Mobile-to-TV deeplinking

• US 9,720,887 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clasp.Tv
• Original Assignee: Clasp.Tv
• Inventors: Rubenstein, Daniel, Pappu, Prashanth, Kumfert, Gary Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc A
• Application Number:
  US14/720,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-210, 715229, 715719, 715749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612

Abstract

System and methods for performing a particular action on a second device directed from a first device. In some implementations, the methods include receiving, from a first device, a hyperlink corresponding to associated content, and a user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink; in response to receiving the user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink, parsing the received hyperlink to extract information embedded in the text of the hyperlink; determining, based at least on the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink, and the associated content corresponding to the hyperlink, a particular action to be performed on a second device, wherein the particular action is configured to be viewable to a user providing the user input on the first device; and providing, to the second device, an instruction to perform the particular action on the second device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a first device, data indicating (i) a hyperlink corresponding to associated content, and (ii) a user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink;

in response to receiving the data indicating the user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink, parsing the received hyperlink to extract information embedded in the text of the hyperlink;

determining, based at least on (i) the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink, and (ii) the associated content corresponding to the hyperlink, a particular action to be performed on a second device wherein the link action parameters include a link action parameter that specifies a particular sequence of actions to be performed by the application installed on the second device; and

providing, to the second device, an instruction to perform the particular action on the second device, wherein;

the instruction (i) configures the second device to establish bi-directional communications with the first device, and (ii) is dynamically adapted to a control plane protocol of the second device, and

the particular action is configured to (i) be viewable to a user providing the user input on the first device, and (ii) operate in a control plane of the second device without interfering with data plane traffic on the second device;

obtaining, from the second device, data indicating that the particular action has been performed on the second device; and

providing, to the first device, data indicating present status associated with the second device based on obtaining the data indicating that the particular action has been performed on the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile computing device and the second device is a display device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the particular action to be performed on the second device comprises displaying the associated content on the screen of the second device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the particular action to be performed on the second device comprises installing software on the second device that is necessary to display the associated content on the screen of the second device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein after installing software on the second device to display the associated content on the display of the second device, displaying the associated content on the screen of the second device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hyperlink may include promotional information from a content publisher, the promotional information containing at least one of a content discount, a share-with-friends feature, or an access to other links with additional features.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising:

Restricting access to performing the particular action based at least on the instruction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises providing a method of authentication for a user providing an input to enable the hyperlink.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises designating the second device as a permitted device that may perform the particular action to be performed.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein restricting access performing to the particular action comprises:

designating the first device as a permitted device that may transmit the instruction to the second device;

or

designating a user of the first device as a permitted user that may transmit the instruction to the second device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises designating a time period only when the particular action to be performed is performed.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises limiting the number of times the particular action to be performed is performed.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting, to a server computer, a request including the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein operating in the control plane comprises performing a particular action, on a cloud network, configured to operate where the physical transfer of the associated content and any related constraints such as security, monitoring, content quality, can be adhered to as if transferring the content associated was initiated from the second device without the first device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the text of the hyperlink comprises an instruction to either (i) direct the particular action to be performed on the second device, or (ii) restrict the particular action to be performed on the second device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instruction is statically embedded in the text of the hyperlink.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the instruction is generated in response to receiving the user input enabling the hyperlink, wherein the instruction initiates an intermediate particular action performed before the particular action to be performed that either (i) directs the particular action to be performed on the second device, or (ii) restricts the particular action to be performed on the second device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the intermediate action is executed on a server connected to a wide area network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the intermediate action is executed on the first device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are both observable to the user.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are connected over a wireless or wired local area network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are connected to the Internet, the second device remote from the first device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is displayed to the user in at least one of a document, an online advertisement, or a paper advertisement.

