# US 10,872,353 B2 · Providing content to store visitors without requiring proactive information sharing

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,872,353 B2
- Document ID: US10872353B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/968,378
- Filed: 2015-12-14
- Published: 2017-06-15
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-14
- Assignees: Google Inc.
- Applicants: Google Inc.
- Inventors: Thomas Price; Tuna Toksoz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872353B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0261: {based on user location}
- G06Q 30/0255: {based on user history}
- G06Q 30/0259: {based on store location}
- G06Q 30/0267: {Wireless devices}
- G06Q 30/0269: {based on user profile or attribute}
- H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
- H04W 4/33: for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a user device including one or more processors, a signal pushed to the user device from an in-store device physically located in a store. The signal includes a first store identifier. The method further includes storing the first store identifier in memory. The method further includes receiving a content item from a third-party content provider device, the content item including a second store identifier. The third-party content provider device transmits the content item to a plurality of user devices within a geographic area around a location associated with the second store identifier. The method further includes providing the content item for display in response to determining the first store identifier matches the second store identifier. The content item is displayed without providing an indication of the presence of the user device at the store to the in-store device or to the third-party content provider device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, at a user device comprising one or more processors and a memory, a signal from an entity device physically located in a first entity, the signal including an entity identifier;
generating, by the user device, a list of entities including the first entity using the signal and the associated entity identifier, the first entity of the list of entities determined to have been within a predetermined distance from the user device based on the signal received by the user device from the entity device located within the first entity;
storing, by the one or more processors of the user device, the list of entities in the memory of the user device;
receiving, at the user device, a content item from a third-party content provider device or a content management system, the content item including a content item identifier, the third-party content provider device or the content management system configured to transmit the content item to a plurality of user devices including the user device that are within a geographic area around a location associated with the entity identified by the content item identifier;
storing, by the one or more processors of the user device, the content item and the content item identifier in the memory of the user device;
determining, by the one or more processors of the user device, whether the entity identified by the content item identifier matches one or more entities included in the list of entities; and
displaying, by the one or more processors of the user device, the content item responsive to the user device determining that the entity identified by the content item identifier matches the one or more entities included in the list of entities; or
discarding, by the one or more processors of the user device, responsive to the user device determining that the entity identified by the content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities, the content item from the memory of the user device without displaying the content item.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, at the user device, a second content item from a second third-party content provider device or the content management system, the second content item including a second content item identifier, the second third-party content provider device or the content management system configured to transmit the second content item to a second plurality of user devices within a second geographic area around a second location associated with the entity identified by the second content item identifier;
storing, by the one or more processors of the user device, the second content item and the second content item identifier in the memory of the user device;
comparing, by the one or more processors of the user device, the entity identified by the second content item identifier to the list of entities;
determining, by the one or more processors of the user device, that the entity identified by the second content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities; and
discarding, by the one or more processors of the user device, responsive to determining that the entity identified by the second content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities, the second content item from the memory of the user device without displaying the second content item.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the entity device comprises a wireless router.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the entity device comprises a beacon.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, at the user device, a user input for opting out of receiving content items; and
deleting all entity identifiers from the memory of the user device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the content item further comprises receiving, at the user device, the content item responsive to receipt by the third-party content provider device or the content management system of an input from an administrator device associated with the entity identified by the content item identifier.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the input from the administrator device comprises a beacon identifier.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the input from the administrator device comprises a media access control (MAC) address of a wireless router.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
sending, by one or more processors of the user device, an indication that the content item was displayed on the user device to an analytics server, wherein the analytics server is configured to determine a number of impressions of the content item over the plurality of user devices.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the user device restricts information from which the analytics server can identify the user device or a user of the user device.

### Claim 11

A system comprising:
a user device comprising one or more processors and a memory and configured to:
receive a signal from an entity device physically located in a first entity, the signal including an entity identifier;
generate a list of entities including the first entity using the signal and the associated entity identifier, the first entity of the list of entities determined to have been within a predetermined distance from the user device based on the signal received by the user device from the entity device located within the first entity;
store the list of entities in the memory of the user device;
receive a content item from a third-party content provider device or a content management system, the content item including a content item identifier, the third-party content provider device or the content management system configured to transmit the content item to a plurality of user devices including the user device that are within a geographic area around a location associated with the entity identified by the content item identifier;
store the content item and the content item identifier in the memory of the user device;
determine whether the entity identified by the content item identifier matches one or more entities included in the list of entities; and
display the content item responsive to the user device determining that the entity identified by the content item identifier matches the one or more entities included in the list of entities; or
discard, responsive to the user device determining that the entity identified by the content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities, the content item from the memory of the user device without displaying the content item.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the user device is further configured to:
receive a second content item from a second third-party content provider device or the content management system, the second content item including a second content item identifier, the second third-party content provider device or the content management system configured to transmit the second content item to a second plurality of user devices within a second geographic area around a second location associated with the entity identified by the second content item identifier;
store the second content item and the second content item identifier in the memory of the user device;
compare the second content item identifier to the list of entities;
determine that the entity identified by the second content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities; and
discard, responsive to determining that the entity identified by the second content item identifier does not match any of the one or more entities included in the list of entities, the second content item from the memory of the user device without displaying the second content item.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the entity device comprises a wireless router.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the entity device comprises a beacon.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the user device is further configured to:
receive a user input for opting out of receiving content items; and
delete all entity identifiers from the memory of the user device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the third-party content provider device or the content management system receives an input from an administrator device associated with the entity identified by the content item identifier, and
wherein the content item transmitted to the user device is selected based at least in part on the input from the administrator device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the input from the administrator device comprises a beacon identifier.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the entity device comprises a wireless router and wherein the input from the administrator device comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the wireless router.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the user device is further configured to:
send an indication that the content item was displayed on the user device to an analytics server, wherein the analytics server is configured to determine a number of impressions of the content item over the plurality of user devices.

### Claim 20

A method performed by an analytics server comprising:
receiving, from a user device, a log of content item impressions, the log of content item impressions generated by the user device responsive to presenting one or more content items on a display of the user device, each content item presented responsive to the user device matching a content item identifier and one or more entities included in a list of entities stored in the memory of the user device, the list of entities generated by the user device responsive to the user device receiving a signal transmitted by an entity device physically located in an entity, the content item identifier transmitted by a third-party content provider device or a content management system to a plurality of user devices that are within a geographic area around a location associated with the entity identified by the content item identifier;
determining a number of content item impressions present in the log; and
providing the number of content item impressions to an administrator associated with the entity.