SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR DETECTING CARRIER-CONTROLLED REQUESTS FOR A WEB SITE

• US 20120042008A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Kehle, John A., CHRISTIANSON, RYAN D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Various embodiments of systems, methods, and computers are disclosed for detecting and/or managing carrier-controlled requests for a web site. One embodiment is a method system for providing a web site to mobile communication devices. The system comprises a mobile communication device and a server. The mobile communication device is configured to communicate with the server via a communication network and comprises a carrier-controlled user interface for accessing a web site. The server is configured to provide the web site to the mobile communication device and comprises an on-deck detection system and an on-deck/off-deck management system embodied in a memory and executed by a processor. The on-deck detection system detects requests for the web site from the carrier-controlled user interface, and the on-deck/off-deck management system manages the requests.

Claims

1. A method for providing a web site to a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

a carrier controlling a presentation of a user interface on a mobile communication device for enabling a user to access a web site of an associated content provider;

a server receiving a first request for the web site from the mobile communication device;

the server determining that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface;

in response to the server determining that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface, the server presenting the web site to the mobile communication device in a first browsing session consistent with terms of a relationship between the carrier and the associated content provider;

after the first browsing session, the server receiving a second request for the web site from the mobile communication device;

the server determining that the second request originated from a source other than the carrier-controlled user interface on the mobile communication device; and

in response to the server determining that the second request originated from the source other than the carrier-controlled user interface, the server presenting the web site to the mobile communication device in a second browsing session without regard to the terms of the relationship between the carrier and the associated content provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request for the web site comprises a first URL and the second request for the web site comprises a second URL.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the server presenting the web site to the mobile communication device in the second browsing session comprises redirecting the mobile communication device from the second URL to the first URL.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first URL comprises a carrier identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server determining that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface comprises identifying a carrier identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first browsing session is presented according to a presentation scheme associated with the carrier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the server presenting the web site to the mobile communication device in the second browsing session comprises presenting the web site according to a different presentation scheme.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the server providing a cookie to the mobile communication device during the first browsing session, and wherein the server determining that the second request originated from the source other than the carrier-controlled user interface involves the cookie.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier-controlled user interface comprises one of a menu associated with an electronic app store, an in-app advertisement, and a carrier deck.

10. A system for providing a web site to mobile communication devices, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device configured to communicate with a server via a communication network and comprising a carrier-controlled user interface for accessing a web site; and

the server configured to provide the web site to the mobile communication device and comprising an on-deck detection system and an on-deck/off-deck management system embodied in a memory and executed by a processor, the on-deck detection system and the on-deck/off-deck management system comprising logic configured to;

receive a first request for the web site from the mobile communication device;

determine that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface on the mobile communication device;

in response to determining that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface, present the web site to the mobile communication device in a first browsing session with a first presentation scheme associated with a carrier;

receive, after the first browsing session, a second request for the web site from the mobile communication device;

determine that the second request originated from a source other than the carrier-controlled user interface on the mobile communication device; and

in response to determining that the second request originated from the source other than the carrier-controlled user interface, present the web site to the mobile communication device in a second browsing session with a different presentation scheme.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second request is initiated by the mobile communication device from one or more of a browser, a bookmark, a user input, or a search engine results page.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first request comprises a first URL and the second request comprises a second URL, and wherein the logic configured to present the web site in the second browsing session comprises logic configured to redirect the mobile communication device from the second URL to the first URL.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first request comprises a carrier identifier, and wherein the logic configured to determine that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface comprises logic configured to look-up the carrier identifier in a database.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein first request comprises a URL, and the logic configured to determine that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface comprises logic configured to access a database associating the URL with carrier information identifying the carrier.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the carrier-controlled user interface comprises one of a carrier deck, an electronic app store, and an in-app link in an app downloaded from the electronic app store.

16. A computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for managing on-deck and off-deck users of a web site, the computer program comprising:

logic configured to receive, in a first browsing session, a first request for a web site from a mobile communication device;

logic configured to determine that the first request originated from a carrier-controlled user interface on the mobile communication device;

logic configured to, if the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface, present the web site as an on-deck browsing session;

logic configured to receive, in a second browsing session occurring after the first browsing session, a second request for the web site from the mobile communication device, the second request initiated from a source other than the carrier-controlled user interface; and

logic configured to enforce the second browsing session as an on-deck browsing session despite being initiated from the source other than the carrier-controlled user interface.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the second request is initiated by the mobile communication device from one or more of a browser, a bookmark, a user input, or a search engine results page.

18. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the first request comprises a first URL and the second request comprises a second URL, and wherein the logic configured to enforce the second on-deck browsing session as an on-deck browsing session comprises logic configured to redirect the mobile communication device from the second URL to the first URL.

19. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the first request comprises a carrier identifier, and wherein the logic configured to determine that the first request originated from the carrier-controlled user interface comprises logic configured to identify the carrier identifier in a database.

20. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the carrier-controlled user interface comprises one of a carrier deck, an electronic app store, and an app provided via the electronic app store, and further comprising logic configured to provide a cookie to the mobile communication device during the first browsing session, and wherein the logic configured to determine that the second request originated from the source other than the carrier-controlled user interface comprises accessing the cookie.