Methods, systems and computer program products for tailoring advertisements to a user based on actions taken using a portable electronic device

• US 9,460,454 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruckart, John, Starr, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US14/817,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• 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: 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 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method of advertising tailored based on usage patterns of a portable electronic device includes determining if a portable electronic device has entered an area associated with a local area network (LAN). A link is established between the portable electronic device and the LAN if it is determined that the portable electronic device has entered the area associated with the LAN. User services are established between the portable electronic device and a remote server using the established link based on a user profile associated with the portable electronic device. Devices associated with the remote server communicatively coupled to the LAN are controlled using the portable electronic device. Actions and/or behaviors of a user are tracked based on use of the portable electronic device. Advertisements are displayed and/or played on at least one of the controlled devices based on the tracked user actions and/or behaviors.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a processor of a portable electronic device, user services provided by a controllable device on a local area network;

configuring, by the processor, the portable electronic device to enable direct control of the controllable device, wherein the direct control includes providing advertisements to the controllable device;

responsive to establishing the user services, identifying, by the processor, interests associated with a user of the portable electronic device according to tracking of actions at the portable electronic device, wherein the actions include accessing media content, and wherein the identifying of the interests includes determining a correlation between the media content accessed;

identifying, by the processor, a response from the portable electronic device to a presentation of a first advertisement on the controllable device, wherein the first advertisement is based on the interests that were identified;

re-analyzing, by the processor, the actions that are tracked in conjunction with the response, wherein the re-analyzing of the actions identifies refined interests associated with the user; and

identifying, by the processor, a second response from the portable electronic device to a presentation of a second advertisement on the controllable device, wherein the second advertisement is selected according to the refined interests that were identified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions that are tracked at the portable electronic device include:

determining voice calls to which the portable electronic device was a party, and determining where the user is calling.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions that are tracked at the portable electronic device are determined by a tracking server that is part of the local area network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable device is controllable by the portable electronic device according to hierarchal user information obtained from a user profile that is obtained responsive to a detection of a presence of the portable electronic device in an area associated with the local area network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular radio telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable device is a television.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions that are tracked comprise accessing a website via the portable electronic device.

8. A server comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

providing first communication services to a first portable electronic device;

enabling, by the processor, the first portable electronic device to control a controllable device associated with the server and coupled to a local area network responsive to a determination that the first portable electronic device is in an area associated with the local area network;

providing second communication services to a second portable electronic device;

determining a priority between the first and second portable electronic devices according to hierarchical information associated with the first and second portable electronic devices;

enabling, by the processor, the second portable electronic device to control the controllable device responsive to a determination that the second portable electronic device is in the area associated with the local area network and the priority determined;

identifying a first advertisement to be presented by the controllable device based on monitored behavior for the first portable electronic device;

detecting a response from the first portable electronic device to a presentation of the first advertisement;

re-analyzing the monitored behavior in conjunction with the response to identify refined interests associated with a user of the first portable electronic device;

identifying a second advertisement to be presented by the controllable device based on the refined interests; and

presenting the second advertisement by way of the controllable device.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the monitored behavior includes accessing media content, and wherein the re-analyzing includes determining a correlation between the media content.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the monitored behavior includes voice calls to which the first portable electronic device was a party, and wherein the identifying of the first advertisement is based on determining where the user is calling.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

terminating control of the controllable device by the first portable electronic device responsive to determining that the first portable electronic device is outside the area associated with the local area network.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the controllable device is controllable by the first portable electronic device and by the second portable electronic device according to the priority.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the hierarchal information is obtained from a user profile.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein the controllable device is a television.

15. The server of claim 8, wherein the monitored behavior includes accessing websites via the first portable electronic device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining that a first portable electronic device is in an area associated with a local area network;

providing communication services to the first portable electronic device by way of the local area network;

responsive to the providing communication services, enabling the first portable electronic device to directly control a controllable device via a short range link, wherein the controllable device is communicatively coupled to the local area network, and wherein the control includes providing advertisements to the controllable device;

identifying a first advertisement to be presented by the controllable device based on monitored behavior associated with the first portable electronic device;

identifying refined interests of a user of the first portable electronic device by re-analyzing the monitored behavior in conjunction with a response from the first portable electronic device to a presentation of the first advertisement;

identifying a second advertisement to be presented by the controllable device based on the refined interests; and

presenting the second advertisement by way of the controllable device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the controllable device is controllable by the first portable electronic device or by a second portable electronic device according to hierarchal user information obtained from user profiles associated with the first and second electronic devices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the user profiles comprise digital rights information associated with the first and second portable electronic devices, digital rights information associated with a user, subscription information, digital video recorder information, control settings, or combinations thereof.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the controllable device is one of a television or a stereo.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the monitored behavior includes accessing websites via the first portable electronic device.