System and method for providing locally applicable internet content with secure action requests and item condition alerts

• US 8,073,468 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Innovation Sciences, LLC
• Original Assignee: Seller Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Tiehong, Wang, Ximing, Wang, Tiejun
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US12/577,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/395.52, 370/428, 370/429, 370/331, 4554561-457, 455/404.2, 455/459, 455/445, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/403, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 709/217, 709223-224, 709/229
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Optimized delivery of locally applicable Internet content to users. A cache of locally applicable Internet content is maintained in a local content server, based upon a monitoring of locations of users requesting Internet content. Requests for Internet content are received from user equipment through a wireless network base station, and served from the local content server, which is logically proximate to the wireless network base station. The caching of locally applicable Internet content may be maintained on a layered basis. Secure action request receipt and corresponding performance, and item condition alerts are also described.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing the delivery of content to users, the method comprising:

determining locations for users accessing Internet content from wireless devices;

monitoring the Internet content accesses by users from a particular location;

caching particular Internet content that is determined to be locally applicable based upon the monitoring of the Internet content accessed by users from the particular location, wherein the particular Internet content is cached at a local content server that is logically proximate to the particular location;

receiving an item condition alert from a user;

identifying the locally applicable Internet content that relates to the received item condition alert; and

causing the locally applicable Internet content relating to the received item condition alert to be sent to at least one user from the local content server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet content is determined to be locally applicable by iteratively determining local applicability on a layered basis, such that a first layer of local applicability corresponds to Internet content accessed by users in a first geographical area in which the particular location resides, and at least one succeeding layer of local applicability corresponds to Internet content accessed by users in at least one succeeding geographical area that encompasses and is larger than the first geographical area.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

notifying a commercial entity based upon a relationship of the commercial entity to the locally applicable Internet content.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

accommodating provision of a commercial incentive from the commercial entity to a requesting user according to the relevance of the locally applicable Internet content, wherein the commercial incentive includes at least one of a coupon or an advertisement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the provision of the commercial incentive is made in conjunction with a provision of an indication of a corresponding need to the requesting user, wherein the determination of the corresponding need is performed separately and without requiring input from the commercial entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet content is determined to be locally applicable by determining frequency of access by users at the particular location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet content is determined to be locally applicable by comparing a location identified with the requested content to the particular location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a purchase information;

retrieving locally applicable Internet content that relates to the request for the purchase information; and

generating a purchase opportunity relating to the request for purchase information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a purchase opportunity relating to the item condition alert using the retrieved locally applicable Internet content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an alert corresponding to a current condition of the item based upon the received item condition alert.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the locally applicable Internet content includes broadcast or multicast data for cellular users.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the locally applicable Internet content includes merchant information.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the users of a commercial incentive from a merchant, wherein the commercial incentive includes a promotion of a commercial transaction or a discount of a product or service.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the locally applicable Internet content corresponding to the alert includes the location condition of the item condition alert.

14. A computer system for optimizing the delivery of content to users, the system comprising:

means for determining locations for users accessing Internet content from wireless devices;

means for monitoring the Internet content accesses by users from a particular location;

means for caching particular Internet content that is determined to be locally applicable based upon the monitoring of the Internet content accessed by users from the particular location, wherein the particular Internet content is cached at a local content server that is logically proximate to the particular location;

means for receiving an item condition alert from a user;

means for identifying the locally applicable Internet content that relates to the received item condition alert; and

means for causing the locally applicable Internet content relating to the received item condition alert to be sent to at least one user from the local content server.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions being executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

determining locations for users accessing Internet content from wireless devices;

monitoring the Internet content accesses by users from a particular location;

caching particular Internet content that is determined to be locally applicable based upon the monitoring of the Internet content accessed by users from the particular location, wherein the particular Internet content is cached at a local content server that is logically proximate to the particular location;

receiving an item condition alert from a user;

identifying the locally applicable Internet content that relates to the received item condition alert; and

causing the locally applicable Internet content relating to the received item condition alert to be sent to at least one user from the local content server.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the Internet content is determined to be locally applicable by iteratively determining local applicability on a layered basis, such that a first layer of local applicability corresponds to Internet content accessed by users in a first geographical area in which the particular location resides, and at least one succeeding layer of local applicability corresponds to Internet content accessed by users in at least one succeeding geographical area that encompasses and is larger than the first geographical area.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying a commercial entity based upon a relationship of the commercial entity to the locally applicable Internet content.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

accommodating provision of a commercial incentive from the commercial entity to a requesting user according to the relevance of the locally applicable Internet content, wherein the commercial incentive includes at least one of a coupon or an advertisement.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the provision of the commercial incentive is made in conjunction with a provision of an indication of a corresponding need to the requesting user, wherein the determination of the corresponding need is performed separately and without requiring input from the commercial entity.