Patent Application
20080082421
The invention relates to a system for allowing users to provide other individuals with a personalized representation of the user in a network environment, such as a cellular telephone network.
Wireless telephones have become more powerful with the inclusion of such features as cameras, address books, calendars and games. Many now include microprocessors, operating systems and memory which allow developers to provide limited applications for the phones. Phones now include the ability to play multimedia files including polyphonic ringtones, MP3 files, MPEG, AVI and QuickTime movies, and the like, in addition to displaying pictures taken on or downloaded to the phone.
Wireless phones have long been able to access the Internet via a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) browser, and receive messages via Short Message Service (SMS). A user on a wireless telephone connects via the wireless network to a server which enables the phone to read WAP enabled content. Most providers enable a user to access an email message account via the WAP browser, and/or provide SMS messages directly to the user's phone. SMS allows users to receive abbreviated text messaging directly on the phone. Messages can actually be stored on the phone, but the storage available is limited to a very small amount of memory. In addition, no provision for handling attachments in SMS is available.
More recently, phones themselves have become powerful enough to utilize data connections over a carrier's network to manipulate data. For example, users of a carrier's network can download multimedia content to their phone, shop and download phone specific applications, and send and receive more robust messaging. Devices which have been combined with wireless phones, such as Research In Motion's Blackberry device, provide a user with enhanced message capabilities and attachment handling. These devices are specifically configured to provide contact and message applications over a wireless network.
Still, the majority of phones provide limited native address and contact data storage, and only SMS messaging capability. Some phones do allow users to associate images and specific ringtones with users in their phone's address book. Most wireless phones support caller ID, which displays the number of an incoming caller. Using this information, phones having imaging and multiple ringtone capabilities display an incoming caller's address book associated picture (if available) when the incoming call is received, and play a specially designated ringtone (if specified).
With the numerous different types of wireless phones and other communications devices available, a system which will enable users to provide a personalized representation of themselves on other users' phones would be useful in allowing the users to identify themselves to other users.
The present invention, roughly described, pertains to a system and method which allows advanced contact identification information to be created and distributed to users of wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones. Subscribers can define their own personas as collections of information which define the users. Subscribers can then publish their persona(s) to their friends' and associates' mobile phones, and update the others' address books with the subscriber's contact information. Users can specify different personas to be presented to different users.
In one embodiment, the invention is a system for providing personification information to users of a wireless phone.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method of identifying a service subscriber on a wireless device. The method may include the steps of: establishing a subscriber persona comprising information identifying a user to other users; and displaying at least a portion of the persona on a device when a call or other type of contact such as SMS, Push-To-Talk message, email, voiceclip, is received from another subscriber whose personalization information has been provided to the user.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method of providing an advanced caller identification service. In this embodiment, the invention includes: maintaining a store of subscriber persona information provided by users, the persona information identifying the user to other users, and distributing persona information to others based on an established relationship between subscribers.
A still further embodiment of the invention includes an application on a subscriber phone. The application includes a store of personification information for at least one other subscriber, and a display interface providing personification information to a phone interface and an interface for managing the user's own personalization information, as well as any system or account preferences.
In another embodiment, the invention is an application server for a communication system. The sever includes a store of personification information for a plurality of subscribers and a distribution system management application.
In another aspect, a method of monetizing a contact identification system comprises establishing a contact session in a network with a recipient. Typically, the contact session is a call, an SMS message, an MMS message, an email, a voice clip, and a reminder. The method further comprises presenting a media on a device used by the recipient. Typically, the media is a ringtone, an image, a video clip, a song, a music clip, an aroma, a physical sensation, or a combination thereof. The media is generated by an advertiser, a subscriber, or a vendor. The method further comprises offering an at least one incentive by an at least one entity. Preferably, the network is accessible by the at least one entity. Typically, the at least one incentive is offered upon the recipient using, purchasing, acquiring, or otherwise interacting with the media in a predetermined manner and is offered to at least one of a caller and the recipient. The at least one incentive is credits, money, media, a voucher, a coupon, an entry in a drawing or contest, an item of value, or any other valuable consideration, or a combination thereof. The method further comprises presenting the recipient with a plurality of options on the device. The plurality of options include acquiring, giving an opinion of, adding, learning more about and blocking the media. The method further comprises storing information on a server. Typically, the information includes the media and associated actions by the recipient. The method further comprises synching the device with the server.
In another aspect, a monetization method for a contact identification system comprises making available a media for distribution in a network. Typically, the media is a ringtone, an image, a video clip, a song, a music clip, an aroma, a physical sensation, or a combination thereof. The media is generated by an advertiser, a subscriber, or a vendor. The method further comprises establishing a contact session in the network with a mobile device. Preferably, the contact session is configured to present the media on the mobile device. In some embodiments, the contact session is human-initiated. In other embodiments, the contact session is automatically-initiated. The method further comprises presenting a plurality of options for a user of the mobile device. Typically, the plurality of options include acquiring, giving an opinion of, adding, learning more about and blocking the media. The method further comprises awarding an at least one incentive by or to an at least one entity with access to the network. Preferably, the at least one incentive awarded upon the recipient using, purchasing, acquiring, passing-along to or making available to other subscribers or non-subscribers, or interacting with the media in a predetermined manner. The method further comprises storing information in a storage. Typically, the information includes the media and associated actions by the recipient. Preferably, the storage is a network server or a database.
