Location-based mobile advertising: US Pat. No. 7,693,752

U.S. Patent No. 7,693,752, issued on April 6, 2010 to Hothand, Inc. of Lake Forest, CA, discloses a system and method for providing information to mobile devices regarding local merchants within a geographic area and a subscription-based shopping network.

The patent discloses a subscription-based system and method by which a mobile device (e.g., a cellphone) of a consumer can be sent information (e.g., advertising, offers, coupons) regarding merchants within the shopping network within the geographic location of the consumer. 

Hothand’s website describes a platform which provides university students, alumni, and fans with information from the university, as well as promotions from on-campus and local merchants.  The company touts its new patent as being “landmark,” and includes a link to an article describing the breadth of the patent. 

Besides the ’752 patent, Hothand is listed as the assignee for an earlier-issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,403,908 directed to telecom and sales marketing, and two pending U.S. patent applications directed to a mobile collegiate commerce system and to a point-of-sale food servings calculator.