(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0111154 A1
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Aug. 15, 2002
`Eldering et al.
`
`US 20020111154A1
`
`(54) LOCATION BASED DELIVERY
`
`Publication Classi?cation
`
`(76) Inventors: Charles A. Eldering, Doylestown, PA
`(US); Frederik M. DeWolf, Ithaca, NY
`(US); Douglas J. Ryder, Doylestown,
`PA (US)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`Douglas J. Ryder
`Technology, Patents and Licensing, Inc.
`340 North Broad Street
`Doylestown, PA 18901 (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`09/782,960
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Feb. 14, 2001
`
`........... .. H04M 3/42
`(51) Int. Cl? .
`(52) U.S. c1. .......................................... .. 455/414; 455/456
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Matching data (advertisements, services, and information)
`to a subscriber based on a location of the subscriber and a
`pro?le of the subscriber. A Wireless device that the sub
`scriber is traveling With is used to determine the location of
`the subscriber. The data may be delivered to the subscriber
`via the Wireless device, via other media, or a combination
`thereof. The data may also be matched and delivered to the
`subscriber based on predicted data (activity, route, or loca
`tion) of the subscriber. The predicted data is generated by
`monitoring past actions of the subscriber.
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15, 2002 Sheet 1 0f 4
`
`US 2002/0111154 A1
`
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`
`Apple 1007
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15, 2002 Sheet 2 0f 4
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 15, 2002 Sheet 4 0f 4
`
`US 2002/0111154 A1
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`
`

`

`US 2002/0111154 A1
`
`Aug. 15, 2002
`
`LOCATION BASED DELIVERY
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`[0001] The advent of Wireless communications provides
`the ability for users to communicate from a moving location.
`Wireless communications requires a Wireless device and a
`Wireless netWork. Analog Wireless devices provide the abil
`ity to transmit voice over the Wireless netWork. Digital
`Wireless devices provide the ability to transmit voice and
`data over the Wireless netWork. In fact, the neW digital
`Wireless devices provide access to the Internet.
`
`[0002] The use of Wireless communications enables indi
`viduals to make transactions (either verbal or electronic,
`such as via the Internet) from a mobile location. Many
`transactions performed from a mobile location are indepen
`dent of location. For example, you can talk to a friend or
`business associate, you can order a computer for your of?ce,
`or you can search the Internet for of?ce furniture. Any of
`these activities can be performed Whether you are in Phila
`delphia or Los Angeles or Whether you are at your desk, in
`a car or on a train. These types of transactions are often
`referred to as mobile commerce (M-commerce).
`[0003] HoWever, many mobile transactions require the
`location of the user be knoWn. For example, calling for a toW
`truck to assist your stranded vehicle requires that you knoW
`your location in order for the transaction to be consum
`mated. Furthermore, some transactions require the location
`be knoWn so that the transaction can be routed to the
`appropriate party. For example, services such as the Emer
`gency 911 System, require that the location be knoWn so that
`the Emergency call can be routed to the appropriate call
`center.
`
`[0004] Traditional ?xed position telephones are assigned
`to a speci?c emergency call center. Moreover, the location of
`the call can readily be identi?ed by the caller identi?cation
`(CID) that is mapped to a speci?c physical location in the
`call center’s database. Thus, an appropriate emergency ser
`vices response can be made Without further communication
`from the caller.
`
`[0005] Wireless phones have no ?xed position, therefore
`Without communication from the caller to identify their
`present location an appropriate dispatch (emergency
`response team to the correct location) cannot be made.
`Moreover, the Wireless phone is assigned to a home location
`so that a ‘911’ call is normally routed to the 911 emergency
`center associated With the home location, Which could be on
`the other side of the country. Due to the above noted
`concerns With Wireless phones adequately handling ‘911’
`calls, the government has implemented regulations on it’s
`1996 Telecommunications Act that require cellular service
`providers be able to determine the location of a ‘911’ call
`Within 1/10 mile or 121 meters by Oct. 1, 2001.