In yet another aspect, a system for monetization comprises a device configured for accepting a contact session in a network. Preferably, the device is used by a recipient. In some embodiments, the contact session is human-initiated. In other embodiments, the contact session is automatically-initiated. The system also comprises a media configured to render on the device. Typically, the media is a ringtone, an image, a video clip, or a combination thereof. The system also comprises at least one entity with access to the network offering at least one incentive. Typically, the at least one incentive is offered upon the recipient using, distributing, or interacting with the media in a predetermined manner. The system also comprises a plurality of options on the device presented to the recipient. Typically, the plurality of options include acquiring, giving an opinion of, adding, learning more about and blocking the media. The system also comprises at least one participant. Typically, the at least one participant generates the media. The at least one participant is an advertiser, a subscriber, or a vendor. The system further comprises a server configured to store information. Typically, information includes the media (and/or information about the media), and associated actions by the recipient.
The present invention can be accomplished using hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software. The software used for the present invention is stored on one or more processor readable storage media including hard disk drives, CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, floppy disks, tape drives, RAM, ROM or other suitable storage devices. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the software can be replaced by dedicated hardware including custom integrated circuits, gate arrays, FPGAs, PLDs, and special purpose computers. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in conjunction with the drawings.
The present invention allows advanced contact identification features to be provided to a phone or other mobile device by allowing a user to provide personification information for other users of advanced wireless communication devices. Each user can create one or more individualized representations of themselves and push this information to other users. The service is generally enabled by an enterprise service provider or cellular network carrier via one or more servers. Users can subscribe to the service, allowing them to create and distribute sub-sets of personification information or “personas”, or merely participate in an advanced contact identification system, receiving personification information from subscribers. Since devices have different capabilities, the system will vary in its ability to provide personification information to each device, and in one embodiment, the type of user device and its capabilities are stored for each member of the system. The method and implementing systems and applications of the present invention provided by an enterprise service provider (ESP) may be subject to a service fee to maintain the personification information in a data store, and provide functionality associated with the system.
In general, a new subscriber creates a personification of the new subscriber which may include the new subscriber's contact information, signature, photo, multimedia information and a specific ringtone identifying the new subscriber to other phone users. Many cellular phones include an ability to download specific ringtones and use the ringtones to identify incoming callers by associating a ringtone and picture with a contact information in the phone and triggering it using caller ID functions. The system of the present invention allows the new subscriber to specify the subscriber's own ringtone and picture, and use it to identify the new subscriber to other users. In addition to the static information in the personification information, the new subscriber may provide dynamic information such as GPS location, time zone, availability, and event-relevant information (e.g., a reminder it's a caller's birthday, or a summary of calendar events, blogs, reminders, or tasks assigned to or by the caller) or control information to other users or participants.
At step 204, the new subscriber may set the subscriber's own personification information. This is referred to in Figures occasionally as creating or updating “me”. As shown at table 206, the new subscriber's personification information may include the new subscriber's name, address, phone number and any other contact information, a picture of the new subscriber, a specific ringtone for the new subscriber, and a schedule of available times that the new subscriber may be contacted in various manners. In addition, the new subscriber may input user location information. Location information may be of varying specificity, and may initially input manually or through a connection with a GPS system in a GPS enabled phone. Information in the location section of the new subscriber's system may be updated by an agent on the phone using the phone's GPS agent. The ringtone may be uploaded by the new subscriber or may be selected from tones provided by a system administrator as part of the service, or the new subscriber may use the phone's microphone (if equipped) to author a new audio clip which will be used as a ringtone. Optionally, a value added media distributor may provide phones, and digital rights management incorporated in the system to ensure proper control of copyrighted material within the system of the present invention. A phone manufacturer, a mobile phone carrier, or another entity may add DRM functionality as well, which may determine which protected content may be redistributed (and how). It should be recognized that step 204 is optional, and the new subscriber may decide not to provide personification information, but only participate in the system to acquire personification information of others. In another embodiment, subscription to the advanced contact ID service provided by the ESP is not required to receive personification information.
As discussed in further detail below, different sets of personification information (or “personas”) may be provided for different groups of individuals in the new subscriber's contact list. For example, the new subscriber may wish one group of contacts to receive one set of personification information (such as business contacts), while another set (such as personal friends) to receive a different set of information. A group definition allows the new subscriber to define recipients who receive a particular version of contact information. The new subscriber may assign one or more users to a particular group using an interface provided on the phone, or alternatively via some other interface, such as a webpage or an administrative configuration console. Additionally, the new subscriber can specify a “public” persona which anyone may download (and will be automatically assigned to new contacts in the new subscriber's phone). The system or agent maintains group assignments in persistent storage. The system or agent transmits the information appropriate for each group to the members of the group using the above described techniques. The enterprise service provider can allow the new subscriber to have a default persona upon establishing an account with the system. For example, the system can establish default, public friends, family, co-workers, business associates, and blacklist persona templates, allowing the new subscriber to input certain information and have established personas once the new subscriber joins the system. The blacklisted persona is intended to be assigned to buddies to whom the new subscriber does not want to publish information.
At step 208, the new subscriber's contact records are provided to the ESP in one of a number of ways, and relationships are detected between the new subscriber's contact records and other subscribers'. This input may be as simple as downloading phone numbers that the new subscriber has stored in the new subscriber's phone, or may include additional contact information which allows the system to determine whether individuals are members of the system. In addition, the new subscriber may manually input contacts during account creation, or download contact information from another source, such as a personal information manager on a personal computer or personal digital assistant. A search mechanism may also be provided, allowing the new subscriber to input information on individuals to determine whether an individual is part of the system. For example, if the new subscriber does not have a stored resource of personal information, the new subscriber may, via the web browser, access a form provided by a system administration which provides name and other contact fields which the system can use to search for other users participating in the system. Once found, this information can then be provided to the new subscriber.
