U.S. patent application number 11/926020 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-05 for methods and systems for securing content played on mobile devices.
Invention is credited to Shah Ullah.
Application Number | 20080133363 11/926020 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39361159 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080133363 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ullah; Shah |
June 5, 2008 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SECURING CONTENT PLAYED ON MOBILE
DEVICES
Abstract
Methods and systems are disclosed herein for managing content,
including advertising content, delivered to various
network-connected devices, including screens, mobile devices,
computers, televisions, radios, and the like, based on usage
profiles associated with device-specific identifiers for mobile
devices, short-distance wireless technologies for transmission of
content and detection of proximity, and content targeting and
management techniques.
Inventors: |
Ullah; Shah; (Brooklyn,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STRATEGIC PATENTS P.C..
C/O PORTFOLIOIP, P.O. BOX 52050
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
39361159 |
Appl. No.: |
11/926020 |
Filed: |
October 28, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11855820 |
Sep 14, 2007 |
|
|
|
11926020 |
|
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|
|
60825708 |
Sep 14, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.64 ;
705/14.66; 705/14.72 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0269 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; H04W 12/08 20130101; H04N 7/17318 20130101;
G06Q 30/0241 20130101; H04N 21/25841 20130101; G06Q 30/0205
20130101; G06Q 30/0255 20130101; G06Q 30/0276 20130101; H04N
21/25891 20130101; H04W 99/00 20130101; G06Q 30/0277 20130101; H04N
21/42684 20130101; G06Q 30/0201 20130101; H04N 21/4126 20130101;
H04L 67/20 20130101; H04N 21/43637 20130101; H04N 21/44231
20130101; H04N 21/812 20130101; H04L 67/22 20130101; H04N 21/2668
20130101; H04W 88/02 20130101; H04N 21/4622 20130101; G06Q 30/0202
20130101; G06Q 30/0267 20130101; H04L 67/306 20130101; H04W 12/06
20130101; H04N 21/4788 20130101; H04N 5/4401 20130101; H04N 21/426
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: creating an advertisement to be embedded
in content, wherein the advertisement is dynamically changed to
suit a profile of a listener to the content, wherein the profile is
determined based on user activity associated with a mobile device
specific identifier.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the following
provisional application, which is hereby incorporated by reference
in its entirety: U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/825,708 filed Sep.
14, 2006.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] The methods and systems herein described relate to mobile
device identification and authentication for access to and
presentation of targeted content.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Methods and systems exist for targeting content, including
advertising content, directed to users of network-connected
devices, such as televisions, mobile handsets, computers, radios,
advertising screens and the like. Such content-targeting methods
face various challenges, depending on the users and devices to
which content is targeted. For example, television and radio
advertisements are often directed to a mass audience, with little
information about specific users. Internet advertisements may be
based on cookies or similar mechanisms that indicate that a user is
returning to a particular site, but targeting based on cookies and
similar information are subject to limitations, among them being
that multiple users may access the Internet through the same
device. Mobile content may be targeted more easily to a specific
user, such as based on information about the user in a database
maintained by a wireless carrier or based on the user's interaction
with content on the mobile handset, but the more limited range of
content that can be delivered to mobile devices means that profiles
based on that usage are often limited and sometimes misleading.
Accordingly, a need exists for better methods of targeting content
to users of all types of network-connected devices.
SUMMARY
[0006] Methods and systems are disclosed herein for delivering
content, including advertising content, to various
network-connected devices. In various embodiments disclosed herein,
methods and systems take advantage of capabilities and information
available in various networking domains to deliver more targeted
content to each of those domains, including using the collective
capabilities and information derived from multiple domains to
deliver content to each domain.
[0007] One embodiment of the methods and systems disclosed herein
relates to television content and advertising. In certain such
embodiments a user profile may be derived from an individual's
usage of a range of different types of network-connected devices,
and the profile may be used to target television content, including
advertisements, to the user. The network-connected devices from
which usage profiles are derived may include mobile phones,
computers, Internet-connected entertainment devices (such as
Internet-connected televisions and radios) and other devices.
Capabilities of mobile handset technologies may be used to unify a
profile of a user across various network-connected devices. In
embodiments, a device-specific identifier (DSI) of a mobile device
owned by a user, such as a MAC address of the user's mobile phone,
may be associated with user names that the user enters when
interacting with network content, such as web sites, using that
mobile device. Once the DSI is associated with one or more user
names, activities associated with those user names can be tracked
and used to generate a profile for that user, regardless of what
network-connected device is used to undertake the activities.
Additionally, when a user interacts with network content using
various network-connected devices and does not enter a username,
activity performed during those sessions may still be categorized
into profiles as the device-specific identifier of the device
through which the interactivity was performed is still recorded. As
such activity may be derived from more than one user of the same
device, patterns in activity performed on such devices without the
accompaniment of a username may be conducted to find similarities
among the network activity recorded containing both a DSI and
username or to find similarities particularly to the network
activity conducted on the user's mobile device as it is the most
individual-specific network-connected device. Furthermore, when a
user interacts with network content using a given network-connected
device and does not enter a username, but during the same session
of activity, on the same given network-connected device, as
determined by proximity of access times, interacts with a second
set of network content with a supplement of a username, activity
performed with the first instance of network content, which was not
supplemented with a username may be associated with activity
performed with the second set of network content which was
supplemented with a username, thus allowing activity performed with
two unique sets of network content, one with a username, one
without a username, to be categorized under the same profile of
user activity. Thus, a multi-device profile may be created for that
user, such that activity on a network performed on a
network-connected device whether accompanied by a username or not,
can still be categorized into a single profile for a user which
represents a wide range of activities across multiple devices and
domains. Once a usage profile is generated, targeting techniques,
such as hand targeting, demographic targeting, geographic
targeting, psychographic targeting, collaborative filtering, neural
network-based targeting, hierarchical targeting, and the like may
be used to target content, including advertisements, to be directed
to the television of the user. In embodiments, use of
short-distance wireless technologies supports more specific
targeting of content to a user or a group of users and enables
digital rights management, security and content management. In
particular, a short-distance wireless communication between a
mobile handset and another network-enabled device, such as using a
Bluetooth, WiFi, WUSB, UWB or other wireless protocol, allows the
methods and systems disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, to
determine or verify the proximity of the user's handset, and by
inference the user, to the other network-enabled device. Thus, a
user's proximity to a television screen can be determined by using
a short-distance wireless protocol to access the MAC address of the
handset. Once proximity is determined or verified, it can be used
for various purposes, including tracking what the user (or other
nearby users) view on the television screen, such as for ratings
purposes, managing (including with digital rights management
techniques) the content the user is allowed to view on the screen
(including allowing the user to share content from a user's library
as long as the user's mobile handset is in proximity to the
screen), and targeting the content directed to the user on the
screen, including advertising, for which a user-specific profile
which includes the activities performed on a multitude of
network-connected devices may be referenced. Thus, the methods and
systems disclosed herein allow for user-specific control of content
delivered to the screen the user is watching, based on proximity of
the user's mobile handset to the screen.
[0008] Another embodiment of the methods and systems disclosed
herein relates to radio advertising. In certain such embodiments a
user profile may be derived from an individual's usage of a range
of different types of network-connected devices, and the profile
may be used to target audio content, including advertisements, to
the user. As in other embodiments, the network-connected devices
from which usage profiles are derived may include mobile phones,
computers, Internet-connected entertainment devices (such as
Internet-connected televisions and radios) and other devices.
Capabilities of mobile handset technologies may be used to unify a
profile of a user across various network-connected devices. In
embodiments, a device-specific identifier (DSI) of a mobile device
owned by a user, such as a MAC address of the user's mobile phone,
may be associated with user names that the user enters when
interacting with network content, such as web sites, using that
mobile device. Once the DSI is associated with one or more user
names, activities associated with those user names can be tracked
and used to generate a profile for that user, regardless of what
network-connected device is used to undertake the activities.