`
`[0006] The industry is Working on various alternatives to
`meet the government regulation requiring the service pro
`vider be able to determine a cellular phone’s location One
`alternative entails determining the location of the Wireless
`device Within the cellular phone netWork by calculating the
`differences in arrival time of the device’s signal at one or
`more antennas in the system. US. Pat. No. 5,890,068
`assigned to Cell-loc discloses one method and US. Pat. No.
`5,999,124 assigned to Snap-Track discloses an alternative
`method.
`
`[0007] An alternative technology that is being developed
`places global positioning satellite (GPS) functionality on a
`chip that is placed in the Wireless device. The GPS chipset
`Would provide the location of the cellular phone in coordi
`nates that can be turned into a location. The GPS data could
`be combined With the caller ID data and forWarded to the
`call center as the emergency call Was placed. Motorola
`disclosed such a GPS chipset in their product literature,
`“Motorola Announces OncoreTM Remote GPS Precision
`Timing Receiver”, printed from the World Wide Web site
`http://WWW.motorola.com/ies/GPS/pressrls/050498.html on
`May 5, 2000.
`
`[0008] The use of GPS systems (GPSS) to determine an
`individual’s location is becoming Wide spread. For example,
`handheld devices have been developed that include a GPS
`receiver to determine an individual’s location and map data
`so that the position of the individual can be displayed on a
`map. US. Pat. No. 5,528,248 assigned to Trimble Naviga
`tion discloses a personal location assistant (PLA), comprised
`of technology suf?cient to determine present position as Well
`as a compass that provides for taking readings of present and
`prior headings. The FLA is capable of receiving a doWn
`loadable map and retaining the map in computer memory.
`The FLA is then capable of providing directional readings,
`determining the devices position in terms of longitude and
`latitude, and overlaying the co-ordinations on a displayed
`digital map. The current heading can also then be displayed
`as an overlay alloWing for highly accurate real time navi
`gation.
`
`[0009] The GPS functionality can be also be found in
`Handspring’s Visor personal digital assistant (PDA) When
`used in combination With a Geode add-on module manu
`factured by GeoDiscovery. The GeodeTM GPS Module is a
`global positioning system that slides into the Springboard
`slot of any Handspring Visor PDA. It Works With Geo
`VieWTM Mobile Palm-based softWare that provides for the
`ability to place any position or location on an interactive
`map. The GeodeTM includes a digital compass that senses the
`direction the unit is headed and orients the map accordingly.
`This is as disclosed on the GeoDiscovery Website, http://
`WWW.geodiscovery.com/geodepp.html, printed May 17,
`2000.
`
`[0010] Another example of the expanding use of this
`technology is the deployment of vehicle navigation systems
`developed for the consumer market. These systems are
`generally found to be of tWo types. The ?rst type is com
`prised of a GPS unit, a compass, a map database, and a user
`interface (visual and/or With a voice interface). The core
`functionality of the system (location determination, and
`relative position on a map) is enhanced by using input from
`the vehicle to provide other relevant data that can be used in
`aiding navigation. This input can be the speed of travel, and
`help in determining if turns (changes in direction) have been
`taken. This type of device is disclosed, US. Pat. No.
`5,862,511 assigned to Magellan.
`
`[0011] The second type of navigation system relies on the
`combination of a GPS unit, a cellular telephone and a call
`center. The position of the vehicle is determined by making
`use of the GPS unit. When a user initiates a session With the
`call center, the GPS unit relays the coordinates to the call
`center via a dedicated cellular telephone. The call center is
`staffed by an operator. The operator is able to vieW a map
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`US 2002/0111154 A1
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`Aug. 15, 2002
`
`With the position of the vehicle displayed on it. The occupant
`of the vehicle is then able to converse With the call center
`operator Who serves as the navigator, giving instructions and
`guidance to the occupant of the vehicle. The product litera
`ture from Onstar, “OnStar Services,” printed from the World
`Wide Web site http://WWW.onstar.com/service/services.htm
`on Jul. 7, 2000 discloses this type of service. This service is
`currently being offered as a dedicated service in vehicles that
`limits its portability and adaptability for use aWay from the
`vehicle.
