Patent Application
20170323068
Those aged individuals or those with afflictions who live by themselves may benefit from location monitoring and notification of relatives or emergency services when they venture outside their normal geographic area. Therefore, a need exists for a system that can identify the current location of a user in order to initiate one or more proactive actions.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Embodiments of the present invention address these and/or other needs by providing an innovative system, method, and computer program product for healthcare monitoring and actuation of a user. Embodiments of the system may include at least one memory device; at least one communication device connected to a distributed network; at least one processing device operatively coupled to the at least one memory device and the at least one communication device; and a module stored in the at least one memory device comprising executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to establish, via the distributed network, an operative communication channel with a wearable device of a user; generate and transmit a healthcare application to the wearable device via the operative communication channel; authenticate the wearable device at a first time based on at least receiving the indication that the user is in possession of the wearable device; determine that the user continues to remain in possession of the wearable device; identify one or more trigger events associated with the user, wherein the one or more trigger events comprise healthcare trigger events, activity trigger events and location trigger events; and initiate one or more proactive response actions in response to the one or more trigger events.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located in a non-normal location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user has performed a transaction. In other embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification that the user has performed an ATM withdrawal.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises preventing payment credentials associated with the user from performing a transaction when the user is or has been located in a non-normal location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located at a medical provider location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to an emergency service.
According to embodiments of the invention, a computer program product has at least one non-transitory computer readable medium with computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising an executable portion configured to establish, via the distributed network, an operative communication channel with a wearable device of a user; an executable portion configured to generate and transmit a healthcare application to the wearable device via the operative communication channel; an executable portion configured to authenticate the wearable device at a first time based on at least receiving the indication that the user is in possession of the wearable device; an executable portion configured to determine that the user continues to remain in possession of the wearable device; an executable portion configured to identify one or more trigger events associated with the user, wherein the one or more trigger events comprise healthcare trigger events, activity trigger events and location trigger events; and an executable portion configured to initiate one or more proactive response actions in response to the one or more trigger events.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located in a non-normal location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user has performed a transaction. In some such embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification that the user has performed an ATM withdrawal.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises preventing payment credentials associated with the user from performing a transaction when the user is or has been located in a non-normal location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located at a medical provider location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to an emergency service.
According to embodiments of the invention, a computer-implemented method includes establishing, via the distributed network, an operative communication channel with a wearable device of a user; generating and transmit a healthcare application to the wearable device via the operative communication channel; authenticating the wearable device at a first time based on at least receiving the indication that the user is in possession of the wearable device; determining that the user continues to remain in possession of the wearable device; identifying one or more trigger events associated with the user, wherein the one or more trigger events comprise healthcare trigger events, activity trigger events and location trigger events; and initiating one or more proactive response actions in response to the one or more trigger events.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located in a non-normal location. In some such embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user has performed a transaction. In some of these embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification that the user has performed an ATM withdrawal.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises preventing payment credentials associated with the user from performing a transaction when the user is or has been located in a non-normal location.
In some embodiments, the one or more proactive response actions comprises initiating a notification to a third party that the user is or has been located at a medical provider location.
Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to elements throughout. Where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural form and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “a” and/or “an” shall mean “one or more,” even though the phrase “one or more” is also used herein.
Embodiments of the invention provide a wearable device with a location rail. Embodiments may provide those with physical limitations such as aging individuals or those people with dementia or other afflictions who are living by themselves with a notification mechanism for providing third parties notification of triggering events. Embodiments may generate an application on a wearable device, to be worn by the user, which provides real-time location identification of the user including location-based identification relative to historical location and travel patterns. Embodiments may identify when the user is or was at certain locations, such as at a medical provider location or otherwise. Further, embodiments may provide notifications to of triggering events such as identifying a non-normal location of the user, an ATM transaction such as a withdrawal or otherwise. The system may also provide additional fraud protection as certain triggers such as a non-normal location triggers prevention of any transaction involving the payment accounts associated with the user wearing the wearable device. In some situations, sharing of the data provided by the wearable device is only provided to those third parties who are authorized uses, and in some cases, it is only provided to them after their identity authentication.
