Specific methods that improve the functionality of a location based service system by determining and verifying the branded name of an establishment visited by a user of a wireless device based on approximate geographic location coordinate data received by the system from the wireless device

A method, used by a location based service system including at least one computer, of identifying a branded establishment visited by a user of a cell phone, the cell phone configured to detect its location, comprising the acts of:

• a) receiving, with a network interface of the location based service system, an approximate geographic location of the user's cell phone based at least in part on data obtained from a geographic location sensor in the cell phone;
• b) comparing the received approximate geographic location, using a central processing unit of the location based service system, to the locations of a plurality of branded establishments stored in a database accessible by the location based service system and, from the comparison, selecting at least two branded establishments, at least one of which the user is likely visiting or has likely visited, and which are both in the geographic vicinity of the received approximate geographic location;
• c) communicating, from the location based service system to the cell phone, information that indicates the names of the at least two branded establishments, at least one of which the user is likely visiting or has likely visited, and which are both in the geographic vicinity of the received approximate geographic location;
• d) receiving, at the location based service system from the cell phone, data confirming one indicated branded establishment that was chosen as being visited or having been visited from among the at least two branded establishments;
• and
• e) storing, in a memory of the location based service system, the received branded establishment visited by the user in a location history of indicated branded establishments corresponding to the user.

A method, used by a location based service system including at least one computer, of identifying a branded establishment visited by a user of a cell phone, the cell phone configured to detect its location comprising the acts of:

• a) receiving, with a network interface of the location based service system, an approximate geographic location of the user's cell phone based at least in part on data obtained from a geographic location sensor in the cell phone;
• b) causing the received approximate geographic location to be compared to the locations of a plurality of branded establishments stored in a database in the one or more computers and, from the comparison, selecting from the database at least two branded establishments that the location based service system determines the user could likely be visiting or could likely have previously visited and which are in the vicinity of the received approximate geographic location;
• c) causing communication, to the cell phone, of information that indicates the names of the at least two branded establishments;
• d) receiving, from the cell phone, data confirming one indicated branded establishment that was chosen as currently being visited or having been previously visited from among the at least two branded establishments;
• and
• e) storing, in a memory of the location based service system, the received branded establishment visited by the user in a location history of indicated branded establishments corresponding to the user.