`[0012] This technology’s primary bene?t has been in
`providing emergency responses to mayday calls from the
`vehicle. With the GPS unit providing the current location, no
`other information is needed to coordinate an emergency
`response. This has been referred to as Automatic Vehicle
`Location (AVL). See Trimble Navigation, Ltd., US. Pat. No.
`USRE035920. Manufacturers of the vehicles have the abil
`ity to enhance this functionality by connecting this commu
`nication channel to the crash protection systems, typically
`airbag circuits, so that in the case of accident, an automatic
`crash noti?cation (ACN) signal can be sent to the call center.
`
`[0013] It has been through a separate set of developments
`that an advertising supported business model can be noW
`applied to Wireless communications. An article from the
`Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, “Dial the Web:
`MobileID Invests in Cell-Phone Search Engine”, printed
`from the World Wide Web site http://interactive.Wsj.com/
`archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB964645721139
`838971.djm&template-doclink.tmpl on Jul. 7, 2000, dis
`closes just such a business model. The annoyance of having
`communications interrupted or delayed by advertisements
`and promotions may limit the acceptance of these services.
`[0014] In other recent developments, the capabilities of
`PDA’s have been expanded to provide Wireless access to
`data, notably Palm Computings, Palm VII device and the
`Wireless data service provided by the same company. In
`product literature from Palm, Inc. “Palm’s Web Clipping
`Network”, obtained from the World Wide Web site http://
`WWW.palm.com/pr/palmvii/7Whitepaper.pdf published on
`Jan. 1, 1998 discloses a PDA With Wireless data access. This
`device makes use of a proprietary set of netWork servers to
`‘clip’ data from Web Sites and to prepare the information in
`an appropriate format for devices using the Palm Operating
`System, or the Palm OS. Currently, these netWorks do not
`make use of automatically determining the subscriber’s
`current location in order to deliver appropriate services.
`[0015] Computer protocols have been developed that
`alloW for the transfer of Internet content to cellular tele
`phones. The telephones have evolved to provide for a larger
`display of information. As a subset of WWW protocols,
`Wireless Application Protocol
`enables the conver
`sion of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) or Extensible
`Markup Language (XML) formatted information into a
`thinner more streamlined set of data. WWW Server sites are
`preparing their information to be more suitable for transfer
`to WAP devices. These services are available to the public at
`the present on a limited basis.
`
`[0016] Initial strides have been made in combining the
`delivery of marketing materials to these devices. The prod
`uct literature from GeePS, “GeePS”, printed from the World
`Wide Web site http://WWW.geeps.com/technol.htm on May
`27, 2000 discloses just the same service. Avariation on this
`
`service is disclosed in product literature from Vicinity, “The
`Vicinity Business Finder”, printed from the World Wide
`Web site http://WWW.vicinity.com/vicinity/datasheets/ ?nd
`er.pdf on Jul. 24, 2000. These services are not ubiquitous and
`at the present have limited appeal either to consumers or
`retailers.
`
`[0017] Pure proximity based services are not necessarily
`of signi?cant value. It may be that While I am in close
`proximity to a McDonalds restaurant, and that McDonalds is
`currently running a marketing campaign that includes a
`coupon entitling me to a discount, and that I am equipped
`With a device capable of determining my location and that
`my service provider has agreed to deliver the marketing
`materials to its subscribers, I may never have eaten at a
`McDonalds nor might ever intend to. Sending me the
`advertisement Would be both a Waste of McDonalds time as
`Well as mine. The service provider might irritate me With
`irrelevant materials to the point Where I unsubscribe from
`their service.
