Content delivery system and method

• US 8,655,383 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Feng, Kyte, Lo, Eddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSARIO, NELSON M
• Application Number:
  US12/484,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20100317370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.2, 455/424, 455/425, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/550.1, 455/561, 455/575, 455/3.01, 455/179.1, 455/161.1, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An apparatus and method provides event notifications to a user according to the user'"'"'s current location and the content in the user'"'"'s electronic device. Since the content, such as play counts, a number of songs, etc., may indicate the user'"'"'s preference about some specific artists, it is possible to establish an intelligent content delivery system according to the user'"'"'s preference. The content delivery system includes an event searching unit, a playback information retrieving unit and an information processing unit which is configured to determine whether to provide and display the content information by considering factors as distance, future occurrence, ticket availability, etc. of the event.

Claims

1. A content delivery system comprising:

a first content retrieving unit configured to retrieve first content information from at least one communication interface;

a second content retrieving unit configured to retrieve second content information directly from at least one electronic device coupled to the content delivery system;

a user interface configured to display at least a portion of said first content information;

a position and distance measuring unit configured to detect a current position of a user and provide distance information between the user'"'"'s current position and at least one location of the first content; and

an information processing unit configured to determine whether to provide and display at least a portion of said first content information to the user by managing said first content and second content information and analyzing at least the distance information provided by the position and distance measuring unit;

wherein the first content information comprises event information which is transmitted from at least one content provider to said communication interface, and the second content information comprises playback information including artist names, a number of songs belonged to each artist, play counts of each song, and a favorite radio station directly retrieved from said electronic device which is a playback device coupled to the content delivery system,

wherein said information processing unit divides the artists in the playback information into different tiers according to at least a portion of the playback information indicating the user'"'"'s preference and assigns a searching distance to each tier, where said information processing unit assigns a longest searching distance to search for event information of the artists to a tier with the highest preference, and the searching distance is descending in each tier therefrom, and

wherein the user interface is configured to allow the user to select at least one artist from said playback information in order to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information, and to search for future event for the selected artist or purchase the selected artist'"'"'s album, if there is no event for the selected artist.

2. The content delivery system of claim 1, wherein the information processing unit compares said event information with said playback information and if there is at least one matching information found, the information processing unit further analyzes a plurality of factors including future event occurrence, event ticket availability and the distance information provided by the position and distance measuring unit, and if at least one factor indicates negative, the matching information is not provided and displayed to the user.

3. The content delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a new city detecting unit communicatively coupled with the position and distance measuring device and at least one map information memory to detect whether the user is entering into a new city, and the first content retrieving unit is triggered if the user is approaching or entering the new city.

4. The content delivery system in claim 1, wherein the user is allowed to select at least one artist from said playback information to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information.

5. A method of delivering content to a user comprising the steps of:

retrieving first content information from at least one communication interface;

retrieving second content information directly from at least one electronic device coupled to a content delivery system;

detecting a current position of the user and determining a distance between the user'"'"'s current position and a destination;

determining whether to deliver and display at least a portion of the first content information to the user; and

displaying at least a portion of said first content information to the user;

wherein the first content information comprises event information transmitted from at least one content provider to said communication interface, and the second content information comprises playback information including artist names, a number of songs belonged to each artist, play counts of each song, and a favorite radio station directly retrieved from said electronic device which is a playback device coupled to the content delivery system;

wherein the step of determining whether to display at least a portion of the first content information to the user further includes the step of dividing the artists in the playback information into different tiers according to at least a portion of said playback information indicating the user'"'"'s preference, and assigning a longest searching distance to search for event information of the artists to a tier with the highest preference, and the searching distance is descending in each tier therefrom, and

wherein the user is allowed to select at least one artist from said playback information in order to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information, and to search for future event for the selected artist or purchase the selected artist'"'"'s album, if there is no event for the selected artist.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of retrieving for first content information from at least one communication interface includes the step of transmitting said first content information from at least one content provider to said communication interface via wireless communication.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether to deliver and display at least a portion of the first content to the user comprises the step of matching said first and second content information, and if there is at least one matching information found, then further analyzing a plurality of factors including future event occurrence, event ticket availability and whether the event location is within a predetermined distance from the user'"'"'s current location, and if at least one factor indicates negative, said matching information is not provided to the user.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of selecting at least one artist from said playback information to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of detecting a current position of the user and determining a distance between the user'"'"'s current position and a destination comprises a step of detecting whether the user is approaching or entering a new city.

10. A multifunctional electronic device comprising:

a display unit;

at least one information retrieving unit;

an information processing unit;

a user position detecting device; and

a playback device coupled to the multifunctional electronic device,

wherein a first information retrieving unit retrieves event information from a communication interface through a communication network, a second information retrieving unit retrieves playback information from said playback device, and the information processing unit determines whether to provide and display at least a portion of said event information by comparing said event with said playback information;

wherein said information processing unit divides the artists into different tiers according to at least a portion of the playback information including artist names, a number of songs belonged to each artist, play counts of each song, and a favorite radio station each indicating the user'"'"'s preference, and assigns a longest searching distance to search for event information of the artists to a tier with the highest preference, and the searching distance is descending in each tier therefrom, and

wherein the user is allowed to select at least one artist from said playback information in order to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information, and to search for future event for the selected artist or purchase the selected artist'"'"'s album, if there is no event for the selected artist.

11. The multifunctional electronic device of claim 10, wherein the information processing unit compares said event information with said playback information and if there is at least one matching information found, the information processing unit further analyzes the factors including future event occurrence, event ticket availability and whether the event location is within a predetermined distance from the user'"'"'s current location, and if at least one factor indicates negative, the matching information is not provided and displayed to the user.

12. The multifunctional electronic device of claim 10, wherein the user is allowed to select at least one artist from said playback information to retrieve the artist'"'"'s event information.