Method, medium, and system for a customer service application for a portable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9294620-B2
Application number	US-201213476765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2012
Priority date	May 20, 2011
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A customer service application resident on a user's portable electronic device is used to get information about a service and also request the service offered by a store. The customer service application can check for nearby stores when launched. Once the user is deemed to be within the service area of the store, the store host server computer can start sending information about various products, servers, events, or workshops offered by the store. The user can use the customer service application to request product or service help from store employees, register for an event/workshop, reserve a product for pickup, etc.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computer server, location information along with an accuracy value, the location information having been acquired using a global positioning service and describing an estimated location of a portable electronic device, and the accuracy value describing an accuracy range associated with the global positioning service used to acquire the location information;
determining, based on a comparison of the accuracy value to a threshold accuracy value, whether the estimated location is sufficiently accurate for use in determining whether an actual location of the portable electronic device is within a predetermined distance of a target geographic location, wherein the estimated location is sufficiently accurate when the accuracy value is less than the threshold accuracy value; and
in response to determining that the estimated location is sufficiently accurate, determining whether the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of the target geographic location, by:
determining a first length based on the accuracy value;
defining a first area that spans the first length from the location of the portable electronic device;
defining a second area spanning a predetermined distance from the target geographic location; and
determining whether a portion of the first area overlaps a portion of the second area.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of a target geographic location:
periodically checking whether the first area no longer overlaps the second area; and
in response to determining that the first area no longer overlaps the second area, concluding, by the computer server, that the user has left the target geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing the first distance by a predetermined value to increase an area of overlap between the first area and the second area.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the portable electronic device, a request for assistance with a product;
communicating, by the computer server, the request to one or more employee devices within the target geographic location;
receiving, by the computer server, information indicating that an employee will assist; and
sending, to the portable electronic device, information about the employee and a location to meet the employee.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the portable electronic device, a request for assistance with a product;
entering the request in a queue, wherein the queue includes one or more requests for assistance with at least one product; and
sending, by the computer server, to the portable electronic device information indicative of a current position of the request in the queue.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising sending periodic updates to the portable electronic device indicating the current position of the request in the queue.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of the target geographic location, transmitting, to the portable electronic device, a data item associated with the target geographic location.

8. A computing system comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computing system to:
receive location information along with an accuracy value, the location information having been acquired using a global positioning service and describing an estimated location of a portable electronic device, and the accuracy value describing an accuracy range associated with the global positioning service used to acquire the location information;
determine, based on a comparison of the accuracy value to a threshold accuracy value, whether the estimated location is sufficiently accurate for use in determining whether an actual location of the portable electronic device is within a predetermined distance of a target geographic location, wherein the estimated location is sufficiently accurate when the accuracy value is less than the threshold accuracy value; and
in response to determining that the estimated location is sufficiently accurate, determine whether the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of the target geographic location, by:
determining a first length based on the accuracy value;
defining a first area that spans the first length from the location of the portable electronic device;
defining a second area spanning a predetermined distance from the target geographic location; and
determining whether a portion of the first area overlaps a portion of the second area.

9. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
in response to determining that the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of a target geographic location:
periodically check whether the first area no longer overlaps the second area; and
in response to determining that the first area no longer overlaps the second area, conclude that the user has left the target geographic location.

10. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
increase the first distance by a predetermined value to increase an area of overlap between the first area and the second area.

11. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
receive, from the portable electronic device, a request for assistance with a product;
communicate the request to one or more employee devices within the target geographic location;
receive information indicating that an employee will assist; and
send, to the portable electronic device, information about the employee and a location to meet the employee.

12. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
receive, from the portable electronic device, a request for assistance with a product;
enter the in a queue, wherein the queue includes one or more requests for assistance with at least one product; and
send, to the portable electronic device, information indicative of a current position of the request in the queue.

13. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
send periodic updates to the portable electronic device indicating the current position of the request in the queue.

14. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
in response to determining that the location of the portable electronic device is within the predetermined distance of the target geographic location, transmit, to the portable electronic device, a data item associated with the target geographic location.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to:
receive location information along with an accuracy value, the location information having been acquired using a global positioning service and describing an estimated location of a portable electronic device, and the accuracy value describing an accuracy range associated with the global positioning service used to acquire the location inf

Assignees

• Fugman Corey
• Vigier Benjamin
• Su Yingfeng
• Li Chen
• Krsmanovic Filip
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Fugman Corey
• Vigier Benjamin
• Su Yingfeng
• Li Chen
• Krsmanovic Filip

Classifications

• H04M3/523

  with call distribution or queueing · CPC title

• G06Q30/0613

  using intermediate agents · CPC title

• H04M3/4872 Primary

  Non-interactive information services · CPC title

• H04M2242/30

  Determination of the location of a subscriber · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title