Seamless retrieval of non-standard items for a mobile device

• US 8,214,454 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2010
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Barnes, James D., Biere, Devon L., Distler, Peter H., Sharma, Sanjay K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Georgandellis, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/686,188
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 717/178
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

Systems and methods for seamless retrieval of coupons and other non-standard items to a mobile device. Some method embodiments comprise: receiving a communication that specifies a user id and a coupon id, and storing the user id and a location of the coupon in a table in response to said receiving. A response to the communication is sent to the mobile device to invoke an application that accesses the table to determine the coupon location and uses the coupon location to download the content. The communication may be a web page request from a browser on the mobile device, and the application may be a coupon organizer external to the web browser. The communication may further include origination information, so that once the retrieval is complete, the mobile device once again displays the original web page and the user is given the perception that the download was accomplished within the browser.

Claims

1. A method for enabling seamless retrieval of non-standard items with a mobile device comprising a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

in response to a first communication based on interactions with a web browser on the mobile device, wherein the first communication specifies a user identification, a non-standard item identification, and an origination page address, storing, by a first external server comprising a processor and a memory, the non-standard item identification and the origination page address with the user identification in a database table on the first external server;

in response to the first communication, sending a second communication, by a second external server comprising a processor and a memory, to the mobile device, wherein the second communication includes a page that identifies a second application that is external to the web browser and causes the web browser to invoke and transfer control to the second application on the mobile device without passing the non-standard item identification or the origination page address to the second application; and

in response to being invoked, the second application retrieves the non-standard item identification and the originating page address from the database table, uses the non-standard item identification to download a non-standard item to the mobile device, and returns control to the web browser with the origination page address as a parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser is incapable of downloading the non-standard item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the first communication, displaying, by the web browser, a web page retrieved from a content provider with an advertisement for the non-standard item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first external server and the second external server are the same external server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein responsive to selection of the advertisement, the web browser sends a request to the content provider, which provides a response that re-directs the web browser to send the first communication to the external server.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein responsive to selection of the advertisement, the web browser sends the first communication directly to the external server.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein responsive to selection of the advertisement, the web browser sends a request to the content provider, wherein the content provider is the second external server and sends the first communication to the first external server responsive to the request from the web browser.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein responsive to selection of the advertisement, the web browser sends a request to the content provider, which provides a response that re-directs the web browser to the second external server, and wherein the second external server sends the first communication to the first external server.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein responsive to selection of the advertisement, the web browser sends a request directly to the second external server, and wherein the second external server sends the first communication to the first external server.

10. A system for enabling seamless retrieval of a non-standard item, the system comprising:

a first server comprising a processor and a memory, the first server configured to receive a first communication in response to interaction with a mobile device having a web browser that displays content from a content provider as a web page with an indication of the non-standard item, wherein the first communication specifies a user identification, a non-standard item identification, and an origination page address, wherein the first server is further configured to update a table to store the non-standard item identification and the origination page address with the user identification in response to the first communication; and

a second server comprising a processor and a memory, the second server configured to send, responsive to the first communication, a second communication to the mobile device, wherein the second communication includes a page that identifies a second application that is external to the web browser and causes the web browser to invoke and transfer control to the second application stored on the mobile device without passing the non-standard item identification or the origination page address from the web browser to the second application, thereby enabling the second application to retrieve the non-standard item identification and the originating page address from the table, download the non-standard item to the mobile device, and return control to the web browser with the origination page address as a parameter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the web browser is incapable of downloading the non-standard item.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server and the second server are an advertisement server, wherein the interaction with the mobile device comprises selection of the indication, and wherein the advertisement server receives the first communication from the web browser responsive to the selection of the indication.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server is an advertisement server and the second server is the content provider, wherein the interaction with the mobile device comprises selection of the indication, and wherein the advertisement server receives the first communication from the content provider subsequent to the content provider receiving a request from the web browser responsive to the selection of the indication.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the interaction with the mobile device comprises selection of the indication, and wherein the first server receives the first communication from the second server subsequent to the second server receiving a request from the web browser responsive to the selection of the indication.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first server is a non-standard item database and download server, and wherein the second server is an advertisement server.

16. A mobile device for enabling seamless retrieval of a non-standard item, the mobile device comprising:

a web browser stored in a memory of the mobile device and executable by a processor of the mobile device to cause the mobile device to;

display content from a content provider as a web page with an indication of the non-standard item;

responsive to selection of the indication, send a request to a first server comprising a user identification, a non-standard item identification, and an origination page address;

receive a reply from the first server, wherein the reply from the first server includes a page that identifies a second application that is external to the web browser; and

responsive to the reply form the first server, invoke and transfer control to the second application on the mobile device without passing the non-standard item identification or the origination page address to the second application; and

the second application stored in a memory of the mobile device and executable by a processor of the mobile device responsive to being invoked to cause the mobile device to;

retrieve the non-standard item identification and the originating page address from a database table on a second server, wherein the database table stores the non-standard item identification and the origination page address with the user identification;

download the non-standard item to the mobile device using the non-standard item identification; and

return control to the web browser with the origination page address as a parameter.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the web browser is incapable of downloading the non-standard item.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the non-standard item is a coupon.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first server and the second server are the same server.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second server receives the user identification, the non-standard item identification, and the origination page address from the first server.