More specifically, various embodiments provide healthcare monitoring and actuation of a user and/or real-time monitoring of parameters and triggering actions. The system establishes, via the distributed network, an operative communication channel with a wearable device of a user; generates and transmit a healthcare application to the wearable device via the operative communication channel; authenticates the wearable device at a first time based on at least receiving the indication that the user is in possession of the wearable device; determines that the user continues to remain in possession of the wearable device; identifies one or more trigger events associated with the user, wherein the one or more trigger events comprise healthcare trigger events, activity trigger events and location trigger events; and initiates one or more proactive response actions in response to the one or more trigger events.
Referring now to
The systems and devices communicate with one another over the network 130 and perform one or more of the various steps and/or methods according to embodiments of the disclosure discussed herein. The network 130 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or a global area network (GAN). The network 230 may provide for wireline, wireless, or a combination of wireline and wireless communication between devices in the network. In one embodiment, the network 130 includes the Internet.
The user device 111, the third party system 160, and the financial institution system 140 each includes a computer system, server, multiple computer systems and/or servers or the like. The financial institution system 140, in the embodiments shown has a communication device 142 communicably coupled with a processing device 144, which is also communicably coupled with a memory device 146. The processing device 144 is configured to control the communication device 142 such that the financial institution system 140 communicates across the network 130 with one or more other systems. The processing device 144 is also configured to access the memory device 146 in order to read the computer readable instructions 148, which in some embodiments includes one or more applications such as applications 150 and 151. The memory device 146 also includes a datastore 154 or database for storing pieces of data that can be accessed by the processing device 144.
As used herein, a “processing device,” generally refers to a device or combination of devices having circuitry used for implementing the communication and/or logic functions of a particular system. For example, a processing device may include a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and other support circuits and/or combinations of the foregoing. Control and signal processing functions of the system are allocated between these processing devices according to their respective capabilities. The processing device 114, 144, or 164 may further include functionality to operate one or more software programs based on computer-executable program code thereof, which may be stored in a memory. As the phrase is used herein, a processing device 114, 144, or 164 may be “configured to” perform a certain function in a variety of ways, including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose circuits perform the function by executing particular computer-executable program code embodied in computer-readable medium, and/or by having one or more application-specific circuits perform the function.
Furthermore, as used herein, a “memory device” generally refers to a device or combination of devices that store one or more forms of computer-readable media and/or computer-executable program code/instructions. Computer-readable media is defined in greater detail below. For example, in one embodiment, the memory device 146 includes any computer memory that provides an actual or virtual space to temporarily or permanently store data and/or commands provided to the processing device 144 when it carries out its functions described herein.
The user device 111 includes a communication device 112 communicably coupled with a processing device 114, which is also communicably coupled with a memory device 116. The processing device 114 is configured to control the communication device 112 such that the user device 111 communicates across the network 130 with one or more other systems. The processing device 114 is also configured to access the memory device 116 in order to read the computer readable instructions 118, which in some embodiments includes application 120 and online banking application 121. The memory device 116 also includes a datastore 122 or database for storing pieces of data that can be accessed by the processing device 114. The user device 111 may be a mobile device of the user 110, a bank teller device, a third party device, an automated teller machine, a video teller machine, or another device capable of capturing a check image.
The third party system 160 includes a communication device 162 communicably coupled with a processing device 164, which is also communicably coupled with a memory device 166. The processing device 164 is configured to control the communication device 162 such that the third party system 160 communicates across the network 130 with one or more other systems. The processing device 164 is also configured to access the memory device 166 in order to read the computer readable instructions 168, which in some embodiments includes an application 170. The memory device 166 also includes a datastore 172 or database for storing pieces of data that can be accessed by the processing device 164.
In some embodiments, the application 120, the online banking application 121, and the application 170 interact with the application 150 or 151 to receive or provide financial data, analyze financial record data, and implement business strategies, transactions, and processes. The applications 150 and 151 may be a suite of applications for performing these functions.
