Beacon applications for content discovery and interaction

• US 10,560,801 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gedikian, Steve S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US16/167,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20190297452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563, 4554141, 4554142, 4554143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Beacon applications for content discovery and interaction include triggering features in applications, application discovery, embedding beacon information in streaming media, synchronizing the presentation of content on mobile devices and automatic configuration of mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a broadcast device operating in a beacon environment, streaming media from a network-based content provider, the streaming media including a content portion and beacon information;

obtaining, by the broadcast device, the beacon information from in the streaming media, the beacon information including a beacon identifier identifying a radio frequency beacon associated with the broadcast device, wherein the beacon identifier, when received by the network-based content provider from an electronic device operating in the beacon environment, is used to identify additional content to send to the electronic device, wherein the additional content is identified via a lookup to a beacon database accessible by the network-based content provider;

broadcasting, by the device, the content portion of the streaming media into the beacon environment over a first broadcast medium; and

concurrently with the broadcasting of the content portion of the streaming media, broadcasting, by the radio frequency beacon, the beacon information into the beacon environment over a second broadcast medium that is different than the first broadcast medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the content portion of the streaming media includes playing the content portion of the streaming media through a loudspeaker.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the content portion of the streaming media includes displaying the content portion of the streaming media on a computer or television screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the beacon information includes obtaining the beacon identifier and a content identifier from a streaming media packet header.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the beacon information further includes a device identifier stored by the device, the device identifier identifying a device type for the broadcast device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the device type is a stereo system and the content identifier identifies a radio station provided by a radio streaming service.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the device type is a television system and the content identifier identifies a television station.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the content identifier is associated with a slide show being presented in the beacon environment.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a display device;

a wireless transceiver;

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to;

receive, via the wireless transceiver, beacon information broadcast from a radio frequency beacon into a beacon environment over a first broadcast medium, the beacon information obtained from streaming media that is broadcast into the beacon environment concurrently with the beacon information over a second broadcast medium that is different than the first broadcast medium, the beacon information including at least a beacon identifier identifying the radio frequency beacon and a content identifier identifying the streaming media;

display a notification on the display device, wherein the notification is associated with the beacon information;

receive user input related to the notification, wherein the user input is to request delivery of content associated with the beacon information;

send, by the wireless transceiver, a request for the content to a content provider, the request including the beacon identifier and the content identifier; and

receive, by the wireless transceiver, access to requested content.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the one or more processors additionally to invoke an application associated with the beacon environment in response to the beacon information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the content is a link to an application associated with the beacon environment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are additionally to download the application and install the application on the apparatus.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a broadcast device operating in a beacon environment, streaming media from a network-based content provider, the streaming media including a content portion and beacon information;

obtaining, by the broadcast device, the beacon information from the streaming media, the beacon information including a beacon identifier identifying a radio frequency beacon associated with the broadcast device, wherein the beacon identifier, when received by the network-based content provider from an electronic device operating in the beacon environment, is used to identify additional content to send to the electronic device, wherein the additional content is identified via a lookup to a beacon database accessible by the network-based content provider;

broadcasting, by the device, the content portion of the streaming media into the beacon environment over a first broadcast medium; and

concurrently with the broadcasting the content portion of the streaming media, broadcasting, by the radio frequency beacon, the beacon information into the beacon environment over a second broadcast medium that is different than the first broadcast medium.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein broadcasting the content portion of the streaming media includes playing the content portion of the streaming media through a loudspeaker.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein broadcasting the content portion of the streaming media includes displaying the content portion of the streaming media on a computer or television screen.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein obtaining the beacon information includes obtaining the beacon identifier and content identifier from a streaming media packet header.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the beacon information further includes a device identifier stored by the device, the device identifier identifying a device type for the broadcast device.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the device type is a stereo system and the content identifier identifies a radio station provided by a radio streaming service.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the device type is a television system and the content identifier identifies a television station.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the content identifier is associated with a slide show being presented in the beacon environment.