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

• US 20040176105A1
• Filed: 03/11/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Knowtate Incorporated
• Inventors: DʼAmico, Ken, Ashmore, Bradley C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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;

analyzing the data representative of the context for the marker to determine a domain for the marker;

determining content responsive to the marker and the domain for the marker, wherein the marker maps to specific content for the domain; 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 indicate a particular cell in a cellular telephone system.

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

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker maps to content in a plurality of domains.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the marker maps to different content in different ones of the plurality of domains.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of markers map to content in the domain.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein certain ones of the plurality of markers map to different content in the domain.

8. The method of claim 3, 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 domain for the marker comprises the step of:

accessing a content database holding content associated with a plurality of markers for a plurality of domains, wherein the database includes mappings describing specific content associated with specific markers for specific domains.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step comprises the step of:

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

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker does not have an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker has an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker is visibly displayed on a physical object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing occurs after receipt of the data representative of the marker from the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step comprises the step of:

selecting a domain for the marker from among a plurality of possible domains for the marker.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step explicitly determines the domain.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the analyzing step comprises:

performing a database lookup using the data representative of the context to determine the domain for the marker.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step implicitly determines the domain.

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

establishing data representative of domain information describing possible domains for the marker;

establishing business logic describing relationships among the data representative of the context for the marker and the data representative of domain information;

analyzing the business logic, the data representative of the context for the marker, and the data representative of domain information to determine the domain for the marker.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker includes a plurality of variables indicating the context and wherein the analyzing step comprises:

determining a domain for the marker responsive to the plurality of variables included in the data representative of the context.

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

a content database storing content for a plurality of markers, the content associated with one or more of a plurality of domains, and storing mappings describing specific content associated with specific markers for specific domains; 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, for analyzing the data representative of the context for the marker to determine a domain for the marker, for accessing the content database to determine content associated with the marker and the domain, and for sending the determined content to the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

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

23. The system of claim 21, 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.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile network support system further comprises:

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

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the mappings in the content server associate a marker with content in a plurality of domains.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the mappings in the content server associate the marker to different content in different ones of the plurality of domains.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the mappings in the content server associate a plurality markers with content in a domain.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the mappings in the content server associate certain ones of the plurality of markers with different content in the domain.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the marker does not have an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the marker has an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein the marker is visibly displayed on a physical object.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein the content database stores content associated with a plurality of domains.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the content server explicitly determines the domain for the marker.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a domain database in communication with the content server and holding domain information describing possible domains for the maker;

wherein the content server is adapted to perform a lookup on the domain information in the domain database using the data representative of the context to determine the domain for the marker.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein the content server implicitly determines the domain.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein the content server comprises:

a domain database holding domain information describing possible domains for the marker; and

a domain mapping module in communication with the domain database and adapted to analyze business logic establishing relationships among the data representative of the context for the marker and the domain information to determine the domain for the marker.

37. The system of claim 21, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker includes a plurality of variables indicating the context and wherein the content server is adapted to determine a domain for the marker responsive to the plurality of variables included in the data representative of the context.

49. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the domain mapping module explicitly determines the domain for the marker.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the domain mapping module is adapted to perform a database lookup using the data representative of the context to determine the domain for the marker.

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;

a domain mapping module for analyzing the data representative of the context for the marker to determine a domain for the marker and for accessing a content database to determine content associated with the marker and the domain, wherein the marker maps to specific content for the domain; and

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

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

40. The computer program product of claim 39, 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.

41. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the domain mapping module further comprises:

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

42. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the marker maps to content in a plurality of domains.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the marker maps to different content in different ones of the plurality of domains.

44. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein a plurality of markers map to content in the domain.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein certain ones of the plurality of markers map to different content in the domain.

46. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the marker does not have an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

47. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the marker has an intrinsic meaning related to the determined content.

48. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the marker is visibly displayed on a physical object.

51. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the domain mapping module implicitly determines the domain for the marker.

52. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the domain mapping module interfaces with a domain database holding domain information describing possible domains for the marker and wherein the domain mapping module is adapted to analyze business logic establishing a relationship between the data representative of the context for the marker and the domain information to determine the domain for the marker.

53. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the data representative of the context for the marker includes a plurality of variables indicating the context and wherein the domain mapping module is adapted to determine a domain for the marker responsive to the plurality of variables included in the data representative of the context.