In some embodiments, the application 120, the online banking application 121, and the application 170 interact with the applications 150 and 151 to utilize metadata to determine decisions for processing.
The applications 120, 121, 150, 151, and 170 are for instructing the processing devices 114, 144 and 164 to perform various steps of the methods discussed herein, and/or other steps and/or similar steps. In various embodiments, one or more of the applications 120, 121, 150, 151, and 170 are included in the computer readable instructions stored in a memory device of one or more systems or devices other than the systems 160 and 140 and the user device 111. For example, in some embodiments, the application 120 is stored and configured for being accessed by a processing device of one or more third party systems 192 connected to the network 130. In various embodiments, the applications 120, 121, 150, 151, and 170 stored and executed by different systems/devices are different. In some embodiments, the applications 120, 121, 150, 151, and 170 stored and executed by different systems may be similar and may be configured to communicate with one another, and in some embodiments, the applications 120, 121, 150, 151, and 170 may be considered to be working together as a singular application despite being stored and executed on different systems.
In various embodiments, one of the systems discussed above, such as the financial institution system 140, is more than one system and the various components of the system are not collocated, and in various embodiments, there are multiple components performing the functions indicated herein as a single device. For example, in one embodiment, multiple processing devices perform the functions of the processing device 144 of the financial institution system 140 described herein. In various embodiments, the financial institution system 140 includes one or more of the external systems 196 and/or any other system or component used in conjunction with or to perform any of the method steps discussed herein. For example, the financial institution system 140 may include a financial institution system, a credit agency system, and the like.
In various embodiments, the financial institution system 140, the third party system 160, and the user device 111 and/or other systems may perform all or part of a one or more method steps discussed above and/or other method steps in association with the method steps discussed above. Furthermore, some or all the systems/devices discussed here, in association with other systems or without association with other systems, in association with steps being performed manually or without steps being performed manually, may perform one or more of the steps of one or more of the method discussed herein, or other methods, processes or steps discussed herein or not discussed herein.
Typically, the healthcare application, either alone or in conjunction with the system, is configured for providing real-time location identification of the user. In this regard, the healthcare application is configured to cause a location determining device of the wearable device to transmit location information of the user. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the healthcare application is configured to activate and cause other sensing devices of the wearable devices to transmit other healthcare parameters of the user such as vital signs like heart rate, pulse rate, body temperature and the like, physical activity parameters like number of steps taken, distance travelled, and the like.
As such, the system may activate the installed healthcare application based on receiving authentication credentials for the user and/or the user's caregiver. Here, the user and/or the user's caregiver may provide user preferences for monitoring and actuation features of the healthcare application. In some embodiments, the healthcare application may be constantly active, while in other embodiments the healthcare application may be active for a predetermined time period, for example during the time period when the caregiver is away. In some embodiments, the healthcare application may be constantly running in the background and may be activated in response to an instruction from the system, from the caregiver and/or from the user, or may be activated in response to detecting a trigger event.
Next, the process flow includes determining a trigger event associated with the user, as shown in block 204 based on at least receiving the indication that the user is in possession of the wearable device. In some embodiments, the system may determine that the user is in possession of the wearable device based on receiving an authentication request from the user, based on detecting healthcare parameters and location of the user, and/or based on comparing the detected parameters with historical location and travel patterns of the user.
In some instances, the user and/or the caregiver may initiate an authentication request via the wearable device when initially adorning the wearable device. This may be done using a combination of various authentication credentials input directly into the wearable device or by pairing the wearable device with an auxiliary device (e.g., mobile device or the like) and authenticating the wearable device indirectly using the auxiliary device. In this regard, the system may be configured to receive one or more authentication credentials from the user via the auxiliary device and authenticate the user based on the received authentication credentials. In response to successfully authenticating the user and the auxiliary device, the system may automatically authenticate the wearable device paired or communicably linked to the auxiliary device.
