Providing promotional material based on repeated travel patterns

Abstract

A method of providing geographically sensitive promotional information to a predefined location associated with a mobile unit having a transmitter which can transmit position location information, and an apparatus for executing such a method. The method includes receiving from the mobile unit, at least one transmission which provides information on multiple locations of the mobile unit over a span of time, and an identification of the mobile unit. Multiple locations of the mobile unit are determined from the received transmissions, and a repeated travel pattern of the mobile unit determined based on the multiple locations. From a database of locations associated with respective promotional identifications or information, a promotional identification or information is retrieved which is associated with a location which is within a predetermined position relative to the repeated travel pattern. The promotional identification or promotion information based on the promotional identification, is provided to the predefined location.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of providing geographically sensitive promotional information to a predefined location associated with a mobile unit having a transmitter which can transmit position location information, the method comprising: 
 (a) receiving from the mobile unit, at least one transmission which provides information on multiple locations of the mobile unit over a span of time, and an identification of the mobile unit;    (b) determining multiple locations of the mobile unit from the received transmissions, and determining a repeated travel pattern of the mobile unit based on the multiple locations;    (c) retrieving from a database of locations associated with respective promotional identifications, a promotional identification which is associated with a location which is within a predetermined position relative to the repeated travel pattern; and    (d) providing the promotional identification or promotion information based on the promotional identification, to the location.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the received transmissions from the mobile unit carry location information from a position locator carried by the mobile unit.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the predefined location is a fixed location, and the promotional identification or information is physically transported to the predefined location.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the mobile unit also has a receiver, the predefined location is the location of the mobile unit, and wherein the promotional identification or information is transmitted to the mobile unit.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4  wherein the promotional identification or information is provided to the mobile unit in response to received location information transmission indicating the mobile unit is within a predetermined position relative to the location associated with the promotional identification.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 4  additionally comprising, after determining the repeated travel pattern: 
 (e) receiving from the mobile unit, further multiple location information transmissions over a span of time and an identification of the mobile unit; and  
 (f) determining from the received multiple location information, that the mobile unit is repeating the determined travel pattern; 
 wherein the promotional identification or information is transmitted to the mobile unit after step (f).  
 
 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 coordinating the travel pattern with respect to time;    and wherein the promotional identification is retrieved additionally based on a time feature of the determined travel pattern.    
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 coordinating the travel pattern with respect to time; and wherein: 
 the promotional identifications in the database are also associated with respective time features; and  
 the promotional identification is retrieved additionally based on an overlap of a time feature of the determined travel pattern and the time feature associated with the promotional identification.  
   
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1  additionally comprising crediting an account associated with the identification of the mobile unit based on having received location information from the mobile unit.  
     
     
         10 . A method of providing geographically relevant promotional information to a user location associated with a mobile unit having a position locator system and a transmitter which can transmit the position location information, the method comprising: 
 (a) receiving from the mobile unit, multiple location information transmissions over a span of time and an identification of the mobile unit;    (b) determining from the received multiple location information, a repeated travel pattern of the mobile unit based on the received information and a corresponding time feature for at least one portion of the repeated travel pattern;    (c) retrieving from a database of time features associated with respective promotional identifications, a promotional identification which is associated with a time feature which overlaps the determined time feature of the repeated travel pattern; and    (d) providing the promotional identification or promotion information based on the promotional identification, to the user location.    
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein the promotional identification or information is provided to the user location at a time within the time feature associated with the promotional identification.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein the mobile unit also has a receiver, and wherein the promotional identification or information is transmitted to the mobile unit.  
     
     
         13 . A mobile telephone comprising: 
 a) a position locator which can determine the location of the mobile telephone and generate a corresponding location signal;    b) a receiver to receive an incoming call signal;    c) a user interface having: 
 an audio or visual user output device which can reproduce audio or visual information in an incoming call signal as a corresponding audio or visual display; and  
 an audio or visual user input device which generates an audio or visual output signal corresponding to live audio or visual input;  
   d) a transmitter to transmit a location signal generated by the position locator, and to transmit the audio output signal; and    e) a processor which causes multiple determined locations of the mobile telephone to be transmitted at preselected times or location variations, or saved for later transmission.    
     
