Providing relevant non-requested content to a mobile device

• US 9,344,523 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• 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): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US14/230,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• 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 from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user to request content through an online portal;

determining, by the processor, a pattern of mobile usage from the tracked usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user;

assigning, by the processor and from the pattern, weights for elements of the mobile user profile;

analyzing, by the processor, the weights for the elements of the mobile user profile to determine, based on the weights, non-requested content and to determine, based on the weights, a trigger at which to access the non-requested content; and

communicating, by the processor, the non-requested content to the mobile terminal at the determined trigger.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a general user profile to further determine the non-requested content, wherein the general user profile includes information from tracked usage of an alternate electronic device to access content through the online portal, wherein the alternate electronic device is in communication with the online portal and is associated with the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the mobile terminal are determined at least in part from at least one of the following:

a standardized mobile terminal profile; and

independent testing of the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the online portal provides content related to more than one topic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-requested content comprises at least one of the following:

an advertisement;

a notice of an event related to the requested content; and

content from the same source as the requested content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the mobile user profile comprises:

accessing a predefined mobile terminal profile that describes the characteristics of the mobile terminal; and

associating the mobile terminal profile with the pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises a purchasing pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the mobile user profile comprises:

accessing the mobile user profile for usage information including at least one of the following;

a time that the mobile terminal accessed the requested content;

a location from which the mobile terminal accessed the requested content; and

a frequency with which the mobile terminal accessed the requested content; and

searching for content that is related to the requested content and the usage information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile user profile includes characteristics of a previously used mobile terminal associated with the mobile user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of the following:

detecting that the mobile terminal is near a location at which the mobile terminal previously accessed the requested content;

detecting a time near which the mobile terminal previously accessed the requested content; and

detecting a communication from the mobile terminal that is substantially equivalent to a previous communication that was followed by the mobile terminal accessing the requested content.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions executed by a processor for performing processor actions, including:

determining, by the processor, a mobile user profile from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user to request content through an online portal;

determining, by the processor, a pattern of mobile usage from the tracked usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user;

assigning, by the processor and from the pattern, weights for elements of the mobile user profile;

analyzing, by the processor, the weights for the elements of the mobile user profile to determine, based on the weights, non-requested content and to determine, based on the weights, a trigger at which to access the non-requested content; and

communicating, by the processor, the non-requested content to the mobile terminal at the determined trigger.

12. A system comprising:

a processor;

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

mobile user profile determining logic executed by the processor for determining a mobile user profile from characteristics of a mobile terminal and from tracked usage of the mobile terminal by a mobile user to request content through an online portal;

pattern determining logic executed by the processor for determining a pattern of mobile usage from the tracked usage of the mobile terminal by the mobile user;

assigning logic executed by the processor for assigning, from the pattern, weights for elements of the mobile user profile;

analyzing logic executed by the processor for analyzing the weights for the elements of the mobile user profile to determine, based on the weights, non-requested content and to determine, based on the weights, a trigger at which to access the non-requested content; and

communicating logic executed by the processor for communicating the non-requested content to the mobile terminal at the determined trigger.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system comprises an online portal server.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile user profile determining logic further comprises logic to use a general user profile to further determine the non-requested content, wherein the general user profile includes information from tracked usage of an alternate electronic device to access content through the system, wherein the alternate electronic device is associated with the mobile terminal.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile user profile determining logic is further for accessing a predefined mobile terminal profile that describes the characteristics of the mobile terminal;

and for associating the mobile terminal profile with the pattern.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile user profile determining logic is further for accessing the mobile user profile for usage information including at least one of the following:

a time that the mobile terminal accessed the requested content;

a location from which the mobile terminal accessed the requested content; and

a frequency with which the mobile terminal accessed the requested content; and

searching for non-requested content that is related to the requested content and the usage information.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile user profile includes characteristics of a previously used mobile terminal associated with the mobile user.

18. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

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

identifier communicating logic executed by the processor for communicating an identifier of the mobile device to an online portal to enable the online portal to initiate a mobile user profile from characteristics of the mobile device;

content requesting logic executed by the processor for requesting content through the online portal, enabling the online portal to track requested content and revise the mobile user profile based on the requested content;

content receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving non-requested content from the online portal, wherein the non-requested content is based on weights assigned to elements of the mobile user profile and is related to the requested content, and wherein the non-requested content is received upon a trigger related to the requested content, the trigger based on the weights.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, comprising a second mobile terminal associated with the mobile user profile and the mobile user profile includes characteristics of a previously used mobile device associated with the mobile user.