Real world behavior measurement using identifiers specific to mobile devices

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for determining real world behavior from proximity-time measurements of a user carrying a personal device and a wireless device identifier. Determining real world behavior and managing usage profiles associated with the real world behavior can be enhanced by the use of GPS location data derived from the personal device, another network enabled device, a wireless device identifier, and the like.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of the following U.S. Provisional Applications, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. Prov. App. No. 61 / 022,483 filed on Jan. 21, 2008 and U.S. Prov. App. No. 61 / 030,214 filed on Feb. 20, 2008.[0002]This application is a continuation-in-part of the following U.S. Applications, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 855,122 filed Sep. 13, 2007 which claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. App. No. 60 / 825,708 filed Sep. 14, 2006; U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 855,685 filed Sep. 14, 2007; U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 855,811 filed Sep. 14, 2007; U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 855,820 filed Sep. 14, 2007; and U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 925,967 filed Oct. 28, 2007.[0003]This application claims priority to international patent application Ser. No. PCT / US07 / 78519 filed Sep. 14, 2007.BACKGROUND[0004]1. Field[0005]This application...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]Placing an emphasis on a mobile handset's device-specific identification (DSI) as a base for a user-specific profile generated from activity performed on various network-connected devices may be based on an understanding that it is essentially carried on a given user's person and thus is very individual-specific. Additionally, since it is carried on a given user's person, it follows the user in many places where other devices such as a PC / laptop might not, thus allowing user-specific profiles created with specific dependencies and ties to the mobile handset, to be portable by virtue of the inherent portability of mobile handset. Additionally, when attempting to aggregate all the Internet usage habits of a user across various devices, beginning with the mobile DSI may facilitate the aggregation by enabling the use of clues or information associated with the mobile handset DSI and the associated user to determine what other information, found as a result of Internet usage on other network-connected devices associated with the same user, to aggregate with it. Starting with a fixed position, or multi-user device, such as a PC, a television, or other stationary Internet-enabled device presents user identification challenges that the mobile handset does not. These challenges are mainly rooted on the basis that such devices may, and often, have multiple regular users. Therefore the mobile handset may serve as a primary identification device for a scenario in which the methods and systems herein (e.g. identification or authentication) could be applied for advertising, content / software as a service-authentication, and the like. The mobile handset is widely regarded as becoming the most frequently used computing interface, making it ideal for user authentication purposes. However, the methods and systems described herein do not all require a mobile component, and therefore, for the purposes of the unique methods and systems described herein, they can be associated with mechanisms that do include a mobile component.

Problems solved by technology

Such content-targeting methods face various challenges, depending on the users and devices to which content is targeted.

Internet advertisements targeting a user may be based on data stored on a user's network-connected device that corresponds to sets of information that indicate that a user is returning to a particular site, but targeting based on this and similar mechanisms are subject to limitations, among them being that multiple users may access the Internet through the same device.

Mobile content may be targeted more easily to a specific user, such as based on information about the user in a database maintained by a wireless carrier or based on the user's interaction with content on the mobile handset, but the more limited range of content that is typically accessed by mobile devices means that profiles based on that usage are often targeting limited and sometimes misleading.

As a result of mobile carriers dealing with rapidly decaying voice revenue and as even the margins on Internet data connection rates are becoming hyper-competitive, mobile carriers are rapidly seeking ways to monetize their high subscriber penetrations through advertising.

Starting with a fixed position, or multi-user device, such as a PC, a television, or other stationary Internet-enabled device presents user identification challenges that the mobile handset does not.

These challenges are mainly rooted on the basis that such devices may, and often, have multiple regular users.

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