In accordance with the system of the present invention, different types of links may be established between users. Generally, a user's contact list is found in a user address book in a phone data store. Due to the nature of human communication, it is likely that a contact in the user's address book will have the user's information in that contact's own address book. For example, assuming Bob and Alice are both friends, they will likely have each other's contact information in their respective address books. This reciprocal link between people can be utilized to recognize and distinguish different types of links. In accordance with the invention, “half” linked users are users who have other's contact information in their address books, but the others do not reciprocate. Unlinked users are not connected for purposes of data exchange and the invitation functions provided in
As discussed above, when the new subscriber provides his own personification information to a service host at step 204, links between users are detected at step 208 by examining the contents of their address books which are provided to an advanced ID service server. At step 208, once the contacts have been acquired, relationships between the new subscriber's contacts and other subscribers are established. This can occur automatically by an algorithm run by the ESP, may be set manually by the new subscriber, or may occur by some combination of the two.
In order to identify each user from a pool of all users of the system, the system uses telephone numbers and in one embodiment e-mail addresses as unique keys. In a further embodiment, the system of the present invention can use telephone number equivalence algorithms to match phone numbers regardless of formatting, country and area codes.
Users who wish to remove their information and “unlink another user” simply remove that user from their phones' address books. Using rules of the system, two users are no longer linked and no further updated information between them occurs. No information is deleted from a unlinked party's address book in this process. Another approach is to assign the unlinked party to a “blacklisted” persona.
Optionally, at step 210, the new subscriber may be offered the opportunity to invite other people to become subscribers. The new subscriber may be prompted to determine if the new subscriber wishes to invite contacts stored in the new subscriber's phone to become subscribers to obtain additional benefits attributable to subscription. If the new subscriber wishes to invite others, an invite process is performed at step 212.
Optionally, at step 214, the new subscriber may be given the option to allow the new subscriber's persona to be provided to non-subscribers. If the new subscriber desires the personification information to be delivered, a delivery process 216 transmits the personification information to non-subscribers. This may occur in any number of ways, such as via SyncML or via SMS messages, as described below.
At step 218, personification information from other subscribers in the new subscriber's contact list is delivered to the new subscriber, and the new subscriber's information is sent to the other subscribers. As discussed below, contacts who are also subscribers are true-linked users and automatically populate the new subscriber's phone. The information may be transmitted to the new subscriber in a data stream directly to the agent, which then populates the new subscriber's phone data. Alternatively, the information may be provided in a series of messages. Preferentially, the information will be transmitted via SyncML.
Included in persona information is whether the new subscriber's contacts should be alerted the new subscriber's location based on the GPS system in the GPS enabled phone or manually entered location information in the new subscriber's own record. Also included may be, for example, the level of granularity available to the new subscriber's contacts. For example, a receiving member may be allowed to know the country, city or a more or less specific location. Once received, the receiving member may further configure the new subscriber's personification information based on the information received. For example, suppose the new subscriber provides location information in the new subscriber's record. The receiving member may specify that the receiving member wishes to be notified when the new subscriber with location information moves to a particular location or within a particular distance from the receiving member.
Other criteria may also be configured, such as group information. For example, the new subscriber may specify which groups each contact belongs to so that if a requesting member requests personification information about the new subscriber, the correct group information is provided to the requesting member.
Finally, at step 220, the new subscriber may update information in the new subscriber's persona. When the new subscriber does so, the information is re-transmitted to true linked subscribers and, if enabled, non-subscribers in the system. Updates may be started on the new subscriber's device by a client application as a result of data changes on the device. This may occur because of user interaction with the device, or changing transient information such as time zone. Updates can occur in one of two ways. Server-initiated updates are triggered by time intervals, or a change in data which is to be sent to the new subscriber's device. Server-initiated updates are handled via direct socket connection to the client or via SMS messages or some other asynchronous notification mechanism sent from the advanced ID service server to the client application on the device. Each advanced contact ID account supports a configurable “server initiated sync on/off” setting which controls whether SMS messages are automatically sent when a client is out of date. The SMS message from the advanced ID service server may be sent to the text port (or configured data port, if appropriate).
In one aspect, the system supports controlling both the calling user's phone and the receiving user's phone. At step 501, if Subscriber B has configured Subscriber B's persona (which is downloaded to Subscriber A) to prevent calls during a certain period of time, the client application 140 on the calling user's phone can prevent Subscriber A from connecting to Subscriber B during this period. Hence at step 501, the method may check (on Subscriber A's phone) whether a call to Subscriber B is allowed based on Subscriber B's configuration. If not, an alert 503 may be provided to Subscriber A.
At step 502, if the call is initiated by Subscriber A and received by Subscriber B, optionally at step 504, the receiving user can configure the receiving user's phone to prevent calls during a specific period of time. Hence, at step 504, the method may check to determine whether a call is allowed during a specific period by the receiving user. If the call is not allowed, the method may block the call at step 512. If the call is not blocked, the calling user's advanced contact ID information (persona) is displayed on the receiving caller's phone at step 506, as mentioned above. If the call is blocked, it may be directed to the receiving user's voicemail system. In another embodiment, the call-initiating party whose call is blocked may be directed to use another form of communication such as SMS, email, IM, or voice clip.
An advanced contact ID information or persona is a collection of information which defines a particular user, such as a phone number, e-mail address, picture, geo location information and other data. This allows subscribers to manage their own “personal brand,” controlling how they are represented on other users' phones by specifying ringtones or pictures associated with their contacts. As discussed herein, one can have a “friends” persona and a “co-workers” persona which contain different information or different sets of information. Additional features such as geo location information provided by GPS enabled phones is also provided, as is information about the caller which is transient in nature—such as whether it's the caller's birthday or anniversary, or information concerning phone calls, meetings, or tasks assigned to or by the caller.
