Automatic Content Retrieval Based on Location-Based Screen Tags

• US 20100064007A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPG Specialty Lending Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LocaModa, Inc. (Monster Media LLC)
• Inventors: Randall, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods automatically obtain contents and display the contents on location-specific display screens, based on content attributes associated with the screens. Associating content attributes (“tags”) with the screens allows administrators to specify the types of contents desired for display on the screens. For example, an establishment that caters to customers of a particular demographic (such as 21-27 year old singles, families with children, fans of rock-and-roll music, “bikers,” sports fans or ice cream lovers) may associate one or more content attributes (such as “dating,” “Disney,” “Led Zeppelin,” or “Red Sox”) with its display screen. The system then automatically obtains contents based on the attribute(s) and displays the contents on the screen. Patrons with mobile telephones or web-based users may send text messages for display on the screen or play interactive games displayed on the screen, as described in the incorporated patent application. However, even absent such activity, the disclosed systems and methods populate the screen with potentially ever-changing contents, thereby keeping the screen “fresh” and avoiding a situation known as the “ghost town” effect. The system may obtain the contents to be displayed from a variety of sources. For example, Twitter messages (“Tweets”) that contain or are otherwise associated (such as via “hashtags”) with a content attribute of a screen may be displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying contents selected based on a location of a location-specific display screen, the method comprising:

associating at least one content attribute with the display screen;

automatically obtaining contents over a computer network, the contents based on at least one of the at least one content attribute associated with the display screen; and

displaying the obtained contents on the display screen.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the obtained contents on the display screen comprises displaying the obtained contents on:

a display screen coupled via a computer to a wide area network;

a display screen of a jukebox;

a display screen of an interactive game system;

a display screen of a point-of-sale kiosk;

or

a display screen coupled to a private television distribution network.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising making the contents displayed on the screen available via the Internet as a web page.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises associating a plurality of content attributes with the display screen.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of content attributes is selected from a set consisting of:

location of the screen;

venue type of the location of the screen;

a demographic characteristic of an expected viewer of the screen; and

a message topic.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises receiving a message sent by a user to an address associated with the screen, the message identifying the at least one content attribute.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving a message sent by the user from a mobile telephone.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving a message sent by the user from an Internet-connected computer, the message traversing at least a portion of the Internet.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises accepting a user-specified content attribute via an administrative interface and associating the user-specified content attribute with the display screen.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises automatically identifying the content attribute, based on content of at least one message already displayed on the display screen or based on content of at least one message to be displayed on the display screen.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises receiving information descriptive of an activity currently taking place at the location of the display screen.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein receiving information descriptive of an activity currently taking place comprises receiving automatically-generated information from a game system.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein receiving information descriptive of an activity currently taking place comprises receiving automatically-generated information about a song being played by a jukebox.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein automatically obtaining contents comprises automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played by the jukebox.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played comprises automatically obtaining information about other locations where the song is currently being played.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played comprises automatically obtaining information about people who are currently playing the song in other locations.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played comprises automatically obtaining information about people who have indicated an interest in the song or in an artist who performed the song.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein automatically obtaining the contents over the computer network comprises automatically obtaining the contents, via the Internet, from:

a social networking system, a news data system, a classified advertisement system, an entertainment information system, a syndicated data feed system or an advertisement system.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein automatically obtaining the contents over the computer network comprises automatically querying a computer system, via the Internet, for the contents.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein automatically obtaining the contents over the computer network comprises:

subscribing to a data feed from a computer system; and

receiving contents automatically sent by the computer system in response to the subscription.

21. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically selecting a subset of the obtained contents according to a rule base; and

wherein displaying the obtained contents comprises displaying the selected subset of the obtained contents on the display screen.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the rule base at least statistically favors displaying contents that were generated specifically for the display screen over contents that were not specifically generated for the display screen.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein the rule base at least statistically favors displaying contents that are associated with the display screen over contents that are not associated with the display screen.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein the rule base at least statistically favors displaying contents that are associated with the location of the display screen over contents that are not associated with the location of the display screen.

25. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically obtaining other contents displayed on another location-specific display screen; and

displaying the other contents on the display screen.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein automatically obtaining the other contents or displaying the other contents is performed such that the other contents are selected according to at least one rule.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein automatically obtaining the other contents or displaying the other contents is performed such that at least of the at least one rule disfavors selecting contents associated with a predetermined set of other location-specific display screens.

28. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the obtained contents on the display screen comprises displaying the obtained contents for an amount of time based at least in part on other contents displayed on the screen.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the amount of time is based at least in part on a number of other contents displayed on the screen.

30. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the obtained contents on the display screen comprises displaying the obtained contents for a predetermined amount of time.

31. A computer-implemented method of displaying contents on a location-specific display screen, the method comprising:

automatically selecting contents, based on the location of the display screen;

sending the contents for display on the display screen; and

making the contents available as a web page.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein selecting the contents comprises selecting the contents based on at least one content attribute associated with the display screen.

33. A computer-implemented method of displaying contents on a location-specific display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a message sent by a user to an address associated with the screen, the message containing contents; and

displaying the contents received in the message on the display screen.

34. A computer-implemented method for providing interactive displays, the method comprising:

making available, from an IP address, at least one web page for serving over a first network;

to a plurality of network addressable screens, each screen being addressable via the first network, so as to provide content particularized to each of the screens; and

to other computers coupled to the first network and in communication with the IP address;

translating commands received over a second network from user communication devices and using the translated commands to affect content on the screens, wherein each user communication device separately affects content on a selected one or more of the screens; and

displaying content included with one of the received commands on the selected one or more screens for a predetermined amount of time.

35. A system for displaying contents selected based on a location of a location-specific display screen, the system comprising:

a plurality of location-specific display screens;

an administrative user interface configured to receive at least one content attribute;

a server coupled to the plurality of location-specific display screens and to the administrative user interface and configured to;

store the received at least one content attribute;

associate the received at least one content attribute with at least one of the plurality of location-specific display screens;

automatically obtain contents over a computer network, the contents based on at least one of the at least one received content attribute; and

display the obtained contents on the at least one of the plurality of location-specific display screens.