Additionally, when a user interacts with network content using
various network-connected devices and does not enter a username,
activity performed during those sessions may still be categorized
into profiles as the device-specific identifier of the device
through which the interactivity was performed is still recorded. As
such activity may be derived from more than one user of the same
device, patterns in activity performed on such devices without the
accompaniment of a username may be conducted to find similarities
among the network activity recorded containing both a DSI and
username or to find similarities particularly to the network
activity conducted on the user's mobile device as it is the most
individual-specific network-connected device. Furthermore, when a
user interacts with network content using a given network-connected
device and does not enter a username, but during the same session
of activity, on the same given network-connected device, as
determined by proximity of access times, interacts with a second
set of network content with a supplement of a username, activity
performed with the first instance of network content, which was not
supplemented with a username may be associated with activity
performed with the second set of network content which was
supplemented with a username, thus allowing activity performed with
two unique sets of network content, one with a username, one
without a username, to be categorized under the same profile of
user activity. Thus, a multi-device profile may be created for that
user, such that activity on a network performed on a
network-connected device whether accompanied by a username or not,
can still be categorized into a single profile for a user which
represents a wide range of activities across multiple devices and
domains. Once a usage profile is generated, targeting techniques,
such as hand targeting, demographic targeting, geographic
targeting, psychographic targeting, collaborative filtering, neural
network-based targeting, hierarchical targeting, and the like may
be used to target content, including advertisements, to be directed
to the audio-enabled devices, such as Internet radios, of the user.
In embodiments, use of short-distance wireless technologies
supports more specific targeting of content to a user or a group of
users and enables digital rights management, security and content
management. In particular, a short-distance wireless communication
between a mobile handset and another network-enabled device, such
as an Internet-radio, such as using a Bluetooth, WiFi, WUSB, UWB or
other wireless protocol, allows the methods and systems disclosed
herein, in certain embodiments, to determine or verify the
proximity of the user's handset, and by inference the user, to the
other network-enabled device. Thus, a user's proximity to an
Internet radio can be determined by using a short-distance wireless
protocol to access the MAC address of the handset. Once proximity
is determined or verified, it can be used for various purposes,
including tracking what the user (or other nearby users) listen to
on the audio-enabled device, such as for ratings purposes, managing
(including with digital rights management techniques) the content
the user is allowed to listen to on the audio-enabled device
(including allowing the user to share content from a user's library
as long as the user's mobile handset is in proximity to the
audio-enabled device), and targeting the content directed to the
user on the audio-enabled device, including advertising. Thus, the
methods and systems disclosed herein allow for user-specific
control of content delivered to the audio-enabled device to which
the user is listening, based on proximity of the user's mobile
handset to the audio-enabled device.
[0009] Another embodiment of the methods and systems disclosed
herein relates to point-of-presence content delivery, such as live
event content delivery and point-of-sale advertising. In certain
such embodiments a user profile may be derived from an individual's
usage of a range of different types of network-connected devices,
and the profile may be used to target point-of-presence content,
including advertisements, to the user. As in other embodiments, the
network-connected devices from which usage profiles are derived may
include mobile phones, computers, Internet-connected entertainment
devices (such as Internet-connected televisions and radios) and
other devices. Capabilities of mobile handset technologies may be
used to unify a profile of a user across various network-connected
devices. In embodiments, a device-specific identifier (DSI) of a
mobile device owned by a user, such as a MAC address of the user's
mobile phone, may be associated with user names that the user
enters when interacting with network content, such as web sites,
using that mobile device. Once the DSI is associated with one or
more user names, activities associated with those user names can be
tracked and used to generate a profile for that user, regardless of
what network-connected device is used to undertake the activities.
Additionally, when a user interacts with network content using
various network-connected devices and does not enter a username,
activity performed during those sessions may still be categorized
into profiles as the device-specific identifier of the device
through which the interactivity was performed is still recorded. As
such activity may be derived from more than one user of the same
device, patterns in activity performed on such devices without the
accompaniment of a username may be conducted to find similarities
among the network activity recorded containing both a DSI and
username or to find similarities particularly to the network
activity conducted on the user's mobile device as it is the most
individual-specific network-connected device. Furthermore, when a
user interacts with network content using a given network-connected
device and does not enter a username, however during the same
session of activity, on the same given network-connected device, as
determined by proximity of access times, interacts with a second
set of network content with a supplement of a username, activity
performed with the first instance of network content, which was not
supplemented with a username may be associated with activity
performed with the second set of network content which was
supplemented with a username, thus allowing activity performed with
two unique sets of network content, one with a username, one
without a username, to be categorized under the same profile of
user activity. Thus, a multi-device profile may be created for that
user, such that activity on a network performed on a
network-connected device whether accompanied by a username or not,
can still be categorized into a single profile for a user which
represents a wide range of activities across multiple devices and
domains. Once a usage profile is generated, targeting techniques,
such as hand targeting, demographic targeting, geographic
targeting, psychographic targeting, collaborative filtering, neural
network-based targeting, hierarchical targeting, and the like may
be used to target content, including advertisements, to be directed
to a point-of-presence device, such as a screen or audio-enabled
device, that is in proximity to the user. In embodiments, use of
short-distance wireless technologies supports more specific
targeting of content to a user or a group of users and enables
digital rights management, security and content management. In
particular, a short-distance wireless communication between a
mobile handset and another network-enabled device, such as using a
Bluetooth, WiFi, WUSB, UWB or other wireless protocol, allows the
methods and systems disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, to
determine or verify the proximity of the user's handset, and by
inference the user, to the other network-enabled device, in this
case a point-of-presence device such as a screen at a live event, a
point-of-sale screen, or a point-of-presence audio-enabled device.
Thus, a user's proximity to such a point-of-presence device can be
determined by using a short-distance wireless protocol to access
the MAC address of the handset. Once proximity is determined or
verified, it can be used for various purposes, including tracking
what the user (or other nearby users) view on a screen or hear on
an audio-enabled device, such as for ratings purposes, tracking the
effectiveness of advertising, managing (including with digital
rights management techniques) the content the user is allowed to
view on the screen (including allowing the user to share content
from a user's library as long as the user's mobile handset is in
proximity to the screen), and targeting the content directed to the
user on the screen, including advertising. Thus, the methods and
systems disclosed herein allow for user-specific control of content
delivered to the screen or audio-enabled device the user is
watching, based on proximity of the user's mobile handset to the
screen or audio-enabled device.
[0010] One embodiment of the methods and systems disclosed herein
relates to Internet content. In certain such embodiments a user
profile may be derived from an individual's usage of a range of
different types of network-connected devices, and the profile may
be used to target Internet content, including advertisements, to
the user. The network-connected devices from which usage profiles
are derived may include mobile phones, computers,
Internet-connected entertainment devices (such as
Internet-connected televisions and radios) and other devices.
Capabilities of mobile handset technologies may be used to unify a
profile of a user across various network-connected devices. In
embodiments, a device-specific identifier (DSI) of a mobile device
owned by a user, such as a MAC address of the user's mobile phone,
may be associated with user names that the user enters when
interacting with network content, such as web sites, using that
mobile device. Once the DSI is associated with one or more user
names, activities associated with those user names can be tracked
and used to generate a profile for that user, regardless of what
network-connected device is used to undertake the activities.
Additionally, when a user interacts with network content using
various network-connected devices and does not enter a username,
activity performed during those sessions may still be categorized
into profiles as the device-specific identifier of the device
through which the interactivity was performed is still recorded. As
such activity may be derived from more than one user of the same
device, patterns in activity performed on such devices without the
accompaniment of a username may be conducted to find similarities
among the network activity recorded containing both a DSI and
username or to find similarities particularly to the network
activity conducted on the user's mobile device as it is the most
individual-specific network-connected device. Furthermore, when a
user interacts with network content using a given network-connected
device and does not enter a username, however during the same
session of activity, on the same given network-connected device, as
determined by proximity of access times, interacts with a second
set of network content with a supplement of a username, activity
performed with the first instance of network content, which was not
supplemented with a username may be associated with activity
performed with the second set of network content which was
supplemented with a username, thus allowing activity performed with
two unique sets of network content, one with a username, one
without a username, to be categorized under the same profile of
user activity. Thus, a multi-device profile may be created for that
user, such that activity on a network performed on a
network-connected device whether accompanied by a username or not,
can still be categorized into a single profile for a user which
represents a wide range of activities across multiple devices and
domains. Once a usage profile is generated, targeting techniques,
such as hand targeting, demographic targeting, geographic
targeting, psychographic targeting, collaborative filtering, neural
network-based targeting, hierarchical targeting, and the like may
be used to target content, including advertisements, to be directed
to the Internet-connected device of the user. In embodiments, use
of short-distance wireless technologies supports more specific
targeting of content to a user or a group of users and enables
digital rights management, security and content management. In
particular, a short-distance wireless communication between a
mobile handset and another network-enabled device, such as using a
Bluetooth, WiFi, WUSB, UWB or other wireless protocol, allows the
methods and systems disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, to
determine or verify the proximity of the user's handset, and by
inference the user, to the other network-enabled device. Thus, a
user's proximity to an Internet-connected device can be determined
by using a short-distance wireless protocol to access the MAC
address or other DSI of the handset. Once proximity is determined
or verified, it can be used for various purposes, including
tracking what the user (or other nearby users) view on the
Internet-connected device, such as for ratings purposes, managing
(including with digital rights management techniques) the content
the user is allowed to view or listen on the device (including
allowing the user to share content from a user's library as long as
the user's mobile handset is in proximity to the device), and
targeting the content directed to the user on the device, including
advertising. Thus, the methods and systems disclosed herein allow
for user-specific control of content delivered to the screen the
user is watching or the audio-device to which the user is
listening, based on proximity of the user's mobile handset to the
Internet-connected device.
