Broadcasting local function templates to proximate mobile computing devices

• US 10,257,284 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ben-Tzur, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US14/984,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 370388
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Techniques include broadcasting, via a local wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC), a uniform resource locator (URL) template (e.g., an alphanumeric string) that references a software application (app) and indicates one or more operations (e.g., a function) for the app to perform based on one or more parameters (e.g., alphabetic, numeric, and/or symbolic characters). In this example, the URL template includes one or more fields (e.g., placeholders) configured to indicate the parameters. The techniques further include, in response to broadcasting the URL template, receiving, from a mobile user device (e.g., a smartphone) via the network, a URL including (e.g., generated based on) the template, where the fields include one or more user-specified parameters specified by a user of the device. The techniques also include causing the software app to perform the operations (e.g., the function) based on the user-specified parameters included in the fields of the received URL.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a data store with a plurality of uniform resource locator (URL) templates for a plurality of software applications, wherein each of the URL templates references a software application from among the plurality of software applications and indicates one or more operations for the software application to perform based on one or more parameters, wherein each of the URL templates includes one or more fields configured to include the one or more parameters;

receiving, from a mobile user device via a local wireless network, a search query;

identifying, by a local broadcaster, at least one of URL templates from among the URL templates related to the search query;

broadcasting, via the local wireless network, the at least one of URL templates;

in response to broadcasting the at least one of URL templates, receiving, from the mobile user device via the local wireless network, a URL comprising a first URL template of the at least one of URL templates, wherein the one or more fields include one or more user-specified parameters specified by a user of the mobile user device;

identifying a first software application(app) referenced by the first URL template based on the URL; and

causing the first software app to perform the one or more operations based on the one or more user-specified parameters included in the one or more fields.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting, via the local wireless network, parameter data that indicates, for at least one of the one or more fields included in the first URL template, that each of the one or more fields is required to include a parameter,

wherein at least one of the one or more user-specified parameters is included in each of the one or more fields indicated by the parameter data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting, via the local wireless network, parameter data that indicates, for at least one of the one or more fields included in the first URL template, one or more example parameters that may be included in each of the one or more fields,

wherein at least one of the one or more user-specified parameters comprises one of the one or more example parameters indicated by the parameter data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the first URL template comprises including, in at least one of the one or more fields included in the first URL template, one or more default parameters that may be included in each of the one or more fields.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting, via the local wireless network, access data indicating one or more conditions under which the mobile user device may perform one or more of receiving the first URL template via the local wireless network or accessing the first URL template.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting, via the local wireless network, access data configured to enable the mobile user device to perform one or more of receiving the first URL template via the local wireless network or accessing the first URL template.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the mobile user device via the local wireless network, authentication data indicating that the mobile user device may perform one or more of receiving the first URL template via the local wireless network or accessing the first URL template,

wherein the causing of the first software app to perform the one or more operations comprises causing the first software app to perform the one or more operations based on the authentication data.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the URL further comprises one or more additional fields that include one or more additional user-specified parameters specified by the user, and

the method further comprising causing the first software app to perform the one or more operations based on the one or more additional user-specified parameters included in the one or more additional fields.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Bluetooth network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the local wireless network comprises a near field communications (NFC) network.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile user device from a user of the mobile user device, a search query;

transmitting, using the mobile user device via a local wireless network, the search query to a broadcasting device;

receiving, at the mobile user device via the local wireless network, at least one of uniform resource locator (URL) templates selected from a plurality of URL templates from the broadcasting device, wherein each of the at least one of URL templates references a software application (app) and indicates one or more operations for the app to perform based on one or more parameters, wherein each of the at least one of URL templates includes one or more fields configured to include the one or more parameters;

receiving, at the mobile user device from the user of the mobile user device, one or more user-specified parameters specified by the user;

generating, using the mobile user device, a URL comprising a first URL template of the at least one of URL templates, wherein the one or more fields include the one or more user-specified parameters; and

transmitting, using the mobile user device via the local wireless network, the URL to the broadcasting device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile user device from the broadcasting device via the local wireless network, parameter data that indicates, for at least one of the one or more fields included in the at least one of URL templates, one or more example parameters that may be included in each of the one or more fields; and

displaying, at the mobile user device to the user, an indication of the one or more example parameters,

wherein the receiving of the one or more user-specified parameters from the user comprises receiving a selection of the indication of the one or more example parameters from the user.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile user device from the broadcasting device via the local wireless network, access data configured to enable the mobile user device to perform one or more of receiving the at least one of URL templates via the local wireless network or accessing the at least one of URL templates; and

performing one or more of receiving the at least one of URL templates via the local wireless network or accessing the at least one of URL templates based on the access data.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the mobile user device may perform one or more of receiving the at least one of URL templates via the local wireless network or accessing the at least one of URL templates; and

accessing the at least one of URL templates.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile user device from the user, one or more additional user-specified parameters specified by the user,

wherein the generating of the URL comprises generating the URL to include one or more additional fields that include the one or more additional user-specified parameters.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying, at the mobile user device to the user, an indication of a geographic location of the broadcasting device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the local wireless network comprises one of a Wi-Fi network, a Bluetooth network, and a near field communications (NFC) network.

19. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

maintain a data store with a plurality of uniform resource locator (URL) templates for a plurality of software applications, wherein each of the URL templates references a software application from among the plurality of software applications and indicates one or more operations for the software application to perform based on one or more parameters, wherein each of the URL templates includes one or more fields configured to include the one or more parameters;

receive, from a mobile user device via a local wireless network, a search query;

identify, by a local broadcaster, at least one of URL templates from among the URL templates related to the search query;

broadcast, via the local wireless network, the at least one of URL templates;

in response to broadcasting the at least one of URL templates, receive, from the mobile user device via the local wireless network, a URL comprising a first URL template of the at least one of URL templates, wherein the one or more fields include one or more user-specified parameters specified by a user of the mobile user device;

identify a first software application(app) referenced by the first URL template based on the URL; and

cause the first software app to perform the one or more operations based on the one or more user-specified parameters included in the one or more fields.

20. A computing device comprising:

a network interface component configured to communicate with a local wireless network;

an input/output (I/O) component configured to receive one or more user-specified parameters specified by a user of the computing device from the user;

one or more memory components configured to store computer-readable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a search query using the I/O component,

transmit the search query to a broadcasting device using the network interface component,

receive at least one of uniform resource locator (URL) templates selected from a plurality of URL templates from the broadcasting device, wherein each of the at least one of URL templates references a software application (app) and indicates one or more operations for the app to perform based on one or more parameters, wherein each of the at least one of URL templates includes one or more fields configured to include the one or more parameters,

receive the one or more user-specified parameters from the user using the I/O component,

generate a URL comprising a first URL template of the at least one of URL templates, wherein the one or more fields include the one or more user-specified parameters, and

transmit the URL to the broadcasting device via the local wireless network using the network interface component.