Location-Based Messaging Grouping for Consistent User Experience

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing location-based messaging systems fail to provide a unified experience to groups of people sharing a location-based experience, as individuals within the same group often receive different messages due to positional inaccuracies and varying locations.

Innovation Solution

A method that identifies subsets of wireless devices with similar positional characteristics, calculates an average location for each group, and sends the same group-specific message to all members, accounting for both location and velocity to ensure consistent messaging.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If individual location-based messaging is used for each wireless device, then messaging precision is improved, but group experience consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessaging precisionVSAvoidgroup experience consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple individual device locations into a single group-level representation by calculating average location and velocity for each identified group. This combining approach allows the system to send unified messages to groups while maintaining the ability to distinguish between different groups, thus resolving the contradiction between individual precision and group consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the set of wireless devices into distinct groups based on their positional characteristics and movement patterns. By identifying subsets of devices with similar characteristics (within threshold distances and velocities), the system can apply different messaging strategies to different segments, allowing precise group-targeted messaging that maintains both individual accuracy and group coherence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If group-level processing is implemented, then system scalability is improved, but individual message accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem scalabilityVSAvoidindividual message accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic group identification that continuously monitors and updates group memberships based on real-time positional characteristics and movement patterns. Groups are not static but adapt as devices move, allowing the system to maintain scalability through group-level processing while preserving individual message accuracy by dynamically adjusting group assignments based on current spatial relationships.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If threshold-based grouping is used, then group identification accuracy is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegroup identification accuracyVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter space by considering both positional characteristics (location) and dynamic characteristics (velocity) for group identification. By incorporating velocity thresholds in addition to distance thresholds, the system improves group identification accuracy by filtering out devices that are spatially close but moving in different directions, while managing computational complexity through efficient threshold-based filtering.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2415281B1Location-based messaging system
Publication Date: 2016.11.30 BRITISH TELECOM PLC
  • EP2415281B1 patent drawingFigure 1~1M
  • EP2415281B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2415281B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Apparatus for supporting a location-based application is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a plurality of mobile devices which report their locations to an application computer. The application computer then periodically or occasionally sends the mobile devices a message (textual, speech, photo or video etc.) which depends upon the reported location of the mobile device. A problem with known apparatus of this type arises when a plurality of users are partaking in the same location-based application together, but receive different messages because their positions are not identical. The location-based application supporting apparatus disclosed here overcomes this problem by first identifying mobile devices which are moving as a group, and then sending all members of that group the same location-based message. The solution is of particular utility in relation to located information, advertising, or reviews for shops, restaurants etc., located games, located educational experiences and location tourism.