`
`[0018] Thus, there is a need for a system and method for
`delivering advertisements to subscribers not only based on
`their location but also based on a pro?le of a subscriber, so
`that the advertisements delivered to the subscriber can be
`targeted based both on location and some characteristic(s) of
`the subscriber.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`[0019] The present invention discloses a neW and innova
`tive method for delivering advertising that makes use of
`current or predicted activity. The ability to anticipate or
`predict activity employs pro?ling that makes use of location
`and activity information.
`
`[0020] According to one embodiment, the method of
`developing location-based pro?les relies on patterns of
`observed activities, to create a system of categoriZing these
`patterns into types and to use those types to both anticipate
`and to identify an activities. These patterns of activity can be
`described as paths.
`
`[0021] It is observed that life, and the activities that We
`conduct have certain patterns to them. In the course of
`conducting our lives, We repeat With some amount of
`regularity certain activities. These activities include com
`muting to Work, running errands on the Weekend, or going
`out to eat every so often. While the actual locations that We
`travel to and from might change over time, say When We
`move to a neW city, except a neW job, or When one of our
`children changes schools, it is possible to observe the same
`types of activities. That is to say, We might take a neW job,
`but We Would still exhibit a type of activity, that is com
`muting, albeit to a different location.
`
`[0022] It is also observed that once patterns of behavior
`have been established that the routes one takes during the
`course of those activities become established and routine. It
`is observed that these are predictable and do not vary greatly.
`For example, once a pattern for commuting is established,
`the route on takes during the course of that activity does not
`vary greatly. These patterns of particular types of activities
`occur along consistent routes and may be said to become
`paths. This implies that from an individual’s perspective,
`they become Well Worn and familiar.
`[0023] It is argued that during the course of, or just prior
`to conducting, certain activities, an individual Would be
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`US 2002/0111154 A1
`
`Aug. 15, 2002
`
`more receptive to an advertisement or other marketing
`information, as opposed to receiving the same advertisement
`during the course of another activity. For example, during
`the course of commuting home from Work, one might
`integrate several errands into the course of the trip. The
`relevancy of being presented an advertisement for a dry
`cleaning service on the Way to Work Would be less than just
`prior to or during the commute on the Way home from Work.
`This speaks to the need to develop pro?ling methods that
`incorporate both the types of activity in conjunction With
`predictable paths. The advertising system disclosed herein
`makes use of these pro?les to deliver highly targeted appro
`priate and effective advertising based on these pro?les.
`
`[0024] These and other features and objects of the inven
`tion Will be more fully understood from the folloWing
`detailed description of the preferred embodiments that
`should be read in light of the accompanying draWings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0025] The accompanying draWings, Which are incorpo
`rated in and form a part of the speci?cation, illustrate the
`embodiments of the present invention and, together With the
`description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
`[0026]
`In the draWings:
`[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a generic Wireless/satellite net
`Work that can be used to locate a mobile device;
`
`[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary use case diagram,
`according to one embodiment of the present invention;
`
`[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary communication
`platform for matching data to the subscriber and delivering
`the data to the subscriber, according to one embodiment of
`the present invention; and
`[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary activity diagram,
`according to one embodiment of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
`
`[0031] In describing a preferred embodiment of the inven
`tion illustrated in the draWings, speci?c terminology Will be
`used for the sake of clarity. HoWever, the invention is not
`intended to be limited to the speci?c terms so selected, and
`it is to be understood that each speci?c term includes all
`technical equivalents Which operate in a similar manner to
`accomplish a similar purpose.
`[0032] With reference to the draWings, in general, and
`FIGS. 1 through 4 in particular, the apparatus of the present
`invention is disclosed.
