Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing multimedia information services over a communication network

• US 8,909,201 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Neil, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US13/299,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/403, 455/445, 455/411, 4554561-457, 455/453.1, 4554322-4323, 455/433, 455/518, 455/415, 455/517, 455/428, 455/422, 455/414.4, 370/338, 370/352, 370/328, 370/310
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In a communications network, a network access point address is determined that is currently associated with at least one of a plurality of subscriber mobile devices associated with a subscription to an information service. Content associated with the information service is formatted to provide subscriber content that is configured to be used by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices. The subscriber content is broadcast from a transmitter at the determined network access point address to the at least one subscriber mobile device over a wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for providing a multimedia information service over a communications network, the method comprising:

determining, among a plurality of network access point addresses, a common network access point address currently associated with ones of a plurality of subscriber mobile devices responsive to accessing a network access point database, the plurality of subscriber mobile devices being associated with respective subscriptions to the multimedia information service;

formatting subscriber content for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices based on capability information for the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices; and

selectively providing the subscriber content to the common network access point address that was determined, based on its association with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, for broadcast to the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices over a wireless network by a transmitter associated with the common network access point address without establishing respective one-to-one communications with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices and such that the subscriber content is not provided to an other network access point address, different than the common network access point address, among the plurality of network access point addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the plurality of subscriber mobile devices among a plurality of mobile devices responsive to accessing a subscriber database,

wherein the subscriber content that is broadcast comprises same content for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, and wherein the subscriber content is formatted to prevent at least some use of the subscriber content by devices that are not associated with respective subscriptions to the information service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the other network access point address is not associated with any of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the network access point address comprises:

receiving an information service request from the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices; and

determining the network access point address using information from the information service request.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

authenticating the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices as associated with a respective subscription to the information service responsive to receiving the information service request from the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a subscriber subgroup associated with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices responsive to receiving the information service request; and

selectively providing subscriber subgroup content to the network access point address that was determined, rather than to the other network access point address, for broadcast to the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices over the wireless network,

wherein the subscriber subgroup content is formatted to prevent at least some use of the subscriber subgroup content by ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices that are not associated with the subscriber subgroup.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the network access point address comprises:

detecting a presence of the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices based on a network registration request transmitted from the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices; and

determining the network access point address based on the network registration request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the following prior to selectively providing the subscriber content:

broadcasting, from the transmitter associated with the network access point address, an available content indicator to be decoded by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices; and

receiving an information service request from the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices responsive to broadcasting the available content indicator; and

establishing a communication session with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices responsive to receiving the information service request from the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining network conditions at the network access point address that was determined; and

formatting the subscriber content based on the determined network conditions.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a physical location of the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices based on the network access point address that was determined; and

formatting the subscriber content based on the determined physical location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively providing the subscriber content comprises:

establishing a communication session with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices currently associated with the network access point address that was determined; and

selectively broadcasting the subscriber content in accordance with a channel access method of the communication session.

12. A system for providing a multimedia information service over a communications network, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that is coupled to the processor and comprises computer readable program code embodied in the memory that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining, among a plurality of network access point addresses, a common network access point address currently associated with ones of a plurality of subscriber mobile devices associated with respective subscriptions to the multimedia information service responsive to accessing a network access point database,

formatting subscriber content for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices based on capability information for the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, and

selectively providing the subscriber content to the common network access point address that was determined, based on its association with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, for broadcast to the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices over a wireless network by a transmitter associated with the common network access point address without establishing respective one-to-one communications with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices and such that the subscriber content is not provided to an other network access point address, different than the common network access point address, among the plurality of network access point addresses.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying the plurality of subscriber mobile devices among a plurality of mobile devices responsive to accessing a subscriber database,

wherein the subscriber content that is broadcast comprises same content for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, and wherein the subscriber content is formatted to prevent at least some use of the subscriber content by devices that are not associated with respective subscriptions to the information service.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the other network access point address is not associated with any of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a subscriber database including respective capability information for the plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein the formatting the subscriber content further comprises;

determining the capability information for the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices using the subscriber database; and

formatting the subscriber content based on the capability information that was determined prior to selectively providing the subscriber content to the common network access point address that was determined.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the subscriber database further includes subgroup information associated with ones of the plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a subscriber subgroup associated with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices using the subscriber database; and

selectively providing subscriber subgroup content to the network access point address that was determined, rather than to the other network access point address, for broadcast to the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices over the wireless network,

wherein the subscriber subgroup content is formatted to prevent at least some use of the subscriber subgroup content by ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices that are not associated with the subscriber subgroup.

17. The system of claim 12:

wherein the network access point database includes respective network access point addresses currently associated with ones of the plurality of subscriber devices and physical locations corresponding to the network access point addresses,

wherein the operations further comprise;

determining a physical location of the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices based on the network access point address that was determined; and

formatting the subscriber content based on the physical location.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining network conditions at the network access point address that was determined; and

formatting the subscriber content based on the network conditions prior to selectively providing the subscriber content to the common network access point address.

19. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that is coupled to the processor and comprises computer readable program code embodied in the memory that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

providing identification data that identifies the mobile device as one of a plurality of subscriber mobile devices for storage in a subscriber database, the plurality of subscriber mobile devices being associated with respective subscriptions to a multimedia information service;

providing a registration request that identifies the mobile device as being associated with a network access point address among a plurality of network access point addresses for storage in a network access point database; and

responsive to providing the identification data and the registration request, receiving subscriber content formatted for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices that is selectively broadcast from a transmitter associated with the network access point address that is currently associated with ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, based on its association with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, without establishing respective one-to-one communications with the ones of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices,

wherein the subscriber content comprises same content for use by the plurality of subscriber mobile devices, wherein the subscriber content is formatted to prevent at least some use of the subscriber content by devices that are not associated with respective subscriptions to the information service, and wherein the subscriber content is formatted based on capability information for the ones of the plurality f subscriber mobile devices, and

wherein the subscriber content is not provided to a different network access point address, among the plurality of network access point addresses, that is not associated with any of the plurality of subscriber mobile devices.