Determining application usage relative to a particular location

Abstract

A mobile device collects information about application usage and associates collected application information with a location of the mobile device and a time that the application is accessed. The application is stored on the mobile device or on an external device and accessed via a network. The application information, location of the mobile device and time the application is accessed are communicated to another device and stored in a storage device which may be operated or managed by a service provider or another entity. The application information may comprise identification of a website, a network device or URL, the application and/or data that is input and/or output from the application. The location of the mobile device and/or the time, are determined utilizing a GNSS receiver and/or utilizing information from a network device. The application information, the location of the mobile device and/or the time may be utilized for targeted advertising.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 collecting, at a mobile device, information about usage of an application;   associating, at said mobile device, a location of said mobile device and a time with said collected information;   communicating said collected information, said associated location of said mobile device and said associated time to a device external to said mobile device; and   receiving targeted information from said external device, said targeted information being determined based on said collected information, said associated location of said mobile device and said associated time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said collected information comprises at least one of:
 accessing of said application by said mobile device; and   execution of said application by said mobile device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said collected information may further comprise at least one of:
 an identification of a website;   a uniform resource locator (URL) that is utilized to access a device or a website;   information about any application local to said mobile device, or remote application, that executes as a result of utilizing said URL;   content retrieved from said accessed device;   identification of a network device;   identification of said application; and   data that is input to or output from said application.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, at said mobile device, said location of said mobile device using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver associated with said mobile device; and   determining, at said mobile device, said time using said GNSS receiver.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, at said mobile device, said location and said time utilizing information received from a network device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said targeted information comprises targeted advertising. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 accessing said application based on one or more of a data network, a voice network, and a mobile device network.   
     
     
         8 . A mobile device comprising:
 a Global Navigation Satellite-based System (GNSS) receiver configured to determine a location of said mobile device and a time;   a processor configured to:
 collect information about usage of an application; 
 associate said location of said mobile device with said collected information; and 
 associate said time with said collected information; and 
   a transceiver configured to communicate said collected information, said associated location of said mobile device, and said associated time to a device that is external to said mobile device, said transceiver further configured to receive targeted information from said external device, said targeted information being determined based on said collected information, said associated location of said mobile device and said associated time.   
     
     
         9 . The mobile device of  claim 8 , wherein said collected information comprises at least one of:
 accessing of said application by said mobile device; and   execution of said application by said mobile device.   
     
     
         10 . The mobile device of  claim 9 , wherein said collected information may further comprise at least one of:
 an identification of a website;   a uniform resource locator (URL) that is utilized to access a device or a website;   information about any application local to said mobile device, or remote application, that executes as a result of utilizing said URL;   content retrieved from said accessed device;   identification of a network device;   identification of said application; and   data that is input to or output from said application.   
     
     
         11 . The mobile device of  claim 8 , wherein said processor is further configured to store and execute said application on said mobile device. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile device of  claim 8 , wherein said processor is further configured to access said application via at least one of a data network, a voice network, and a mobile device network. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile device of  claim 8 , wherein:
 said transceiver is further configured to receive location information from a network device; and   said processor is further configured to determine said location and said time using both said location and said time from said GNSS receiver and said location information from said network device.   
     
     
         14 . The mobile device of  claim 8 , wherein said targeted information comprises targeted advertising. 
     
     
         15 . A server comprising:
 a network module configured to receive collected information about usage of an application from a mobile device, an associated location of said mobile device, and an associated time, said collected information having been collected by said mobile device;   a processor configured to:
 store said collected information, said associated location, and said time in a database; and 
 generate targeted information based on said collected information, said associated location, and said time; 
   wherein said network module is further configured to transmit said targeted information to said mobile device.   
     
     
         16 . The server of  claim 15 , wherein said server comprises said database. 
     
     
         17 . The server of  claim 15 , wherein said server is operated by a business, said processor further configured to analyze said collected information, said associated location, and said associated time to determine where and when to place targeted advertising. 
     
     
         18 . The server of  claim 15 , wherein said server is operated by a service provider, said processor further configured to analyze said collected information, said associated location, and said time to determine whether to modify resources offered by said service provider based on demand in a geographic area. 
     
     
         19 . The server of  claim 15 , wherein said network module is further configured to transmit said targeted information to a plurality of communication devices in a geographic area based on said collected information, said associated location, and said associated time. 
     
     
         20 . The server of  claim 15 , wherein said collected information comprises at least one of:
 accessing of said application by said mobile device; and   execution of said application by said mobile device.