     
         14 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 13  wherein the processor causes the determined locations of the mobile telephone to be transmitted over a preselected time period within a day, for each of multiple preselected days.  
     
     
         15 . A mobile telephone capable of background location transmission response, comprising: 
 a) a position locator which, in response to a location request signal, can determine the location of the mobile telephone and generate a corresponding location signal;    b) a receiver to receive an incoming call signal and an incoming location request signal,    c) a user interface having: 
 an audio or visual user output device which can reproduce audio or visual information in an incoming call signal as a corresponding audio or visual display; and  
 an audio user input device which generates an audio or visual output signal corresponding to a user's voice;  
   d) an alert generator which, in response to a received incoming call signal, generates a first physical characteristic to indicate an incoming call to a user of the mobile telephone,    e) a location request detector which, in response to a received location request signal, can direct the location request signal to the position locator without activating the alert generator;    f) a transmitter to transmit a location signal generated by the position locator in response to a received location request signal, and to transmit the audio output signal; and    g) a processor which allows a location signal to be transmitted only if the incoming location request signal meets at least one predetermined requirement.    
     
     
         16 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 15  wherein the predetermined requirement comprises the incoming location request signal carrying an identification corresponding to a preselected identification.  
     
     
         17 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 16  wherein the preselected identification is selectable through the user interface.  
     
     
         18 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 16  wherein the user interface includes a keypad.  
     
     
         19 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 16  wherein the preselected identification is the caller ID carried by the incoming location request signal.  
     
     
         20 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 16  wherein the processor allows the location signal to be transmitted only if the incoming location request signal carries an identification corresponding to any one of a plurality of preselected identifications.  
     
     
         21 . A mobile telephone according to  claim 16  wherein the processor allows a location signal to be transmitted only if the incoming location request signal also meets an additional predetermined time range requirement.  
     
     
         22 . An apparatus for providing geographically relevant promotional information to a predefined location associated with a mobile unit having a position locator system and a transmitter which can transmit position location information, the method comprising: 
 (a) a receiver to receive from the mobile unit, transmissions over a span of time and an identification of the mobile unit;    (b) a processor which determines multiple locations of the mobile unit from the received transmissions, and determines a repeated travel pattern of the mobile unit based on the multiple locations;    (c) a database of locations associated with respective promotional identifications;    wherein the processor further retrieves a promotional identification which is associated with a location which is within a predetermined position relative to the repeated travel pattern, and provides the promotional identification or promotion information based on the promotional identification, to the predefined location.    
     
     
         23 . An apparatus according to  claim 22  additionally comprising a printer, and wherein the predefined location is a fixed location and the promotional identification or information is printed by the printer.  
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 22  additionally comprising a transmitter, and wherein the predefined location is the location of the mobile unit and the promotional identification or information is transmitted by the transmitter to the mobile unit.  
     
     
         25 . A method executed at a mobile telephone having a user interface with: 
 an audio or visual user output device which can reproduce audio or visual information in an incoming call signal as a corresponding audio or visual display; and    an audio or visual user input device which generates an audio or visual output signal corresponding to live audio or visual input;    the method comprising: 
 a) determining multiple locations of the mobile telephone under control of a processor at preselected times or location variations; and  
 b) transmitting the determined multiple locations of the mobile telephone.  
   
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 25  additionally comprising saving the determined multiple locations prior to transmitting them, and wherein the processor causes the location signals to be determined over a preselected time period within a day, for each of multiple preselected days.  
     
     
         27 . A method for use with a mobile telephone having a user interface with: 
 an audio or visual user output device which can reproduce audio or visual information in an incoming call signal as a corresponding audio or visual display; and    an audio user input device which generates an audio or visual output signal corresponding to a user's voice,    the method comprising: 
 comparing location request signals against at least one predetermined criterion  
 transmitting from the mobile telephone location signals carrying location information on the mobile telephone in response to only those location request signals which meet at least one predetermined criterion.  
   
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 27  wherein the predetermined criterion is an identification carried by the incoming location request signal, being within a list of one or more predetermined identifications.  
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 28  wherein the comparing of the received location request signals against at least one predetermined criterion is performed at the mobile telephone.