Invocation of Sponsor-Defined Action on Mobile Communication Device

• US 20080209317A1
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: ZenZui, Inc. (Aclate, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bederson, Benjamin B., Dossick, Stephen E., SanGiovanni, John, Cooley, James W.
• Application Number:
  US11/681,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209317A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device

Abstract

A software application having a graphical user interface (GUI) is provided indicating labeled keys on a keypad of a user'"'"'s mobile communications device. The GUI has sponsor regions for insertion of various sponsor provided content which may be cached on the communication device. The determination of which sponsors'"'"' content to be displayed on the device may be dependant on the content being viewed by the user. The sponsor'"'"'s content may be inserted into the sponsor region. A selection of the sponsor'"'"'s content may be made by a user to initiate a user transaction.

Claims

1. A method for invoking a sponsor defined action on a mobile communications device comprising:

displaying with an application having a graphical user interface (GUI) content comprising a plurality of labeled elements that indicate labeled keys on a input device of the mobile communications device, said graphic user interface having sponsor defined regions;

receiving a sponsor GUI indicating sponsor provided content, said sponsor GUI having labeled elements indicating other labeled keys on the input device;

inserting the sponsor GUI into the sponsor defined region;

selecting with the input device one of the other labeled keys; and

initiating a user transaction when other labeled keys on the input device is selected.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the user transaction is selected from a group of transactions comprising initiating a transaction acknowledgment GUI, initiating a download of a digital audio recording from a server to the mobile communication device, and initiating a delivery of a product to a user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the application and the sponsor GUI is provided from a service provider.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the GUI elements are provided in response to selection of a tile on a second GUI.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the both the application and the sponsor GUI are cached in the mobile device before the user transaction is initiated.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the labeled keys are on a keypad of the mobile device and wherein the labeled elements indicate the labeled keys by having identical symbols as the labeled keys.

7. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

receiving non-sponsored content with a graphic user interface (GUI) including a sponsor defined region, said GUI having labeled elements indicating keys on an input device of a mobile communications device corresponding to the sponsor defined region and non-sponsored content;

receiving a plurality of sponsor provided content;

selecting with the input device non-sponsored content to be displayed;

inserting the sponsor provided content into the sponsor defined region;

selecting the keys corresponding to the sponsor provided content in the sponsor defined region; and

initiating a user transaction when keys corresponding to the sponsor provided content in the sponsor defined region is selected.

8. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7 further comprising storing sponsored content and non-sponsored content in cache memory of the mobile communication device.

9. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the sponsor provided content is inserted into the sponsor defined region depending on content selected.

10. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the input device is a keypad;

and wherein the keys are labeled.

11. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the sponsor provided content originates from different source than non-sponsored content.

12. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the user transaction is selected from a group of transactions comprising:

initiating a transaction acknowledgment GUI, initiating a download of a digital audio recording from a service provider to the mobile communication device, and initiating a delivery of a product to a user.

13. A system comprising:

a service provider to deliver to a mobile communications device an application having a graphical user interface (GUI) and sponsor and non-sponsored content comprising a plurality of labeled elements that indicate labeled keys on a input device of the mobile communications device, said GUI having sponsor defined regions; and

the mobile communications device to receive the application and request content from the service provider in response to a user selecting content with the input device, the mobile communications device to receive sponsor provided content and insert the labeled elements of sponsor provided content with non-sponsored content into the sponsor define regions of the GUI, the mobile communications device to receive a selection with the input device of one of the labeled keys and to initiate a user transaction when labeled keys on the input device corresponding to the labeled elements of the sponsor provided content is selected.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the mobile communications device is operative to transmit a signal to the service provider to initiate the user transaction.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the user transaction is selected from a group of transactions comprising:

initiating a transaction acknowledgment GUI, initiating a download of a digital audio recording from a service provider to the mobile communication device, and initiating a delivery of a product to a user.

16. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the sponsor provided content is provided to the service provider from different source than a provider or the non-sponsored content.

17. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the sponsor provided content is inserted into the sponsor defined region depending on non-sponsored content selected.

18. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein said GUI has labeled elements identical to labeled keys on the input device.

20. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of sponsor provided content is selected and inserted into the sponsor region depending on non-sponsored content selected.

19. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

providing content to a mobile communications device having an application with a graphical user interface (GUI), the application display a plurality of labeled elements that depict labeled keys on a input device of the mobile communications device, said GUI having a sponsor region;

sending a plurality of sponsor provided content to the mobile communications device for insertion into the sponsor defined region such that when the sponsor defined content is inserted into the sponsor region and displayed, the sponsor defined content is displayed with labeled elements;

receiving a request to initiate a user transaction from the mobile communication device in response to a user selection with the labeled keys of the input device that correspond to the labeled elements of the sponsor provided content; and

in response to the request, transmitting an indication request to a third party service provider to complete the user transaction.