[0011] One embodiment of the methods and systems disclosed herein
relates to mobile advertising. In certain such embodiments a user
profile may be derived from an individual's usage of a range of
different types of network-connected devices, and the profile may
be used to target television content, including advertisements, to
the user. The network-connected devices from which usage profiles
are derived may include mobile phones, computers,
Internet-connected entertainment devices (such as
Internet-connected televisions and radios) and other devices.
Capabilities of mobile handset technologies may be used to unify a
profile of a user across various network-connected devices. In
embodiments, a device-specific identifier (DSI) of a mobile device
owned by a user, such as a MAC address of the user's mobile phone,
may be associated with user names that the user enters when
interacting with network content, such as web sites, using that
mobile device. Once the DSI is associated with one or more user
names, activities associated with those user names can be tracked
and used to generate a profile for that user, regardless of what
network-connected device is used to undertake the activities.
Additionally, when a user interacts with network content using
various network-connected devices and does not enter a username,
activity performed during those sessions may still be categorized
into profiles as the device-specific identifier of the device
through which the interactivity was performed is still recorded. As
such activity may be derived from more than one user of the same
device, patterns in activity performed on such devices without the
accompaniment of a username may be conducted to find similarities
among the network activity recorded containing both a DSI and
username or to find similarities particularly to the network
activity conducted on the user's mobile device as it is the most
individual-specific network-connected device. Furthermore, when a
user interacts with network content using a given network-connected
device and does not enter a username, however during the same
session of activity, on the same given network-connected device, as
determined by proximity of access times, interacts with a second
set of network content with a supplement of a username, activity
performed with the first instance of network content, which was not
supplemented with a username may be associated with activity
performed with the second set of network content which was
supplemented with a username, thus allowing activity performed with
two unique sets of network content, one with a username, one
without a username, to be categorized under the same profile of
user activity. Thus, a multi-device profile may be created for that
user, such that activity on a network performed on a
network-connected device whether accompanied by a username or not,
can still be categorized into a single profile for a user which
represents a wide range of activities across multiple devices and
domains. Once a usage profile is generated, targeting techniques,
such as hand targeting, demographic targeting, geographic
targeting, psychographic targeting, collaborative filtering, neural
network-based targeting, hierarchical targeting, and the like may
be used to target content, including advertisements, to be directed
to the mobile device of the user. In embodiments, use of
short-distance wireless technologies supports more specific
targeting of content to a user or a group of users and enables
digital rights management, security and content management. In
particular, a short-distance wireless communication between a
mobile handset and another network-enabled device, such as using a
Bluetooth, WiFi, WUSB, UWB or other wireless protocol, allows the
methods and systems disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, to
determine or verify the proximity of the user's handset, and by
inference the user, to another mobile device. Thus, a user's
proximity to a mobile device can be determined by using a
short-distance wireless protocol to access the MAC address or other
DSI of the handset. Once proximity is determined or verified, it
can be used for various purposes, including managing (including
with digital rights management techniques) the content another user
is allowed to access on another mobile device (including allowing
the user to share content from a user's library as long as the
user's mobile handset is in proximity to the other user's device),
and targeting the content directed to the user on the other device,
including advertising.
[0012] One advantage of the methods and systems herein is they
enable a drastic improvement in the television advertising
industry. There are certain technology and business drivers for a
higher penetration of more advanced set-top boxes that may be
associated with improvements in television advertising.
[0013] DVDs may become a technological non-necessity in a few
years. Users will consume video via a direct feed/download. This
video data will need to go through a data box in the home that
routes not only video, but other data streams such as voice and
Internet data inside the home. As a result, viewers that will not
subscribe to premium television channels will likely have an
advanced set-top box for the consumption of non-premium television
channels and for watching movies.
[0014] Fixed-Mobile-Convergence (FMC) indicates that landlines may
soon become a technological non-necessity. A device that switches a
cell phone's connection from a cell-tower to the broadband
connection inside the home (in the form of cable, satellite, Fixed
WiMax, or other broadband connection) may become necessary. It is
very reasonable to assume, especially with the triple and quadruple
play packages being presented to consumers, that the features of
such a device will eventually be embedded into the same unit that
controls video downloads including television and movies.
[0015] Using the mobile device is potentially the only way to
attain a real-time, live assessment of who is watching the
television and tailor the advertisements delivered to the unique
combinations of viewers. A father and son watching television
content together represent two very unique advertising markets. To
best take advantage of this blend of viewers simultaneously viewing
television, for the purposes of accurate and proportional
advertising, a device that is overwhelmingly individual specific
such as the mobile handset may provide tremendous value.
[0016] Additionally, activity performed on a mobile handset as a
portion of overall activity performed on a network-connected
device, is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so in the
foreseeable future.
[0017] For Internet publishers of websites, blogs, or for Internet
retailers, the server-side software which facilitates the creation
of user-specific profiles rooted in the mobile DSI but which also
take into consideration all network-connected devices, is a
technology that may but will not necessarily, provide the same
value as a free advertising network for Internet websites, blog
publishers, or Internet retailers allowing them access to the best
available user-specific Internet usage metrics so they can serve
the best possible ads on available ad inventory or in the case of
an Internet retailer, promote the best products suited for visitors
to the given Internet retailer's website. Based on the content,
fees may be collected by a provider of a mobile DSI
identification/authentication service, such as for video, unlimited
viewing, extending the content on a given Internet platform to
another platform such as television content, portable/flexible
electronic screens used to make digital text portable, radio, and
the like.
[0018] As a result of mobile carriers dealing with voice revenue
decaying rapidly and as even the margins on data consumption are
becoming hyper-competitive, mobile carriers are rapidly seeking
ways to monetize their high penetration numbers through
advertising. From business processes which rely upon the methods
and systems disclosed herein, mobile carriers may receive a portion
of advertising revenue from various sources of advertising,
including television which accounts for 34% of all advertising
dollars in the US or $72 billion in 2006. As video on the internet
becomes more prevalent, advertising related revenue will only grow
and through technological advances, television and internet
advertising and content delivery will benefit.
[0019] Digital Rights Management synergies with content producers
are enabled by the methods and systems herein. Content production
companies such as News Corporation can enjoy digital rights
management services to protect their premium content while using
the methods and systems herein to aid in the serving of
highly-precise, targeted ads, such as by using DSI based
identification/authentication profiles.
[0020] Placing an emphasis on a mobile handset's device-specific
identification (DSI) as a base for a user-specific profile
generated from activity performed on various network-connected
devices may be based on an understanding that it is essentially
carried on a given user's person and thus is very
individual-specific. Additionally, since it is carried on a given
user's person, it follows the user in many places where other
devices such as a PC/laptop might not, thus allowing user-specific
profiles created with specific dependencies and ties to the mobile
handset, to be portable by virtue of the inherent portability of
mobile handset. Additionally, when attempting to aggregate all the
Internet usage habits of a user across various devices, beginning
with the mobile DSI may facilitate the aggregation by enabling the
use of clues or information associated with the mobile handset DSI
and the associated user to determine what other information, found
as a result of Internet usage on other network-connected devices
associated with the same user, to aggregate with it. Starting with
a fixed position, or multi-user device, such as a PC, a television,
or other stationary Internet-enabled device presents user
identification challenges that the mobile handset does not. These
challenges are mainly rooted on the basis that such devices may,
and often, have multiple regular users. Therefore the mobile
handset may serve as a primary identification device for a scenario
in which the methods and systems herein (e.g. identification or
authentication) could be applied for advertising, content/software
as a service-authentication, and the like. The mobile handset is
widely regarded as becoming the most frequently used computing
interface, making it ideal for user authentication purposes.
However, the methods and systems described herein do not all
require a mobile component, and therefore, for the purposes of the
unique methods and systems described herein, they can be associated
with mechanisms that do include a mobile component.
