Method, system, and computer program product for offline advertisement servicing and cycling

• US 8,145,728 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iAnywhere Solutions Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: iAnywhere Solutions Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Whittaker, Thomas, Sargent, Antony John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US12/042,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products for servicing advertisements for offline display on mobile devices are provided. In a first aspect, a channel is received at a mobile device server from one or more providers, including a first web page, an advertiser web page, and an advertisement image file. The received channel is transmitted to the mobile device. In an offline mode, when displayed, the first web page includes an image contained by the advertisement image file. A user viewing the first web page on the mobile device can select the displayed image of the advertisement image file to traverse a link to cause the advertiser page to be displayed on the mobile device. In another aspect, a plurality of advertisement image files are received and stored at a mobile device. The display of the advertisement images on a first web page is cycled each time the first web page is displayed on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile device server for servicing advertisements for offline viewing on a mobile device, comprising:

synchronizing the mobile device with the mobile device server, including the steps of;

(a) receiving a request for a channel from the mobile device;

(b) transmitting a request for the channel to at least one provider;

(c) receiving the channel from the at least one provider, including the step of receiving a first web page, and a second web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a generic advertisement image file link and an associated generic advertisement link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at the at least one provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

(d) automatically encoding the mark-up language defining the first web page to replace the generic advertisement image file link with another link comprising a tag, the tag including instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler, wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device; and

(e) transmitting the received channel with the encoded first web-page to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises:

receiving the first web page from a first provider; and

receiving the second web page and advertisement image file from a server of an advertiser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises:

transmitting user preferences of a user of the mobile device to at least one provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises:

transmitting a request for an advertisement image file to an advertisement server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (b) further comprises:

causing the advertisement server to select an advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises:

mapping links in the mark-up language defining the first web page from online objects to offline objects stored on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mapping step comprises:

mapping the generic advertisement image file link and the associated generic advertisement link in the mark-up language defining the first web page to addresses on the mobile device of the advertisement image file and second web page, respectively.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the generic advertisement image file link and the generic advertisement link includes a separate tag that identifies a web page name of a website belonging to the at least one provider, wherein the identified web page includes an advertisement.

8. A method in a mobile device server for servicing advertisements for offline viewing on a mobile device, comprising:

(a) receiving a request for a channel from the mobile device;

(b) transmitting a request for the channel to at least one provider;

(c) receiving the channel from the at least one provider, including the step of receiving a first web page, and an advertiser web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a generic advertisement image file link and an associated generic advertisement link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at the at least one provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

(d) automatically encoding the mark-up language defining the first web page to replace the generic advertisement image file link with another link comprising a tag, the tag including instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler, wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device; and

(e) transmitting the received channel with the encoded first web-page to the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) comprises:

receiving the first web page from a first provider; and

receiving the advertiser web page and advertisement image file from a server of an advertiser.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) comprises:

transmitting user preferences of a user of the mobile device to at least one provider.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) comprises:

transmitting a request for an advertisement image file to an advertisement server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (b) further comprises:

causing the advertisement server to select an advertisement.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein step (d) further comprises:

mapping links, in the mark-up language defining the first web page from online objects to offline objects stored on the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mapping step comprises:

mapping the generic advertisement image file link and the associated generic advertisement link in the mark-up language defining the first web page to addresses on the mobile device of the advertisement image file and advertiser web page, respectively.

15. A method in a mobile device for servicing of advertisements, comprising:

synchronizing the mobile device with a mobile device server, including the steps of;

requesting a channel from the mobile device server,

receiving the channel from the mobile device server, including the step of receiving a first web page, and a second web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a link comprising a tag, the link and the tag previously encoded in place of a generic advertisement image file link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at a provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, and wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

enabling the advertisement cycler when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device, wherein the tag includes instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler,

wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files.

16. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a channel from the mobile device;

transmitting a request for the channel to at least one provider;

receiving the channel from the at least one provider, including the step of receiving a first web page, and a second web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a generic advertisement image file link and an associated generic advertisement link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at the at least one provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

automatically encoding the mark-up language defining the first web page to replace the generic advertisement image file link with another link comprising a tag, the tag including instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler, wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device; and

transmitting the received channel with the encoded first web-page to the mobile device.

17. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

synchronizing a mobile device with a mobile device server, including the steps of;

requesting a channel from the mobile device server,

receiving the channel from the mobile device server, including the step of receiving a first web page, and a second web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a link comprising a tag, the link and the tag previously encoded in place of a generic advertisement image file link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at a provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, and wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

enabling the advertisement cycler when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device, wherein the tag includes instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler,

wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files.

19. A system for servicing advertisements for offline viewing on a mobile device, comprising:

a first module configured to receive a request for a channel from the mobile device;

a second module configured to transmit a request for the channel to at least one provider;

a third module configured to receive the channel from the at least one provider, including the step of receiving a first web page, and a second web page, wherein mark-up language defining the first web page includes a generic advertisement image file link and an associated generic advertisement link, wherein the generic advertisement image file link addresses an advertisement image file that is stored at the at least one provider that is separate from the mobile device and the mobile device server, wherein the second web page is a web page of an advertiser associated with the advertisement image file;

a fourth module configured to automatically encode the mark-up language defining the first web page to replace the generic advertisement image file link with another link comprising a tag, the tag including instructions instructing the mobile device to enable an advertisement cycler, wherein the advertisement cycler is configured to retrieve advertisement image files stored on the mobile device and cycle, on the first web page, the retrieved advertisement image files when the encoded tag in the mark-up language is parsed by the mobile device; and

a fifth module configured to transmit the received channel with the encoded first web-page to the mobile device,

wherein said first module, said second module, said third module, said fourth module and said fifth module are implemented using one or more processors.