METHODS, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR A MOBILE DATA FEED DISTRIBUTOR

• US 20100121831A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lin, Zhijian, Pasetes, Eliezer K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,316,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

This disclosure details the implementation of methods, systems and computer program products for a mobile data feed distributor (hereinafter, “Distributor”). Distributor embodiments may serve to facilitate users'"'"' selection of data feeds of interest and the provision of data feed data to mobile devices. In one embodiment, the Distributor may acquire and/or validate user preferences with respect to available data feeds, store those preferences, and subsequently direct the provision of data feed updates to a user'"'"'s mobile device via short message service (SMS) text messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) picture alerts, and/or the like. User preferences may include selections of data feed sources, designations of update messaging restrictions, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a user data feed subscription request from a user, including at least one data feed address designation;

storing the user data feed subscription request in association with the user;

querying a content provider associated with the data feed address designation to retrieve at least one content provider data update; and

providing the at least one content provider data update to be sent as a mobile device message to a user mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein querying a content provider and providing the at least one content provider data update are performed periodically.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating the user data feed subscription request; and

wherein storing the user data feed subscription request, querying a content provider, and providing the at least one content provider data update only occur if the user data feed subscription request is successfully validated.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the validating the user data feed subscription request further comprises:

determining if the at least one data feed address designation contains a valid data feed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data feed address designation comprises a universal resource locator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data feed address designation corresponds to an RSS feed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data feed address designation corresponds to an Atom feed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device message comprises a short message service text message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device message comprises a multimedia messaging service message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device message comprises a title, a description, and a link associated with the content provider data update.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the at least one content provider data update as a mobile device message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a user data feed subscription request further comprises:

providing a web form for display to the user; and

receiving the user data feed subscription request via a web form element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the web form element comprises a text box and the user data feed subscription request comprises a universal resource locator typed into the text box.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the web form element comprises a selectable link and the user data feed subscription request comprises selection of the selectable link.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data feed subscription request further comprises at least one alert restriction.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alert restriction comprises an alert cap, and further comprising:

determining if a number of mobile device messages sent to the user mobile device in a pre-designated period of time exceeds the alert cap; and

wherein the providing the at least one content provider data update only occurs if the number of mobile device messages sent to the user mobile device in a pre-designated period of time does not exceed the alert cap.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the alert restriction comprises a blackout period, and further comprising:

querying a temporal state;

determining if the temporal state is within the blackout period; and

wherein the providing the at least one content provider data update only occurs if the temporal state is not within the blackout period.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

levying a fee for providing the at least one content provider data update as a mobile device message to a user mobile device.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor and containing program instructions;

an input and output in communication with the processor and memory comprising a graphical interface;

wherein the processor executes program instructions contained in the memory and the program instructions comprise;

receive a user data feed subscription request from a user, including at least one data feed address designation;

store the user data feed subscription request in association with the user;

query a content provider associated with the data feed address designation to retrieve at least one content provider data update; and

provide the at least one content provider data update to be sent as a mobile device message to a user mobile device.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

processor readable instructions stored in the computer program product, wherein the processor readable instructions are issuable by a processor to;

receive a user data feed subscription request from a user, including at least one data feed address designation;

store the user data feed subscription request in association with the user;

query a content provider associated with the data feed address designation to retrieve at least one content provider data update; and

provide the at least one content provider data update to be sent as a mobile device message to a user mobile device.