# US 11,907,988 B2 · Systems and methods for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,907,988 B2 - Document ID: US11907988B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/551,858 - Filed: 2021-12-15 - Published: 2022-07-14 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-15 - Assignees: CrowdComfort, Inc. - Applicants: CrowdComfort, Inc. - Inventors: B. Eric Graham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11907988B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0623: {by investigating goods or services} - G06F 18/251: {of input or preprocessed data} - G06K 7/1417: {2D bar codes} - G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data - G06T 19/006: {Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00)} - G06V 20/20: in augmented reality scenes - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - G06T 2219/024: Multi-user, collaborative environment - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - 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 - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The present invention provides systems and methods for providing interactive visual images in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform. More specifically, the system of the present invention includes a plurality of remote mobile devices and a visual imaging system configured to communicate and exchange data with a cloud-based service, such as a crowdsourcing platform. The crowdsourcing platform generally provides a geolocation service based on the crowdsourcing, or polling, of users of the mobile devices, in addition to visual data captured by the visual imaging system, so as to determine location and movement of the users within a specific environment. The system is further configured to automatically render an augmented or virtual reality floor plan or layout of a location based on the user data and visual data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for providing interactive visual images in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform, the system comprising: a server system configured to communicate with and exchange data with a mobile device, a merchandise or inventory system, and a visual imaging system, the server comprising at least one processor coupled to at least one memory containing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the server system to: receive visual image data from the visual imaging system, the visual image data associated with an environment; identify, from the visual image data, a merchandise object associated with the environment; analyze, from the visual image data, lighting within the environment including natural and artificial lighting; analyze merchandise sales data from the merchandise or inventory system to produce an analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting within the environment affects sales of the merchandise object; receive user data from the mobile device, the user data associated with at least one of a location of a user and movement of the user within the environment over a period of time; prompt the user for verification of location and landmarks including at least the merchandise object; and render a layout of the environment on the mobile device based on the user data and visual image data, wherein rendering comprises generating a visual model of a layout of the environment in which the user is located or moving to provide an altered reality wherein the user can track information related to the environment, the rendered layout of the environment comprising an augmented reality image or a virtual reality image comprising a QR code accessible by the user to retrieve information about the merchandise object including the analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting affects sales of the merchandise object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, a smart phone, or a cellular telephone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the visual imaging system comprises a security camera, a drone, or a smart phone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the server system and at least one of the mobile device and the visual imaging system are configured to wirelessly communicate and exchange data with one another over a network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi wireless data communication technology, the internet, private networks, virtual private networks (VPN), public switch telephone networks (PSTN), integrated services digital networks (ISDN), digital subscriber link networks (DSL), various second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) cellular-based data communication technologies, Bluetooth radio, and Near Field Communication (NFC). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the communication and exchange of data between the server system and at least one of the mobile device and the visual imaging system is provided via a cloud-based service. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the user data associated with at least one of user location and user movement is data captured by one or more sensors of the mobile device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to capture data related to at least one of motion or position of the mobile device, signals transmitted from or to the mobile device, and direct user input with the mobile device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a received signal strength (RSS) sensor, a global positioning satellite (GPS) sensor, and a touch sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality image or the virtual reality image comprises a two-dimensional (2D) floor plan, a 2D wall plan, a 2D ceiling plan, a three-dimensional (3D) floor plan, a 3D wall image, a 3D ceiling image, or a 3D environment image. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the QR code allows the user to interact with the augmented reality image or the virtual reality image in real time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory contains instructions executable by the at least one processor to further cause the server system to continually update and refine the layout of the environment based on subsequent data received from the visual imaging system or user data received from the mobile device or from one or more other mobile devices associated with separate and different users within the given environment. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented method for providing interactive visual images in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform by a server system configured to communicate with and exchange data with a mobile device, a merchandise or inventory system, and a visual imaging system, the method comprising: receiving, by the server system, visual image data from the visual imaging system, the visual image data associated with an environment; identifying, by the server system, from the visual image data, a merchandise object associated with the environment; analyzing, by the server system, from the visual image data, lighting within the environment including natural and artificial lighting; analyzing, by the server system, merchandise sales data from the merchandise or inventory system to produce an analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting within the environment affects sales of the merchandise object; receiving, by the server system, user data from the mobile device, the user data associated with at least one of a location of a user and movement of the user within the environment over a period of time; prompting, by the server system, the user for verification of location and landmarks including at least the merchandise object; and rendering, by the server system, on the mobile device, a layout of the environment based on the user data and visual image data, wherein rendering comprises generating a visual model of a layout of the environment in which the user is located or moving to provide an altered reality wherein the user can track information related to the environment, the rendered layout of the environment comprising an augmented reality image or a virtual reality image comprising a QR code accessible by the user to retrieve information about the merchandise object including the analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting affects sales of the merchandise object. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing the lighting in the environment comprises analyzing at least one of natural light or artificial light. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the augmented reality image or the virtual reality image comprises a two-dimensional (2D) floor plan, a 2D wall plan, a 2D ceiling plan, a three-dimensional (3D) floor plan, a 3D wall image, a 3D ceiling image, or a 3D environment image. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the QR code allows the user to interact with the augmented reality image or the virtual reality image in real time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory contains instructions executable by the at least one processor to further cause the server system to continually update and refine the layout of the environment based on subsequent data received from the visual imaging system or user data received from the mobile device or from one or more other mobile devices associated with separate and different users within the given environment. ### Claim 18 A computer program product comprising at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied therein computer program instructions for providing interactive visual images in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform, which, when executed by at least one processor of a computer server system, cause the computer server system to perform processes comprising: receiving, by the server system, visual image data from the visual imaging system, the visual image data associated with an environment; identifying, by the server system, from the visual image data, a merchandise object associated with the environment; analyzing, by the server system, from the visual image data, lighting within the environment including natural and artificial lighting; analyzing, by the server system, merchandise sales data from the merchandise or inventory system to produce an analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting within the environment affects sales of the merchandise object; receiving, by the server system, user data from the mobile device, the user data associated with at least one of a location of a user and movement of the user within the environment over a period of time; prompting, by the server system, the user for verification of location and landmarks including at least the merchandise object; and rendering, by the server system, on the mobile device, a layout of the environment based on the user data and visual image data, wherein rendering comprises generating a visual model of a layout of the environment in which the user is located or moving to provide an altered reality wherein the user can track information related to the environment, the rendered layout of the environment comprising an augmented reality image or a virtual reality image comprising a QR code accessible by the user to retrieve information about the merchandise object including the analysis of how the natural and artificial lighting affects sales of the merchandise object.