[0021] These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and
advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment and the drawings. All documents mentioned
herein are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022] The invention and the following detailed description of
certain embodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the
following figures:
[0023] FIG. 1 depicts a DSI-based authentication/identification
platform.
[0024] FIG. 2 depicts using a mobile handset DSI to facilitate
delivery of targeted television advertising.
[0025] FIG. 3 depicts providing recent historical usage information
(internet browser cache data) from a mobile device to a server on
the internet.
[0026] FIG. 4 depicts determining a presence and a location of
mobile handsets in proximity to a set-top box.
[0027] FIG. 5 depicts determining a presence and a location of
mobile handsets in proximity to a set-top box in order to determine
a presence of viewers by virtue of the presence of their mobile
handsets.
[0028] FIG. 6 depicts uploading DSI or browser cache data over the
internet to a host and the processing there.
[0029] FIG. 7 depicts a typical wireless network device gaining
access to internet resources.
[0030] FIG. 8 depicts a very simplified embodiment of the internet
with a plurality of web sites and servers.
[0031] FIG. 9 depicts the delivery of client side software by a web
server to a mobile handset.
[0032] FIG. 10 depicts client side software communicating the
device identifier or device-specific identification (DSI) over the
internet.
[0033] FIG. 11 depicts the creation of DSI-specific logs being
facilitated by a web server's server-side software once it has
obtained a mobile handset's DSI.
[0034] FIG. 12 depicts a device other than a mobile device
providing a DSI for the creation of DSI-specific logs facilitated
by a web server's server-side software once it has obtained a
mobile handset's DSI.
[0035] FIG. 13 depicts a plurality of devices, submitting their
respective DSIs to servers, for the production of DSI-specific
usage logs.
[0036] FIG. 14 depicts formation of user-specific
authentication/identification profiles as a result of DSI and
username aggregation and compilation of usage logs associated
therewith
[0037] FIG. 15 depicts real-time audience tracking of embedded web
objects that may be a distribution method for super distributed
content in association with DSI-based audience tracking.
[0038] FIG. 16 depicts filtering user information as DSI-based logs
and usage data is passed to servers on the internet FIG. 17 depicts
delivering authentication protected content in a DSI-enabled
digital rights management/content authentication system.
[0039] FIG. 18 depicts layered targeted advertising based on one
user profile.
[0040] FIG. 19 depicts layered targeted advertising based on two
user profiles.
[0041] FIG. 20 depicts dynamic content placement in association
with layered targeted advertising based on two user profiles.
[0042] FIG. 21 depicts using a mobile handset to interact with an
interactive targeted advertisement presented by a set-top box on a
television
[0043] FIG. 22 depicts the embodiment of FIG. 21 wherein the
advertisement is presented on a personal computer.
[0044] FIG. 23 depicts the embodiment of FIG. 21 wherein the
advertisement is presented on an electronic multimedia screen.
[0045] FIG. 24 depicts an alternate embodiment of FIG. 21 wherein
the advertisement is presented on a flexible electronic
presentation media.
[0046] FIG. 25 depicts a timeline representing real-time
accumulation of usage data impacting targeted advertising.
[0047] FIG. 26 depicts contact sharing between DSI-enabled wireless
mobile handsets and uploading the contact to a social networking
site.
[0048] FIG. 27 shows methods and systems for automatic mobile
contact information exchange and synchronization with a social
network.
[0049] FIG. 28 shows steps for a mobile aware, automatic social
networking tool.
[0050] FIG. 29 shows additional details relevant to a mobile aware,
automatic social networking tool.
[0051] FIG. 30 shows components for a mobile aware, automatic,
social networking system.
[0052] FIG. 31 shows methods and systems for managing content based
on a device-specific identifier of a client.
[0053] FIG. 32 shows steps for integration of content in the
playback software of a user device.
[0054] FIG. 33 shows downloading and integration of content into
playback software of a user device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0055] Referring to FIG. 1, in certain preferred embodiments of the
methods and systems disclosed herein, a DSI-based
authentication/identification platform 100 may include profile
aggregation 124, content tagging 122, user identification 120,
authentication 114, usage logging 112, a standards facility 118, a
short haul wireless port 110, a profile database 130, an internet
port 128, client software 102, device MAC addresses 104, and a
device username 108. A mobile device 202 may include some portions
and functionality of the platform 100. The mobile device 202 may
also be connected to the platform 100 through the short haul
wireless port 110 and/or through the Internet port 128.
[0056] FIG. 2 depicts using a mobile handset DSI to facilitate
delivery of targeted television advertising 218. A mobile handset
202 may be in communication with a set-top box 204 or other
Internet-connected device that is controlling a television 208. The
mobile handset 202 may be in communication with the set-top box 204
through a wireless interface 214, such as short distance wireless
interfaces including WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, UWB and the like. The
mobile handset 202 may include location technology such as a GPS
receiver/cellular/radio wave triangulation to further assist
locating the relative position of the handset user and the
television 208. The set-top box 204 may be connected to one or more
host servers 210, such as through the internet, to communicate
content related to functions of the set-top box 204. The host
server 210 may include functionality to support the identification
and selection of content, such as advertisements 218, based the
mobile handset 202 device-specific identification (DSI).
[0057] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a viewer who may be carrying
the mobile handset 202 on his person may sit down in front of a
television that is connected to the Internet. The internet
connection may be via the set-top box 204, which may be one
provided by a cable company, satellite company, internet service
provider, etc. The set-top box 204 may also be separate from the
ones provided by the providers of television/internet data services
(e.g. Microsoft's X-box, AppleTV, and the like). Alternatively the
television 208 may provide internet communication.
[0058] To deliver targeted advertising 218 to a user of the mobile
handset 202 who may be viewing the television 208, the set-top box
204 may extract the mobile handset DSI 212 by employing a
short-distance wireless technology (WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, UWB, and
the like) to locate mobile handsets within viewing proximity of the
television 208. The mobile handset DSI 212 (also known as mobile
DSI or just DSI) may then be uploaded from the set-top box 204 over
the internet to the host 210 for matching to a user-specific
authentication/identification profile (a user profile) that
corresponds to the uploaded DSI 212. The servers 210 may be servers
associated with the DSI platform 100, or may be associated with
partners or affiliates of the platform 100. The server 210 may mine
data across an uploaded user authentication/identification profile
that corresponds to the extracted mobile DSI 212 and use the
information for precision advertisement targeting. By using
location based technology such as GPS/cellular/radio wave
triangulation, a more precise location for the user may be
determined so that advertising for a user viewing the television
may be presented on the television 208. The location based
technology information may be retrieved from the mobile handset
202, such as by querying the mobile handset 202 or the location
information may be included in the initial extraction of the DSI
212 by the set-top box 204. The host server(s) 210 may then find
the most appropriate advertisement 218 and distribute the
advertisement back to the set-top box 204 for display on the
television 208. In an example, advertisements 218 may come in the
form of dynamic, embedded content advertisements 218. Interactivity
during the period of display of the advertisement can be monitored
and recorded by the servers 210 for the purposes of adding more
data to the corresponding user authentication/identification
profile.
[0059] An alternative embodiment for delivering targeted
advertising 218 to a television that may be viewed by a user of a
mobile handset is depicted in FIG. 3. In the embodiment of FIG. 3,
recent historical information 302 from the mobile handset 202 web
browser or other user interface software may be retrieved by the
set-top box 204 and forwarded to the servers 210. Alternatively,
the servers 210 may prepare a query that is passed to the handset
202 by the set-top box 204 and the recent historical information
302 may be included in a response to the query.
[0060] In addition to, or in place of sending the DSI 212 to the
server 210, the set-top box 204 may extract information, in its
entirety or derived from the mobile handset's Internet browser
cache and forward it to the servers 210. The extracted internet
recent historical information 302, such as represented by a
internet browser cache, may be combined with a user profile or
usage profile corresponding to the DSI 212 to determine relevant
analysis about the historical information 302. Alternatively, the
recent historical information 302 may be analyzed alone. The
information may be analyzed for demographic, interests, trends, and
the like that may facilitate the servers 210 determining an
appropriate offer or advertisement 218 to present on the television
208 that the user of the mobile handset 202 may be viewing.
[0061] In an embodiment, presence of a mobile phone may be used to
identify the users who are present/within viewable proximity in
front of a television or other electronic display by virtue of the
distance of their mobile handsets from the television or other
electronic display. Communication with a mobile phone or mobile
handset 202 may include using short-distance wireless technologies,
such as WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, and UWB to identify nearby mobile
handsets 202. Precise user location may further be determined via
device-specific GPS/cellular/radio wave triangulation alignment.