The process flow 206, includes determining that the user continues to remain in possession of the wearable device based on at least continuously monitoring the wearable device. The wearable device may then be monitored using biometric feedback received using physiologic tracking technology incorporated into the wearable device that can read, record, and store individual biometric traits such as heart rate, blood pressure, gait, or other types of physical activity to determine whether the wearable device has remained in continual possession of the user since authentication. In some embodiments, the continuous monitoring of the wearable device comprises, the healthcare application and/or the system transmitting control instructions to the sensor devices of the wearable devices, configured for causing these sensor devices to determine and transmit the location and healthcare parameters of the user.
The system may then identify one or more trigger events based on the continuous monitoring of the wearable device. These trigger events may be based on the received user preferences or parameters received from the user, the user's caregiver, the user's healthcare provider, and/or other sources. These trigger events may be location trigger events, activity trigger events, healthcare trigger events, and the like.
Location trigger events may be identified based on determining that the user's location exceeds one or more location parameters/preferences. For example, the system may determine that the user is at a new location that deviates from the location parameters, the user's historical locations and/or the user's historical travel patterns. In this regard, the system may identify a location trigger associated with the new location. As another example, the system may identify that the user is located at a first location different from the user's home location. The system may further compare the first location with historical locations of the user and determine that the user is located at a physician's healthcare facility. Here the system may not identify a trigger event based on determining that the user has an appointment with the physician at that time. Alternatively, the system may identify a location trigger based on determining that the physician is not associated with the user, or based on determining that the user is not scheduled to visit the physician. In some instances, location trigger events may be associated with indoor positioning of the user. For example, the system may determine the indoor location of the user based on the wearable device sensors, auxiliary device sensors, image capture devices, and/or proximity sensors located in the user's surroundings. For instance, in response to comparing the user's location with that of a house plan to determine that the user has been proximate (within a predetermined distance) to a stove or a heating device for a predetermined period of time, the system may identify a location trigger. As another example, the system may determine a location trigger event based on analyzing a feed from an image capture device and determining that the user is close to a patio/balcony fence.
Activity trigger events may be identified based on determining that the user's activity is not associated with one or more activity parameters/preferences. For example, the system may determine that a purchase transaction is associated with an activity trigger event based on the determining that the purchase amount exceeds a purchase limit, based on determining that the products purchased are not associated with a predetermined category of products, based on determining that the current user location is different from the purchase location or based on determining that the purchase location is not associated with a predetermining list of purchase locations. As another example, the system may determine that the user is currently located near a transaction terminal such as an ATM. The system may then analyze the transaction history (with current, in-process, pending and posted transactions) of one or more accounts of the user and/or the caregiver to determine correlate one or more transactions with the time and location of the user, and determine an activity trigger accordingly (for example, based on determining that the requested ATM withdrawal amount exceeds a predetermined threshold). As another example, the system may determine an activity trigger based on determining that the user has been stationary for a predetermined time period, at a predetermined or non-normal location. As another example, the system may determine an activity trigger based on determining that the user is no longer associated with the wearable device.
Healthcare trigger events may be identified based on determining that the user's vital signs exceeds one or more healthcare parameters/preferences. For example, the system may determine a healthcare trigger based on determining that the one or more vital signs of the user exceed predetermined limits. As another example, the system may determine a healthcare trigger event when the user is required to receive or consume medication or other treatment activities.
Next, the process flow includes initiation of one or more proactive response actions in response to the one or more trigger events, as shown in block 208. In some embodiments, the proactive response actions may comprise transmitting one or more notifications or alerts to the user, the user's caregiver, the user's healthcare provider and/or other associated individuals/entities. For instance, based on determining a location trigger event that the user is outside a predetermined geographic area, the system may initiate remission of a textual, audible or vibratory alert to a device associated with the user's caregiver. As another example, based on determining an activity trigger event comprising the user being stationary for a predetermined period of time, the system may transmit control instructions to the wearable device configured to cause the wearable device to vibrate. As yet another example, based on determining a healthcare trigger event comprising abnormal vital signs of the user, the system may transmit notifications and alerts (comprising the user's current location and abnormal parameters) to the user's healthcare provider, the user's caregiver and/or the an emergency healthcare provider. In this regard, in some embodiments, the healthcare application and/or the system may cause the wearable device and/or the auxiliary device to transmit these notifications and alerts. In some instances, the one or more proactive response actions may comprise authorizing one or more activities of the user. For example, for an activity trigger event comprising an ATM withdrawal request, the system may authorize the withdrawal transaction based on receiving approval from the account holder/caregiver. As another example, for an activity trigger comprising a purchase transaction, the system may seek additional authentication credentials before authorizing the transaction.
