Enhanced banner advertisements

• US 8,798,445 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Marks, Bradley Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Daquan
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED Y
• Application Number:
  US12/713,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20110211813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 386/297, 386/240, 386/244, 386/248, 386/299, 386/E5.043, 340/539.13, 348/E5.099, 348/E5.103, 348/E5.105, 348/E7.071, 455/556.2, 707/736, 707/E17.044, 709/208, 709/217, 717/764, 725/58, 700/83
• US Class Current: 386/299
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for providing and displaying enhanced banners and other objects on a communication device. The banner file may comprise ancillary data, such as calendar appointment details, other event details, or contact details, embedded within the file itself, or comprised in an envelope wrapping the banner file. When the banner is displayed on the communication device, the user may invoke a context menu to create an event, such as a calendar event, on the device using the embedded ancillary data. In other embodiments, the communication device uses geolocation services to determine whether the user is likely to be in attendance at an event, and if not, to issue alerts or initiate a further action, such as initiating recording of a television program the user is about to miss, over the network. In other embodiments, the banner file'"'"'s ancillary data includes recommendation data, identifying a banner as being recommended by a contact of the user'"'"'s.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a communication device obtaining its current geographical location over a network;

the communication device obtaining, over the network, an estimated travel time for travel between the current geographical location and a location associated with an event stored at the communication device;

if the estimated travel time is greater than the difference between a start time of the event and a current time, the communication device transmitting an instruction over a network to a service for automatically controlling an external device, such that the external device is configured to carry out an action at the start time of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the external device is a personal video recorder, the event is a broadcast program, and the action is recording the program.

3. A communication device, comprising:

a processor configured to obtain, over a network, a current geographical location of the communication device and an estimated time for travel between the current geographical location and a location associated with an event stored in a memory of the communication device;

wherein the processor is configured to transmit an instruction over the network to a service for automatically controlling an external device if the estimated time is greater than the difference between a start time of the event and a current time such that the external device is configured to carry out an action at the start time of the event.

4. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the external device is a personal video recorder, the event is a broadcast program, and the action is recording the program.