Such detection may be used to derive real-time and accurate content
audience ratings.
[0062] FIGS. 4 and 5 each depict determining a presence and a
location of mobile handsets in proximity to a set-top box. Using
radio wave distance-mapping methods, the set-top box may determine
a distance and a direction of mobile handset 202. The set-top box
204 and/or internet television 208 may determine if the presence
and distance of detected mobile handsets 202 can support an
assumption that the detected mobile handsets 202 represent
individuals 502 within viewing proximity 508 of the television, or
viewers 504 outside a viewing proximity 508 of the television 208.
This will allow the set-top or the television to determine
individuals within viewing proximity of the television by virtue of
the presence of their mobile handsets. Individual handsets 202 may
be detected uniquely by retrieving the handset DSI 402 and, when
available, a GPS/cellular/radio wave triangulation coordinate 404
for the handset. By associating the DSI 402 with a user
identification as described in reference to FIG. 2, an identity of
the viewers or listeners in detectable proximity to the television
208 may be determined.
[0063] The methods and systems herein may facilitate real-time
television or other electronic display audience rating/headcount
via use of mobile DSI and/or mobile handset internet browser cache.
Once it has been established that individuals, by virtue of the
presence of their mobile handsets, are viewers in front of a given
television or other electronic display, the methods and systems
herein may include using the mobile DSIs of the given mobile
handsets (and profiles of usage associated therewith, including
usage of non-mobile devices) for the purposes of retrieving a
real-time, audience ratings/headcount, which pertains to various
demographic categories/metrics. This may involve the use of
Internet usage profiles associated with the mobile DSI but also may
take into consideration usage activity from non-mobile devices.
Usage profiles provide a way of tracking of Internet activity which
can result in strong assumptions of real-time, viewer-specific
demographic data.
[0064] Alternatively real-time viewer attendance may be determined
through the extraction of each proximate mobile handset's Internet
browser cache, in place of extraction of the mobile DSI, which can
also effectively report real-time viewer demographical data as
determined by the Internet usage patterns which can be recognized
by analyzing the mobile handset's Internet browser cache
contents.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 6, after establishing unique mobile
handsets or personal devices as determined by the presence and
distance of their mobile handsets from a nearby a television or
other electronic display as described in reference to FIGS. 4 and
5, the set-top box 204 or the television 208 uploads the detected
mobile device DSIs to host servers 210. The servers 210 compare the
extracted Mobile DSI 212 across a database of user-specific
authentication/identification profiles 602 to find the profiles
which correspond to the extracted mobile DSIs (resulting in a
corresponding profile 604). Using information from the
corresponding user-specific authentication/identification profiles
604, servers 210 may make demographic assumptions.
[0066] Alternative to using the mobile device DSI and cross
referencing it to a database of user identities, demographics and
audience classification may be determined by analyzing an internet
browser cache 302 associated with the proximate mobile handsets.
Information such as historical browsing data, queries, locations,
communication such as texting, email, and the like may be analyzed
by the servers 210 to determine real-time viewing audience
aspects.
[0067] Through this method, a mobile handset may effectively allow
for the creation of real-time audience ratings which include
various demographics determined by identifying the participants in
a viewing audience as well as relative Internet usage metrics. The
derived or measured real-time viewing information may be provided
in a report to broadcasters, advertisers, and the like to become
part of a broadcast or programming business process.
[0068] User-specific authentication/identification profiles may be
based on mobile device or personal device device-specific
identifications (DSIs), such as for the purposes of user-specific
multi-device internet usage tracking and profiling. User-specific
authentication/identification profiles may include a user identity,
usage tracking, and the like. Establishing user-specific profiles
may involve tracking of activities associated with user names that
are linked or tied to the mobile DSI; and linking those usernames
to other (non-mobile) DSIs to aggregate user-specific activities
regardless of which device(s) the activities take place. One useful
purpose for this aggregation of mobile and non-mobile activity
tracking is targeted advertising.
[0069] Defining, extracting, and using mobile device specific
identifiers (DSIs) may make use of server-side and/or client-side
software. Server-side software may reside on the servers 210 or may
reside elsewhere and be executed on the servers 210. Client-side
software may be downloaded onto or otherwise configured into mobile
and/or stationary devices used by end users. The client-side and
server-side software may be used when a mobile device user visits a
website in order to gain access to content residing on servers that
require authentication and/or user identification. One or more of
the client-side and the server-side software may include creating
and updating logs associated with a mobile device DSI once a known
visitor has gained access to servers providing access to the
requested authentication protected content. DSI based logs may
differ from cookies or other Internet usage logging technologies in
that DSI logs may have the ability to completely mask the real
world identities of users as their user-specific
authentication/identification profiles can be created with a
process that results in the complete morphing or excluding of
anything that renders the user identifiable in the real world.
Additionally, the DSI specific logs are initiated, conducted, and
managed on the server side rather than on the device as is common
for cookies. Also, client-side software may provide capabilities
that pertain to uploading device-specific information and existing
information already contained in the mobile device prior to
engagement with the server 210 or with the website a given user is
attempting to access. This results in an important difference from
information/behavioral software existing today such as cookies that
log behavioral activity on the client device.
[0070] FIG. 7 depicts a typical wireless network device gaining
access to internet resources. Mobile handheld device 202
communicates through a wireless provider's network that may
comprise cellular phone towers 702 for cellular connections such as
CDMA, GSM, or IP-based WiMax connections. The wireless provider's
network may include an access point to the internet through which a
mobile handset 202 may send and receive information over the
internet. The same mobile device 202 may also communicate through a
wireless IP-based interface, such as WiMax, or WiFi, and other
wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, WUSB, or UWB and the like
704. The WiFi router 704 may interface to the internet through a
WiFi Back-Haul 708 such as through T3, Cable, DSL, or any other
broadband connection. This exemplary network connection scheme may
provide an access path from the mobile handset 202 to the internet
and servers such as a host server 210 herein described.
[0071] For pedagogical purposes, FIG. 8 depicts a very simplified
embodiment of the internet with a plurality of web sites and
servers, wherein some web sites require authentication and/or
identification, and other web sites may often provide a fulfilling
web experience without the collection of usernames/passwords
normally associated with authentication. Web sites represented by
web servers 802 and 804 may, based on a need for user
authentication/identification operate server-side software 808
associated with the systems and methods herein described. In FIG.
8, it is assumed that web servers 802 execute the herein described
server-side software 808, and web servers 804 do not. Generally,
although variations may occur, websites 802 may require a
username/password to be input by visitors for a more personalized
experience (e.g. social networks, email, and the like).
[0072] FIG. 9 depicts when a mobile handset 202 identifies itself
to a web server 802, such as through the network described in any
of FIGS. 1 through 7 and server-side software 808 executing on the
server may run a check on the mobile device 202 to see if it has
the most current client-side software 902. If the mobile device
does not have the most current client-side software 902, the user
may be asked to download it to gain access to content on the
authenticated website. Downloading of the client-side software 902
onto the mobile handset 202 may be facilitated by the server-side
software 808 residing on a website's servers. Alternatively, the
latest client-side software 902 maybe automatically downloaded to a
device 202 that has identified itself to the server 802.
[0073] Referring to FIG. 10, upon completion of download and
installation, client-side software 902 may begin executing on the
mobile device 202. The client-side software 902 may be responsible
or collecting relevant and necessary information from and about the
mobile device, such as a MAC address, username, password, browser
cache settings, and the like to provide a DSI 212. The client-side
software 902 may deliver the DSI 212 to a web site/internet server
contemporaneously with a first access to the web site/internet
server 802. A web site server 802 that is executing the server-side
software 808 may collect the DSI 212 during authentication, or if
authentication is not required, the server 802 may also collect the
DSI 212. Information stored on the mobile device 202, such as a
browser cache, may be transmitted to the server 802 to update
information related to the device DSI 212. It is important to note
that unlike cookies, the client-side software 902 will not monitor
the device related activities of the user, rather just identify of
the device (mobile or non-mobile) that is currently connected to
the server 802 along with existing properties of that device is
recorded. Although past behavior may be included in the information
uploaded to the server 802, such as data derived from an Internet
browser cache on the device, logging of the activities once the
device has been connected to a given website server 802 will be
done by the server-side software 808, not the client side software
902.
