Enhancing digital search results for a business in a target geographic area using URLs of location histories
View Patent ↗A personalized way to digitally record a person's physical activities over time serves web searching, business advertising, nostalgia, security and object tracing purposes. The chronological digital history of the person's physical presence over a time includes (i) digital network entries from other members who hold their portable wireless short range device near the person's device and transmit a URL or other key data and (ii) digital member entries such a digital photograph of a store sign. The digital network entries and digital member entries are automatically transmitted to a database located on a telecommunications network at a time of entry. Advertisers can transmit to members when members enter premises of advertises store. Upon sign-up online, the authentication data uniquely associated with an account is provided and key data they want to transmit is associated with the account. Digital histories can be used to improve web searching and networking opportunities.
1. A computer-implemented method of enhancing digital search results for a business in a target geographic area using URLs of location histories, comprising:
providing, by at least one processing system in communication with a positioning system, an account to (i) an individual member and (ii) a stationary vendor member, of a member network, the account associated with a URL, the individual member's account associated with a mobile communication device or multiple mobile communication devices,
maintaining a communication link between the mobile communication device and the at least one processing system or the positioning system such that the mobile communication device is configured to accumulate a location history on a database maintained by the at least one processing system from physical encounters by the individual member at multiple stationary vendor members upon the mobile communication device being set to enter instances of a physical encounter between the individual member carrying the mobile communication device and the stationary vendor member at a physical premises of the stationary vendor member, the positioning system determining a location of the individual member at the physical premises;
for each individual member having a location history who sends a search query to a search engine of the at least one processing system, the search query targeting a geographic area:
(1) searching, by the search engine, the database for URLs of stationary vendor members in the location history, the location history also identifying time and geographic place of the physical encounters therein, and
(2) assigning a priority, by the at least one processing system, in a search result ranking based on an appearance of one of the stationary vendor member URLs in the location history of the individual member, wherein that one of the URLs is of a particular stationary vendor member located in the target geographic area.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning priority to one of the URLs that satisfies a particular time/place characteristic.
3. The method of claim 2 , assigning priority to one of the URLs that satisfies a particular time characteristic.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning priority to one of the URLs associated with a location history entry that satisfies a particular time/place characteristic.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning priority to one of the URLs associated with a location history entry that satisfies a particular time characteristic.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning the priority to a URL of the stationary vendor member based on the geographic place of the physical encounter.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location comprises all or part of a physical address of the stationary vendor member.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the mobile communication device or a pre-positioned device on the physical premises, a confirmation of the physical encounter to the at least one processing system.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stationary vendor member has a pre-positioned wireless device on the physical premises that is configured to communicate with the mobile communication device during the physical encounter.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stationary vendor member has a pre-positioned wireless device on the physical premises that is in communication with the positioning system.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning the priority, by the at least one processing system, in the search result ranking based on a frequency of the appearance of the one of the stationary vendor member URLs in the location history.
12. A system of enhancing digital search results for a business in a target geographic area using URLs of location histories, comprising:
at least one processing system in communication with a positioning system and configured to provide an account to (i) an individual member and (ii) a stationary vendor member, of a member network, the account associated with a URL, the individual member's account associated with a mobile communication device or multiple mobile communication devices,
the at least one processing system or the positioning system configured to maintain a communication link with the mobile communication device such that the mobile communication device is configured to accumulate a location history on a database maintained by the at least one processing system from physical encounters by the individual member at multiple stationary vendor members upon the mobile communication device being set to enter instances of a physical encounter between the individual member carrying the mobile communication device and the stationary vendor member at a physical premises of the stationary vendor member, the positioning system determining a location of the individual member at the physical premises, the location history accumulated;
for each individual member having a location history who sends a search query to a search engine accessible by the at least one processing system, the search query targeting a geographic area, the at least one processing system configured to:
(1) search the database for URLs of stationary vendor members in the location history, the location history also identifying time and geographic place of the physical encounters therein, and
(2) assign a priority in a search result ranking based on an appearance of one of the stationary vendor member URLs in the location history of the individual member, wherein that one of the URLs is of a particular stationary vendor member located in the target geographic area.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign priority to one of the URLs that satisfies a particular time/place characteristic.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign priority to one of the URLs that satisfies a particular time characteristic.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign priority to one of the URLs associated with a location history entry that satisfies a particular time/place characteristic.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign priority to one of the URLs associated with a location history entry that satisfies a particular time characteristic.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign the priority to a URL of the stationary vendor member based on the geographic place of the physical encounter.
18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the geographic location comprises all or part of a physical address of the stationary vendor member.
19. The system of claim 12 , the at least one processing system or the positioning system is configured to receive a transmission, from the mobile communication device or a pre-positioned device on the physical premises confirming the physical encounter.
20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system or the positioning system is configured to maintain a communication link with a pre-positioned wireless device on the physical premises of the stationary vendor member, the pre-positioned wireless device configured to communicate with the mobile communication device during the physical encounter.
21. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing system is configured to assign the priority in the search result ranking based on a frequency of the appearance of the one of the stationary vendor member URLs in the location history.