Targeting applications based on mobile operator

• US 8,166,106 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Biggs, Todd, Zargahi, Kamran Rajabi, Brix, Todd Thoreau, Bouie, Daniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US12/760,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/226, 713/2, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/654 International mobile subscriber identity [IMSI] numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Filtering mobile applications in a mobile applications store based on a determined mobile operator associated with a mobile computing device. Mobile operators select mobile applications to be made available to mobile computing devices associated with the mobile operators. Users visit the online mobile applications store via the mobile computing devices. During the visits, the mobile operators associated with the mobile computing device are determined. The mobile applications selected by the mobile operators are presented to the mobile computing devices. In some embodiments, branding content from the mobile operators is provided to the mobile computing device when presenting the filtered mobile applications.

Claims

1. A system for selecting applications for presentation to a mobile computing device, said system comprising:

a memory area for storing metadata associated with a plurality of mobile applications available within a mobile applications store, said metadata identifying one or more mobile operators associated with each of the plurality of mobile applications, said metadata including a priority value associated with each of the plurality of mobile applications, said metadata further identifying one or more device manufacturers associated with each of the plurality of mobile applications, said plurality of mobile applications being associated with the mobile applications store; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a request from a mobile computing device for information relating to one or more of the plurality of mobile applications;

determine, from the received request, one of the mobile operators associated with the mobile computing device and one of the device manufacturers associated with the mobile computing device;

identify, based on the determined mobile operator and the determined device manufacturer, a set of mobile applications available to the mobile computing device;

arrange the identified set of mobile applications based on the priority values associated with the mobile applications in the identified set;

provide metadata associated with the identified set of mobile applications to the mobile computing device;

receive a selection of the mobile applications within the identified set based on the provided metadata; and

provide binaries of the selected mobile applications to the mobile computing device;

wherein the request includes a current operator name (CON) and a service provider name (SPN), and wherein the processor is further programmed to determine the mobile operator associated with the mobile computing device based on the received CON and SPN.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the request includes an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) associated with the mobile computing device, and wherein the processor is programmed to determine the mobile operator associated with the mobile computing device based on the received IMSI.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises one or more of the following for each of the plurality of mobile applications:

a name, a description, a cost, a mobile operator, and a device manufacturer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to provide branding content associated with the determined mobile operator to the mobile computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting mobile applications based on the mobile operator of the mobile computing device for presentation to the mobile computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for filtering the mobile applications available within the mobile applications store based on information associated with the mobile computing device.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a mobile computing device for information relating to one or more mobile applications available within a mobile applications store;

determining, from the received request, a mobile operator and a device manufacturer associated with the mobile computing device;

identifying, based on the determined mobile operator and the determined device manufacturer, a set of the mobile applications available to the mobile computing device;

arranging the identified set of mobile applications based on priority values associated with the mobile applications in the identified set;

providing, to the mobile computing device, metadata associated with the identified set of mobile applications;

receiving a selection of the mobile applications within the identified set based on the provided metadata; and

providing binaries of the selected mobile applications to the mobile computing device;

wherein the request includes a current operator name (CON) and a service provider name (SPN), and wherein determining the mobile operator associated with the mobile computing device comprises determining the mobile operator based on the CON and SPN.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request includes an international subscriber identity module (IMSI) associated with the mobile computing device, and wherein determining the mobile operator includes determining the mobile operator based on the IMSI.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the metadata comprises providing one or more of the following for each of the mobile applications in the identified set of mobile applications:

an application name, an application description, and a cost.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing branding content associated with the determined mobile operator to the mobile computing device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein other mobile computing devices associated with other mobile operators are unable to view the identified set of the mobile applications.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the set of mobile applications comprises identifying the set of mobile applications based on metadata correlating the mobile applications to the mobile operators.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata comprises lists of the mobile applications provided by the mobile operators.

14. One or more computer-readable memories having computer-executable components, said components comprising:

an interface component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to receive metadata associated with a plurality of mobile applications available within a mobile applications store, said metadata identifying one or more mobile operators associated with each of the plurality of mobile applications, said metadata further including a priority value associated with each of the plurality of mobile applications, said plurality of mobile applications being associated with the mobile applications store;

a store component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to receive a request from a mobile computing device for information relating to the mobile applications;

a carrier component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to determine, from the request received by the store component, a mobile operator associated with the mobile computing device, wherein the request includes a current operator name (CON) and a service provider name (SPN), and wherein the carrier component determines the mobile operator associated with the mobile computing device based on the CON and SPN; and

a filter component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to identify, based on the mobile operator determined by the carrier component, a set of the mobile applications for presentation to the mobile computing device, wherein the filter component further arranges the identified set of mobile applications based on the priority values associated with the mobile applications in the identified set, wherein the store component further provides the metadata associated with the set of mobile applications identified by the filter component to the mobile computing device, receives a selection of the mobile applications within the identified set based on the provided metadata, and provides binaries of the selected mobile applications to the mobile computing device.

15. The computer-readable memories of claim 14, wherein a user of the mobile computing device browses the mobile applications store with the mobile computing device.

16. The computer-readable memories of claim 14, wherein other mobile computing devices associated with other mobile operators are unable to view the set of mobile applications identified by the filter component.