The system may be implemented by using a direct push system from an advanced ID service server via a SyncML server to a SyncML client, or may be operated on by a specific client application resident in the phone which communicates with the service-side implementation. SyncML is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) protocol under development as an open standard for the universal synchronization of data between devices. Synchronization of data allows changes made to data on one device (such as a smartphone or a laptop computer) to be instantly reflected in data on another device (such as a networked computer).
Optionally, at step 508, if the calling user has chosen to provide the calling user's GPS information, at step 510 the GPS can be provided in a notification to show that the calling user is at or near a specific location.
The present invention supports two different types of data: static and dynamic. Static data can include a user's ringtone, name and image. The static information is provided by the calling user to the receiving user's client application on the receiving user's phone at step 506. Step 501 indicates a feature of the present invention which allows the calling user to define the calling user's own personification information to control the receiving user's phone—this dynamic or “active control” information can be updated more often than the static persona information. Dynamic information such as GPS or time zone information is updated regularly based on the needs of the calling user. Due to the interaction of the client application on the receiving user's phone, the receiving user may actually prevent (or merely warn) the calling user from calling the receiving user's phone and may instead provide the calling user a user-configurable message which may direct the calling user to use some other mechanism to contact the intended receiving user (e.g., SMS, email, etc). As with all other similar information, this preferred availability information is stored users' personas.
An advanced ID service server 160 is also provided which communicates with the phone 100 via the wireless network 150 directly over a data connection or via a SyncML server 195. Various embodiments of the system for implementing the advanced contact ID service are discussed herein. In
The phone 100 may be provided with a system application or agent 140. The system agent 140 can include a SyncML communication client designed to interact with the SyncML server 195 in accordance with approved and proposed versions of the SyncML OMA DS specification, including proposed extensions (available at http://www.openmobilealliance.org). Alternatively, the system agent 140 can be an application designed to communicate with the advanced ID service server 160 using an existing SyncML client 132 on the phone 100 provided by the phone's manufacturer (as well as any custom extensions supported by such SyncML client 132), or an application specifically designed to communicate with the advanced ID service server 160 via another protocol, including a proprietary protocol. In one embodiment, the system agent 140 has a fully implemented SyncML communication client and the advanced ID service server 160 includes a SyncML server 195. In another embodiment, the application is a client application device sync agent such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,757. Various embodiments of the client application 140 are set forth below.
In accordance with the present invention, the phone 100 includes a system memory 122 which may further include an operating system (OS) 125 having operating system services including telephony and linking services, networking services, multimedia and graphics display services all provided to a user interface (UI) 120. The OS 125 may be the phone's proprietary OS, BREW, or any other device or operating system suitable for a phone (such as the Symbian Operating system). Additional base services 135 and operating system kernel services may also be provided. The operating system 125 may additionally provide an SMS client 145 built into the operating system 125 allowing short messages to be provided across the wireless communications link 150 to other users. Still further, the SyncML client 132 may be provided and supported by the operating system services. The phone 100 includes a native phone data store 170 which contains an address book of contacts and other information which may be provided by a subscriber. Such information can further include ringtones, pictures, sounds, and movies, all dependent on the functional capabilities of the phone 100, the space allowed in the system memory 122, and the services provided by the operating system 125.
The client application 140, various embodiments of which are discussed herein, is also loaded into phone 100. As will be well understood by one of average skill in the art, the client application 140 can be provided by the phone manufacturer or downloaded by a user at a later time. To download and install the client application 140, the user selects a download area of the phone operating system 125, selects the client application 140 from offerings provided by the service provider or carrier who maintains the wireless communications link 150, or an enterprise service provider who maintains the advanced ID service server 160, and installs the client application 140 onto the phone 100. In an alternative embodiment, the system agent 140 is a self-supporting application designed to run as a JAVA or BREW agent, or any other device or operating system specific agent (such as an agent operable on the Symbian Operating system). This system agent 140 can either include its own SyncML communication client, or interact with the existing SyncML client 132 on the phone 100. Changes can occur at field level or byte level. Alternative embodiments can communicate via alternative protocols via the wireless communications link 150 to store information in the user info store 106.
The phone 100 includes at least the user interface (UI) 120, the client application 140 having a communication or sync engine and data store manager, the SyncML client 132 and the phone data store 170. The client application 140 provides an appropriate graphical user interface to the UI 120 which provides the user an alternative point of interaction with the system and service provided by the enterprise service provider. The graphical user interface allows the user to define and manage personas and buddies as well as other tasks as specified in the case definition described herein. Interaction with the system can be via this phone user interface 120 or via an interface provided by the web server 180. The sync engine and data store manager are responsible for maintaining user settings and options in the phone's persistent storage as well as automatically pushing and retrieving changes to and from the advanced ID service server 160. The phone data store 170 includes account information, persona data, buddy information, data for other users who have true links with the subscriber, and multimedia content
The advanced ID service server 160 is a centralized storage location for all system service information, including buddy, persona, relationship, and user data. The client application 140 can connect to and synchronize with the advanced ID service server 160 to update a local copy of this data as well as publish any changed information or retrieve any new available information from the advanced ID service server 160. In the phone 100, the persona information belonging to the user's buddy is primarily stored in the native address book or a separate address book provided by the client application 140. As some devices will not support all the published buddy information including the extended information such as geo location and presence information, the client application 140 can store this information in a phone data store 170 and provide access to it via the phone user interface 120.
