Facebook is set to know where you are going before you do and send you targeted adverts for your destination, after filing a new technology patent in the US.

The patent, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, relies on users' previously logged location data from their phones as well as similar data on other people to forecast where and when they are likely to go next.

Facebook can blend behavioural patterns with those of friends and others to help it build up a picture of habits and guess your future movements, according to one of the patents which was made public last week.

The social media giant sought to play down the significance of the patent application."We often seek patents for technology we never implement, and patent applications - such as this one - should not be taken as an indication of future plans."

But experts say the technology is aimed at providing advertisers with valuable new information.

For instance, for a person who always heads for a certain train station after leaving work, Facebook's algorithm will be able to predict exactly when they will lose internet connectivity. It could then automatically pre-load content on their smartphone and allow them to use its services without interruption. This would permit access to far more features from Facebook when on the underground or on an airplane, for example.