Configurable and pushable carrier communications with rich content

• US 20060211437A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Yang, Lianghua
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, data structures, and computer programming for the display on mobile wireless communications devices of information without the authorization or control of administrative servers. Displayed information can include, for example, carrier logos, news, and advertisements presented at the initiative of local service providers or other third-party systems. The local service providers or other parties are enabled to control the location and manner of the displays, as well as the content of data displayed. Providing control over the display to the local service provider enables, among other advantages, the transmission and display of much richer content, in more flexible manner than has heretofore been possible, including static and dynamic graphic images. The Application can be particularly useful in GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS systems.

Claims

1. Apparatus for displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, wireless communication with which is administered by an administrative server, the apparatus comprising a local service provider system, the local service provider system communicatively linked to the administrative server and to at least the mobile wireless device, the local service provider system adapted to:

receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;

provide to an administrative server a signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;

conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;

conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation;

the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation is designated by the provider system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the provider system and the administrative server share at least one processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein communications between the provider system and the wireless device are provided on at least two communications channels, at least one of the channels used for control signals sent from the provider system to the wireless device, and the data transmitted by the provider system to the wireless device for display are transmitted on the channel used for control signals sent from the provider system to the wireless device.

5. Apparatus for displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, wireless communication with which is administered by an administrative server, the apparatus comprising a local service provider system, the local service provider system communicatively linked to the administrative server and to at least one mobile wireless device, the local service provider system adapted to:

receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;

provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;

conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;

conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising text content designated without authorization by the administrative server.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the content is designated by the provider system.

7. Computer usable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to:

receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;

provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;

conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;

conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation;

the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.

8. Computer usable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to:

receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;

provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;

conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;

conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising text content designated without authorization by the server.

9. A data structure for use by a computer system such as a local service provider system in providing to a plurality of wireless communications devices data for display by the wireless devices, the data structure comprising fields of predetermined order and format for communicating data identifying:

at least one wireless device to which the data is addressed;

a class of type to which the data structure belongs;

a font to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying text content communicated by the data structure;

at least one position in an at least two-dimensional space, the position to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure;

a size to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure; and

at least one color to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure.

10. The data structure of claim 9, further comprising at least one field for data representing text content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with the identified font, position size and at least one color.

11. The data structure of claim 9, further comprising at least one field for data representing graphic content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with the identified font, position size and at least one color.

12. The data structure of claim 9, further comprising at least one field for data identifying data representing graphic content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with the identified font, position size and at least one color.

13. A method of displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, communicative access to which is administered by a server, the method performed by a local service provider apparatus communicatively linked to the server and to the at least one mobile wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;

providing to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;

conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classifying the device as a member of a group;

conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, accessing memory associated with the provider system and transmitting to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation;

the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data transmitted to the display device for display is formatted according to a data structure comprising fields of predetermined order and format for communicating data identifying:

at least one wireless device to which the data is addressed;

a class of type to which the data structure belongs;

a font to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying text content communicated by the data structure;

at least one position in an at least two-dimensional space, the position to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure;

a size to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure;

at least one color to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data further comprises at least one field for data representing text content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with an identified font, position size and at least one color.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the data further comprises at least one field for data representing graphic content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with an identified font, position size and at least one color.

17. Computer readable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer of a local wireless service provider system to transmit to a mobile wireless communications device data for display by the mobile wireless communications device;

the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, a display position designation, and content designated by the local service provider system;

the data transmitted on a control channel of a multi-channel communications system in conjunction with at least one control signal.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the data transmitted on a control channel of a multi-channel communications system in conjunction with at least one control signal is uni-cast from the local service provider to a mobile wireless communications device in a mobility management procedure on an available control channel which is already assigned.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the multi-channel communications system is operated in accordance with at least one of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) protocols, and the data is transmitted to the mobile wireless communications device by a layer 3 mobility management module.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the data is uni-cast from the local service provider to the mobile wireless device in conjunction with packet data radio links which are already established in a periodic packet service mobility management procedure.

21. The media of claim 17, wherein the at least one control signal comprises a signal associated with at least one of a location registration, power-on, packet service attachment, service registration, and log-in sequence of the mobile wireless communications device.

22. The media of claim 17, wherein the data is repeatedly transmitted to the mobile wireless communications device over the control channel.

23. The media of claim 17, wherein the data is repeatedly transmitted to the mobile wireless communications device using an extendable and periodically-available packet data flow link.

24. Computer readable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer of a local wireless service provider system to transmit to a mobile wireless communications device data for display by the mobile wireless communications device;

the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, a display position designation, and content designated by the local service provider system;

the data transmitted on a paging channel of a multi-channel communications system during a period in which the paging channel would otherwise not be used.

25. The media of claim 24, wherein the data is transmitted in conjunction with an empty space signal.

26. The media of claim 24, wherein the multi-channel communications system is operated in accordance with at least one of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) protocols, and the data is transmitted to the mobile wireless communications device by a layer 3 mobility management module.

27. The media of claim 26, wherein the data is transmitted in a radio resource management module.

28. The media of claim 24, wherein the data is repeatedly transmitted to the mobile wireless communications device over the paging channel.