Back to results
US 11,489,936 B2Granted
Location-based method and system for requesting and obtaining images
AssigneeStringr Inc.
InventorsBrian Patrick McNeill, Elizabeth J. Stewart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Technology is disclosed for using geographic information that reflects the current locations for a plurality of image providers to find image providers that are capable of fulfilling image requests from image requesters, where the image requests are associated with various geographic locations. In an example embodiment, the technology can be used to find video footage of news events in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Claims28
A system for interconnecting a plurality of image providers with an image requester, the system comprising:
- a processor for cooperation with a plurality of mobile computing devices that share their respective locations with the processor via a network that includes a wireless network, wherein the processor is configured to receive an image request from an image requester, wherein the received image request includes a location and a description of sought image data;
- and
- a memory configured to store (1) location data representative of locations for the mobile computing devices, (2) image provider data representative of a plurality of image providers associated with the mobile computing devices, and (3) historical data about the image providers with respect to previous image requests accepted by the image providers;
- and
- wherein the processor is configured to:
- automatically update the location data in the memory over time so that the memory tracks current locations for the image providers that are associated by the image provider data with the mobile computing devices;
- determine an image request type characteristic for the image request;
- and
- for each of a plurality of the image providers, automatically (1) determine an estimated propensity of an image provider to accept and fulfill the image request based on a plurality of factors, wherein the factors include (i) the current location for the image provider as reflected in the memory, (ii) the image request location, (iii) the determined image request type characteristic, and (iv) the historical data about the image provider as reflected in the memory, (2) select a subset of the image providers based on their determined estimated propensities, and (3) communicate the image request via the network to one or more mobile computing devices associated with the identified subset.
6 more elements
A method for interconnecting a plurality of image providers with an image requester, the method comprising:
- a processor receiving an image request from an image requester, wherein the received image request includes a location and a description of sought image data;
- a memory storing (1) location data that is representative of locations for a plurality of mobile computing devices, (2) image provider data representative of a plurality of image providers associated with the mobile computing devices, and (3) historical data about the image providers with respect to previous image requests accepted by the image providers;
- the processor receiving messages over a network from a plurality of the mobile computing devices that identify respective locations for the mobile computing devices, wherein the network includes a wireless network;
- the processor automatically updating the location data in the memory over time based on the messages so that the memory tracks current locations for the image providers that are associated by the image provider data with the mobile computing devices;
- the processor determining an image request type characteristic for the image request;
- and
- for each of a plurality of the image providers, the processor automatically (1) determining an estimated propensity of an image provider to accept and fulfill the image request based on a plurality of factors, wherein the factors include (i) the current location for the image provider as reflected in the memory, (ii) the image request location, (iii) the determined image request type characteristic, and (iv) the historical data about the image provider as reflected in the memory, (2) selecting a subset of the image providers based on their determined estimated propensities, and (3) communicating the image request via the network to one or more mobile computing devices associated with the identified subset.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.