Referring to
In some embodiments of the wearable article 301, the communication device 312 of the electronic device 300 is configured for receiving an external signal from a field (not shown), typically initiated at an external system 196. An external power source environment may include a field that, in various embodiments, is an electro-magnetic (EM) field, a radio frequency (RF) field, some other wireless communication field, or the like. The communication device 312 is also configured for converting the electro-magnetic signal to electrical power (i.e., an electrical signal) for powering the electronic device 300. A processing device 318 may be coupled (directly or indirectly) with the electrical signal of the communication device 312. The processing device 318 may generate one or more data signals, a portion of the data signals may be coupled with the user interface 314, and another (or the same) portion of the data signals may be coupled with the memory device 316. For example, the user interface 314, in one embodiment, receives power (directly or indirectly) from or derived from the electrical signal from the communication device 312. The memory device 316, in some embodiments, receives power (directly or indirectly) from or derived from the electrical signal from the communication device 312. Responsive to the signal from the field received by the electronic device 300, in some embodiments, data can be presented by the user interface 314, and the data stored by the memory device 316 can be changed.
In one example, the output of the communication device 312 is a voltage signal, such as a DC voltage, which may include but is not limited to a low voltage such as, for example, approximately 1.25 volts. In some embodiments, for example, the electronic device 300 includes a voltage regulator 322. The voltage regulator 322 is coupled with output of the communication device 312. The voltage regulator provides a stable or regulated output voltage for use by other components within the electronic device 300. For example, the voltage regulator 322, in one embodiment, includes circuit elements such as diodes, resistors, and/or capacitors for stabilizing the output signal received from the communication device 312. The voltage regulator 322, in some embodiments, is also configured for providing a regulating voltage to the other components within the electronic device 300. The voltage regulator 322, in some embodiments, includes other circuits and/or components configured for providing a regulated voltage and/or configured for stabilizing the voltage on the output of the voltage regulator 322.
The electronic device 300 includes or is coupled with one or more energy storage elements 320, also referred to as energy storage circuits, in some circumstances. The energy storage elements 320, in some embodiments, are coupled with the output of the communication device 312. In one embodiment, for example, the energy storage element 320 couples with the communication device output in order to store energy received from the communication device 312 and provide the energy to the input of the voltage regulator 322. Alternatively or additionally in various embodiments, energy storage elements 320 are coupled with the output of the voltage regulator 322 so as to store energy and provide energy to the components downstream of the voltage regulator 322 within the electronic device 300. The energy storage elements 320, in some embodiments, include capacitors, inductors, or other energy storage elements or circuits configured for providing energy storage.
In some embodiments, for example, one or more level shifters 324, also referred to as voltage conversion circuits or voltage translator circuits, are configured to provide or create the voltage levels utilized by the user interface 314 and/or by the memory device 316. In an alternative embodiment, a voltage regulator 322 is configured to provide multiple output voltage signals 332. In such an embodiment, each output voltage signal is a different voltage level in order to supply various voltage levels as required by multiple components of the electronic device 300, such as, for example, the processing device 318, the user interface 314, and/or the memory device 316 and/or other components. In some embodiments, the one or more level shifters 324 use other circuits and/or mechanisms configured for shifting a voltage signal.
In some embodiments, the communication device 312 receives a signal from the field generated by a communication device, such as communication device 162 (
The processing device 318, in some applications, changes the state of the user interface 314 by writing data to the user output device 340. In some such applications, the communication device 162 receives a financial indicator or instructions to provide a financial indicator from one or both of a user device 111 and/or a financial institution server 140. Likewise the processing device 318, in another applications, changes the state of the memory device 316 by writing data. Furthermore, in another application, the processing device 318 reads the memory device 316 and communicates a customer's account information to a point of sale terminal (not shown) in response to a request for payment information from the point of sale terminal during a transaction.