`
`[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplistic Wireless netWork 100
`connecting a Wireless device 110 to a ?nal destination 120
`via a netWork 130. As illustrated the Wireless device 110 is
`a Wireless phone. HoWever, as Would be obvious to one of
`ordinary skill in the art, the Wireless device 110 could be a
`personal digital assistant (PDA), such as a PALM Pilot or
`Handspring Visor, an internet enabled vehicle, a portable
`computer having a Wireless Internet connection, a combi
`nation Wireless phone/PDA or any other device noW knoWn
`or later conceived that provides Wireless communications.
`As illustrated the ?nal destination 120 is a stationary phone,
`but could be a Wireless phone, a beeper, a service provider,
`
`the Internet, a private netWork, a computer, or numerous
`other devices Without departing from the scope of the
`current invention.
`[0034] As illustrated, the Wireless netWork 100 consists of
`three toWers 140. As one of ordinary skill in the art Would
`recogniZe, the Wireless netWork 100 Would consist of a
`plurality of toWers, With the number depending on the siZe
`of the netWork. As illustrated each of the toWers 140 include
`multiple receivers 150. In practice, different Wireless service
`providers operating out of that location probably have their
`oWn receiver 150 on the toWer 140. The service provider
`may only handle calls for their customers or it may also
`contract With other Wireless providers to provide service for
`their customers. For example, if VeriZon did not provide
`Wireless service in California, they may contract With Paci?c
`Bell for Paci?c Bell to handle the Wireless communications
`for them in California.
`[0035] Wireless communications can be analog or digital.
`Moreover, there are numerous standards used for processing
`Wireless digital communications, including but not limited
`to, code division multiple access (CDMA), global standard
`for mobile (GSM), personal communications system (PCS),
`universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS), and
`other 3rd generation (3G) Wireless systems. Wireless devices
`110 and the Wireless service providers are developed to Work
`With one of these standards. For example, Sprint phones and
`their Wireless netWork are both based on the PCS standard.
`The PCS netWork cannot process communications from
`non-PCS Wireless devices and the PCS Wireless devices
`cannot communicate over non-PCS Wireless netWorks. As
`one or ordinary skill in the art Would recogniZe, most digital
`Wireless devices can communicate in analog if digital ser
`vice is not available. Moreover, it is Within the scope of the
`current invention to have Wireless devices and/or Wireless
`netWorks that can communicate according to various stan
`dards.
`
`[0036] Each of the toWers 140 connects to the netWork
`130. The netWork 130 may be a telecommunications (tele
`com) netWork, such as a public sWitched telephone netWork
`(PSTN), a hybrid ?ber coaxial (HFC) netWork, a ?ber to the
`curb (FTTC) netWork, a ?ber to the home (FTTH) netWork,
`a digital subscriber line (DSL) netWork, other landline
`netWorks noW knoWn or later conceived, a satellite system,
`a Wireless system, other systems noW knoW or later discov
`ered or a hybrid of these systems, Without departing from the
`scope of the current invention. FIG. 1 also illustrates a GPS
`satellite 160 for providing latitude and longitude coordi
`nates. As Would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art,
`multiple GPS satellites Would be required, hoWever only one
`is illustrated for simplicity.
`[0037] When the Wireless device 110 initiates communi
`cations, a signal is sent from the Wireless device 110 and is
`received by the receivers 150. The appropriate receiver 150
`forWards the signal based on Who the service provider is,
`Whether they actually provide service in that location or are
`contracting With a local provider, and the destination of the
`communication. The location of the subscriber can be iden
`ti?ed by the Wireless system. For example, determining the
`difference in time that the signal is received at three toWers
`or the difference in the angle that the signal is received at tWo
`toWers can identify the location. Alternatively, a GPS chipset
`that is located Within the device can determine the location
`of the subscriber.
