Managing differences in user devices when sharing content on mobile devices

• US 7,653,001 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Anuraag, Lambert, Ed, D'Souza, Gerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Steven H
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDA, ADAM K
• Application Number:
  US10/821,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20050226166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550, 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/421, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 707/E17.001, 707/E17.107, 707/E17.11, 709/217, 709/219, 709/206, 709/212, 709/213, 709/100.08, 715/234, 715/200, 379/93.24, 379/93.25, 379/207.1, 348/211.2, 348/440, 370/252, 370/401, 370/465, 370/254, 370/400, 370/431, 370/352, 370/230, 370/338, 370/395.1
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Sharing content among users of mobile devices is facilitated and controlled by a system and method that employs a content sharing application to receive and process requests to share content amongst users of devices such as mobile devices and personal computers. Recipients receive share content messages from the content sharing application. The messages may contain links to shared content. The content sharing application is associated with an application program interface made available to content providers so that they can create user-selectable share content links or options displayed on display descriptions associated with the content. The content sharing application performs device capability checks so that selected recipients do not receive share content messages that contain links to content that is not compatible with their devices. In this way, users can select to share both device-dependent and device-independent content, even if the content provider does not always perform device compatibility checks.

Claims

1. A method of sharing content between a user and a recipient in a telecommunications system having at least one network gateway coupled among multiple mobile devices and a network, wherein a content sharing system and a content provider are also coupled to the network, the method comprising:

receiving a request message comprising a specific resource locator and a generic resource locator,

wherein the specific resource locator identifies a device-dependent portion of the content, wherein the device-dependent portion of the content is configured for a specific class of device,

wherein the generic resource locator identifies a non-device-dependent portion of the content, wherein the non-device-dependent portion of the content is configured for multiple devices, each belonging to a distinct class, and

wherein the request message is constructed, at least in part, by the content provider and includes an indication of content provided by the content provider and selected by the user for sharing with the recipient;

receiving recipient identification information from the user, wherein the recipient identification information identifies the recipient with whom the user wishes to share the content;

based on the recipient identification information and the indication of content in the received request message, determining that the recipient'"'"'s mobile device subscribes to a service associated with the content sharing system;

responsive to determining that the recipient'"'"'s mobile device subscribes to the service associated with the content sharing system, determining whether the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device have compatible capabilities;

where the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device have compatible capabilities, generating a specific content message for transmittal to the recipient'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the specific content message includes the specific resource locator but not the generic resource locator, and wherein the specific content message enables the recipient to access the device-dependent content, so that the device-dependent content can be displayed on the recipient'"'"'s mobile device; and

where the recipient'"'"'s mobile device and the user'"'"'s mobile device do not have compatible capabilities, generating a generic content message for transmittal to the recipient'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the generic content message includes the generic resource locator but not the specific resource locator, and wherein the generic content message enables the recipient to access the device-neutral content, so that the device-neutral content be displayed on the mobile device of the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content sharing system is associated with a wireless carrier and wherein the wireless carrier provides mobile service for the mobile device of the recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content sharing system is associated with a wireless carrier and wherein the wireless carrier does not provide mobile service for the mobile device of the recipient.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific resource locator is associated with an executable application or applet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generic resource locator is associated with an HTML or WML page.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the user has exceeded a predetermined threshold for sharing content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the received request message is in the form of an HTTP GET request.

8. A content provider system configured for facilitating the sharing of content among users of mobile devices interconnected within one or more mobile telecommunication networks, wherein at least some of the users subscribe to a mobile service provided by a mobile service provider, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including a set of instructions stored therein and executable by the processor for;

generating a user-selectable share content link as part of content available for access by users of mobile devices, wherein the user-selectable share content link comprises a specific resource locator parameter and a generic resource locator parameter, wherein the specific resource locator parameter identifies a device-dependent portion of the content, and wherein the generic resource locator parameter identifies a non-device-dependent portion of the content;

basing the user-selectable share content link on an application program interface provided in association with a content sharing an application of the mobile service provider.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising providing the content, including the user-selectable share content link, to the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the content can then be shared with the recipient'"'"'s mobile device via the content sharing application of the mobile service provider.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising providing the content, including the user-selectable share content link, to the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the content can then be shared with the recipient'"'"'s mobile device via the content sharing application of the mobile service provider, and wherein selecting the user-selectable share content link results in the share content request being sent to the content sharing application of the mobile service provider.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the content available for access by users of mobile devices is an executable application.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the content available for access by users of mobile devices is an executable MIDP application.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the device-dependent portion of the content is associated with a determination of device type by the content provider.