In general, a hardware structure suitable for implementing the advance ID service server 160, the web server 180 or the SyncML server 195 includes a processor 114, memory 104, nonvolatile storage device 108, portable storage device 110, network interface 102 and I/O device(s) 116. The choice of processor 114 is not critical as long as a suitable processor with sufficient speed is chosen. Memory 104 could be any conventional computer memory known in the art. Nonvolatile storage device 108 could include a hard drive, CDROM, CDRW, flash memory card, or any other nonvolatile storage device. Portable storage 110 could include a floppy disk drive or another portable storage device. The advanced ID service server 160 may include one or more network interfaces 102. An example of a network interface includes a network card connected to an Ethernet or other type of LAN. I/O device(s) 116 can include one or more of the following: keyboard, mouse, monitor, display, printer, modem, etc. Software used to perform the methods of the present invention are likely to be stored in nonvolatile storage device 108, volatile memory 104 and portable storage media 110.
The advanced ID service server 160 also includes the user info store 106. In alternative embodiments, the user info store 106 is stored in memory 104, non-volatile storage 108, portable storage 110 or another storage device that is part of the system of
While only one user info store 106 is shown, it should be recognized that the user info store 106 may be replicated to or stored over a plurality of computers to ensure that the data thereon is protected from accidental loss. It should be understood that the representation of the SyncML server 195 and web sever 180 need not require that such servers be provided on different physical hardware than the advanced ID service server 160.
The system of
A synchronization system described with respect to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,757, 6,694,336 or 6,757,696 comprises client software which provides the functions of a differencing transmitter/receiver/engine, and differencing synchronizer in the form of a device engine. The device engine may include at least one component particular to the type of device on which the device engine runs, which enables extraction of information from the device and conversion of the information to difference information, and transmission of the difference information to the storage server. The storage servers utilized in the system may be any type of storage server, such as an Internet server or an FTP server, and may be provided from any source, such as any Internet service provider. In a key aspect of the sync system, the Internet connection between the devices or between the devices and a server, need not exist at the same point in time. In addition, only those changes to the information which are required to be forwarded to other systems on the system of the present invention are transmitted to enable fast response times.
Data from each of the sync client devices is coupled with a storage server. In one embodiment, each device engine implements all processing required to keep all the systems fully synchronized. Only one device engine needs to be coupled to the sync server at one particular point in time. This permits synchronization of multiple systems in a disconnected fashion. Each device engine will download all transactions encapsulating changes that have occurred since the last synchronization from the server and apply them to the particular device. The change or difference information (termed a “data package” or “change log”) is provided in one or more data packages. Each data package describes changes to any and all transfer information across all device engines, including but not limited to application data, files, folders, application settings, and the like. Each device engine can control the download of data packages that include classes of information that apply to the specified local device. For example, contact names and phone numbers while another needs only changes to e-mail, changes to document files.
Compression and encryption of the data packages may be optionally provided. Each device engine performs mapping and translation steps necessary for applying the data packages to the local format required for that type of information in the application data stores. The device engine also includes components which allow it to track ambiguous updates in cases where users have changed data to a particular data field on two different systems simultaneously since the last update. The output of the device engine comprises a data package which is output to sync server database. As noted above, only one device engine need be connected to the storage server at a given time. The data package can be stored on the storage server until a request is made to a particular location of the storage server by another device engine. Access to areas of the storage server is controlled by a management server (MS). In one embodiment, each sync operation requires that the device engine for each device login to the management server to authenticate the device and provide the device engine with the location of the individual device's data packages on the storage server.
When data is returned to the delta module from the storage server, the delta module returns differenced data to the application object for the particular application which then translates the delta information into the particular interface utilized for application. Once a device engine has been fully applied all data packages from an input stream, it generates a series of data packages that describe the changes made on the local system. The device engine uses the local application object to keep track of the last synchronized version of each application's actual data, which is then used for the next data comparison by the delta module on the next sync request. Generated data packages can include operations and encode changes generated from resolving ambiguous cases as described above.
The sync server uses the concept of a universal data record in its internal sync differencing engine and when sending data to and retrieving from external entities.
The management server supports an authentication interface that requires each device engine to authenticate with the management server before performing synchronization. Certain storage server implementations may utilize locking semantics to control read and write access to storage for multiple device engines. For example, in a generic FTP request, if two device engines attempt to connect to the same data at the same time, there must be some form of locking control to prevent device engines accessing the same data at the same time. In this instance, the management server controls the device engine acquisition, renewal, and releasing of locks against data stored in the network.
Each device engine is uniquely identified and tracked by the management server. This allows for tailoring behavior between the management server and specific types of storage systems and device engine components. All device engine components are tagged and version stamped for management via the management server.
Also shown in
In accordance with the invention, the client application 140 communicates personification information and changes made to the personification information stored in the phone data store 170 to the advanced ID service server 160 via the wireless network 150. Communication of user data from the phone 100 may take several forms. Where the client application 140 utilizes the SyncML client 132 with the advanced ID service server 160, communication may take place using the standards set forth in the SyncML specification. Changes are transmitted on a record-by-record basis or field-by-field basis. Alternatively, communication may occur via another protocol. The SyncML client 132 is utilized to update the phone's 100 native address book with buddy published information as well as to retrieve persona and link information from the advanced ID service server 160. Information can be exchanged via the SyncML protocol, or via a direct data link with the advanced ID service server 160. The advanced ID service server 160 stores and maintains each user account, link personal and buddy information as well as multimedia content, both system provided and user created. The advanced ID service server 160 is a stand alone server and may be incorporated with the features of a synchronization system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,757. Details of this integration are described in further detail below. As noted above, a management interface is provided via the web server 180. Description of this interface is shown below.
