Providing relevant non-requested content to a mobile device

• US 9,049,250 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morse, Jason, Grubb, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US13/870,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709223-225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method are directed towards providing non-requested content to a mobile terminal based on characteristics of, and tracked usage of the mobile terminal to request content through an online portal service, which provides access to content in multiple subject areas. A mobile user profile is created from the characteristics and patterns of the tracked usage. The tracked usage information includes the time, location, frequency at which the content was requested. Based on the mobile user profile information, content related to previously requested content is provided to the mobile terminal upon a trigger that is related to the requested content. The trigger event may include the mobile terminal returning to a location from which certain content was previously requested. The non-requested content may further be based on a related general user profile that indicates usage of an alternate electronic device to access content through the portal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor, a mobile user profile for a user that defines attributes of a mobile device of the user;

determining, by the processor, a trigger based on a plurality of detected user actions with the mobile device;

modifying, by the processor, the mobile user profile to include the trigger;

detecting, by the processor, that the trigger occurred;

determining, by the processor, non-requested prefetch content for the user based on a prefetch parameter in the mobile user profile; and

transmitting, by the processor, the non-requested prefetch content to the mobile device for rendering by the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the non-requested prefetch content based on the prefetch parameter further comprises determining content relating to a location of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the non-requested prefetch content relating to the location further comprises prioritizing the non-requested prefetch content based on a history of previous content requests made by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the non-requested prefetch content based on the prefetch parameter further comprises determining content relating to a weight of an element of the mobile user profile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the non-requested prefetch content based on the prefetch parameter further comprises determining content relating to a prefetch parameter in a group of prefetch parameters consisting of a pattern associated with the detected user actions with the mobile device, habits of the user, and characteristics of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the non-requested prefetch content for the user based on the prefetch parameter further comprises determining the non-requested prefetch content based on past browsing activity by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving third-party information through an out-of-band communication other than through the mobile device, wherein the third-party information is based on the plurality of actions with the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the trigger further comprises determining the trigger and a content type based on the plurality of detected user actions with the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the modifying of the mobile user profile further comprises modifying the mobile user profile to include the trigger, the content type, and the third-party information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting the non-requested prefetch content based on:

the content type associated with the trigger;

the attributes of the mobile device;

the third-party information; and

a current location of the mobile device.

11. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

profile determining logic executed by the processor for determining a mobile user profile for a user that defines attributes of a mobile device of the user;

trigger determining logic executed by the processor for determining a trigger based on a plurality of detected user actions with the mobile device;

modifying logic executed by the processor for modifying the mobile user profile to include the trigger;

detecting logic executed by the processor for detecting that the trigger occurred;

content determining logic executed by the processor for determining non-requested prefetch content for the user based on a prefetch parameter in the mobile user profile; and

transmitting logic executed by the processor for transmitting the non-requested prefetch content to the mobile device for rendering by the mobile device.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the prefetch parameter relates to a location of the user.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the content determining logic further comprises prioritizing logic for prioritizing the non-requested prefetch content based on a history of previous content requests made by the user.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the prefetch parameter relates to a weight of an element of the mobile user profile.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the prefetch parameter is a prefetch parameter in a group of prefetch parameters consisting of a pattern associated with the detected user actions with the mobile device, habits of the user, and characteristics of the user.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the prefetch parameter is based on past browsing activity by the user.

17. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving third-party information through an out-of-band communication other than through the mobile device, wherein the third-party information is based on the plurality of actions with the mobile device.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the trigger determining logic further comprises trigger determining logic for determining the trigger and a content type based on the plurality of detected user actions with the mobile device.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the modifying logic for modifying the mobile user profile further comprises modifying logic for modifying the mobile user profile to include the trigger, the content type, and the third-party information.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processor, the computer-executable instructions comprising the steps of:

determining, by the processor, a mobile user profile for a user that defines attributes of a mobile device of the user;

determining, by the processor, a trigger based on a plurality of detected user actions with the mobile device;

modifying, by the processor, the mobile user profile to include the trigger;

detecting, by the processor, that the trigger occurred;

determining, by the processor, non-requested prefetch content for the user based on a prefetch parameter in the mobile user profile; and

transmitting, by the processor, the non-requested prefetch content to the mobile device for rendering by the mobile device.