Method and systems for generating and sending a hot link associated with a user interface to a device

• US 10,869,169 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 12/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wildseed Mobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Engstrom, G. Eric, Zatloukal, Peter, Graham, Tyrol
• Primary Examiner(s): Ibrahim, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US15/839,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0058 provided with channel identification means arrangements for monitoring the use made of broadcast services H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/20 Radio receiver with possibility to choose a station with a certain program style
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/09 Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 : Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 : biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 : Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for sending hotlinks to a device are provided. The device may be on a wireless network, a wired network, or directly coupled to the device sending the hot link. The hot link contains an associated action that is performed by the device receiving the hot link. The associated action may be performed when a user interface is activated or automatically when the hot link is received by the device. The action can be a broadcast action, Internet action, call action, download action, or upload action. The broadcast action instructs the device to tune to a particular broadcast in response to the selection of the user interface. The internet action instructs the device to access an Internet site in response to the selection of the user interface. The call action instructs the device to call a telephone number in response to the selection of use interface.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media (NTCRM) including program code, wherein execution of the program code by one or more processors of a computer system is to cause the computer system to:

identify a trigger to generate a hot link; and

in response to detection of the trigger,

determine an action to be performed upon activation of the hot link based on the trigger, wherein activation of the hot link by individual user devices of a set of user devices is to cause the individual user devices to execute program code to perform the action;

generate a hot link message to include the determined action and instructions for rendering and displaying the hot link at each of the set of user devices; and

control transmission of the hot link message to the set of user devices.

2. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein the individual user devices are second user devices, and execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

provide a user interface to a first user device to be rendered and displayed by the first user device, the user interface comprising one or more graphical control elements to control selection of users associated with the set of second user devices; and

control receipt, from the first user device, of a request to generate a hot link along with identification information of the set of second user devices to receive the hot link.

3. The one or more NTCRM of claim 2, wherein the information of the set of user devices comprises a selection of one or more users associated with the set of user devices or a selection of a group of users associated with the set of user devices.

4. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

generate the hot link message to include an indication about the hot link, wherein the indication about the hot link comprises text, multimedia, or a link pointing to a resource that includes information about the hot link.

5. The one or more NTCRM of claim 4, wherein execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

generate the hot link message as a Short Message Service (SMS) message, an instant messaging (IM) message, or an email message.

6. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

identify a user interface element for activation of the hot link prior to generation of the hot link; and

generate the hot link message to include assignment information, the assignment information to assign the hot link to the identified user interface element.

7. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein the hot link comprises instructions to obtain and render a web page in a web browser, execute executable instructions of an application program, or adjust radiofrequency circuitry to obtain and display broadcasted content.

8. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

determine a location for each user device of the set of user devices; and

generate the hot link message to include the location of each user device.

9. The one or more NTCRM of claim 1, wherein, to control transmission of the hot link message to the set of user devices, execution of the program code is to cause the computer system to:

instruct a network interface of the computer system to send the hot link message to the set of user devices over a wired or wireless network.

10. A computer system to be employed as a server, the computer system comprising:

network interface circuitry to;

receive, from a first user device, a request to generate a hot link along with information of a set of second user devices to receive the hot link, and

transmit a hot link message to the set of second user devices; and

processor circuitry communicatively coupled with the network interface circuitry, the processor circuitry communicatively coupled with the network interface circuitry, the processor circuitry is to;

in response to detection of a trigger, determine an action to be performed upon activation of the hot link, wherein activation of the hot link by individual second user devices of the set of second user devices is to cause the individual second user devices to execute program code to perform the action, and

generate the hot link message to include the determined action and instructions for rendering and displaying the hot link at each of the set of user devices.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the processor circuitry is to:

identify a user interface element for activation of the hot link prior to generation of the hot link; and

generate the hot link message to include assignment information, the assignment information to assign the hot link to the identified user interface element.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the network interface circuitry is to:

transmit program code to the first user device, the program code to be executed by the first user device to generate a user interface, the user interface to be rendered and displayed by the first user device, the user interface comprising one or more graphical control elements to control selection of users associated with the set of second user devices,

wherein the information of the set of second user devices comprises a selection of one or more users associated with the set of second user devices or a selection of a group of users associated with the set of second user devices.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the hot link comprises instructions to obtain and render a web page in a web browser, execute executable instructions of an application program, or adjust radiofrequency circuitry to obtain and display broadcasted content.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the processor circuitry is to:

generate the hot link message to include an indication about the hot link, wherein the indication about the hot link comprises text, multimedia, or a link pointing to a resource that includes information about the hot link.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the processor circuitry is to:

generate the hot link message as a Short Message Service (SMS) message for transmission over a cellular communication network, or

generate the hot link message as an instant messaging (IM) message for transmission over a communications network.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the processor circuitry is to:

determine a location for each second user device of the set of second user devices; and

generate the hot link message to include the location of each second user device.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the network interface circuitry is to transmit the hot link message to the set of user devices over a wired or wireless network.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media (NTCRM) including program code, wherein execution of the program code by one or more processors of a user device is to cause the user device to:

control receipt of a hot link message comprising a hot link and assignment information, the assignment information to assign the hot link to a graphical control element (GCE), and the hot link comprising instructions to perform an action and instructions for rendering and displaying the hot link;

generate a graphical user interface (GUI) to include the GCE to which the hot link is assigned according to the assignment information; and

in response to activation of the GCE, execute the instructions of the hot link to perform the action.

19. The one or more NTCRM of claim 18, wherein the GUI is a first GUI, and execution of the program code is to cause the user device to:

generate a second GUI comprising a user selection GCE and a submission GCE, the user selection GCE to control selection of a set of other user devices to be provided with a hot link, and the submission GCE to control submission of the set of other user devices; and

control transmission of another hot link message that includes an indication of the selected set of other user devices in response to selection of the submission GCE.

20. The one or more NTCRM of claim 19, wherein the second GUI comprises:

a positive opinion GCE to control submission of a positive opinion of a content item; and

a negative opinion GCE to control submission of a negative opinion of the content item.

21. The one or more NTCRM of claim 18, wherein execution of the instructions of the hot link is to cause the user device to:

obtain and render a web page in a web browser implemented by the user device;

execute executable instructions of an application program, wherein the executable instructions of the application program are stored by a memory device of the user device, or the executable instructions of the application program are to be obtained by the user device over a communication network;

or

adjust radio frequency circuitry of the user device to obtain broadcasted content for display.

22. The one or more NTCRM of claim 18, wherein the GUI comprises an indication about the hot link, wherein the indication about the hot link comprises text, multimedia, or a link pointing to a resource that includes information about the hot link.