Referring again to the embodiment shown in
The user interface 314, in various embodiments, is collocated with the electronic device 300 on the wearable article 301, and in other embodiments, the user interface 314 is coupled with the electronic device 300 but is located separate from the electronic device 300 on or in the wearable article 301. In some embodiments, the display device 341 of the user interface 314 is or includes a persistent display which, once written, will display the desired data and will persistently maintain the display of that data until the display is re-written or otherwise changed. The display device 341, in some embodiments, is a fixed segment display, a dot matrix display, a positive or negative reflective display which can be read by the user or cardholder using ambient light, a liquid crystal display, or other display. In other embodiments, the display device 341 is a single indicator such as a light emitting diode (LED). In some embodiments, the display device 341 includes one or more indicators configured to provide different colors intended to communicate different messages to the customer. In some embodiments, the wearable article 301 is configured for communicating information to the customer such as personal or financial health information. In some such embodiments, the display device 341 includes one or more indicators configured for multiple color light emission. In some embodiments, for example, the display device 341 is a single indicator configured to emit red light when the customer's account is overdrawn or within some predetermined amount of being overdrawn or when the user is outside the user's normal geographic boundaries or expected path of travel. Similarly, in another embodiment, for example, the display is a single indicator configured to emit a yellow light when the customer's account is within some predetermined amount of being overdrawn, and in yet another embodiment, for example, the display is a single indicator configured to emit a green light when the customer's account is outside a predetermined amount of being overdrawn. In various other embodiments, the wearable device 301 includes one or more additional indicator devices such as auditory devices 342, for example speakers and the like, and/or vibratory devices 343. Such additional indicator devices can be used, in some embodiments, in lieu of a display device 341 for indicating the financial information to the customer or some other information, or can be used in conjunction with the display device 341 in other embodiments.
In various embodiments of the wearable device 301, the wearable device 301 is configured for wearing on various body parts other than the wrist or ankle, and in other embodiments, the wearable article 301 is configured for wearing on the wrist or ankle in alternate configurations. For example, in one embodiment, the wearable device 301 is worn as an earring. In another embodiment, the wearable device 301 is worn as some other type of piercing, and in yet other embodiments, the wearable device 301 is attached to the customer's clothing such as by clip, snap, Velcro®, pin, or some other attachment mechanism. In some embodiments, the wearable device is a sticker that attaches either to the customer's skin or to the customer's clothing. In some embodiments, the wearable device is disposable and includes a pocket or other electronic device receiver, and the electronic device is reusable such that when the customer discards the wearable device 301, she can retain the electronic device and attach it to another wearable device 301. In some embodiments, the wearable article 301 is or includes a charm wearable on a chain around the neck, ankle or wrist or is or includes a necklace. In other embodiments, the wearable device 301 is or includes one or more rings, a wristwatch or incorporated into a wristwatch, eyeglass rims, eyeglasses, such as embedded in and/or on eyeglass lenses, contact lenses, shoes, purse, wallet, a cap, a hat, a visor, a shoelace, a button, a belt, a belt buckle, an implant, or some other clothing accessory or personal accessory worn or carried on a customer's person.
