Sharing measured values of physical space parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11093563-B2
Application number	US-201815889099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2018
Priority date	Feb 5, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A computer system is provided that includes a server configured to store a plurality of location accounts, each location account being associated with a physical space at a recorded geospatial location. The plurality of location accounts utilize shared data definitions of a physical space parameter. Each physical space is equipped with a corresponding on-premise sensor configured to detect measured values for the physical space parameter over time and send to the server a data stream indicating the measured values. The computer system further includes a network portal, via which an authorized user for a location account can selectively choose whether to share the measured values or a summary thereof with other location accounts via the network portal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer system, comprising:
a server configured to store a plurality of location accounts, each location account being associated with a physical space at a recorded geospatial location, the plurality of location accounts utilizing shared data definitions of a physical space parameter, each physical space being equipped with a corresponding on-premise sensor configured to detect measured values for the physical space parameter over time and send to the server a data stream indicating the measured values; and
a network portal, via which an authorized user for a location account can selectively choose whether to share the measured values or a summary thereof with other location accounts via the network portal;
wherein the server is configured to determine a recommendation for a first location account based at least on measured values of the physical space parameter shared by a second location account, and present the recommendation to a user of the first location account via the network portal; and
wherein each location account has an associated sharing profile set by the authorized user for that location account, the sharing profile defining a sharing rule according to which the measured values of the physical space parameter are shared via the network portal with other location accounts, the sharing rule including one or more physical space parameters selected from a plurality of physical space parameters that are shared via the network portal with other location accounts, and one or more physical space parameters selected from the plurality of physical space parameters that are not shared.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the physical space parameter is selected from the group consisting of temperature, lighting, music, density of persons, customer demographics, point of sale data, store hours, day of year, time of day, product types, display types, store layout, atmospheric gas composition, wavelengths of ambient light, vibration, customer interactions with objects, and employee interactions with customers.

3. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein each location account is linkable to other location accounts via peer connections in the network portal.

4. The computer system of claim 3 , wherein the server is configured to determine a similarity between a first physical space associated with a first location account and a second physical space associated with a second location account, and suggest establishment of a peer connection to the first and second location accounts.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the sharing rule includes a sharing granularity at which the measured values of the physical space parameter are shared via the network portal with other location accounts.

6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein each location account includes a space type associated with the physical space selected from a plurality of pre-defined space types, and wherein the sharing rule includes one or more of the plurality of pre-defined space types such that the measured values of the physical space parameter are not shared with location accounts associated with the one or more of the plurality of pre-defined space types.

7. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to manage a permission level for each location account, and selectively grant access to measured values of the physical space parameter shared by other location accounts based on the permission level of that location account.

8. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the server is configured to promote and demote the permission level of a location account based on the measured values of the physical space parameter shared by that location account.

9. A method for use with a computing device, comprising:
at a server including a processor:
storing a plurality of location accounts, each location account being associated with a physical space at a recorded geospatial location, the plurality of location accounts utilizing shared data definitions of a physical space parameter, each physical space being equipped with a corresponding on-premise sensor configured to detect measured values for the physical space parameter over time and send to the server a data stream indicating the measured values;
via a network portal and an authorized user for a location account, selectively choosing whether to share the measured values or a summary thereof with other location accounts via the network portal; and
at the server, determining a recommendation for a first location account based at least on measured values of the physical space parameter shared by a second location account, and presenting the recommendation to a user of the first location account via the network portal; and
wherein each location account has an associated sharing profile set by the authorized user for that location account, the sharing profile defining a sharing rule according to which the measured values of the physical space parameter are shared via the network portal with other location accounts, the sharing rule including one or more physical space parameters selected from a plurality of physical space parameters that are shared via the network portal with other location accounts, and one or more physical space parameters selected from the plurality of physical space parameters that are not shared.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein each location account is linkable to other location accounts via peer connections in the network portal.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, at the server, determining a similarity between a first physical space associated with a first location account and a second physical space associated with a second location account, and suggesting establishment of a peer connection to the first and second location accounts.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sharing rule includes a sharing granularity at which the measured values of the physical space parameter are shared via the network portal with other location accounts.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein each location account includes a space type associated with the physical space selected from a plurality of pre-defined space types, and wherein the sharing rule includes one or more of the plurality of pre-defined space types such that the measured values of the physical space parameter are not shared with location accounts associated with the one or more of the plurality of pre-defined space types.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, at the server, managing a permission level for each location account, and selectively granting access to measured values of the physical space parameter shared by other location accounts based on the permission level of that location account.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, at the server, promoting and demoting the permission level of a location account based on the measured values of the physical space parameter shared by that location account.

16. A method for use with a computing device, comprising:
at a server including a processor:
storing a plurality of location accounts, each location account being associated with a physical space at a recorded geospatial location, the plurality of location accounts utilizing shared data definitions of a physical space parameter, each physical space being equipped with a corresponding on-premise sensor configured to detect measured values for the physical space parameter over time and send to the server a data stream indicating the measured values; and
via a network portal and an authorized user for a location account

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Long Donna Katherine
• Choi Jennifer Jean
• Ganadas Priya
• Cabaccang Jamie R
• Smith Lasean Tee
• Kiemele Kenneth Liam
• Jones Evan L
• Hesketh John Benjamin
• Hawthorne Bryant Daniel

Classifications

• G07F17/246 Primary

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• G06Q10/0639

  Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations · CPC title

• G06Q20/127

  Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation · CPC title

• G06Q20/202

  Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR · CPC title

• G06Q20/3224

  Transactions dependent on location of M-devices · CPC title