System and method for inserting additional icon content into a display screen

• US 9,594,471 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Callan, Jeffrey S., Fultz, David K., Schwermann, Nathan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US14/169,544
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/78 for changing the order of data flow, e.g. matrix transposition or LIFO buffers; Overflow or underflow handling therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

The system comprises a mobile device comprising an application and a display screen, wherein the display screen displays a previously inserted program icon at a display screen location. The application, when executed, identifies the receipt of a virtual pre-load pack by the mobile device, compares the virtual pre-load pack template with a current display screen template, identifies that the proposed display screen location of the virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of a previously inserted program icon, locates and selects an unoccupied display screen location for the insertion of the virtual pre-load program icon and inserts the virtual pre-load program icon in the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen without overlapping the display of the virtual pre-load program icon with the display of the previously inserted program icon and without violating a display screen insertion priority level.

Claims

1. A system for displaying non-disruptive additional content via a display screen, comprising:

a mobile communication device comprising an application and the display screen, wherein the display screen displays at least one previously inserted program icon at a display screen location of a plurality of display screen locations; and

the application, that when executed on the mobile communication device,

identifies the receipt of a virtual pre-load pack by the mobile communication device, wherein the virtual pre-load pack comprises at least one virtual pre-load program icon and a virtual pre-load pack template that provides a proposed display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon, wherein the proposed display screen location is based on a display screen insertion priority level that authorizes the at least one virtual pre-load program icon for insertion into a display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprising at most a predetermined level of display frequency, and wherein the display frequency comprises the number of times that the display screen location is viewed;

compares the virtual pre-load pack template with a current display screen template, wherein the current display screen template provides the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

identifies, based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, that the proposed display screen location of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

locates and selects, in response to identifying that the proposed display screen location of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, an unoccupied display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, and wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not violate the display screen insertion priority level; and

inserts the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen without overlapping the display of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon with the display of the at least one previously inserted program icon and without violating the display screen insertion priority level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual pre-load program icon comprises a virtual pre-load application icon, an application icon, a virtual widget, a widget, or a short-cut and the at least one previously inserted program icon comprises a virtual pre-load application icon, an application icon, a virtual widget, a widget, or a short-cut.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises at least one restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, and wherein the at least one virtual pre-load program icon is inserted and displayed on the display screen without overlapping with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined level of display frequency is based on a viewing frequency of a display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations relative to a viewing frequency of a different display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises at least one display screen virtual page, wherein each of the at least one display screen virtual pages comprises at least one cell, and wherein a display screen location comprises at least one cell.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application, that when executed on the mobile communication device,

locates and selects, in response to identifying that the proposed display screen location of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, at least two unoccupied display screen locations of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template;

displays a notification on the display screen prompting a user to provide a user selection of one unoccupied display screen location of the at least two unoccupied display screen locations;

receives the user selection of the one unoccupied display screen location of the at least two unoccupied display screen locations; and

inserts the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the one unoccupied display screen location, wherein the one unoccupied display screen location is based on the received user selection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the unoccupied display screen location comprises different dimensions but the same area as the proposed display screen location so that when the at least one virtual pre-load program icon is inserted and displayed in the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen, the at least one virtual pre-load program icon comprises the same dimensions as the unoccupied display screen location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the application provides a notification that the at least one virtual pre-load program icon is displayed on the display screen.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the unoccupied display screen location comprises a designated display screen location for virtual pre-load program icons.

10. A system for displaying non-disruptive additional content via a display screen, comprising:

a mobile communication device comprising an application and the display screen, wherein the display screen displays at least one previously inserted program icon at a display screen location of a plurality of display screen locations; and

the application, that when executed on the mobile communication device,

identifies the receipt of a virtual pre-load pack by the mobile communication device, wherein the virtual pre-load pack comprises at least one virtual pre-load program icon and a virtual pre-load pack template that provides a proposed display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon, wherein the proposed display screen location is based on a display screen insertion priority level that authorizes the at least one virtual pre-load program icon for insertion into a display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprising at most a predetermined level of display frequency, and wherein the display frequency comprises the number of times that the display screen location is viewed;

compares the virtual pre-load pack template with a current display screen template, wherein the current display screen template provides the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

