Dynamic interactive skin

• US 8,694,033 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andrus, Scott M., Jones, Kevin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Assistant Examiner(s): COSME, NATASHA W
• Application Number:
  US13/890,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• 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 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A system and method is described for providing a dynamic interactive skin to at least one communications device. The dynamic interactive skin can be used to select one or more items. The items may be selected to send a message to at least one contact, send a vote for at least one contestant in a media program, send a vote for at least one ending of a media program, purchase an item in a store, preorder a product such as a meal or preorder a service such as a movie ticket, and perform various other wireless commerce functions.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating a short message service message in response to one of a plurality of selections being selected via an input interface of the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of selections is represented as an image presented on a display of the mobile device, each of the plurality of selections is associated with one of a plurality of endings for a broadcast, and each of the plurality of selections has a destination number assigned to one ending and a message body associated therewith, wherein the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections is populated with a character string used to establish a vote for a selected one of the plurality of endings associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, and wherein the short message service message comprises the destination number and the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, the character string and the destination number are updated periodically for each endings for a broadcast; and

initiating transmission of the short message service message to the destination number listed in the short message service message a voting system to submit the vote for the selected one of the plurality of endings, wherein the destination number included in the short message identifies the selected one of the plurality of endings to the voting system to ensure the vote is submitted for the selected one of the plurality of endings.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selections are stored in the memory prior to the one of the plurality of selections being selected.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selections are received by the mobile device prior to storing the plurality of selections.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the input interface is an interactive contact screen.

5. A method, comprising:

generating, by a processor in a mobile device, a short message service message in response to one of a plurality of selections being selected via an input interface of the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of selections is represented as an image presented on a display of the mobile device, each of the plurality of selections is associated with one of a plurality of endings for a broadcast, and each of the plurality of selections has a destination number assigned to one ending and a message body associated therewith, wherein the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections is populated with a character string used to establish a vote for a selected one of the plurality of endings associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, and wherein the short message service message comprises the destination number and the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, the character string and the destination number are updated periodically for each endings for a broadcast; and

initiating transmission of the short message service message to the destination number listed in the short message service message a voting system to submit the vote for the selected one of the plurality of endings, wherein the destination number included in the short message identifies the selected one of the plurality of endings to the voting system to ensure the vote is submitted for the selected one of the plurality of endings.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the plurality of selections prior to the one of the plurality of selections being selected.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving, at the mobile device, the plurality of selections prior to storing the plurality of selections.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the input interface is an interactive contact screen.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a short message service message in response to one of a plurality of selections being selected via an input interface of the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of selections is represented as an image presented on a display of the mobile device, each of the plurality of selections is associated with one of a plurality of endings for a broadcast, and each of the plurality of selections has a destination number assigned to one ending and a message body associated therewith, wherein the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections is populated with a character string used to establish a vote for a selected one of the plurality of endings associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, and wherein the short message service message comprises the destination number and the message body associated with the selected one of the plurality of selections, the character string and the destination number are updated periodically for each broadcast; and

initiating transmission of the short message service message to the destination number listed in the short message service message a voting system to submit the vote for the selected one of the plurality of endings, wherein the destination number included in the short message identifies the selected one of the plurality of endings to the voting system to ensure the vote is submitted for the selected one of the plurality of endings.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of selections are stored in a memory of the mobile device prior to the one of the plurality of selections being selected.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of selections are received by the mobile device prior to storing the plurality of selections in the memory.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the input interface is an interactive contact screen.