As represented by block 410, the positioning data may include global positioning data. Global positioning data may include any information collected from methods, systems, apparatus, computer programs etc. involving locating a user's position relative to satellites, fixed locations, beacons, transmitters or the like. In some instances, global positioning data may be collected from a GPS device, such as a navigation system. Such a navigation system may be, but is not limited to, hardware and/or software that is part of a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, automobile, watch etc. or a commercially available personal navigation system such as a Garmin®, TomTom® or the like. The amount, nature and type of the global positioning data that is collected may depend on the merchant's relationship with the customer and the amount of information that the customer has authorized the merchant or third-party provider to collect. For instances, in some embodiments the global positioning data will be snapshots of the user's location at different times. For example, a snapshot of the user's location will be collected each time the GPS software, navigation system or application is activated. In such embodiments, the global positioning data may only provide historical information regarding the customer's location (e.g. at 9:30 a.m. the customer activated the GPS software and was at location X). Such historical positioning data may be used to estimate the customer's current position, such as determining a range of distances the customer may have traveled in the intervening time. Alternatively, the global positioning data may be combined with other positioning data to locate the customer's current position. In other instances, the global positioning data may dynamically provide information regarding the customer's current location as the customer moves from location to location. In such instances, additional positioning data may not be necessary to project the route of the customer or can be used to confirm the customer is traveling along the suggested route.
As shown in block 420 of
Referring now to block 430, the positioning data of the customer may also be collected from social network data. It will also be understood that “social network” as used herein, generally refers to any social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) which are connected by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as kinship, friendship, common interest, financial exchange, working relationship, dislike, relationships, beliefs, knowledge, prestige, geographic proximity etc. The social network may be a web-based social structure or a non-web-based social structure. In some embodiments, the social network may be inferred from financial transaction behavior, mobile device behaviors, etc. The social network may be a network unique to the invention or may incorporate already-existing social networks such as Facebook®, Twitter®, FourSquare®, Linkedin®, YouTube® as well as any one or more existing web logs or “blogs, ” forums and other social spaces. Social network data may indicate the customer's recent, present or future location through expressed data. For instance, a user may upload a blog post, comment on a connection's page, send a friend an electronic message etc. that identifies the customer's location (e.g. micro-blog entry “Just enjoyed lunch at a new restaurant on 5th street . . . check it out.”). Moreover, many already-existing social networks provide users with the ability to “check-in”, “flag” or otherwise indicate the user's current location. Accordingly, customer positioning data collected from social networking data may consist of such indications. Furthermore, many social networks allow users to rate, like, comment etc. on restaurants, attractions, locations and the like. Accordingly, a customer may indicate that he ate at a certain restaurant or business at a given time and thereby provide information about his location at that time. Furthermore, a customer may upload photographs to a social networking site and thereby provide information about the customer's location. In some instances the customer's location may be determined from the picture, (for example a picture of a state line sign, a highway sign, a mile marker etc.) or a caption associated with the picture may indicate the customer's location and/or the time the photo was taken. As with the global positioning data, if the social network data only includes historical location data, the social network data may be used to estimate the customer's location or be combined with other positioning data to locate the customer.
As shown in block 440, the positioning data of the customer may also be collected from Internet data. Internet data, may include any information relating to the searches conducted by the customer, website's visited by the customer and the like that suggests the customer's present or future location(s). For instance, a customer may review an online menu for a restaurant prior to visiting the restaurant. Similarly, a customer may search for current sales being offered prior to visiting a store. A customer may also search for construction or traffic reports indicating planned travel along certain roads. It will be understood that such Internet data may relate to searches or websites visited by the customer before the indication of the POS transaction (e.g. while the customer is still at home or work), however, inasmuch as many mobile devices also include mobile Internet connectivity, it will also be understood that such information may be dynamically collected as the customer moves from location to location.
In various embodiments, the notification and/or alerting functionality of the systems described include one or more of e-mailing, SMS messaging, vibratory, audible or visual alerting via the wearable device, and/or the like.
In some embodiments, the wearable device application may provide additional functionality such as enabling a ride sharing mechanism whereby people nearby to one another may be able to share taxi or other rides.
In various embodiments, the wearable device may provide ongoing benefits to the wearer such as providing various user-specific benefits like enabling modification of volume controls on one or more connected devices, such as volume controls for a connected smartphone, television, intercom or the like. In addition, the wearable device may be enabled to unlock specified doors, windows, gateways, or the like when the user is in close proximity to the doors or other locks. In some cases, such unlocking or other functionality may be predicated on the user having been authenticated.
In various embodiments, the wearable device may confirm the identity of the wearer such as by biometric authentication of the user.