The advanced ID service server 160 stores user data in the user info store 106 in a manner which associates the data with an individual user of the phone. In one embodiment, the data is stored in bulk—that is all records and information for the individual user are stored in simple text form, (or binary form, depending on the type of data in use). This information is stored in the data store using a unique identifier (UID) associating the personification data with the individual user. The identifier may be any randomly selected identifier, so long as the individual user is uniquely identified, and the data is associated with the user. In a further aspect, this user UID may be a universally unique identifier (UUID), created in a manner described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,757, 6,694,336 or 6,757,696 or other manners to create a single ID for a given user. In yet another embodiment, user data and changes to the user data are stored in change logs in a manner described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,757, 6,694,336 or 6,757,696.
The web server 180 allows the user on a computer or other user device 190 having a web browser 192 to configure aspects of the system of the invention. The web server 180 may have a hardware configuration similar to the advanced ID service server 160 and may comprise one or more physical computers. Additionally, the web server 180 may be integrated with the advanced ID service server 160.
In one embodiment, aspects of the system of the present invention are configured via the phone user interface 120. The system can alternatively be configured by the user via a web interface provided by the web server 180 via the user device 190.
In another embodiment, shown in
As shown in
At step 902, an account creation step is initiated on the advanced ID service server 160. The advanced ID service server 160 will also create an account with the SyncML server 195 at step 904. The advanced ID service server 160 will provide provisioning information 906 to the client application 140, which will then upload its address book at step 908 to advanced ID service server 160. The advanced ID service server 160 will attempt to establish whether direct links are present at step 910 and return those true links to the new user at step 912. Concurrently, at step 914, the system will attempt to perform synchronization with the new user's contact information on the SyncML server 195. At step 916, the new user's public persona is synced to each user's synchronization account and if there's any problem with the synchronization at step 918 an out of sync notification message is returned to the client application 140. At step 920, records are retrieved regarding the records representing the buddy's personas. Persona records are thereafter synced as other records are synced in accordance with the description in U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,757.
As noted above, the client application 140 and server application 175 provide the existing user with a number of functions to create and manage accounts with the ESP and the advanced contact ID system.
In a further embodiment, the subscriber display may be provided which incorporates data from sources other than the address book. If, for example, the user has populated a phone's native calendar with information concerning meetings with a contact, the client application 140 can extract this information and display, for example, the user's last or future meetings with the contact. Alternatively, this information can be extracted from a sync user account when a synchronization server is utilized as described herein.
A window for My CallerID is divided into multiple sections. A My Device section 1940 displays the system's understanding of the user's current type of device at 1942, status information 1944 including the number of contacts the user has specified as direct link contacts “Advanced CID 2.0 contacts”, the number of total contacts the user has, the number of personas the user has, the number of pictures the user has, and the number of ringtones the user has. An additional section labeled “What's hot” 1960 can be utilized by a value added reseller to display digital content such as pictures 1946 and music 1948 which allow the user to download this information from the value added service provider and provided to the user's account. A My Personas section 1920 includes a depiction of contact card 1925 for the user John Smith which includes the user's general information. A recently added advanced CID (ACID) contact section 1930 displays links to user's contacts as hyperlinks 1932 along with a graphic depiction 1934 associated with that contact. It will be understood that each of the terms on the page highlighted by underlining can provide a hyperlink to more detailed information about the links content.
Selection of the Contacts link 2000 on the menu bar 1950 gives rise to the user interface 1900 shown in
The functionality associated with the user interface in
At
At
If an advanced CID contact is opened (from
Selecting the assign persona (from
Finally, if the user selects to disable advanced CID from the options interface shown in
Pressing the “personas” menu item 2100 in menu bar 1950 displays a personas interface 2100 shown in
Currently returning to
As noted above, when the system is implemented in accordance with a synchronization system as shown and described with respect to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,757, 6,694,336 or 6,757,696, additional elements other than those shown in
The personal records may be represented in the synchronization server system's content records by a specially added contact record field. When a change log describing a persona arrives at the application listener engine 2550, the advanced ID engine 2540 collects the affected buddies, finds the corresponding synchronization server record 2546, and provides the contact modified transaction change log containing the new persona information back to the change log store points 2534 within the synchronization server system 2650. The synchronization server system 2650 adds these modified transactions in accordance with the description of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,757, 6,694,336 or 6,757,696 to the directly linked buddies' synchronization accounts. On such buddies' next synch, each party retrieves the updated contact record representing the persona that the user has assigned it to. Once the synchronization server system 2650 contacts the advanced ID system server 2565, the advanced ID system server 2565 tracks which persona a given buddy is assigned to by adding a field to the contact record. Device 100-1 incorporates the synchronization client 2510 which syncs with the device's address book with change logs provided by the change log store points 2534 in the synchronization server system 2650. Both the native phone data store 170 and the application ID database 2502 may be used to store records for the advanced contact ID system in accordance with the present invention.
Since most current clients do not include native robust address books and SyncML clients,
Yet another alternative configuration is shown in
In
In
Transcoding can involve an actual conversion or may involve simply selecting an alternative version of the media it already knows about. For example, a value added service provider may supply ringtones in two or more formats, and selection of the appropriate format can be made and distributed to the receiving user. When requesting media requires the media object, the transcoding will be performed by the server; the transcoded media will be transmitted to the device automatically. Clients may query information related to the media they are about to download using a function supplied in the communications protocol. This function will return relevant information concerning the transcoded media available to the client. The server may also provide transcode-on-demand support for clients which need multiple formats of the same media (e.g., image) in different sizes (e.g., a thumbnail for the contact in the address book and a full screen picture).
