Providing relevant non-requested content to a mobile device

• US 10,019,732 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Morse, Jason, Grubb, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Djenane
• Application Number:
  US15/145,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20160247197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method are directed towards providing non-requested content to a mobile terminal based on characteristics of, and tracked usage of the mobile terminal to request content through an online portal service, which provides access to content in multiple subject areas. A mobile user profile is created from the characteristics and patterns of the tracked usage. The tracked usage information includes the time, location, frequency at which the content was requested. Based on the mobile user profile information, content related to previously requested content is provided to the mobile terminal upon a trigger that is related to the requested content. The trigger event may include the mobile terminal returning to a location from which certain content was previously requested. The non-requested content may further be based on a related general user profile that indicates usage of an alternate electronic device to access content through the portal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor, a mobile user profile from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user, the tracked usage comprising locations at which the mobile user has previously used the mobile terminal in connection with online activities, and the characteristics comprising one or more capabilities of the mobile terminal;

determining, by the processor, one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations;

transmitting, by the processor, information to the one or more merchants, the information describing that the mobile user uses the mobile terminal within the predetermined distance; and

receiving, by the processor, an advertisement from the one or more merchants for display on the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within the predetermined distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, by the processor to a portal service, permission to track usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises web sites that the mobile user accesses, when the mobile user accesses those sites, and geographic locations at which the mobile user accesses those sites.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises a season in which the mobile user accesses certain sites.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises weather conditions on days that the mobile user accesses certain sites.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises online purchases of the mobile user through the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations further comprises determining latitude and longitude information.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer program instructions capable of being executed by a computer processor on a computing device, the computer program instructions defining the steps of:

determining, by the processor, a mobile user profile from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user, the tracked usage comprising locations at which the mobile user has previously used the mobile terminal in connection with online activities, and the characteristics comprising one or more capabilities of the mobile terminal;

determining, by the processor, one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations;

transmitting, by the processor, information to the one or more merchants, the information describing that the mobile user uses the mobile terminal within the predetermined distance; and

receiving, by the processor, an advertisement from the one or more merchants for display on the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within the predetermined distance.

9. The medium of claim 8, further comprising communicating, by the processor to a portal service, permission to track usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises web sites that the mobile user accesses, when the mobile user accesses those sites, and geographic locations at which the mobile user accesses those sites.

11. The medium of claim 8, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises a season in which the mobile user accesses certain sites.

12. The medium of claim 8, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises weather conditions on days that the mobile user accesses certain sites.

13. The medium of claim 8, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises online purchases of the mobile user through the mobile terminal.

14. The medium of claim 8, wherein the determining of the one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations further comprises determining latitude and longitude information.

15. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

mobile user profile determining logic executed by the processor for determining a mobile user profile from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user, the tracked usage comprising locations at which the mobile user has previously used the mobile terminal in connection with online activities, and the characteristics comprising one or more capabilities of the mobile terminal;

merchant determining logic executed by the processor for determining one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations;

transmitting logic executed by the processor for transmitting information to the one or more merchants, the information describing that the mobile user uses the mobile terminal within the predetermined distance; and

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving an advertisement from the one or more merchants for display on the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within the predetermined distance.

16. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising communicating logic executed by the processor for communicating, to a portal service, permission to track usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises web sites that the mobile user accesses, when the mobile user accesses those sites, and geographic locations at which the mobile user accesses those sites.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises a season in which the mobile user accesses certain sites.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the tracked usage of the mobile terminal comprises online purchases of the mobile user through the mobile terminal.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the determining of the one or more merchants located within a predetermined distance from a location in the tracked locations further comprises determining latitude and longitude information.