SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INJECTING CONTENT

• US 20080148383A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Brusseau, Eric Christopher, Feldman, Peter Matthew, Salem, Elyas Manzur, Zumbahlen, Charles Scott, Pitchaikani, Balaji, Olshansky, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure include systems and methods for injecting content into a webpage at or local to a network access gateway. For example, in an embodiment, a network access gateway is provided for accessing the internet. A user logs onto the internet through the network access gateway and request a webpage. The gateway requests the webpage from the webpage provider. Before the gateway delivers the webpage to the user, the gateway, or a content injection engine local to the gateway, injects content, such as, for example, advertisements or other useful information, into the webpage and then sends the altered webpage to the user.

Claims

1. A method of determining whether provided content is present on a client device in a visitor based system where a client device accesses network content through a gateway device which allows a client device to access network content without requiring user reconfiguration of the client device, the method comprising:

receiving a client content request at a gateway device from a client device, wherein the gateway device allows a client device to request and receive content without requiring user reconfiguration of the client device;

sending gateway allowed content to the client device from the gateway, wherein the gateway allowed content appears to the client device as the client desired content;

monitoring at the gateway device for a status indication of the content on the client device;

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the same content to the client device if the status indication is not received.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing different content to the client device if the status indication is not received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway allowed content is the same as the client desired content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway allowed content is different than the client requested content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing content comprises providing injected content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indication comprises an indication of whether the content is visible on the client device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indication is provided by a program executing on the client device that determines if the content is present.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the program comprises an applet.

10. A system configured to determine whether provided content is present on a client device in a visitor based system where a client device accesses network content through a gateway device which allows a client device to access network content without requiring user reconfiguration of the client device, the system comprising:

a gateway device configured to receive a client content request from a client device, wherein the gateway device is configured to allow a client device to request and receive content without requiring user reconfiguration of the client device, and wherein the gateway device is further configured to send allowed content to the client device, wherein the allowed content appears to the client device as the client allowed content; and

a software module configured to determine whether the content is present on the client device and if the content is present on the client device, the software module sends an indication from the client device to the gateway device;

wherein the software module is included in the allowed content sent to the client device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the software module is further configured to determine whether the content is visible on the client device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the software module is an applet.

13. A visitor based network system capable of injecting content into requested content, the visitor based network system comprising:

a network access gateway which provides visitor based network access to a client device without requiring user reconfiguration to access the network; and

a content injection engine which injects content into user requested network content at the gateway device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the network access gateway and the content injection engine are comprised within the same housing.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the network access gateway and the content injection engine are comprised within separate housings.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the injected content is obtained from a local server.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the injected content comprising advertising content.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the injected content adds to the requested network content.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the injected content frames the requested network content.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the injected content replaces at least a portion of the requested network content.

21. A system for providing interactive information and services in a visitor based network which allows a user to access location specific information and services without requiring the user to enter location specific information, the system comprising:

a gateway device which provides visitor based network access to a client device without requiring user reconfiguration of the client device;

a software module configured to provide an interactive tool to allow a user to access and request information and services from local information and service providers without providing requiring the user to enter location specific information.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the information and services comprises information and services relevant to the location of the user.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the interactive tool comprises a plurality of interactive menus.

24. A method for providing location specific information to a client device in a network based system without requiring the client to identify the location, the method comprising:

receiving at a gateway device a client device request for network information, the gateway device configured to allow access to a network without the requiring a user to reconfigure the client device;

determining at the gateway device the location of the client device based on the location of the gateway device;

sending to the client device an interactive tool which appears to the client device to be part of the requested network information, wherein the interactive tool provides location specific information and access to location specific services.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein sending to the client device the interactive tool which appears to the client device to be part of the requested network information, wherein the interactive tool provides location specific information and access to location specific services further comprises sending to the client device an interactive tool which appears to the client device to be part of the requested network information, wherein the interactive tool provides location specific information and access to hotel services.