[0074] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, upon receipt of a DSI 212, a
server 802 executing server-side software 808 may begin tracking
usage of the website supported by the server 802 in a DSI specific
log 1102. FIG. 11 depicts a configuration with a mobile device 202
providing the DSI 212; whereas FIG. 12 depicts a device other than
a mobile handset providing a DSI 1202, such as a PC, providing the
DSI 212. Information collected from the mobile device 202 or the
non-mobile handset device 1202 may include the device identifier
(e.g. the MAC address), username, password, GPS/cellular/radio wave
triangulation data, browser cache data, and the like. The
information collected may be stored in association with the mobile
device DSI log 1102 as shown in FIG. 11 or with the non-mobile
handset device DSI log 1204 as shown in FIG. 12.
[0075] FIG. 13 depicts a configuration wherein at least two devices
and a plurality of servers are embodying the methods and systems
herein described. The embodiment of FIG. 13 includes a mobile
device 212, a device that is not a mobile handset may be a wired
PC, a laptop with WiFi, or any other Internet-enabled device that
is not a mobile handset. 1202, a plurality of servers 802 executing
server-side software 808 and recording a usage log (1102, 1204) for
each device (202, 1202).
[0076] Referring to FIG. 14, the DSI information and the usage logs
may be forwarded onto a host server 210 for the purposes of
analyzing and relating the various information to provide usage or
user profiles. FIG. 14 depicts a host server 210 accessing the
information collected from the mobile or non-mobile handset and the
corresponding usage logs to determine associations between them. In
particular the host server 210 may determine that two different
DSIs and corresponding usage logs may be associated with a single
user or a single entity, such as a business. By collecting a DSI
and recording a usage log for each connection of a DSI enabled
device to a server 802 executing server-side software 808, a host
server 210 may associate a username that may have been provided by
a user of a DSI enabled device to access authentication protected
internet content with the same or related DSIs collected by other
servers 802 and reported to the host server 210. In the embodiment
of FIG. 14, three usage logs from three different servers are
analyzed to associate a username to a DSI and its corresponding
usage data. The host server 210 may also search through a database
of existing DSIs, usage logs, and usernames to determine such an
association. The database of existing DSIs and usernames may be
derived from data provided by web servers 802 connected to the
internet and is not restricted to the three web server log
configuration depicted in FIG. 14. By identifying associations
between the usage logs provided to the host server 210, the host
server 210 may create user profiles, such as user
authentication/identification profiles that may be useful for
purposes such as targeted advertising, while enabling the
protection of the privacy of the individual associated with the
user profile through morphing the identifying information so that
third parties, such as advertisers, cannot determine the user's
identity. The host server 210 may also provide privacy protection
by requiring the advertisers to target advertisements to users
through the host server 210. Alternatively, the user
authentication/identification profile, or data derived from it, may
be provided to third parties, such as advertisers or web sites so
that one or more devices identified by DSIs associated with the
user profile may be targeted to receive advertising. By morphing
data from the DSI logs that are created and kept on a web server,
and sending the morphed data to the host server, the host server
may anonymously create user-specific profiles across various
devices. In this way, even the host server does not have the
information necessary to find the real world identity of the user
associated with the user profile.
[0077] Referring further to FIG. 14, host server 210 accesses usage
logs from at least three servers. Usage logs that directly contain
common user names are aggregated into a user authentication profile
1404. In this embodiment, usage logs 1102, 1204 and 1102A can be
identified by the host server 210 as having common usernames. Usage
log 1204A does not have a username that matches those aggregated
into profile 1404 so it is compared to a data store 1402 of
usernames and associated DSIs that includes historical data as well
as usage data being provided by other web servers to the host
server 210. Usage log 1204B is associated with user profile 1408,
while usage log 1102B is compared to the data store 1402. The
lookup of the usernames and/or DSIs from usage logs 1102B and 1204A
through data store 1402 results in usage log 1102B being aggregated
with user profile 1404 and usage log 1204A being aggregated with
user profile 1408.
[0078] In addition to checking usernames in usage logs against
other usage logs, DSIs in usage logs may also be checked in a
similar way. A usage log that contains a DSI but does not contain a
username may be aggregated with a user profile by associating the
DSI in the usage log with the information in the data store 1402 to
determine an appropriate user profile for aggregating the usage log
data.
[0079] Even when there is no direct correlation among usernames and
DSIs, such as when a DSI does not have any username associated with
it, a user profile may be created for the DSI so that all usage
associated with that DSI may be aggregated under the DSI specific
user profile. In this way, user authentication/identification
profiles may be established and used even without a username or
other personal identifying information associated with the
profile.
[0080] Because users often perform a variety of activities during
an on-line session or connection, time analysis of logs may
facilitate determining user names for DSI log entries for which a
user name is not required by the server generating the DSI log. If
activity associated with a DSI is logged by a website that requires
a username login, and another site that doesn't require a username
logs activity from the same DSI at nearly the same time, such as
shortly before or after the website requiring login, it can be
determined that for those particular sessions of activity, the
visitor is likely to be the same.
[0081] When a plurality usage profiles with different DSIs and
without usernames, are collected by the host server 210, the host
server may analyze the usage related data to determine associations
that may allow the formation of a user profile associated with the
different DSIs.
[0082] FIG. 15 is a depiction of the methods and systems herein
applied to embedded web objects for real-time audience tracking of
super distributed content. Software residing on website servers
which allows embedded objects (e.g. widgets, flash objects, videos,
music, and the like) may be adapted to extract the DSI of a device
on which the website is being executed and the DSIs of surrounding
mobile devices. This information may be sent to the embedded
object's point of origination, the visited website's own point of
origination, and/or one or more host servers 210. This will aid in
the process of attaining real-time audience ratings for music,
video, and other interactive objects that are embedded across
several websites (often known as super-distribution). This method
of audience gauging makes irrelevant which website the embedded
object was accessed from or through what device it was accessed
with because the viewer information can be collected without having
to rely on a specific website. Additionally, using the methods and
systems herein described, it is possible for embedded content,
regardless of which website it is hosted on, to have audience
ratings that do not rely upon statistics generated for or by the
website on which the embedded content is hosted. Instead, the
audience ratings may be obtained from user-specific
authentication/identification profiles.
[0083] In FIG. 15, a plurality of users of mobile devices 202 may
be in close proximity to a viewing or listening device 1502 (such
as a screen, computer, radio, and the like) on which a website with
embedded objects 1504 is being presented. The DSI of the device
1502 and all proximate mobile devices 202 may be collected and
delivered to a web server 802 providing the web site content and
the embedded objects 1504. The web server 802 may collect DSI usage
logs 1512 and forward the collected DSIs and usage logs 1512 to the
host server 210 through the server-side software 808. The host
server may package the collected usage data and relate it to each
embedded object 1504, perhaps along with demographic information of
all collected DSIs (as may be determined from the user profiles
corresponding to the collected DSIs by accessing the user profile
data store 1402) to provide audience ratings 1508 for the embedded
objects 1504. The determined audience ratings 1508 may also be sent
to the embedded objects' 1504 originating web server 1510 for
correlation and further audience analysis.
[0084] The methods and systems may enable ensuring privacy of
select user-specific profile/profile activity data via
server-to-server data morphing and data exclusion. The methods and
systems herein may include the ability to morph or exclude specific
parts of the user-specific authentication/identification profile or
specific activity associated with a given profile for the purpose
of making certain the real world identity associated with the given
user-specific identification profile remains private. The result is
a highly individualized profiling system that successfully leaves
private, the real world identity of those being profiled.
[0085] By supporting real world identification to provide digital
rights management for authentication protected content and then
using morphed information related to the usage by the DSI accessing
the protected content, such as for targeted advertising, both the
protected individual and the public advertiser may benefit without
creating a conflict between the private user and the targeted
advertising provider.
[0086] Referring to FIG. 16, when a host server 210 passes
information from a user-specific authentication/identification
profile 1602, select information, as determined by the purpose of
the data exchange, (targeted advertising or content digital rights
management, etc) such as name, address, credit card information,
etc can be filtered out by a filtering module 1604 that, for
example, finds common patterns in computer code. In an example,
data fields containing variations of the form "Name" (indicating
the next field of user-inputted information to be user's real world
name), or Credit Card, and the like can be searched via
pre-designed algorithms so such information does NOT pass
coherently from the host server 210 to another server, such as a
third party advertiser 1608 or service provider 1610.
