# US 2019/0317874 A1 · Application usage estimation device and rule formulation device

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- Number: US 2019/0317874 A1
- Document ID: US20190317874A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/347,654
- Filed: 2018-04-10
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-10
- Assignees: Ntt Docomo, Inc.
- Applicants: Ntt Docomo, Inc.
- Inventors: Keiichi OCHIAI; Yusuke FUKAZAWA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190317874A1

## CPC

- G06F 11/3438: {monitoring of user actions (tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535)}
- G06F 16/00: Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)}
- G06F 11/302: {where the computing system component is a software system}
- H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
- H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

An application usage estimation device includes: a rule DB serving as a rule holding unit configured to hold an application usage estimation rule for estimating, based on location information, whether a specific application is used; and an application usage estimation unit configured to acquire the location information from a user terminal and to estimate, based on the application usage estimation rule held in the rule DB, whether the specific application is used in the user terminal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An application usage estimation device, comprising:
a rule holding unit configured to hold an application usage estimation rule for estimating whether a specific application is used based on location information, and
an application usage estimation unit configured to acquire the location information from a user terminal and to estimate whether the specific application is used in the user terminal based on the application usage estimation rule held in the rule holding unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The application usage estimation device according to claim 1, wherein
the application usage estimation rule is a rule for estimating whether a specific application is used based on the location information within a predetermined period, and
the location information transmitted from the user terminal is location information within a predetermined period.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The application usage estimation device according to claim 1, wherein
the application usage estimation rule is set by using a score that is a value indicating strength of a relationship between a visit place specified by the location information and an application, and
the application usage estimation unit estimates whether the specific application is used in the user terminal by using the score related to a visit place specified by the location information acquired from the user terminal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The application usage estimation device according to claim 1, wherein
the application usage estimation unit further includes a visit-place information presentation unit configured to present information on new visit place to the user terminal when it is estimated that the specific application is used in the user terminal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The application usage estimation device according to claim 4, wherein
the visit-place information presentation unit determines information on a new visit place to be provided to the user terminal by using the location information of a user terminal using the specific application or a user terminal presumed to be using the specific application.

### Claim 6

A rule formulation device, comprising:
an application usage information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a user terminal that uses a specific application,
a location information acquisition unit configured to acquire location information of the user terminal specified based on the information acquired by the application usage information acquisition unit, and
a rule formulation unit configured to formulate, based on the location information of the user terminal acquired by the location information acquisition unit, an application usage estimation rule for estimating, in accordance with the location information, whether the specific application is used.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The rule formulation device according to claim 6, wherein
the rule formulation unit calculates a score, which is a value indicating strength of relationship between a visit place and an application of the user terminal, for each visit place, and formulates the application usage estimation rule by using the score.