Controlling the pre-delivery of content to a mobile device

• US 9,769,279 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opanga Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Opanga Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Burnette, John, Harrang, Jeff, Hadorn, Ben, Gibbons, David
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/666,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling pre-delivery of content to user devices, such as mobile devices, from remote content servers (e.g., content delivery nodes over a network) are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods receive an indication that a content item at a remote content server is available for pre-delivery to a mobile device over a mobile network, determine the mobile device is associated with sufficient content delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device, and cause the at least fraction of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device based on the determination.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication that a content item at a remote content server is available for pre-delivery to a mobile device over a mobile network;

determining the mobile device is associated with sufficient content delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device; and

causing the at least fraction of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device based on the determination,

wherein the content delivery credit is a number of bytes earned by the mobile device during previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non-mobile networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the mobile device is associated with sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device includes:

identifying a total content delivery credit for the mobile device;

comparing the identified total content delivery credit to a delivery cost to pre-delivery the fraction of the content item to the mobile device over the mobile network; and

determining there is sufficient content delivery credit to pre-deliver the fraction of the content item to the mobile device when the total content delivery credit is greater than or equal to the delivery cost.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the mobile device is associated with sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device includes determining the total content delivery credit is greater than zero bytes of data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content delivery credit is based on previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non-mobile networks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the mobile device is associated with sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device includes determining there is sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver all of the content item;

and

wherein causing the at least fraction of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device based on the determination includes causing all of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an indication that a content item at a remote content server is available for pre-delivery to a mobile device over a mobile network includes receiving the indication when the mobile device is currently connected to a mobile network of which a user of the mobile device is a subscriber;

and

wherein determining the mobile device is associated with sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device includes determining the mobile device is associated with content delivery credit for previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over one or more wireless networks.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

debiting the content delivery credit of the mobile device a credit value equivalent to a size of the at least fraction of the content item once the at least fraction of the content item is pre-delivered to the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

debiting the content delivery credit of the mobile device a credit value equivalent to a size of the at least fraction of the content item once the at least fraction of the content item pre-delivered to the mobile device is consumed by a media presentation client of the mobile device.

9. A system for pre-delivering content to a mobile device, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a content indication module that receives an indication that a content item at a remote content server is available for pre-delivery to a mobile device over a mobile network, the content indication module being executed by the one or more processors;

a delivery control module that determines the mobile device is associated with sufficient content delivery credit to pre-deliver at least a fraction of the content item to the mobile device, the delivery control module being executed by the one or more processors; and

a delivery module that causes the at least fraction of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device based on the determination, the delivery module being executed by the one or more processors,

wherein the content delivery credit is a number of bytes earned by the mobile device during previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non-mobile networks.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the delivery control module is configured to:

identify a total content delivery credit for the mobile device;

compare the identified total delivery credit to a delivery cost to pre-delivery the fraction of the content item to the mobile device over the mobile network; and

determine there is sufficient content delivery credit to pre-deliver the fraction of the content item to the mobile device when the total content delivery credit is greater than or equal to the delivery cost.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the delivery control module determines the total content delivery credit is greater than zero bytes of data.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the delivery control module determines there is sufficient delivery credit to pre-deliver all of the content item;

and

wherein the delivery module causes all of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the content indication module receives the indication when the mobile device is currently connected to a mobile network of which a user of the mobile device is a subscriber;

and

wherein the delivery control module determines the mobile device is associated with content delivery credit for previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over one or more wireless networks.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the delivery control module debits the content delivery credit of the mobile device a credit value equivalent to a size of the at least fraction of the content item once the at least fraction of the content item is pre-delivered to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the delivery control module debits the content delivery credit of the mobile device a credit value equivalent to a size of the at least fraction of the content item once the at least fraction of the content item pre-delivered to the mobile device is consumed by a media presentation client of the mobile device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a client of a mobile device, cause the client of the mobile device to perform operations for pre-delivering content to the mobile device, the operations comprising:

receiving an indication that a content item at a remote content server is available for pre-delivery to a mobile device over a mobile network;

determining that a pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non- mobile networks has previously occurred; and

causing the at least fraction of the content item to be pre-delivered to the mobile device based on the determination,

wherein the content delivery credit is a number of bytes earned by the mobile device during previous pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non-mobile networks.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining that a pre-delivery of content items to the mobile device over non-mobile networks has previously occurred includes identifying a content delivery credit for the mobile device is greater than zero.