and selling consumers can trade their risk levels before proceeding with the transaction.

A software agent for locally tracking a user's network interaction, such as web browsing, and providing targeted promotions with optional coupons to the user. The monitoring involves use of a downloaded file of network addresses and words potentially tailored to each individual user. The software agent locally compares network addresses and content of web sites accessed and search terms entered against the stored addresses and key words in the file. Upon detecting a match, the software agent contacts a system server to obtain a promotion with an optional coupon for the match, and displays an indication of the promotion or coupon to the user, providing the user with the option to view, decline, save, or defer the promotion. The user is provided with redeemable credits for viewing promotions, visiting the site of a merchant offering the promotion, completing a transaction, and spending at least a threshold dollar amount. The coupons can include coupons targeted to users geographically close to particular merchants so that the coupons can be printed and redeemed at the merchant's establishment. Transactions related to the promotions, whether completed online or in-store, are confirmed to demonstrate the efficacy of the promotions, award additional loyalty rewards to a user's account, or to compensate an advertiser or affiliate. Confirmation of in-store transactions may be accomplished by accessing transaction data routed through third-party payment networks used for credit and debit card transactions and cellular phone transactions and the like.

A system and method for automatically comparing obtained wireless device location information from a wireless network and comparing that location with another independent source geographic location is provided. Location information is derived from two or more sources in a multiplicity of ways and a comparison is made within a Location Comparison Engine. The Location Comparison Engine makes use of databases that assist in resolving obtained raw positioning information and converting that positioning information into one or more formats for adequate location comparison. Results of location comparison are deduced to determine if the wireless device is in some proximity to some other activity source location. Other location information used for comparison may be obtained from a multiplicity of sources, such as another network based on some activity of wireless device user, another wireless device via a wireless network, or any system capable of providing location information to the Location Comparison Engine.

Embodiments include a computer-implemented method that includes receiving a first geographic location, a second geographic location, and a search topic, identifying an intermediate location between the first and second geographic locations, wherein at least one of the travel times or the travel distances from the intermediate location to each of the first and second locations are approximately equal, identifying a set of search results responsive to the search topic, wherein each search result is associated with a location that is within a predetermined distance of the intermediate location, ranking each of the search results based at least in part on the location associated with the search result, and providing the set of ranked search results for display.

A method and system for determining a location of mobile and non-mobile devices in emergency situations. The method and system provide a current physical geographic location for a mobile or non-mobile device (e.g., building address, a building floor, a room on a building floor, campus, enterprise, city, state, region, country, continent, etc.) in an emergency situation. The method and system can also be used to provide a physical geographic location for a device for non-emergency situations.

A system and method provides turn-by-turn directions including placemarks. Each placemark represents a geographically located object such as a business or landmark. A client device may transmit an initial and a final location. Upon receipt of the locations, a server may determine a route comprised of a plurality of route segments. For each route segment associated with one or more placemark, the server may conduct an auction to choose one of the placemarks. The server may receive a plurality of bids associated with a particular route segment. Each bid is associated with a particular placemark. The server selects the placemark by determining a highest bid or other auction criteria. The selected placemark is associated with the route segment and is used to generate a turn-by-turn direction for the route segment, where information associated with the placemark is displayed on a client device.

A mobile device is associated with navigational information of a client vehicle and provides the navigational information of the client vehicle to an emergency vehicle notification service. The mobile also receives an emergency vehicle message from the emergency vehicle notification service, where the emergency vehicle message includes navigational information of an emergency responder vehicle. The mobile device determines updated navigational information of the client vehicle, and identifies a projected intersection between a path of the emergency responder vehicle and a path of the client vehicle based on the emergency vehicle message and the updated navigational information of the client vehicle. The mobile device generates an alert signal to a user of the mobile device based on the identification of the projected intersection.

Provided is a process of distributing offers to non-location-sensing devices based on a geolocation sensed by another device, the process comprising: obtaining a geolocation of a user from a mobile device of the user; associating the geolocation of the user with an identifier of the user in an offers engine; receiving a request for an offer from another computing device of the user, the request including or prompting obtaining data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user; retrieving the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device by identifying the user with the data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user account; selecting, with the offers engine, a responsive offer based on the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device; and sending the responsive offer to the other computing device of the user.

A description of a user is estimated based on the context of a user's past and present locations. A disclosed data-processing system continually receives data points for each user that represent spatial and / or temporal events. These events represent, for example, presence of a person at a specific geographic location such as a geographic area or point of interest (POI). The data-processing system evaluates the received data points in relation to one or more of the geographic locations, yielding results that are also based on the demographic characteristics of each visited location and the commercial characteristics of each visited location. The data-processing system evaluates the data points also to determine patterns exhibited in each user's activity or inactivity, and patterns exhibited in the distance traveled and the type of travel. The data-processing system bases the user descriptions on the results of these evaluations.

Computational puzzles are parameterized by a difficulty variable which may be assigned based on at least one component from the group of components: time component, location component, reputation component, usage component, content component, and social networking component. For example, in one embodiment, the proof-of-work puzzle comprises a location component directed by the geographic location of the client that can be applied to any web transaction or application. One such application involves online ticket sales including those that employ purchasing robots. Another application involves accessing and using webmail.