identifies, based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, that the proposed display screen location of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

identifies, based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, that no display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprises an area at least equivalent to the proposed display screen location without overlapping with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

locates and selects an unoccupied display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, wherein the unoccupied display screen location comprises an area less than the area of the proposed display screen location, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, and wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not exceed the display screen insertion priority level;

generates, based on selecting the unoccupied display screen location, a folder configured to store the at least one virtual pre-load program icon and configured to fit within the area of the unoccupied display screen location;

stores the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the folder; and

inserts the folder in the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen without overlapping the display of the folder with the display of the at least one previously inserted program icon and without violating the display screen insertion priority level.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the folder maintains a view of each of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon on the display screen up to a predetermined quantity of the at least one virtual pre-load program icons stored in the folder.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein when a quantity of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the folder exceeds the predetermined quantity, and wherein when the predetermined quantity is greater than one, the application:

removes at least one excess virtual pre-load program icon of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon stored in the folder so that the quantity of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the folder does not exceed the predetermined quantity;

locates and selects another unoccupied display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one excess virtual pre-load program icon based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, wherein the other unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon and the folder, and wherein the other unoccupied display screen location does not violate the display screen insertion priority level; and

inserts the at least one excess virtual pre-load program icon in the other unoccupied display screen location on the display screen without overlapping the display of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon with the display of the at least previously inserted program icon as well as the display of the folder and without violating the display screen insertion priority level.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the display screen comprises at least one restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, and wherein the folder is inserted and displayed on the display screen without overlapping with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations.

14. A system for displaying non-disruptive additional content via a display screen, comprising:

a mobile communication device comprising an application and the display screen, wherein the display screen displays at least one previously inserted program icon at a display screen location of a plurality of display screen locations; and

the application, that when executed on the mobile communication device,

identifies the receipt of a virtual pre-load pack by the mobile communication device, wherein the virtual pre-load pack comprises at least one virtual pre-load program icon and a virtual pre-load pack template that provides a proposed display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations for the insertion of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon, wherein the proposed display screen location is based on a display screen insertion priority level that authorizes the at least one virtual pre-load program icon for insertion into a display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprising at most a predetermined level of display frequency, and wherein the display frequency comprises the number of times that the display screen location is viewed;

compares the virtual pre-load pack template with a current display screen template, wherein the current display screen template provides the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

identifies, based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, that the proposed display screen location of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon overlaps with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

identifies, based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template, that no display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprises an area at least equivalent to the proposed display screen location without overlapping with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon;

calculates, in response to identifying that no display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations comprises an area at least equivalent to the proposed display screen location without overlapping with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, one or more modifications to the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon based on the comparison of the virtual pre-load pack template with the current display screen template so that an unoccupied display screen location comprising an area at least equivalent to the proposed display screen location is generated without overlapping with the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not violate the display screen insertion priority level;

modifies the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon based on the calculation of the one or more modifications creating the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen; and

inserts the at least one virtual pre-load program icon in the unoccupied display screen location on the display screen without overlapping the display of the at least one virtual pre-load program icon with the display of the at least one previously inserted program icon and without violating the display screen insertion priority level.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the display screen comprises at least one restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, wherein the unoccupied display screen location does not overlap with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations, and wherein the at least one virtual pre-load program icon is inserted and displayed on the display screen without overlapping with the restricted display screen location of the plurality of display screen locations.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more modifications comprises a minimum number of display screen location changes.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more modifications comprises detecting at least one previously inserted virtual pre-load program icon of the at least one previously inserted program icon and deleting the at least one previously inserted virtual pre-load program icon from the display.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the display screen comprises at least one display screen virtual page, wherein each of the at least one display screen virtual pages comprises at least one cell, and wherein a display screen location comprises at least one cell.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more modifications comprises moving the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon from an initial display screen location to a subsequent display screen location so that at least one cell of the subsequent display screen location is adjacent to at least one cell of the initial display screen location.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more modifications comprises moving the display screen location of the at least one previously inserted program icon from an initial display screen location to a subsequent display screen location, wherein the initial display screen location and the subsequent display screen location are located on the same display screen virtual page.