Combining a marker with contextual information to deliver domain-specific content

• US 20020147004A1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Knowtate Incorporated
• Inventors: Ashmore, Bradley C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,738,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method provides content to a mobile device in response to a marker received from the device and an associated context. A mobile device user initiates delivery of content or another action by entering the marker into the mobile device. The mobile device transmits the marker to a mobile network support system having a context server for supplying a context for the marker. The support system forms a message including the marker and context, and sends it to a content server. The content server uses the context to map the marker to a domain, retrieves from a content database the content identified by the marker and domain, and sends the content to the mobile network support system or performs another action with the content. The mobile network support system then transmits the content back to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to a mobile device, comprising:

receiving from the mobile device data representative of a marker;

receiving data representative of a context for the marker, the data representative of the context derived independently of the data representative of the marker;

determining content responsive to the marker and the context for the marker; and

providing the determined content to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a geographic location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is received from the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mobile device utilizes the global positioning system to generate data indicating the geographic location of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is not received from the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a particular cell in a cellular telephone system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker and the data representative of the context are received from a mobile network support system in communication with the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the mobile network support system from the mobile device, the data representative of the marker; and

accessing a context server in communication with the mobile network support system to determine the data representative of the context for the marker.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining content responsive to the marker and the context for the marker comprises the step of:

analyzing the context for the marker to determine a domain for the marker; and

determining the content responsive to the marker and the determined domain.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining content responsive to the marker and the determined domain comprises the step of:

accessing a content database holding content associated with a plurality of markers for a plurality of domains.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the analyzing step comprises the step of:

correlating data received via a data feed with the context for the marker to determine a likely domain for the marker.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the domain is a geographic area.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the geographic area is discontiguous.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a numeric value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a text string.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a spoken word or phrase.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a selection of a pictogram.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step comprises the step of:

providing textual data to the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step comprises the step of:

providing audio and/or video data to the mobile device.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a spoken word or phrase.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a selection of a pictogram.

20. A system for providing content to a mobile device, comprising:

a content database storing content for a plurality of markers having one or more of a plurality of contexts; and

a content server for receiving from the mobile device data representative of a marker and receiving data representative of a context for the marker, the data representative of the context derived independently of the data representative of the marker, for accessing the content database to determine content associated with the marker and the context, and for sending the determined content to the mobile device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the content in the content database is associated with one or more of a plurality of domains and wherein the content server further comprises:

a domain mapping module for analyzing the context for the marker to determine a domain for the marker;

wherein the content server accesses the content database to determine content associated with the marker and the domain.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a module for receiving a data feed, wherein the domain mapping module correlates data received via the data feed with the context for the marker to determine a likely domain for the marker.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the domain is a geographic area.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the geographic area is discontiguous.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a geographic location of the mobile device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is received from the mobile device.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the mobile device utilizes the global positioning system to generate data indicating the geographic location of the mobile device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is not received from the mobile device.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a particular cell in a cellular telephone system.

30. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a mobile network support system in communication with the mobile device and the content server for passing the data representative of the marker from the mobile device to the content server, for providing the data representative of the context for the marker to the content server, and for passing the determined content from the content server to the mobile device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile network support system further comprises:

a context server for generating the data representative of the context for the marker.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the determined content sent by the content server to the mobile device comprises textual data.

33. The system of claim 20, wherein the determined content sent by the content server to the mobile device comprises audio and/or video data.

34. The system of claim 20, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a numeric value.

35. The system of claim 20, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a text string.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a geographic location of the mobile device.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is received from the mobile device.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the mobile device utilizes the global positioning system to generate data indicating the geographic location of the mobile device.

42. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the data representative of the context indicating the geographic location of the mobile device is not received from the mobile device.

43. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker indicates a particular cell in a cellular telephone system.

44. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the marker and the data representative of the context are received from a mobile network support system in communication with the mobile device.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising:

a module for receiving, by the mobile network support system from the mobile device, the data representative of the marker; and

a module for accessing a context server in communication with the mobile network support system to determine the data representative of the context for the marker.

46. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the module for determining content responsive to the marker and the context for the marker comprises:

a domain mapping module for analyzing the context to determine a domain for the marker and for accessing the content database to determine content associated with the marker and the domain.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the module for determining content responsive to the marker and the determined domain comprises:

a module for accessing a content database holding content associated with the marker for a plurality of domains.

48. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the domain mapping module further comprises:

a module for correlating data received via a data feed with the context for the marker to determine a likely domain for the marker.

49. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the domain is a geographic area.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the geographic area is discontiguous.

51. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the module for providing the determined content to the mobile device comprises:

a module for providing textual data to the mobile device.

52. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the module for providing the determined content to the mobile device comprises:

a module for providing audio and/or video data to the mobile device.

53. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a numeric value.

54. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises a text string.

55. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a spoken word or phrase.

56. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the marker comprises data representative of a selection of a pictogram.

38. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-usable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for providing content to a mobile device, the computer-readable code comprising;

a module for receiving from the mobile device data representative of a marker;

a module for receiving data representative of a context for the marker, the data representative of the context derived independently of the data representative of the marker;

a module for determining content responsive to the marker and the context for the marker; and

a module for providing the determined content to the mobile device.