Alternatively, a web server 802 may pass DSI based usage logs
through a privacy filter 1612 (that may be embodied as a portion of
server-side software 808) to ensure information deemed private or
protection-worthy by the web server 802, or as specified as such by
the user is not delivered to the host server 210. Filtering
techniques may be applied throughout the transfer of DSI based
information before and after the formation of a user profile.
[0087] Using short-distance wireless communication to pass a mobile
device-specific identification, such as a DSI, to another nearby
device, such as another mobile device or an internet connected
device, may allow the mobile device-specific identification to be
used to secure content that is presented (e.g. displayed, stored,
played, and the like) on the other device. Examples wherein the
mobile DSI may be used to secure content presented on another
device include authentication for digital rights management and
content sharing. An example of content sharing may include playing
music, movies, shows, and the like authenticated by a mobile device
DSI, such as a mobile phone, while the phone is in proximity to the
sharing device--but only while the phone is in proximity. When the
phone is no longer in proximity, the content sharing device may be
denied access to present the authenticated content. Digital
rights/authentication could be associated with the
authentication/identification profile corresponding to the mobile
phone DSI. This authentication/identification profile may also be
used for targeted advertising. However digital rights management
data that is transferred to third parties may include an interface
that is more transparent of the specific individual, such as by
keeping other data (e.g. surfing habits) out of view or filtered
from the third party.
[0088] In an embodiment of the digital rights authentication
process herein described, content authentication may include
tagging a representation of the authenticated mobile DSI onto the
protected content/service prior to distributing the protected
content/service to a device which is providing the sharing or
presentation capability. In this way, client-side software
associated with the sharing or presenting device may ensure that
the authenticated DSI mobile device remains in proximity to the
sharing device. When such proximity is no longer detected, the
tagged content may be invalidated, deleted, or otherwise blocked
from access by the sharing/presenting device.
[0089] In reference to FIG. 17, authentication protected streamed
data 1702 such as text, data tables, embedded pictures, music,
video and the like, can be tagged with the mobile DSI of the mobile
handset 202, providing a DSI authentication tagged content 1704, so
that only the authorized user, as determined by the mobile handset
202 that matches the mobile DSI stamped onto the content during
stream or download, will be able to access the tagged content 1704.
Tagging the protected content 1702 may prevent other users on
wireless networks, or in the vicinity, from maliciously or
accidentally intercepting the data in coherent form as it will be
tagged with the authorized user's mobile DSI. Such tagging may
render the content invalid for correct playback unless the
authenticated user mobile device DSI is detected within proximity.
Alternatively, the tagged content may be incoherent to any device
other than the device containing the authenticated DSI. Tagging may
be performed by the web server 802 by communicating with an
authentication entity 1710, such as through the server-side
software 808. The authentication entity 1710 may provide an
authentication DSI 1708 that may be converted into a tag and
combined with the protected content 1702 to provide tagged
protected content 1704.
[0090] In embodiments, once on the mobile handset, protected
content may be streamed to another device via short distance
wireless communication (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, or UWB) during
which time playback software on the receiving device may
temporarily play content as it is transmitted from the mobile
handset to the receiving device. The receiving device may then,
such as using client-side software installed on the receiving
device, upload a tag for the protected content (such as a tag that
is or is associated with the DSI of the sending handset) for
authentication on a host server. In embodiments both a DSI of the
receiving handset and a DSI of the sending handset may be used to
manage rights of the users to play the content.
[0091] Depending on terms that may be set between the
authentication entity (such as the DSI platform 100) and the
rightful distributor of the protection enabled content, only
information that is necessary for authentication may be submitted
to the authentication entity. Limiting the information sent to the
authentication entity may restrict what the authentication entity
knows about the user's digital rights. In an example,
authentication deal terms are solely on a transaction
percentage/fixed fee basis. Therefore, information transferred to
an authentication entity may only include financial transaction
information related to the authentication entities fee structure.
As such, each time a transaction takes place in which the
authentication entity is entitled to a fee, the authentication
entity would be notified only of that specific information which
allows the authentication entity to determine and verify the
revenue owed to the authentication entity. In another example, the
authentication entity has a financial institution as a partner
website. The authentication company and the financial institution
will work out a deal such that for each user that the financial
institution wishes to authenticate to access their account
information, the authentication company will charge 10 cents
annually. In this example, the authentication company would receive
data pertaining to each time a user account is created and each
time one is deleted. No other information would flow from the
financial institution to the authentication entity. In another
example, the authentication entity has a completely non-financial
deal with an online site that provides content to registered users
(e.g. a social networking site, an online version of a newspaper
that charges for subscription, a pure-online newspaper, a content
provider to registered users, and the like). In this example, the
authentication entity may receive user information, such as the
user's real name and identity or a user identity determined from a
mobile DSI associated with the authentication request. The
information might include entertainment interests, demographic
information, and the like. The selected user information can be
used in a multitude of ways and can be a set of market data, the
value of which could be further enhanced through operational
combinations using processes described herein.
[0092] Mobile DSI-enabled personal online account digital rights
management may be associated with the methods and systems herein
described. Users may be allowed, on their own discretion, to limit
access to an online facility, such as certain personal online
accounts (e.g. email, social network, bank, brokerage, etc.) so
that those accounts may only be accessed if a mobile handset, which
users assign at their own discretion, is nearby the device through
which access is attempted to one of the personal accounts. Users
may identify specific DSIs or specific users that may be associated
with a mobile handset DSI. The specified users or DSIs may be
maintained by an authentication entity so that requests to access
to a DSI protected account may be authenticated based on proximity
of one or more user specified mobile handsets to the device through
which the request to access the online facility is made. An
authentication response may be provided from authentication
functionality embodied in the authentication entity, or in an
entity associated with the DSI protected account. Based on the
response, access to the online facility may be allowed or denied.
In addition, the user may specify DSIs that must not be in
proximity to the requesting device to enable authenticated access
to the account.
[0093] The methods and systems herein may allow users, on their own
discretion, to limit access to certain personal content (e.g.
documents, pictures, video, and the like) accessible through an
online facility so that the protected personal content, wherever it
resides (e.g. an online social network, online photo album, online
video server) may only be accessed by a user as assigned by the
personal content publisher/owner. In an example, Mary allows her
mom and her brother to view online photo album X while allowing her
brother to access online photo album X and online video Y. When
Mary's mother and brother seek access to online photo album X, they
are granted access when one or more of the mobile DSIs associated
with Mary's mother or brother are in proximity to the device
requesting access. However, only when Mary's brother's mobile
device DSI is within proximity to the requesting device, will
access to video Y be granted. Access is granted using similar DSI
authentication methods described herein that may include an
authentication server, an authentication, tagging of protected
content, and the like. Authentication may include matching the DSIs
of devices in proximity to a list of authorized users by
determining a user associated with each DSI to be matched. The
matching may be performed by an authentication entity.
Alternatively, the server-side software may receive a list of
authorized DSIs (such as from an authentication entity) and may
perform the matching. Personal authentication services may be
offered to individuals for a fee, may be provided as part of a DSI
based digital rights management protection package, or may be
provided free of charge to individuals. Alternatively, content
providers or servers may pay a fee to use DSI-based authentication
services.
[0094] DSI-based user identification and profiling may allow
layered viewer-specific advertising. Layered user-specific
television, radio, and/or internet advertising support another
layer of advertising within an existing advertising space. This may
be embodied as multiple configurable or selectable images
essentially in a stack that is selectable by the user or by display
device software based DSIs of devices that are in proximity to the
display device. Layered user-specific advertising may include the
ability to split up each advertisement frame among multiple ads or
among various categories of ads so that a reconstituted
advertisement based on the user-specific
identification/authentication profiles of the viewers who are in
front of the display device (or audio device) can be presented to
the user(s). Layering may enable various portions of an
advertisement to be customized and targeted to the viewers local to
a presentation device.
[0095] Layered user-specific advertisements may also include a
concept of a blanket advertisement that is targeted using general
demographics based on the user profiles determined from the DSIs in
viewing proximity. The blanket advertisement may be replaceable by
the presentation device by an advertisement that is targeted to
specific viewers. In an example, two families viewing the same
television program through two different set-top boxes may see
different advertisements. One family may have viewers with no
mobile devices in proximity to the set-top box (or with devices
providing DSIs that have no determinable association to targeted
advertising) so that family may view the blanket advertisement. The
other family may include viewers who are carrying mobile devices
that present DSIs that can be determined to satisfy a requirement
for a targeted advertisement. This family may not be presented the
blanket commercial. Instead the set-top box (or server connected to
the set-top box) may present a targeted advertisement in place of
the blanket advertisement. While this concept supports layering of
entire advertisements, it also extends to layering portions of an
advertisement.
