A group recommendation provides end users in a social group a set of recommended destinations based on the combined personal preferences of the members of the social group. Members of a social group are identified using a combination of location based signals and social graph information in response to receiving a recommendation request. The group recommendation may be determined by combining the personal preferences associated with each member of the group into a master preference profile. Alternatively, the group recommendation may be determined by first calculating an individual recommendation list for each member of the social group and then calculating a composite score for each recommendation on the individual recommendation lists.

A computerized information apparatus useful for providing information to a user via a display. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor apparatus, and first wireless interface, radio frequency apparatus, and at least one computer program configured to run on the processor apparatus, the at least one program being configured to enable functions within a transport device including remote control of environment functions (e.g., HVAC, lighting, imagery capture) based on authentication of a user carrying a portable radio frequency device.

A method and apparatus provide an indoor travel path based on a beacon. In an embodiment, the apparatus extracts, as a target beacon, at least one beacon device corresponding to at least one destination and also extracts, as an intermediate beacon, one or more beacon devices intervening between the target beacon and a user's terminal device. Then the apparatus establishes a link connecting the target beacon and the intermediate beacon and, based on the established link, calculates one or more paths configured to start from a current location of the terminal device, to pass through the intermediate beacon, and to arrive at the target beacon. Further, the apparatus selects a travel path having the minimum number of link hops from among the calculated paths and offers it to the terminal device.

A method and apparatus of processing a call are disclosed. One example method may include receiving a request at a server for dealer information. The request may be initiated by a user via his or her mobile station. The example method may also include determining whether there is user preference information and user location information included in the request. The information may be used to limit the amount of search results to increase relevancy. The method may also include searching a database for at least one dealer based on the user preference information and the user location information, and transferring the at least one dealer information to the user.

Systems, device and techniques are disclosed for dynamically retrieving and monitoring geo-fence activity. A meta geo-fence may be identified based on a user device geolocation. The meta geo-fence having a radius that is dynamically generated to include previously defined geo-fences within or touching the meta geo-fence. User device geolocation may be monitored in relation to the defined geo-fences included in the radius of the meta geo-fence. A communication may be sent to the user device when the user device reports that the user device has entered or exited one of the previously defined geo-fences within or touching the radius of the meta geo-fence.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for the purchase of and/or free sampling of products. The systems, methods, and/or apparatus may permit push notifications of purchased products and/or free product samples being available and may permit the use of mobile devices and/or mobile device applications to be used to purchase products or dispense free samples of products via a product dispenser or vending machine.

According to one general aspect, a method may include storing, in a memory device, a plurality of floor maps, each floor map indicating the structural layout of a respective predefined physical location. The method may include storing, in a memory device, a plurality of point-of-interest (POI) data structures. Each POI data structure may include a physical location of an associated POI. The method may include receiving a floor map request from a client computing device, wherein the floor map request includes a requested location. The method may include based upon the location included by the floor map request, selecting a selected floor map and a selected subset of the plurality of POI data structures. The method may include transmitting, to the client computing device, a response to the floor map request based upon the selected floor map and the selected POI data structures.

A computerized information apparatus useful for providing information to a user via a display. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor apparatus, and speech input apparatus, touch screen input and display apparatus, and at least one computer program configured to run on the processor apparatus, the at least one program being configured to provide a user with contextually relevant content without an affirmative request for such content, but rather based on context divined from one or more free form words spoken by the user, whether while searching for information or otherwise. In one variant, the context determination is performed by a remote networked server after having been provided digitized speech samples via wireless interface. In another variant, the context is determined based on soft function key inputs from the user while requesting information. A virtual database structure enabling rapid context determination is also disclosed.

A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, that a product of a plurality of products has a likelihood of being wasted. A recipe of a plurality of recipes that includes the product may be identified. One or more attributes of the recipe may be scored. A rating may be assigned to the recipe based upon, at least in part, the one or more attributes of the recipe. The recipe may be returned as a suggestion to use the product before the product is wasted based upon, at least in part, the rating assigned to the recipe.

A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, that a product of a plurality of products has a likelihood of being wasted. A recipe of a plurality of recipes that includes the product may be identified. One or more attributes of the recipe may be scored. A rating may be assigned to the recipe based upon, at least in part, the one or more attributes of the recipe. The recipe may be returned as a suggestion to use the product before the product is wasted based upon, at least in part, the rating assigned to the recipe.