The system supports digital rights management contained in the native applications, allowing value added providers to check any media uploaded or downloaded to or from the server or client device to determine whether the information contained therein is subject to digitalized management. The media record 3510 which contains a media record type 3526 (local or not), identifier, size, hash value, a formula identifier, and a location. The media format 3512 can be any of an image format 3514, a ringer format 3516, a video format 3518. The image format type includes jpegs, pngs and gifs, as indicated at 3520. The ringtone format can be a midi-type, an mp3, a wav or a special awb format, as indicated at 3522. The video format can be an mpeg, wmv file, quicktime, or an avi, as indicated at 3524. Additional formats for images, ringers, and videoclips may be easily added without requiring significant system modification.
Monetization of an Advanced Contact Identification System
A system and method for monetizing the advanced contact identification system will now be described with reference to
In a first monetization embodiment, the advanced contact identification system as described above is configured to increase dissemination and sales of content. The system in this embodiment takes advantage of the fact that there is a higher likelihood that friends who associate with each other will have common interests, likes and dislikes. Therefore, in a scenario where caller A is friends with a number of call recipients, there is a higher likelihood that caller A's content will be of greater interest to the call recipients than other, non-targeted content that the call recipients encounter.
For example, caller A is the first in caller A's group to acquire a particular ringtone, image, video clip or other content which caller A has adopted as caller A's personal brand, to appear on the friends' phones upon contact by caller A. When caller A contacts one of caller A's friends, and caller A's personal brand content is presented over the friend's phones, the friend is presented with a user interface as shown in
Upon accessing the “Media Mgr.” soft-key 4000 using the device hard-keys, the user is presented with a user interface 4002, for example, including a media menu 4004 as shown in
Upon selection of the acquire option 4008 to acquire the media, once the contact session is completed, the user is guided through steps via prompts presented on the phone user interface to connect the user to a source of the media. In some embodiments, that source is the ESP. In other embodiments, the source is other networked locations. The user is then guided through the steps of purchasing the selected media. Alternatively, the purchasing steps are skipped if the media is free. The user is able to set the selected media as the user's own personal brand as explained above, distribute the selected media to others (under a limited or unlimited distribution license), or use the media as desired.
Using this system, a personal brand having popular ringtone, graphic or other content is be widely shared among friends and others within a social network. As explained hereinafter, the caller or content author, license-holder, or other party also or alternatively receives some sort of payment, credit or other incentive when the caller's media is purchased or acquired by others. Providing a monetization scheme for subscribers to share popular or incentivized content drives sales and/or distribution of such content. It also boosts revenue for the ESP and/or telecommunication operators in that the increase in the download of content also increases connection minutes, or bandwidth, or data volume consumed. In some embodiments, it also boosts subscribership for the ESP.
Upon selection of the vote option 4010 to vote on the media, upon completion of the contact session, the user is presented with additional menu screens allowing the user to give the user's opinion of the caller's media. The opinion may be quantitative, e.g., a numerical evaluation on a scale of for example 1 through 10, or qualitative, e.g., the user may enter a textual, visual, or verbal evaluation voicing the user's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the content. This quantitative or qualitative evaluation is sent to the caller and/or uploaded to the ESP (or other) server for storage, where it is made available to the caller, and/or those with the appropriate permissions set by the caller. In another embodiment, the user is able to respond with media as a form of opining.
Upon selection of the add to favorites option 4012 to add the media to the favorites list, an identifier for the media is stored with the user's other designated favorites in the user's favorites list either locally on the phone 100 and/or within the advanced ID service server 160.
Upon selection of the block option 4014 to block the media, the media is blocked as described above. Preferably, the options 4008-4014 and the associated actions are managed, for example, by the client application 140. Any of the actions associated with the selected option 4008-4014 are stored locally on the phone 100 and/or synched to the advanced ID service server 160 where it may be stored.
In the above embodiments, upon setting a personal brand, the caller is able to announce the caller's presence when arriving at a social or other event by, for example, sending an SMS or an MMS message to one or more people at the event. Upon sending the message, the caller's personal brand appears and sounds out on a number of phones 100 simultaneously, in effect providing a chorus announcing the caller's arrival.
In embodiments of a monetization scheme described above with respect to
The advertisement and accompanying information are stored in the advanced ID service server 160, for example, in a database for such advertisements. A subscriber is able to access the advanced ID service server 160 and select an advertisement the subscriber is willing to use as the subscriber's brand. As shown in
When the call recipient accesses the learn more soft-key 4020 to learn more information, the client application 140 couples the call recipient to the advanced ID service server 160. The client application 140 then controls the download of the stored additional information regarding the advertisement to the call recipient including any incentives for adopting the advertisement as the call recipient's personal brand. In alternative embodiments, the additional information regarding the advertisement downloads to the client phone 100 upon initiation of the contact session and is thereafter handled by the client application 140. The information regarding which advertisement the caller selected, which recipients were contacted by the caller after adopting the advertisement, and whether the recipient(s) accepted or blocked the advertisement are stored in the advanced ID service server 160. In some embodiments, both the caller and recipient(s) receive incentives in the form of payments and/or credits for sending/accepting the advertisement. In embodiments providing an incentive, the number of times an advertisement is sent/accepted to receive the incentive is limited. In other embodiments, the number of times is unlimited.
