Method for transmitting and displaying images

• US 9,066,204 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abalo Media Holding GmbH
• Original Assignee: Abalo Media Holding GmbH
• Inventors: Mass, Michael, Goetzl, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/131,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20140171043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4144, 455418-420
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Images are transmitted from a server through a cellular network and displayed on a mobile phone. After a predefined time of non-use or via input of a user command, the mobile phone is switched into an inactive mode. When an activating operation is performed, the phone is switched from inactive into locked active mode. An unlocking operation switches the phone from locked active into unlocked active mode. User input is accepted only in unlocked active mode. The server selects a number of images and transmits them to the mobile phone. One of the transmitted images is selected and kept available for display, during locked active mode, the selected image is displayed. A count indicates how many times an image has been displayed, and the count value for each image is transmitted from the mobile phone to the server.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting and displaying images on a mobile phone,

wherein the mobile phone is switched into an inactive mode after a predefined time of non-use or in response to an input of a user command, the mobile phone is switched from the inactive mode into a locked active mode in response to an activating operation, and the mobile phone is switched from the locked active mode into an unlocked active mode in response to an unlocking operation, wherein the mobile phone accepts user input exclusively in the unlocked active mode;

the method comprising the following steps;

providing the images by a server in data communication with the mobile phone via a cellular network, and thereby selecting a number of images and transmitting the images from the server to the mobile phone;

selecting with the server one of the images transmitted to the mobile phone and keeping the selected image available for display;

displaying the selected image by the mobile phone during the locked active mode of the mobile phone;

determining a count value for each of the images transmitted from the server to the mobile phone, the count value indicating how many times the respective image has been displayed on the mobile phone; and

transmitting a respective count value for each of the images from the mobile phone to the server.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises determining with the server for each of the images, respectively, a separate total count value corresponding to a sum of the count values established for the server by the mobile phones.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, upon transmission of the images from the server to the respective mobile phone, for each of the images transmitting a maximum counter value specifying a maximum display frequency of the individual image, and in case the count value of the image reaches the respective maximum count value, ceasing display of the respective image and selecting another image for display.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a location of the mobile phone is determined by the mobile phone itself, and transmitting the images to the mobile phone depending on the location and, if appropriate, deleting images already stored on the mobile phone.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile phone is determined by the mobile phone itself and the individual images are provided with location information and transmitted to the mobile phone;

wherein from the images stored on the mobile phone, the image selected is the one having associated location information closest to a location determined by the mobile phone;

or

wherein display of the images is effected according to random criteria provided that the selection of an image is more likely the closer the associated location information thereof is to the established location of the mobile phone;

or

wherein, for each of the images, respectively one piece of location information in the form of a two-dimensional geometric surface area in a GPS coordinate system is indicated, and an image is selected for display if the mobile phone is located within the surface area.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises displaying the selected image in locked active mode, and hiding the image in response to the unlocking operation, or at a time following the unlocking operating by a predefined time interval.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone has at least one display and the selected image is represented on the at least one display, or if the mobile phone has a plurality of displays, the selected image is displayed on at least one of the displays.

8. The method according to claim 1, which comprises counting an image as having been displayed only if the image has been displayed for more than a predefined minimum time interval.

9. The method according to claim 1, which comprises selecting and displaying an image, or regarding the image as having been represented, only if a minimum time interval has elapsed since a last display of an image.

10. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, in locked active mode, establishing a number of user activities, associated with the image respectively displayed, and transmitting the number to the server, and establishing with the server a total number of all user activities performed while an image is being displayed, and providing the same separately for the respective image.

11. The method according to claim 1, which comprises establishing a time interval of the locked active mode, associating with the image respectively being displayed, and transmitting same to the server, establishing with the server a total time interval of display of the image, and providing the total time separately for the respective image.

12. The method according to claim 1, which comprises establishing a time interval between consecutive unlocking operations or between consecutive activating operations of the mobile phone, and transmitting same to the server, and providing with the server an average time between respectively two consecutive unlocking operations or between two consecutive activating operations.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the unlocking operation during the unlocked active mode of the mobile phone, the image selected is the one represented during a next locked active mode.

14. The method according to claim 1, which comprises providing for each of the images a counter in the mobile phone and a total counter in the server, increasing the counter associated with the respective image by one when the image is displayed, transmitting a value of the counter as a count value from the mobile phone to the server, and defining the total counter as a total value of the count values transmitted for the respective image from the mobile phone to the server, and keeping the total value available.

15. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, after representation on the mobile phone, deleting the respective selected image or tagging the image as represented, and transmitting a corresponding message from the mobile phone to the server, and counting with the server a number of messages received separately for each of the images and providing a total count value thus established separately for each of the images, and, optionally, omitting any further display of images so tagged as already represented.

16. The method according to claim 1, which comprises taking a picture of a user with a camera, and determining a time interval during which the user is viewing the display while the image is being displayed in the locked active mode.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein an image is only regarded as represented if the established time interval for which the user has viewed the display without interruption is longer than a predefined minimum time interval.

18. The method according to claim 16, which comprises adding up all of the time intervals for which the user is viewing a given image, and establishing a period of time as the sum, and considering an image as having been displayed only if the established period of time for which the user has viewed the display in total, optionally even with interruptions, is longer than a predefined minimum time interval.

19. The method according to claim 15, which comprises associating the respectively established period of time or time interval for which the user has viewed the image with the respectively displayed image and transmitting same to the server if appropriate;

and

wherein a total viewing time of an image by all users is established as a sum of the established periods of time or time intervals, respectively associated with the image and transmitted to the server, and wherein the server provides the respective total viewing time separately for each image.

20. The method according to claim 1, which comprises displaying the selected image for a given display time when the unlocking operation has been performed, and hiding the selected image after the given display time.

21. A non-transitory data medium, comprising program code stored thereon in non-transitory form for executing the method steps to be performed on a mobile phone of the method according to claim 1.

22. A non-transitory data medium, comprising program code stored in non-transitory form of a program for executing the method steps to be performed on the server of the method according to claim 1.