24. The method claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in an email.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in a webpage.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in a mobile application.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink is displayed to the user as a bar code.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction configures an application installed on the second device to exchange, over a local network, communications with an application installed on the first device.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, from the second device, data indicating that the second device is presently displaying the associated content on a screen of the second device; and

providing, to the first device, an instruction to display metadata related to the associated content based on obtaining the data indicating that the second device is presently displaying the associated content.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the information embedded in the text of the hyperlink specifies one or more link action parameters that configure execution of an application installed on the second device.

31. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a first device, data indicating (i) a hyperlink corresponding to associated content, and (ii) a user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink;

in response to receiving the data indicating the user input on the first device enabling the hyperlink, parsing the received hyperlink to extract information embedded in the text of the hyperlink;

determining, based at least on (i) the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink, and (ii) the associated content corresponding to the hyperlink, a particular action to be performed on a second device wherein the link action parameters include a link action parameter that specifies a particular sequence of actions to be performed by the application installed on the second device; and

providing, to the second device, an instruction to perform the particular action on the second device, wherein;

the instruction configures the second device to establish bi-directional communications with the first device, and

the particular action is configured to (i) be viewable to a user providing the user input on the first device, and (ii) operate in a control plane of the second device without interfering with data plane traffic on the second device;

obtaining, from the second device, data indicating that the particular action has been performed on the second device; and

providing, to the first device, data indicating present status associated with the second device based on obtaining the data indicating that the particular action has been performed on the second device.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the first device is a mobile computing device and the second device is a display device.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein operating in the control plane comprises performing a particular action, on a cloud network, configured to operate where the physical transfer of the associated content and any related constraints such as security, monitoring, content quality, can be adhered to as if transferring the content associated was initiated from the second device without the first device.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein performing the particular action to be performed on the second device comprises displaying the associated content on the screen of the second device.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein performing the particular action to be performed on the second device comprises installing software on the second device that is necessary to display the associated content on the screen of the second device.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein after installing software on the second device to display the associated content on the display of the second device, displaying the associated content on the screen of the second device.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the instruction is statically embedded in the text of the hyperlink.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the intermediate action is executed on a server connected to a wide area network.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the intermediate action is stored on the first device.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the instruction is generated in response to receiving the user input enabling the hyperlink, wherein the instruction initiates an intermediate particular action performed before the particular action to be performed that either (i) directs the particular action to be performed on the second device, or (ii) restricts the particular action to be performed on the second device.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein the hyperlink may include promotional information from a content publisher, the promotional information containing at least one of a content discount, a share-with-friends feature, or an access to other links with additional features.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the text of the hyperlink comprises an instruction to either (i) direct the particular action to be performed on the second device, or (ii) restrict the particular action to be performed on the second device.

43. The system of claim 31, comprising transmitting, to a server computer, a request including the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink transmitting, to a server computer, a request including the extracted information embedded in the text of the hyperlink.

44. The system of claim 31, wherein the first device and the second device are both observable to the user.

45. The system of claim 31, wherein the first device and the second device are connected over a wireless or wired local area network.

46. The system of claim 31, wherein the first device and the second device are connected to the Internet, the second device remote from the first device.

47. The system of claim 31, comprising:

restricting access to performing the particular action based at least on the instruction.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises a providing a method of authentication for a user providing an input to enable the hyperlink.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein restricting access performing to the particular action comprises designating the second device as a permitted device that may perform the particular action to be performed.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises:

designating the first device as a permitted device that may transmit the instruction to the second device;

or

designating a user of the first device as a permitted user that may transmit the instruction to the second device.

51. The system of claim 47, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises designating a time period only when the particular action to be performed is performed.

52. The system of claim 47, wherein restricting access to performing the particular action comprises limiting the number of times the particular action to be performed is performed.

53. The system of claim 31, wherein the hyperlink is displayed to the user in at least one of a document, an online advertisement, or a paper advertisement.

54. The method claim 31, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in an email.

55. The method of claim 31, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in a webpage.

56. The method of claim 31, wherein the hyperlink is embedded in a mobile application.

57. The method of claim 31, wherein the hyperlink is displayed to the user as a bar code.