Managing differences in user devices when sharing content on mobile devices

• US 20050226166A1
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Anuraag, Lambert, Ed, D'Souza, Gerry
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Sharing content among users of mobile devices is facilitated and controlled by a system and method that employs a content sharing application to receive and process requests to share content amongst users of devices such as mobile devices and personal computers. Recipients receive share content messages from the content sharing application. The messages may contain links to shared content. The content sharing application is associated with an application program interface made available to content providers so that they can create user-selectable share content links or options displayed on display descriptions associated with the content. The content sharing application performs device capability checks so that selected recipients do not receive share content messages that contain links to content that is not compatible with their devices. In this way, users can select to share both device-dependent and device-independent content, even if the content provider does not always perform device compatibility checks.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system having at least one network gateway coupled among multiple mobile devices and a network, and wherein a content sharing system and a content provider are also coupled to the network, a method of sharing content between a user and a recipient, the method comprising:

receiving a request message, wherein the request message is configured, at least in part, by the content provider and includes an indication of content provided by the content provider, wherein the user selected at least a portion of the content for sharing with the recipient; and

wherein the indication of content includes;

a specific resource locator identifying a device-dependent portion of the content, wherein the device-dependent portion of the content is configured for a specific class of device, and

a generic resource locator identifying a non-device-dependent portion of the content, wherein the non-device-dependent portion of the content is configured for multiple devices, each belonging to a distinct class;

receiving recipient identification information from the user, wherein the recipient identification information identifies the recipient with whom the user wishes to share the content;

based on the recipient identification information and the indication of content in the received request message, determining whether the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device are in the same class;

where the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device are in the same class, generating a specific content message for transmittal to the recipient'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the specific content message includes the specific resource locator but not the generic resource locator, and wherein the specific content message is configured to allow the recipient to access the device-dependent content, so that the device-dependent content can be displayed on the recipient'"'"'s mobile device; and

where the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device are not in the same class, generating a generic content message for transmittal to the recipient'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the generic content message includes the generic resource locator but not the specific resource locator, and wherein the generic content message is configured to allow the recipient to access the device-neutral content, so that the device-neutral content be displayed on the mobile device of the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content sharing system is associated with a wireless carrier and wherein the wireless carrier provides mobile service for the mobile device of the recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content sharing system is associated with a wireless carrier and wherein the wireless carrier does not provide mobile service for the mobile device of the recipient.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific resource locator is associated with an executable application or applet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generic resource locator is associated with an HTML or WML page.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the user has exceeded a predetermined threshold for sharing content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the received request message is in the form of an HTTP GET request.

8. A content provider system configured for facilitating the sharing of content among users of mobile devices interconnected within one or more mobile telecommunication networks, wherein at least some of the users subscribe to a mobile service provided by a mobile service provider, the system comprising:

means for generating a user-selectable share content link as part of content available for access by users of mobile devices, wherein the user-selectable share content link facilitates sharing the content with other users of mobile devices;

means for basing the user-selectable share content link on an application program interface provided in association with a content sharing application of the mobile service provider; and

means for including, in the user-selectable share content link, an indication of content available for access by users of mobile devices, wherein the indication of content includes;

a first identifier identifying a first portion of the content configured for a device having specific capabilities, and

a second identifier identifying a second portion of the content configured for multiple devices each having different capabilities.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising means for providing the content, including the user-selectable share content link, to a device of a user, wherein the content can then be shared with a recipient device via the content sharing application of the mobile service provider.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising means for providing the content, including the user-selectable share content link, to a device of a user, wherein the content can then be shared with a recipient device via the content sharing application of the mobile service provider, and wherein selecting the user-selectable share content link results in a request message being sent to the content sharing application of the mobile service provider.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the content available for access by users of mobile devices is an executable application.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the content available for access by users of mobile devices is an executable MIDP application.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the second portion of content configured for devices each having different capabilities is associated with a determination of device type by the content provider so that device-dependent content can be offered.

