Automatic content retrieval based location-based screen tags

• US 9,247,002 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPG Specialty Lending Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Monster Patents LLC (Monster Media LLC)
• Inventors: Randall, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liangche A
• Application Number:
  US14/506,075
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 709/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods automatically obtain contents and display the contents on location-specific display screens, based on content attributes associated with the screens. Associating content attributes (“tags”) with the screens allows administrators to specify the types of contents desired for display on the screens. For example, an establishment that caters to customers of a particular demographic (such as 21-27 year old singles, families with children, fans of rock-and-roll music, “bikers,” sports fans or ice cream lovers) may associate one or more content attributes (such as “dating,” “Disney,” “Led Zeppelin,” or “Red Sox”) with its display screen. The system then automatically obtains contents based on the attribute(s) and displays the contents on the screen. Patrons with mobile telephones or web-based users may send text messages for display on the screen or play interactive games displayed on the screen, as described in the incorporated patent application. However, even absent such activity, the disclosed systems and methods populate the screen with potentially ever-changing contents, thereby keeping the screen “fresh” and avoiding a situation known as the “ghost town” effect. The system may obtain the contents to be displayed from a variety of sources. For example, Twitter messages (“Tweets”) that contain or are otherwise associated (such as via “hashtags”) with a content attribute of a screen may be displayed.

Claims

1. A system for displaying contents on a geographic location-specific display screen, the system comprising:

at least one display screen located at a respective specific geographic location;

a database configured to store, for each of the at least one display screen, at least one selection criterion for contents to be displayed on the at least one display screen, the at least one selection criterion including information about the specific geographic location of the at least one display screen;

a first server coupled to the at least one display screen, to the database and to at least one content server distinct from the first server, the first server being configured to automatically obtain contents, based on the specific geographic location of the display screen, from the at least one content server, select a portion of the obtained contents according to the at least one selection criterion in the database and display the selected portion on the at least one display screen; and

a web server coupled to the first server and configured to serve, for each of the at least one display screen, a web page to a plurality of remote computers distinct from the at least one display screen, the web page comprising at least some of the contents displayed on the at least one display screen.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first server is configured to select the portion of the obtained contents based on at least one content attribute associated with the at least one display screen.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the first server is configured to:

receive a message sent by a user from a mobile telephone to an address associated with the at least one display screen, the message identifying the at least one content attribute; and

associate the at least one content attribute with the at least one display screen.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the first server is configured to automatically identifying the at least one content attribute, based on contents selected from the list consisting of:

contents of at least one message already displayed on the at least one display screen; and

contents of at least one message to be displayed on the at least one display screen.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the first server is configured to:

receive information descriptive of an activity currently taking place at the geographic location of the at least one display screen; and

associate the at least one content attribute with the at least one display screen, based on the information descriptive of the activity.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein:

the information descriptive of the activity comprises information about a song being played by a jukebox; and

the first server is configured to;

automatically obtain information about other geographic locations where the song is currently being played; and

display the information about the other geographic locations on the at least one display screen.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one display screen comprises a display screen selected from the list consisting of:

a display screen coupled via a computer to a wide area network;

a display screen of a jukebox;

a display screen of an interactive game system;

a display screen of a point-of-sale kiosk; and

a display screen coupled to a private television distribution network.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein each display screen is associated with at least one content attribute selected from the set consisting of:

geographic location of the screen;

venue type of the geographic location of the screen;

a demographic characteristic of an expected viewer of the screen; and

a message topic.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one content server comprises a system selected from the list comprising:

a social networking system, a news data system;

a classified advertisement system;

an entertainment information system; and

a syndicated data feed system and an advertisement system.

10. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rule base that at least statistically favors displaying contents that are associated with the geographic location of the at least one display screen over contents that are not associated with the geographic location of the at least one display screen; and

the first server is configured to select the portion of the obtained contents according to the rule base.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first server is configured to:

automatically select, according to at least one rule, other contents displayed on another geographic location-specific display screen, wherein the at least one rule disfavors selecting contents associated with a predetermined set of other geographic location-specific display screens; and

display the other contents on the at least one display screen.