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`US 2002/0111154 A1
`
`Aug. 15, 2002
`
`[0038] As previously discussed, the location of the sub
`scriber is important in order to route a ‘911’ call to the
`appropriate response center. In addition, the location of the
`subscriber can be utilized to assist in the delivery of adver
`tising, information and services. For example, if the sub
`scriber is near a PiZZa Hut they may be delivered an
`advertisement from PiZZa Hut. If an individual calls for a
`PiZZa from a location Without a de?ned address, such as a
`park, the piZZa can be delivered to that location based on the
`location data (i.e., latitude and longitude coordinates iden
`ti?ed as a point on a map). The location data Would be
`provided the service provider directly or Would be provided
`to a third party Who Will forWard the location data to the
`service provider. If a subscriber is in an unfamiliar location
`and Wants information about local attractions, the subscrib
`er’s location Will be knoWn so that information about that
`location can be delivered to the subscriber.
`
`[0039] HoWever, delivering a subscriber advertisements,
`services or information based simply on location is not
`practical. For example, if a subscriber does not like coffee
`there Would be no bene?t to send the subscriber an adver
`tisement for Starbucks just because they are in close prox
`imity to one. Likewise, if a subscriber never frequented bars,
`there Would be no reason to send them a listing of the hottest
`nightclubs in the location they Were at.
`
`[0040] Thus in a preferred embodiment, characteristics
`about the subscriber (i.e., a subscriber pro?le) Will be knoWn
`so that the delivery of advertisements, services and infor
`mation can be tailored (targeted) to that subscriber. For
`example, if you knoW that the subscriber likes nice cars you
`may send him an advertisement for the local BMW dealers
`in the local area. The characteristics about the subscriber
`may include demographics, psychographics, product pref
`erences, service preferences, hobbies, likes, dislikes, other
`categories, or combinations thereof. The characteristics may
`be provided by the subscriber, may be generated based on
`actions of the subscriber, or some combination thereof. The
`subscriber may provide the information by ?lling out a
`survey or may simply provide any information they decide
`is relevant and Worth sharing. The actions that may be used
`to characteriZe the subscriber include but are not limited to
`purchases (products and/or services), channel changes,
`Internet broWsing, locations visited, routes, other transac
`tions, and combinations thereof.
`
`[0041] According to a preferred embodiment, a predicted
`activity and/or route of the subscriber can be used to deliver
`advertisements, services and/or information to the sub
`scriber in advance of their actual arrival at the location. For
`example, if it is knoWn that the subscriber Will be commut
`ing to Work on Monday morning via I95, data (advertise
`ments, services, or information) related to locations on that
`route may be transmitted to the subscriber in advance. In a
`preferred embodiment, the predicted activity/route data is
`used in conjunction With the subscriber pro?le so that
`targeted data can be delivered to the subscriber.
`
`[0042] According to one embodiment, a single entity Will
`gather data about the subscriber and develop a subscriber
`pro?le. The gathered data may include multiple types of
`transactions (i.e., purchases, channel changes, Internet
`broWsing) or may be based on just one type of transaction
`(locations visited). In another embodiment, separate entities
`
`Would gather data about different transactions and these
`transactions or some subset thereof Would be combined to
`create the subscriber pro?le.
`[0043] Applicant’s co-pending US. Application No.
`XX/XXX,XXX (attorney docket no. L100-10) entitled
`“Location Based Pro?ling” ?led concurrently With the
`present application describes a method for pro?ling a sub
`scriber, and for predicting a route of the subscriber based on
`tracking Where the subscriber roams (locations and times).
`Application XX/XXX,XXX (attorney docket no. L100-10)
`is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference, but is not
`admitted to be prior art.
`
`[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary use case diagram
`having different actors and a set of use cases, Which repre
`sent the action performed by those actors, for carrying out
`one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in
`the use case diagram 200, the set of actors involved in the
`present system includes a subscriber 210, a netWork operator
`220, a subscriber pro?ler 230, a location pro?ler 240 and a
`service/content provider 250. The subscriber 210 has a
`Wireless device that is capable of determining the location of
`the subscriber 210 as the subscriber roams (260) With the
`device. Though not illustrated in the use case diagram 200,
`the subscriber 210 is likely receiving some form of Wireless
`service from a Wireless netWork provider. As Would be
`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, the Wireless
`service can include telephone service, Internet access, pri
`vate netWork access, paging service, data service, or any
`other Wireless service noW knoWn or later conceived. The
`subscriber 210 may subscribe one or multiple devices, the
`devices including but not being limited to Wireless phones,
`PDAs, Wireless portable computers, and Internet enabled
`vehicles.