In various embodiments, the wearable device may track one or more parameters associated with the user, such as the number of steps the user takes. In some cases, the wearable device is configured to generate one or more reports, generally delivered to another system electronically. The reports may relate information providing a summary of what the wearer has done in a specified time period, such as a day or week. For example, the wearable device may track that the user has consistently increased her steps per day and may generate a report that is transmitted to the wearer's caregiver.
In some embodiments of the invention one or more of the systems described herein may be combined with each other, or otherwise perform the functions of the other systems described herein. In other embodiments of the invention one or more of the applications described herein may be combined with each other, or otherwise perform the functions of the other applications described herein. Furthermore, the applications may be any type of application, such as an application stored on a desktop, server, or other device, a mobile application stored on a mobile device, a cloud application, or other like application. As such, the applications described herein, or portions of the applications described herein may be stored and operated on any of the systems or devices described herein. For example, a portion of one or more applications may be stored on the user device, or may be included as a portion of financial institution applications, such as an online banking application, in order to achieve embodiments of the inventions described herein.
It should be understood, that the systems and devices described in
Moreover, it should be understood that the process flows described herein include transforming the information sent and/or received from the applications of the different systems (e.g., internally or externally) and/or the devices from one or more data formats into a data format associated with an application for display to the user on the user device. There are many ways in which information is converted within the system environment. This may be seamless, as in the case of upgrading to a newer version of a computer program. Alternatively, the conversion may require processing by the use of a special conversion program, or it may involve a complex process of going through intermediary stages, or involving complex “exporting” and “importing” procedures, which may converting to and from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text file. In some cases, a program may recognize several data file formats at the data input stage and then is also capable of storing the output data in a number of different formats. Such a program may be used to convert a file format. If the source format or target format is not recognized, then at times a third program may be available which permits the conversion to an intermediate format, which can then be reformatted.
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method (including, for example, a computer-implemented process, a business process, and/or any other process), apparatus (including, for example, a system, machine, device, computer program product, and/or the like), or a combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable program code embodied in the medium.
Any suitable transitory or non-transitory computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of the computer readable medium include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires; a tangible storage medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical or magnetic storage device.
In the context of this document, a computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to the Internet, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF) signals, or other mediums.
Computer-executable program code for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present invention may be written in an object oriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such as Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, or the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.
Embodiments of the present invention are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and/or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable program code portions. These computer-executable program code portions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the code portions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer-executable program code portions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the code portions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction mechanisms which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block(s).
The computer-executable program code may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the code portions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block(s). Alternatively, computer program implemented steps or acts may be combined with operator or human implemented steps or acts in order to carry out an embodiment of the invention.
As the phrase is used herein, a processor may be “configured to” perform a certain function in a variety of ways, including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose circuits perform the function by executing particular computer-executable program code embodied in computer-readable medium, and/or by having one or more application-specific circuits perform the function.
Embodiments of the present invention are described above with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams. It will be understood that steps of the processes described herein may be performed in orders different than those illustrated in the flowcharts. In other words, the processes represented by the blocks of a flowchart may, in some embodiments, be in performed in an order other that the order illustrated, may be combined or divided, or may be performed simultaneously. It will also be understood that the blocks of the block diagrams illustrated, in some embodiments, merely conceptual delineations between systems and one or more of the systems illustrated by a block in the block diagrams may be combined or share hardware and/or software with another one or more of the systems illustrated by a block in the block diagrams. Likewise, a device, system, apparatus, and/or the like may be made up of one or more devices, systems, apparatuses, and/or the like. For example, where a processor is illustrated or described herein, the processor may be made up of a plurality of microprocessors or other processing devices which may or may not be coupled to one another. Likewise, where a memory is illustrated or described herein, the memory may be made up of a plurality of memory devices which may or may not be coupled to one another.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of, and not restrictive on, the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
To supplement the present disclosure, this application further incorporates entirely by reference the following commonly assigned patent applications:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/333,723, entitled “SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING RESOURCE USAGE”, filed May 9, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62333723 | May 2016 | US |
