Systems and methods for displaying content in a ticker

• US 7,430,724 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Core Mobility (Smith Micro Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Othmer, Konstantin
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US10/946,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20050039136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/738, 715/740, 715744-749, 715/764, 715/774, 715/781, 715/784, 715/786, 715/789, 715/866, 715/501.1, 715/526, 715/528, 715/529, 715/542, 715/765, 709/201, 709/203, 709/204, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 715/774
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The timing, order, frequency or presentation attributes of content items in a ticker of a communication device are selected or determined using a scheduling system of the ticker. The location of the communication device is one of many attributes that may be used in a scoring algorithm employed by the scheduling system to determine when and how received content is displayed in the ticker. Based on the attributes that are considered by the scheduling system, ticker content is displayed on the ticker. Communication devices that can use the tickers include personal computers, set top boxes, televisions, landline telephones, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, laptop computers and any other device that has a display device and is suitably equipped to establish communication with a network.

Claims

1. In a communication network that includes a ticker server and communication devices having display devices on which tickers can be rendered, a method for determining how to display content on the tickers, comprising:

identifying at least two content items, including a first content item and a second content item, that are available to be displayed on a ticker of a communication device, wherein the at least two content items are identified based on attributes including (1) a geographic location of the communication device and (2) a geographic location associated with each of the at least two content items;

at the communication device, assigning a first score to the first content item and a second score to the second content item, the first score and the second score being based on at least a proximity of the communication device to locations pertaining to the at least two content items, the proximity being determined from the geographic location of the communication device and the geographic location associated with each of the at least two content items, wherein a manner of displaying at least one of the first content item and the second content item is specified by the first score and second score;

using a scheduling system of the communication device, scheduling display of the first content item and the second content item based on the first score and the second score; and

displaying at least one of the first content item and the second content item in the ticker of the communication device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the manner of displaying specified by the first score and the second score comprises the order in which the first content item and the second content item are displayed.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the manner of displaying specified by the first score and the second score comprises the timing by which the first content item and the second content item are displayed.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the manner of displaying specified by the first score and the second score comprises the relative frequency by which the first content item and the second content item are displayed.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assigning the first score and the second score comprises accessing display rules contained in metadata associated with the first content item and the second content item.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assigning the first score and the second score comprises evaluating at least one attribute selected from the group of attributes consisting of:

the strength of user preferences;

time sensitivity of the content items;

degrees of relevance of the content items;

how often the content items have previously been displayed on the interactive ticker;

content provider business arrangements; and

marketing campaign rules.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

evaluating at least one attribute comprises assigning a first value associated with the at least one attribute for the first content item and assigning a second value associated with the at least one attribute for the second content item; and

assigning the first score and the second score further comprise;

for the first content item, applying a first attribute weighting to the first value; and

for the second content item, applying a second attribute weighting to the second value, thereby obtaining the first score and the second score.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, using a usage account, tracking how often a particular content item is displayed using a usage account.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising, using a usage account, tracking how often the particular content item is accessed by a user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a mobile communication device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a set top box.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting at least one of the first content item and the second content item; and

performing a secondary item in response to receiving the user input.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first content item and the second content item are location-based content items that are selected in response to a location of the communication device.

14. In a communication network that includes a ticker server and communication devices having display devices on which tickers can be rendered, a method for determining how to display content on the tickers, comprising:

identifying a first content item based on attributes including a geographic location of the communication device and a geographic location associated with the first content item;

assigning a score to the first content item based on at least a proximity of the communication device to the location pertaining to the first content item, wherein a manner of displaying the first content item in relation to one or more other content items is specified by the score of the first content item;

using a scheduling system of the communication device, scheduling display of the first content item based on the score of the first content item; and

displaying the first content item in the ticker of the communication device as specified by the scheduling system.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the manner of displaying the first content item in relation to one or more other content items comprises at least one of:

the order in which the first content item is displayed relative to one or more other content items;

the timing by which the first content item is displayed;

or

the relative frequency at which the first content item is displayed.

16. In a communication network that includes a ticker server and communication devices having display devices on which tickers can be rendered, a method for determining how to display content on the tickers, comprising:

identifying a first content item and a second content item that are available to be displayed on a ticker of a communication device, wherein the first content item and the second content item are identified based on one or more attributes;

using a scheduling system of the communication device, determining how and when to display the first content item and the second content item by assigning a first score to the first content item and a second score to the second content item, comprising;

identifying a first attribute associated with the first content item based on a proximity of the communication device to a location pertaining to the first content item, assigning a first attribute value for the first content item, and applying a first attribute weighting to the first attribute value associated with the first content item to obtain the first score; and

identifying the first attribute associated with the second content item based on a proximity of the communication device to a location pertaining to the second content item, assigning a second attribute value for the second content item, and applying the first attribute weighting to the second attribute value associated with the second content item to obtain the second score; and

displaying at least one of the first content item and the second content item in the ticker of the communication device according to the first score and the second score.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein assigning a first attribute value for the first content item comprises scaling the first attribute value and assigning a second attribute value for the second content item comprises scaling the second attribute value.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein assigning a first score to the first content item and a second score to the second content item further comprises:

identifying a second attribute associated with the first content item, identifying a second attribute value for the first content item, applying a second attribute weighting to the second attribute value associated with the first content item for the first score; and

identifying the second attribute associated with the second content item, identifying a second attribute value for the second content item, applying the second attribute weighting to the second attribute value associated with the second content item for the second score.