Systems, methods, network elements and applications in connection with browsing of web/WAP sites and services

• US 8,755,769 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne, Saru, Sami, Kalliola, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Zhimei
• Application Number:
  US13/059,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/414.1, 705/14.69, 705/14.73, 707/999.003, 707/E17.108
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations

Abstract

Methodologies, systems and software support or implement functionality to provide sponsored browsing of web/WAP sites and/or services for mobile device users wherein web sites are selected for browsing in dependence on a data size requirement for providing access to content available from a given web/WAP site.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instruction that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive instructions to access a specified uniform resource locator (URL) that provides content of a first content category type;

analyze the instructions and the specified URL to determine a data size requirement for providing access to the specified URL;

determine that the data size requirement is greater than a value specified by a first access enabling entity;

identify an alternate URL that provides content of the first category type and that has a data size requirement that is less than the value specified by the first access enabling entity; and

enable access to the alternate URL.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

select an information provider to enable access to the alternate URL based on an amount of data that the information provider has agreed to sponsor in return for distribution of content associated with the information provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit content associated with the information provider sponsoring access to the alternate URL.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the transmission of content is performed prior to enabling access to the alternate URL.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the transmission of content is performed as part of enabling access to the alternate URL.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the transmission of content is performed subsequent to enabling access to the alternate URL.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein access to the alternate URL is enabled via a second access session.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit content associated with an information provider sponsoring the second access session.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission of content is performed prior to enabling access to the alternate URL.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission of promotional content is performed as part of enabling access to the alternate URL.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission of promotional content is performed subsequent to enabling access to the alternate URL.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification of the alternate URL is performed by analyzing metadata associated with the specified URL and identifying other URLs having the same or similar meta data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis of metadata is performed by a search engine.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, instructions from a mobile device to access a specified URL that provides content of a first content category type;

analyzing, by the processor, the instructions and the specified URL to determine a data size requirement for providing access to the specified URL;

determining, by the processor, that the data size requirement is greater than a value specified by a first access enabling entity;

identifying, by the processor, an alternate URL that provides content of the first category and that has a data size requirement that is less than the value specified by the first access enabling entity; and

enabling, by the processor, access to the alternate URL.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting to the mobile device content associated with an information provider enabling access to the alternate URL.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmission of content is performed prior to enabling access to the alternate URL.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmission of content is performed as part of enabling access to the alternate URL.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmission of promotional content is performed subsequent to enabling access to the alternate URL.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling access to the alternate URL via a second access session.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting content associated with the information provider sponsoring the second access session.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmission of content is performed prior to enabling access to the alternate URL.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmission of content is performed as part of enabling access to the alternate URL.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmission of content is performed subsequent to enabling access to the alternate URL.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the identification of the alternate URL is performed by analyzing metadata associated with URLs having the same or similar meta data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the analysis of metadata is performed by a search engine.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for carrying out a method for operating a web-browsing service, the method comprising:

receiving instructions from a mobile device to access a specified URL that provides content of a first content category type;

analyzing the instructions and the specified URL to determine a data size requirement for providing access to the specified URL;

determining that the data size requirement is greater than a value specified by a first access enabling entity;

identifying an alternate URL that provides content of the first category type that has a data size requirement that is less than the value specified by the first access enabling entity; and

enabling access to the alternate URL.