Location-based verification of user requests and generation of notifications on mobile devices

#This disclosure relates to the field of network transmission of requests, messages, and notifications, and particularly to techniques for facilitating transmission of requests, messages, and notifications in a network platform having multiple users and/or multiple types of users.

#In a modern network platform, users can submit requests to a central server of the network platform, and the server can process the requests and transmit any responses back to the users. For example, such requests can be requests to search for data or users on the network platform. As another example, such requests can be requests to create or update user profiles maintained on the network platform.

#Various techniques for facilitating communication with and across a network platform and one or more user computing devices are described. For example, these techniques may include (i) generating preference data based on capturing and analyzing user interactions with respect to a set of training photographs, (ii) generating, verifying, and processing search requests to allow users to identify other users and/or target objects on the network platform, and (iii) generating, verifying, and processing link requests to allow users to create links to or associations with other users and/or target objects on the network platform, among others. These and other implementations are described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 1-56.

#The embodiments described herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative network environment for generating preference profiles based on image analysis and user feedback, generating and processing search requests based on image analysis, and linking user accounts to target objects based on requests from user computing devices in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

#FIG. 2 depicts a general architecture of a computing device or system providing a user matching service for matching users based on preference profiles and user photographs and/or providing a user linking service for linking user accounts to target objects in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

#Disclosed herein are systems and methods for matching buyers (or a first type of users) and sellers (or a second type of users) on a real estate marketplace platform. The system may present a set of training photographs to buyers, and for each buyer, generate a buyer profile based on the buyer's interaction with the photographs and any additional user-inputted data such as price range (e.g., $700 k-$900 k), neighborhood (e.g., ZIP code, city name, region name, etc.), minimum and maximum beds/baths (e.g., 3+ beds and 2.5+ baths), future date for potential purchase (e.g., in two years when my child finishes elementary school, we would like to buy a home in that neighborhood). For example, the system may allow the buyer to perform an action (e.g., swipe the photograph left or activate a digital button displayed on a touchscreen) to indicate that he or she dislikes a photograph, or perform another action (e.g., swipe the photograph right or activate another digital button displayed on the touchscreen) to indicate that he or she likes the photograph. Alternatively, the system may allow the buyer to indicate of degree of preference for the photograph using a slider bar (e.g., by dragging the slider bar in one direction or another). Based on the preferences expressed for the training photographs, the system can extract attributes from the photographs, and use the attributes to build preference profiles for the buyer users. For example, the system may use the buyer user's preference scores on the training photographs to extract the user's preference for the attributes corresponding to the training photographs (e.g., that the user prefers attribute A based on the user's indication of like for photograph X associated with attribute A, that the user does not prefer attribute B based on the user's indication of dislike for photograph Y associated with attribute B, that the user prefers attribute C 60% based on the user's slider bar score for photograph Z associated with attribute C, etc.), and then compare the user's preference for those attributes to the attributes extracted from the sellers' photographs. Further, the system may receive user photographs of sellers' homes and extract attributes from the user photographs. For example, a seller may use her smartphone to capture a photograph of her home from her front yard, transmit the photograph to a remote server for image analysis, and find out the attributes associated with her home and/or potential buyers who might be interested in purchasing her home. Based on a comparison of the attributes of the buyer users to the attributes of the homes of the seller users, the system can identify the best matching sellers/homes for each buyer, and the best matching buyers for each seller/home.

#By allowing a user to submit a request to search for and discover potential buyers who might be interested in purchasing the user's home regardless of whether the user's home is listed for sale, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can facilitate communication between the user and potential buyers of the user's home by generating and transmitting electronic notifications to and from their mobile devices. Such a request may be referred to herein as a “search request.” In some cases, a search is performed in response to the search request without any further approval. In other cases, a search is performed only after the remote server verifies that the search request is a valid one based on the information included in the search request and/or information otherwise accessible by the remote server. In yet other cases, a search is performed only upon approval by an administrative user of the remote server.

#In some cases, however, the platform configured to perform the search may encounter a volume of requests that are generated by fraudulent or unauthorized users. Such requests may unnecessarily burden the computing resources of the platform and degrade the quality of the search and/or matching services provided by the platform. To address such technical concerns, an improved method for validating and/or verifying the incoming search requests may be desired.