14. At a content sharing system associated with a wireless telecommunications service provider, a method for facilitating the sharing of electronically communicated content among user devices having a range of capabilities, including input/output capabilities and platform capabilities, wherein the electronically communicated content includes content presented by content providers for consumption by users of the user devices, the method comprising:

receiving information identifying a specific set of electronically communicated content that a first user of a first user device wishes to share with a second user of a second user device;

receiving information identifying a general set of electronically communicated content, wherein the general set of electronically communicated content is associated with the specific set of electronically communicated content;

determining whether the second device can display the specific set of electronically communicated content;

if the second user device can display the specific set of electronically communicated content, then generating a specific content message including the information identifying the specific set of electronically communicated content; and

if the second user device cannot display the specific set of electronically communicated content, then generating a generic content message including the information identifying the general set of electronically communicated content.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining whether the second device can display the specific set of electronically communicated content includes retrieving and comparing information about the first device and the second device from a database containing subscriber records for subscribers of the wireless telecommunications service provider.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining whether the second device can display the specific set of electronically communicated content includes retrieving information about the second device from a cross-carrier service.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is a WAP Push message.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is a SMS message.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the specific content message is a WAP Push message.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is neither a WAP Push message nor a SMS message.

21. A wireless telecommunications service provider system for facilitating the sharing of content provided by content providers among wireless devices users via one or more networks, the system comprising:

a server computer;

a database coupled to the server computer; and

a content sharing application running on the server computer and having access to the database,

wherein the content sharing application receives and processes requests to share content among the wireless device users,

wherein at least some of the requests to share content include information identifying content provided by one of the content providers,

wherein at least one of the wireless device users selects at least a portion of the identified content as content to be shared with at least one other of the mobile device users, and

wherein the information identifying the content provided by the content provider includes;

a first identifier identifying a first portion of the content that is configured for a mobile device having specific capabilities, and

a second identifier identifying a second portion of the content that is configured for mobile devices each having different capabilities.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a cross-carrier service accessible by the content sharing application, wherein the cross-carrier service facilitates the sharing of content among devices not registered with the content sharing application.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the first identifier identifies a display description to which the one of the wireless users is returned after the selecting of at least a portion of the identified content as content to be shared with at least one other of the mobile device users.

24. A computer-readable medium containing a data structure for facilitating sharing of content among users of mobile devices, the data structure comprising:

an indication of content to be shared,

wherein the indication of the content to be shared is provided as a parameter associated with a user-selectable option on a display description provided by a content provider,

wherein the indication of the content to be shared is provided in a format defined at a content sharing application of a mobile service provider, and

wherein the indication of the content to be shared includes a first identifier identifying a first portion of the content that is configured for a mobile device having specific capabilities and a second identifier identifying a second portion of the content that is configured for mobile devices each having different capabilities; and

an indication of a system or server hosting the content sharing application,

wherein the content sharing application receives information associated with the data structure as a result of a user selecting the user-selectable option on the provided display description.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in HTML.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in XML.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in XHTML.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in WML.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising an indication of whether the content provider consents to providing access to the shared content to a cross-carrier user.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising an indication of a return uniform resource locator identifying the address of the display description to which the user will be returned after performing a process associated with identifying recipients with whom to share content.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the telecommunications mobile device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a logical node in a computer network receiving the contents.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a computer-readable disk.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a data transmission medium carrying a generated data signal containing the contents.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of a computer system.

36. At a content sharing system associated with a wireless telecommunications service provider, a method for facilitating the sharing of electronically communicated content between a first user of a first mobile device and a second user of a second mobile device, wherein the electronically communicated content includes content presented by content providers for consumption by users of mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving from the first mobile device a request message identifying a general set of electronically communicated content,

wherein the request message is configured, at least in part, by the content provider,

wherein the general set of electronically communicated content is associated with a specific set of electronically communicated content, and

wherein the first user selected the specific set of electronically communicated content for sharing with the second user;

providing a user input form to the first user, wherein the user input form request information for identifying at least the second user;

receiving at least a portion of the requested information from the first user via the user input form;

generating a generic content message including the information identifying the general set of electronically communicated content; and

sending the generated generic content message to the second user on the second user'"'"'s mobile device so that the second user can access the general set of electronically communicated content via the generic content message, wherein the second user can optionally access the specific content by satisfying one or more conditions specified by the content provider.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the one or more conditions include paying a fee or agreeing to pay a fee to the content provider.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the one or more conditions include registering with the content provider.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein the one or more conditions include providing requested information to the content provider.

40. The method of claim 36 wherein the one or more conditions include completing a survey as requested by the content provider.

41. The method of claim 36 wherein the one or more conditions include upgrading the second mobile device.