In the above-described model, the advertiser advertises indirectly, e.g., as a result of the caller adopting the advertisement as the caller's personal brand. In further embodiments, the advertiser advertises directly using the advanced contact identification system as explained above. In such an embodiment, the advertiser subscribes to the advanced contact identification system with an ESP as described above, sets an advertisement as the advertiser's brand, and then contacts recipients with the advertisement by making human initiated calls. Alternatively, an automatic dialer is used to contact the recipients. In a conventional telephone advertising model, the call recipient needs to answer a telephone call in order for the advertiser to convey the advertiser's content. The advertising model according to this embodiment allows the advertiser to convey the advertiser's content simply by initiating a call, an SMS message, an MMS message or other contact session. As described above, the recipient is provided with the ability to block receipt of this content.
Preferably, the recipient is given incentives by way of payments and/or credits for accepting the content. The recipient is provided with the learn more soft-key 4020 as shown in
In a further monetization embodiment of the present invention, instead of acquiring media which is then set as the subscriber's personal brand, the subscriber generates the subscriber's own media as the subscriber's personal brand and has that as the subscriber's identification when making calls or initiating other contact sessions. The subscriber sets up the subscriber's personal brand via the user interface provided on phone 100. Alternatively, the subscriber interacts with a web browser user interface for the advanced ID service server 160 via a device other than phone 100 to set up and store the subscriber's personal brand. Once authored, the personal brand is then stored on the advanced ID service server 160 as described above.
The personal brand authored as described in the preceding paragraph may be either for personal or commercial advertising purposes. An authored brand for commercial advertising purposes has been described above. One benefit to such an advertising model is the speed with which the advertiser's content may be distributed. For example, where the advertiser offers an attractive incentive to those who adopt the advertiser's advertisement as their personal brand for dissemination to others, who then adopt and disseminate the brand, the advertiser's message is propagated at an exponential rate. Instead of providing an incentive to adopt/distribute, an individual or group is able to author a personal brand for commercial purposes and set a price for the adoption of their content by others. The individual or group is also able to charge a price for some or all downstream distribution and adoption, as well as receive and give incentives for all such downstream activity.
In further embodiments, vendors are able to associate with an ESP for providing the service of generating template or customized personal brands. In such embodiments, a vendor contacts the ESP via the user interface from a phone 100 or other device, and sets up one or more templates including various personal brands with different themes. These personal brands are stored on the advanced ID service server 160, where they are selected, for a fee or otherwise, by subscribers. Alternatively, subscribers and vendors connect through the ESP for a vendor to create a customized personal brand for the subscriber. Once the brand is created, the brand is stored on the advanced ID service server 160, and then selected by the subscriber as described above. In some embodiments, a personal brand extends beyond the context of a phone 100, for example to clothing and other accessories.
As indicated above, all of the information regarding which subscriber acquires or authors what content, which recipients have that content come up as the caller's identification, and which recipients accept, block, or comment on that content is tracked and stored within the advanced ID service server 160. Moreover, once a recipient acquires content as the recipient's personal brand, subject to rules set regarding distribution of that content, the acquirer then becomes a distributor of that content. The advanced ID service server 160 tracks and stores all downstream acquisition/distribution of content. This information is also used to generate an address book, based on personalized branding. That is, the address book is organized within the advanced ID service server 160 and synched to a phone 100, showing contacts which are organized by personal brands. The address book also shows a link between all persons within a given social network that acquired the same content and/or distributed content to each other.
Subscribers have the ability to connect to the advanced ID service server 160 as described above and review this information. Subscribers are able to tell whether their personal brand was popular by reviewing who else adopted their personal brand as their own and/or by reviewing the ratings tallied with the voting option (option 4010,
The information regarding the adoption/distribution of content stored on the advanced ID service server 160 is also used to make payments and fulfill incentives to subscribers in accordance with the conditions associated with adoption/distribution of such content. For example, if a condition for the adoption of content as a personal brand indicates that all those that adopt the content will receive a free coupon, and then an additional coupon for every additional ten subscribers they get to adopt the content, the distribution of the coupons are tracked and stored in the advanced ID service server 160. An advertiser is able to access the advanced ID service server 160 to determine how many coupons to distribute, and to whom, in accordance with that information.
Moreover, the stored information provides valuable demographic data to the ESP or vendor working with the ESP. For example, the stored information is able to indicate that content adopted as a personal brand and distributed by a particular subscriber is purchased at a higher rate than for the same content upon distribution by other subscribers. This would lead to a conclusion that this subscriber was more influential than others and that content distributed by him or her was more likely to lead to adoption by others and increased sale of a given content. The content owner is able to identify such a correlation from the information stored on the advanced ID service server 160, and is able to give added incentives to such influential subscribers. In particular, advertisers are able to send notification of a targeted advertisement to the influential subscribers offering them incentives to adopt the advertiser's content as their personal brand.
The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of principles of construction and operation of the invention. Such reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. A person skilled in the art would appreciate that various modifications and revisions to the monetization of the advanced contact identification system will occur. Consequently, the claims should be broadly construed, consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention, and should not be limited to their exact, literal meaning.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the co-pending, co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/827,918, filed Oct. 3, 2006, and entitled “NETWORK AND MOBILE DEVICE SYSTEM FOR MONETIZATION OF AN ADVANCED CONTACT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM,” and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/128,121, filed on May 12, 2005 and entitled “ADVANCED CONTACT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the co-pending, co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/570,409, filed May 12, 2004, and entitled “COMMUNICATION NETWORK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM,” which are all hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60827918 | Oct 2006 | US | |
| 60570409 | May 2004 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11128121 | May 2005 | US |
| Child | 11906586 | Oct 2007 | US |