`
`[0045] The netWork operator 220 monitors the location of
`the subscriber 210 (265). As previously discussed, the
`location of the subscriber 210 can be determined by the
`Wireless netWork 100 or can be determined using the GPS
`system 160. The location pro?ler 240 generates a pro?le of
`the location based on attributes (i.e., housing prices, type of
`community) associated With the location, and establishments
`(i.e., businesses, retail establishments) located Within the
`location (280). The data regarding the attributes of a location
`may be gathered using map databases, census data, local
`government data, business records, or other databases or
`entities that Would have this type of data. The location
`pro?ler 240 may gather the data about attributes and estab
`lishments or this data may be provided to the location
`pro?ler 240 by a third party.
`
`[0046] The subscriber pro?ler 230 receives data about
`Where the subscriber is roaming (i.e., from the netWork
`operator 220) and retrieves location pro?le data from the
`location pro?ler 240 in order to generate a pro?le of the
`subscriber (270) and to predict activity and/or routing pat
`terns of the subscriber (275). In order to determine the
`pro?le (270) or activity/routing (275) of the subscriber
`attributes such as time of day, day of Week may be collected
`in order to determine the type of activity (i.e., shopping,
`commuting).
`[0047] The service/content provider 250 delivers adver
`tisements (ads), information and/or services to the sub
`scriber 210 based on their actual or predicted location, their
`subscriber pro?le, and the location pro?le (285). That is, the
`
`Apple 1007
`
`

`

`US 2002/0111154 A1
`
`Aug. 15, 2002
`
`service/content provider 250 matches the data (ads, services,
`information) to the subscriber 210 by taking into account
`Where the subscriber 210 is (or Where the subscriber 210 is
`predicted to be), What the characteristics (pro?le) of that
`location are, and What the characteristics (pro?le) of the
`subscriber are. For example, if the subscriber 210 is travel
`ing toWards, DoylestoWn, Pa. (a toWn having several muse
`ums) and the subscriber likes museums, the subscriber may
`receive an ad on their Wireless device for DoylestoWn (a
`toWn having museums), or for one or all of the museums.
`Likewise, if the subscriber 210 asks for information on their
`current location, they may be given information regarding
`the museums since it is knoWn that that is of interest to the
`subscriber 210.
`
`[0048] The actors illustrated in FIG. 2 may each be a
`separate entity, a single entity may perform the tasks asso
`ciated With multiple actors, several entities may be required
`to perform the tasks associated With a single actor, or some
`combination thereof. For example, a Wireless phone pro
`vider may be the netWork operator 220 and the subscriber
`pro?ler 230. Alternatively, one entity may match and deliver
`ads, a separate entity may match and deliver services, and a
`third entity may match and deliver information (the three in
`conjunction With each other forming the service/content
`provider 250). As one of ordinary skill in the art Would
`recogniZe, there are numerous variations to the exemplary
`embodiment and separate distinct embodiments that are Well
`Within the scope of the current invention.
`
`[0049] FIG. 3 illustrates a communication platform for
`supporting the method and system of the present invention.
`The subscriber 210 is connected to the Wireless netWork 100
`via the Wireless device 110. As the subscriber 210 roams,
`his/her location is determined either by the Wireless netWork
`100 or by using the GPS netWork 160. Data related to the
`subscriber’s location (location data) is forWarded to a sub
`scriber location database 310 and the service/content pro
`vider 250. The subscriber location database 310 may be part
`of the Wireless netWork 100 or may be external to the
`Wireless netWork 100. The location data may be sent to the
`subscriber location database 310 directly from