14. A method for facilitating the sharing of electronically communicated content among user devices having a range of capabilities, including input/output capabilities and platform capabilities, at a content sharing system associated with a wireless telecommunications service provider, wherein the electronically communicated content includes content presented by content providers for consumption by users of the user devices, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first user device to share content with a second user device, the request comprising a specific resource locator parameter and a generic resource locator parameter, wherein the specific resource locator parameter identifies a device-dependent portion of the content, and wherein the generic resource locator parameter identifies a non-device-dependent portion of the content;

determining that the second user device subscribes to a service associated with the content sharing system;

responsive to determining that the second user device subscribes to the service associated with the content sharing system, determining whether the first user device and the second user device have compatible capabilities;

if the first user device and the second user device have compatible capabilities and the second user device subscribes to the service associated with the content sharing system, then generating a specific content message comprising the specific resource locator parameter; and

if the first user device and the second user device do not have compatible capabilities and the second user device subscribes to the service associated with the content sharing system, then generating a generic content message comprising the generic resource locator parameter.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining whether the first user device and the second user device have compatible capabilities comprises retrieving and comparing information about the first device and the second device from a database containing subscriber records for subscribers of the wireless telecommunications service provider.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining whether the first user device and the second user device have compatible capabilities comprises retrieving information about the second device from a cross-carrier service.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is a WAP Push message.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is a SMS message.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the specific content message is a WAP Push message.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the generic content message is neither a WAP Push message nor a SMS message.

21. A wireless telecommunications service provider system for facilitating sharing of content provided by content providers among wireless devices users via one or more networks, the system comprising:

a server computer;

a database coupled to the server computer; and

a content sharing application running on the server computer and having access to the database,

wherein the content sharing application receives and processes a request to share content with a second wireless device from a first wireless device,

wherein the request comprises a specific resource locator parameter and a generic resource locator parameter, wherein the specific resource locator parameter identifies a device-dependent portion of the content, and wherein the generic resource locator parameter identifies a non-device-dependent portion of the content,

wherein the content sharing application determines that the second wireless device subscribes to a service associated with the wireless telecommunications service provider system; and

wherein the content sharing application determines, responsive to determining that the second wireless device subscribes to the service associated with the wireless telecommunications service provider system, whether the first wireless device has capabilities compatible with the second wireless device.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a cross-carrier service accessible by the content sharing application, wherein the cross-carrier service facilitates the sharing of content among devices not registered with the content sharing application.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the request further comprises a display description to which the first wireless device is returned after the request is processed.

24. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for facilitating sharing of content among users of mobile devices, the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a request from a first mobile device to share content with a second mobile device, wherein the request comprises a specific resource locator parameter and a generic resource locator parameter, wherein the specific resource locator parameter identifies a device-dependent portion of the content, and wherein the generic resource locator parameter identifies a non-device-dependent portion of the content, and wherein the request is associated with a user-selectable option on a display description provided by a content provider;

determining that the second mobile device subscribes to a service associated with a content sharing system; and

responsive to determining that the second mobile device subscribes to the service associated with the content sharing system, determining whether the first mobile device and the second mobile device have compatible capabilities;

if the first mobile device and the second mobile device have compatible capabilities, generating a specific content message, wherein the specific content message comprises the specific resource locator but not the generic resource locator, and transmitting the specific content message to the second mobile device; and

if the first mobile device and the second mobile device do not have compatible capabilities, generating a generic content message, wherein the generic content message comprises the generic resource locator but not the specific resource locator, and transmitting the generic content message to the second mobile device.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in HTML.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in XML.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in XHTML.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the display description is implemented, at least in part, in WML.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising instructions for receiving an indication of whether the content provider consents to providing access to the shared content to a cross-carrier user.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the request further comprises an indication of a return uniform resource locator identifying the address of the display description to which the first mobile device will be returned after the request is received.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the telecommunications mobile device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a logical node in a computer network receiving the contents.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a computer-readable disk.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of a computer system.