Detecting mobile operator networks

• US 8,914,408 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ackerman, Nathan, DeSeranno, Shane M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US13/021,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/433, 705/26, 705/14, 705/1, 707/803, 707/100, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Various embodiments are disclosed that relate to detecting mobile operator networks. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method of operating a catalog server to which a mobile computing device connects via a computer network path that traverses a mobile operator network. The method may include receiving data from a mobile device, the data including a locale and a mobile operator identifier stored in memory on the mobile device; searching a database to find a store based on the mobile operator identifier and the locale; if a store is found, populating settings based on the store; and sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the settings.

Claims

1. A method for operating a content marketplace server, the method comprising:

receiving data from a mobile device, the data including a locale and a mobile operator identifier stored in memory on the mobile device;

searching a catalog database to find a mobile operator catalog based on the mobile operator identifier and the locale, where the catalog includes a general catalog;

providing a discovery application program interface (API) in the content marketplace server to identify a mobile operator network of a mobile device and identify which stores a user of the device is subscribed to, including variables and/or values used to detect users who should be offered third party content;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog, utilizing the discovery API to populate store specific settings based on the found mobile operator catalog and the general catalog;

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings;

if the mobile operator catalog is found, connecting the mobile device with a browsable online marketplace through the discovery API to access digital content of relevance to the user; and

sending to the mobile device data to cause the mobile device to display a browsable online marketplace of digital content for the mobile device, the browsable online marketplace of digital content corresponding to the found mobile operator catalog and the general catalog.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile operator identifier is a mobile country code/mobile network code tuple.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if a mobile operator catalog is not found based on the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple, removing a last character of the tuple to obtain a modified tuple;

searching the catalog database to find a mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog, populating the store specific settings based on the mobile operator catalog and the general catalog; and

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

removing the last character of the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple to obtain a modified tuple;

searching the catalog database to find a mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale; and

if a mobile operator catalog is found for both the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple and the modified tuple, sending a fail message to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a fail message to the mobile device if the mobile operator catalog is not found.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile operator identifier is a mobile operator key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes a manufacturer ID and the method further comprises:

searching the catalog database to find an original equipment manufacturer catalog based on the manufacturer ID and the locale;

if the original equipment manufacturer catalog is found, populating settings based on the original equipment manufacturer catalog; and

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the settings.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information is an xml file with catalog specific information.

9. A method for operating a content marketplace server, the method comprising:

receiving data from a mobile device, the data including a locale and a mobile operator identifier stored in memory on the mobile device, where the mobile operator identifier is either a mobile country code/mobile network code tuple or a mobile operator key;

searching a catalog database to find a mobile operator catalog including content provided by a third-party publisher based on the mobile operator identifier and the locale, where the catalog database includes a general catalog including content provided by a first-party publisher;

providing a discovery application program interface (API) in the content marketplace server to identify a mobile operator network of a mobile device and identify which stores a user of the device is subscribed to, including variables and/or values used to detect users who should be offered third party content;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog;

utilizing the discovery API to populate store specific settings based on the mobile operator catalog and the general catalog;

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings;

if the mobile operator catalog is found, connecting the mobile device with a browsable online marketplace through the discovery API to access digital content of relevance to the user; and

sending to the mobile device data to cause the mobile device to display a browsable online marketplace of digital content for the mobile device, the browsable online marketplace of digital content corresponding to the found mobile operator catalog and the general catalog; and

if the mobile operator catalog is not found, sending a fail message to the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if a mobile operator catalog is not found based on the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple, removing a last character of the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple to obtain a modified tuple;

searching the catalog database to find the mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog, populating the store specific settings based on the mobile operator catalog and the general catalog; and

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

removing the last character of the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple to obtain the modified tuple;

searching the catalog database to find the mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale; and

if a mobile operator catalog is found for both the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple and the modified tuple, sending a fail message to the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the data includes a manufacturer ID and the method further comprises:

searching the catalog database to find an original equipment manufacturer catalog based on the manufacturer ID and the locale;

if the original equipment manufacturer catalog is found, populating settings based on the original equipment manufacturer catalog; and

sending configuration information to the mobile device based on the settings.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the configuration information is an xml file with catalog specific information.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the fail message is configured to cause a marketplace on the mobile device to be disabled upon receipt by the mobile device.

15. A content marketplace server, comprising:

a logic subsystem; and

a data holding subsystem comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to;

receive data from a mobile device, the data including a locale and a mobile operator identifier stored in memory on the mobile device;

search a catalog database to find a mobile operator catalog based on the mobile operator identifier and the locale, where the catalog database includes a general catalog;

provide a discovery application programming interface (API) in the content marketplace server to identify a mobile operator network of a mobile device and identify which stores a user of the device is subscribed to, including variables and/or values used to detect users who should be offered third party content;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog, utilize the discovery API to populate store specific settings based on the mobile operator catalog and the general catalog;

send configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings;

if the mobile operator catalog is found, connect the mobile device with a browsable online marketplace through the discovery API to access digital content of relevance to the user; and

display on the mobile device a browsable online marketplace of digital content for the mobile device, the browsable online marketplace of digital content corresponding to the found mobile operator catalog and the general catalog.

16. The content marketplace server of claim 15, wherein the mobile operator identifier is a mobile country code/mobile network code tuple.

17. The content marketplace server of claim 15, wherein the data holding subsystem comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon that are further executable by the logic subsystem to:

if the mobile operator catalog is not found based on the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple, remove a last character of the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple to obtain a modified tuple;

search the catalog database to find the mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale;

in response to finding the mobile operator catalog, populate store specific settings based on the mobile operator catalog and the general catalog; and

send configuration information to the mobile device based on the store specific settings.

18. The content marketplace server of claim 15, wherein the data holding subsystem comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon that are further executable by the logic subsystem to:

remove a last character of a mobile country code/mobile network code tuple to obtain a modified tuple;

search the catalog database to find the mobile operator catalog based on the modified tuple and the locale; and

if a mobile operator catalog is found for both the mobile country code/mobile network code tuple and the modified tuple, send a fail message to the mobile device.

19. The content marketplace server of claim 15, wherein the mobile operator identifier is a mobile operator key.

20. The content marketplace server of claim 15, wherein the data includes a manufacturer ID and the data holding subsystem comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon that are further executable by the logic subsystem to:

search the catalog database to find an original equipment manufacturer catalog based on the manufacturer ID and the locale;

if the original equipment manufacturer catalog is found, populate settings based on the original equipment manufacturer catalog; and

send configuration information to the mobile device based on the settings.