Platform-independent content generation for thin client applications

• US 10,594,763 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tubi, Inc. (Fox Corporation)
• Original Assignee: adRise, Inc.
• Inventors: Massoudi, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): Brahmachari, Mandrita
• Application Number:
  US14/846,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system for providing platform-independent content for thin client applications executing on client computing devices, the system including: a computer processor; and a content engine executing on the computer processor and configured to: receive an initial content request identifying a platform of a client computing device; provide platform-independent initial content for the client computing device in response to the initial content request; receive a user engagement request generated based on a user input associated with the initial content; render, in response to the user engagement request, platform-dependent and user-interactive secondary content for the platform of the client computing device; and provide the rendered secondary content for display in a thin client application executing on the client computing device.

Claims

1. A system for providing platform-independent content for thin client applications executing on client computing devices, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a content engine executing on the computer processor and configured to;

receive an initial content request identifying a platform of a client computing device from a thin client application executing in fullscreen mode on the client computing device;

provide platform-independent initial content for the client computing device in response to the initial content request, wherein;

platform-independent initial content is provided in a static and predefined format to different types of client computing devices,

the initial content is server-side encoded in response to an incapability of encoding the initial content by the thin client application, and

the platform-independent initial content is displayed by the client computing device;

receive a user engagement request generated based on a user input associated with the initial content;

render, in response to the user engagement request, user-interactive secondary content in a platform-dependent format for the platform of the client computing device based on the platform identification, wherein the rendering includes server-side video encoding; and

provide the rendered secondary content for display in a thin client application executing on the client computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary content comprises an interactive user interface, and the content engine is further configured to:

receive a plurality of user engagement requests from the thin client application, each of the plurality of user engagement requests comprising a command for modifying the interactive user interface; and

for each of the plurality of user engagement requests;

render a modification to the interactive user interface based on the command, and

provide the modification for display on the client computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content engine is further configured to:

provide, for the thin client application, an instruction to request a tracking pixel, wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel from a reporting service in response to the instruction and in conjunction with displaying the secondary content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the platform-independent initial content is provided by a first module within an advertising engine;

the user-interactive secondary content is rendered and provided by a second module within the advertising engine; and

a reporting service is (1) remote from and (2) communicatively coupled to the advertising engine, and wherein the reporting service is configured to provide content referencing tracking pixels on multiple client computing devices.

5. A method for using a thin client application executing on a client computing device, the method comprising:

generating, by the thin client application, an initial content request identifying a platform of the client computing device, wherein the thin client application is executing in fullscreen mode on the client computing device;

sending the initial content request to an external content provider;

receiving platform-independent initial content from the content provider in response to the initial content request, wherein;

platform-independent initial content is provided in a static and predefined format to different types of client computing devices,

the initial content is server-side encoded in response to an incapability of encoding the initial content by the thin client application, and

the platform-independent initial content is displayed by the client computing device;

displaying the initial content on a display component of the client computing device;

detecting, after displaying the initial content, a user input associated with the initial content;

sending, based on the user input, a user engagement request for secondary content;

receiving, by the thin client application and from a content engine external to the client computing device, user-interactive secondary content server-side rendered in a platform-dependent format of the client computing device based on the platform identification, wherein the server-side rendering includes video encoding; and

displaying the secondary content on the display component.

6. A method for providing platform-independent content for thin client applications executing on client computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving an initial content request identifying a platform of a client computing device from a thin client application executing in fullscreen mode on the client computing device;

providing platform-independent initial content for the client computing device in response to the initial content request, wherein;

platform-independent initial content is provided in a static and predefined format to different types of client computing devices,

the initial content is server-side encoded in response to an incapability of encoding the initial content by the thin client application, and

the platform-independent initial content is displayed by the client computing device;

receiving a user engagement request generated based on a user input associated with the initial content;

rendering, by a server device of the content engine and in response to the user engagement request, user-interactive secondary content in a platform-dependent format for the platform of the client computing device, wherein the rendering includes video encoding; and

providing, by the server device, the rendered secondary content for display in a thin client application executing on the client computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the secondary content comprises an interactive user interface, and the method further comprising:

receiving a plurality of user engagement requests from the thin client application, each of the plurality of user engagement requests comprising a command for modifying the interactive user interface; and

for each of the plurality of user engagement requests;

rendering a modification to the interactive user interface based on the command, and

providing the modification for display on the client computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a set of instructions for the thin client application, each of the set of instructions requesting a tracking pixel from an external reporting service,

wherein each of the set of instructions is mapped to one of a plurality of user interface elements, and

wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel in response to detecting user engagement with the mapped user interface element.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

establishing a server connection with the client computing device; and

maintaining the server connection while the interactive user interface is displayed.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing, for the thin client application, an instruction to request a tracking pixel, wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel from a reporting service in response to the instruction and in conjunction with displaying the secondary content.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the initial content comprises advertising content and the initial content is obtained from an advertising exchange service.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the secondary content comprises a web page, and wherein rendering the secondary content is performed by a headless web browser executing on a server device.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, to the thin client application, an instruction to request a tracking pixel from an external reporting service at a predefined interval, wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel from reporting service at the predefined interval while displaying the secondary content; and

estimating a display time of the secondary content based on a number of accesses of the tracking pixel from the reporting service.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the client computing device is one selected from a group consisting of a network-connected television, a smart television, a smart Blu-ray player, an automobile network-connected computer, a gaming console, and a streaming set-top box.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the user input is obtained by one selected from a group consisting of a television remote control, a gaming console controller event, a touchscreen, a motion detector, and a voice command.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions for providing content, the instructions configured to execute on at least one computer processor to enable the computer processor to:

receive an initial content request identifying a platform of a client computing device from a thin client application executing in fullscreen mode on the client computing device;

provide platform-independent initial content for the client computing device in response to the initial content request, wherein;

platform-independent initial content is provided in a static and predefined format to different types of client computing devices,

the initial content is server-side encoded in response to an incapability of encoding the initial content by the thin client application, and

the platform-independent initial content is displayed by the client computing device;

receive a user engagement request generated based on a user input associated with the initial content;

render, by a server device of a content engine and in response to the user engagement request, user-interactive secondary content in a platform-dependent format for the platform of the client computing device based on the platform identification, wherein the rendering includes video encoding; and

provide, by the server device, the rendered secondary content for display in a thin client application executing on the client computing device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the secondary content comprises an interactive user interface, and the plurality of instructions further configured to enable the computer processor to:

receive a plurality of user engagement requests from the thin client application, each of the plurality of user engagement requests comprising a command for modifying the interactive user interface; and

for each of the plurality of user engagement requests;

render a modification to the interactive user interface based on the command, and

provide the modification for display on the client computing device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the plurality of instructions further configured to enable the computer processor to:

provide a set of instructions for the thin client application, each of the set of instructions requesting a tracking pixel from an external reporting service,

wherein each of the set of instructions is mapped to one of a plurality of user interface elements, and

wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel in response to detecting user engagement with the mapped user interface element.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the plurality of instructions further configured to enable the computer processor to:

provide, for the thin client application, an instruction to request a tracking pixel, wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel from a reporting service in response to the instruction and in conjunction with displaying the secondary content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the plurality of instructions further configured to enable the computer processor to:

send, to the thin client application, an instruction to request a tracking pixel from an external reporting service at a predefined interval, wherein the thin client application requests the tracking pixel from reporting service at the predefined interval while displaying the secondary content; and

identify a display time of the secondary content estimated based on a number of accesses of the tracking pixel from the reporting service.