AUTOMATIC CONTENT RETRIEVAL BASED ON LOCATION-BASED SCREEN TAGS

• US 20140108613A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPG Specialty Lending Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Monster Patents LLC (Monster Media LLC)
• Inventors: Randall, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• 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 system for displaying contents on a geographic location-specific display screen, the system comprising:

at least one display screen located at a respective specific geographic location;

a database configured to store, for each of the at least one display screen, at least one selection criterion for contents to be displayed on the at least one display screen, the at least one selection criterion including information about the specific geographic location of the at least one display screen;

a first server coupled to the at least one display screen, to the database and to at least one content server distinct from the first server, the first server being configured to automatically obtain contents from the at least one content server and display at least a portion, selected according to the at least one selection criterion in the database, of the obtained contents on the at least one display screen; and

a web server coupled to the first server and configured to serve, for each of the at least one display screen, a web page to a plurality of remote computers distinct from the at least one display screen, the web page comprising at least some of the contents displayed on the at least one display screen.

2. A computer-implemented method of displaying contents on a display screen located at a specific geographic location, the method comprising:

at a server remote from the display screen, automatically selecting contents, by at least one programmed computer processor, based on the specific geographic location of the display screen;

sending, by the at least one programmed computer processor, the contents from the server, via a computer network, to the display screen for display on the display screen located at the specific geographic location; and

making at least some of the contents available as a web page to computers other than the display screen.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein selecting the contents comprises selecting the contents based on at least one content attribute associated with the display screen.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises displaying the selected contents on a display screen selected from the list consisting of:

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; and

a display screen coupled to a private television distribution network.

5. A method according to claim 2, further comprising associating at least one content attribute with the display screen.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises associating a plurality of content attributes with the display screen.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of content attributes is selected from the set consisting of:

geographic location of the screen;

venue type of the geographic location of the screen;

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

a message topic.

8. A method according to claim 5, 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.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving a message sent by the user from a mobile telephone.

10. x A method according to claim 8, 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.

11. A method according to claim 5, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises automatically identifying the content attribute, based on contents selected from the list consisting of:

contents of at least one message already displayed on the display screen; and

contents of at least one message to be displayed on the display screen.

12. A method according to claim 5, wherein associating the at least one content attribute with the display screen comprises receiving information descriptive of an activity currently taking place at the geographic location of the display screen.

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

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein receiving information descriptive of an activity currently taking place comprises receiving automatically-generated information about a song being played by a jukebox.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein automatically sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played by the jukebox.

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

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein automatically obtaining additional information about the song being played comprises automatically obtaining information about people who are currently playing the song in other geographic locations.

18. A method according to claim 15, 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.

19. A method according to claim 2, wherein sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises automatically obtaining the contents, via the Internet, from a system selected from the list comprising:

a social networking system, a news data system;

a classified advertisement system;

an entertainment information system; and

a syndicated data feed system and an advertisement system.

20. A method according to claim 2, wherein sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises automatically querying a computer system, via the Internet, for the contents.

21. A method according to claim 2, wherein sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises:

subscribing to a data feed from a computer system; and

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

22. A method according to claim 2, wherein automatically selecting the contents comprises automatically selecting the contents according to a rule base, 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 2, wherein automatically selecting the contents comprises automatically selecting the contents according to a rule base, 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 2, wherein automatically selecting the contents comprises automatically selecting the contents according to a rule base, wherein the rule base at least statistically favors displaying contents that are associated with the geographic location of the display screen over contents that are not associated with the geographic location of the display screen.

25. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

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

displaying the other contents on the display screen.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the other contents are selected according to at least one rule.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein at least one rule of the at least one rule disfavors selecting contents associated with a predetermined set of other geographic location-specific display screens.

28. A method according to claim 2, wherein sending the contents for display 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 2, wherein sending the contents for display on the display screen comprises displaying the obtained contents for a predetermined amount of time.