[0096] An advertisement may be composed of layers, frames, regions,
elements, primitives, and the like that may be customizable through
a targeting process. One or more of these layered portions of an
advertisement may be customized with targeted content based on the
determined viewers of the advertisement. In an example a sporting
goods store advertisement may allow targeting various individuals
by allowing products included in the advertisement to be user
specific. While a base of the advertisement may be common to all
presentations of the advertisement, a viewer with a usage profile
that indicates the user has an interest in golf may be presented
with golf product promotions, whereas a viewer determined to have
an interest or have expressed an interest in basketball may be
presented with basketball related product promotions within the
advertisement, such as during the same advertisement on the same
internet-enabled device such as a television connected to an
internet-enabled set-top box.
[0097] When more than one viewer with differing targeting criteria
is viewing output from the same set-top box (or internet connected
device), the layering may allow more complex targeting. In an
example, an advertisement for a sports drink may include images of
a person active in a sport who needs a sport drink to be refreshed.
The sport images may be targeted to one of the viewers, and the
sport drink may be targeted to another of the viewers, thereby
presenting an advertisement with relevance to both viewers.
[0098] FIGS. 18 and 19 depict layered user-specific advertisements.
FIG. 18 depicts a single determined viewer receiving targeted
layered advertising. A host server 1802 may determine information
about the viewer by accessing the corresponding user-specific
authentication/identification profile and usage data 1804. From the
profile data 1804 and other information from the device such as
location information 1808 (which may be derived from gps
receiver/cellular/radio wave triangulation certain advertisement
targeting criteria may be established, such as age assumptions
1810, social network affiliations 1812, and search activity 1814.
The embodiments are exemplary of some categories of information.
The categories of information or where that information is from, or
how it is categorized is not bounded or limited by these examples.
These several examples only show the potential complexity of mixing
and matching these categories with various viewers under various
situations, such as layered, embedded, combined, or other
scenarios. The advertisement targeting criteria may influence what
information is presented in the layered portions of the
advertisement 1818. The advertisement 1818 may reflect a
composition as determined by the internet-enabled device and the
various media formats it may receive? (e.g. set-top may receive
video, images, audio; radio may receive audio; outdoor LCD may
receive video, images and the like. The layered objects may
represent the finished, delivered components of the advertisement
1818 as determined by the various targeting mechanisms described
here such as by passing targeting information through the internet
to the display or audio device 1820 on which the targeted
advertisement 1818 is to be presented. In the embodiment of FIG.
18, age assumptions 1810 may be used to determine the main
advertisement 1822 to be presented. Age assumptions 1810 and
current location 1808 may determine which local establishment 1824
to present, and current location 1808 combined with search activity
1814 may determine which product or service 1828 associated with
the local establishment 1824 to present.
[0099] FIG. 19 depicts targeting layered advertisements based on
more than one viewer. In the embodiment of FIG. 19, age assumptions
1810 and 1910 from the different viewers contribute to determining
the main advertisement 1922 to be presented. Social networking 1812
from a first viewer may determine which local establishment 1924 to
present, and search activity 1814 if the first viewer may be
combined with social networking 1912 of the second viewer to
determine which product or service 1928 associated with the local
establishment 1924 to present.
[0100] FIG. 20 depicts a targeted advertising scenario in which
portions of content, such as a movie, television show, video, or
other non-advertisement specific content may support creating
dynamic embedded content advertising. Product placement in movie
production is a high value market that can be significantly
enhanced through targeting the product placement. In targeted
product placement, specific items within the content being viewed,
such as a soda bottle, a store sign may be dynamic and may be
configurable to suit the viewer-specific audience as determined by
the viewer's corresponding user-specific
authentication/identification profiles derived from the viewer's
DSI-based identity. In an example, during a given television
program, three gentlemen walk into a restaurant. However, when
viewers watch this content, the storefront of the restaurant may
change to reflect an actual local restaurant nearby the physical
location of the viewers. This may further allow for interactivity
that allows the viewer(s) to reference this actual local
restaurant's current menus to proceed towards a transaction for a
delivery of food, a reservation for a meal, and the like. In
another example, a character is drinking for a soda bottle. If the
viewer has a demonstrated interest in drinks other than soda, the
soda bottle may change to be a branded water bottle, a
protein-drink, and the like.
[0101] In FIG. 20, age assumptions 1820 and 1910 of the two viewers
may identify a portion 2002 of the content in which the product
placement may occur. A first product placement 2004 may be
determined based on the first user age assumptions 1810 and online
social networking 1812. A second product placement 2008 may be
determined based on a second user's social networking 1912 and
search activity 1914.
[0102] The mobile device providing the DSI may be used as an
interactive controller, such as a remote control or user input
device to interact with the user-specific targeted advertisements.
Data inputted by the viewers may be anticipated using predictive
algorithms that may take into consideration the user-specific
authentication/identification profile that may be retrieved once
the mobile DSI is extracted. The range of interactivity may be
based on aspects of the user-specific authentication/identification
profile corresponding to the extracted mobile D SI. Advertising
interactivity may allow a viewer to respond to a television,
electronic multimedia display, radio advertisement, and the like
via inputting information into the mobile handset which is then
wirelessly transmitted to the device controlling the presentation
of the advertisement. Another way of connecting the user inputted
responses to the interactive advertisement is by interfacing the
mobile handset to the device controlling the interactive
advertisement through a network such as a cellular network and the
Internet. Example use of a mobile handset interacting with an
interactive targeted advertisement may include book marking
advertisements, referring advertisements to friends, responding to
interactive games, polls, chat services, and the like. However,
when viewers watch this content, the storefront of the restaurant
may change to reflect an actual local restaurant nearby the
physical location of the viewers. This may further allow for
interactivity which allows the viewer(s) to reference this actual
local restaurant's current menus to proceed towards a transaction
for a delivery of food, a reservation for a meal, etc
[0103] User actions may be predicted based on a combination of the
presented targeted content, such as an advertisement and aspects of
the user-specific authentication/identification profile. In an
example, usage data associated with a viewer may indicate that the
viewer may be likely to forward relevant content to one or more
members of his social network. Based on this usage data and based
on the content of the targeted advertisement, a list of likely
recipients of the content may be prepared so that the viewer may
easily interact through the mobile handset to forward the content
to the likely recipients. The list of likely recipients may be
based on usage data--such as based on frequency of including one or
more recipients in prior forwarded advertisements. The list may be
based on an association of aspects of the targeted content to
user-specific profiles of users in the viewer's online social
network. Many other associations are possible in determining what
type of interaction may be predicted for the viewer of targeted
advertising.
[0104] FIG. 21 depicts a mobile handset 202 interacting with an
interactive targeted advertisement 2112 by wirelessly transmitting
a command 2110 to an internet connected device that may control the
presentation of the interactive targeted advertisement 2112. The
interactive targeted advertisement 2112 may include interactive
portions 2102 and 2104 that maybe configured to present predicted
interactions as described herein. The interactive targeted
advertisement 2112 may also include one or more interactive
portions 2108 that may not be predicted interactions. Alternatively
portions 2108 may be based on aspects of the user profile 1804 and
may not be interactive.
[0105] FIG. 22 depicts an internet connected computer 2202 that may
receive and present advertisements that are interactive targeted,
layered, embedded or a combination of these and the like for a
viewer determined on the proximity of mobile handset 202.
[0106] FIG. 23 depicts an internet connected electronic multimedia
display 2302, such as an outdoor display, a window display, a
display at a supermarket checkout, a point of sale display, a kiosk
(e.g. in an airport), a display in an airplane, a display in a taxi
or public transportation, and the like. The interactive electronic
multimedia display 2302 may support interactive targeted
advertising, gaming, shopping, social networking, and the like. The
predictive interactions presented on the electronic multimedia
display 2302 may provide opportunities to engage the viewer on a
temporary basis, such as when the viewer passes by a store display
window, or when the viewer is riding in a taxi, and the like.
[0107] FIG. 24 depicts flexible electronic presentation media 2402
(flexible active-matrix display modules for `take anywhere, read
anywhere` electronic reading), such as products available from
Plastic Logic Limited connected to the internet and interacting
with a mobile handset 202. In embodiments, the flexible electronic
presentation media 2402 may be a handheld, portable replacement for
the internet connected electronic multimedia display 2302 depicted
in FIG. 23. In the embodiment of FIG. 24, the flexible electronic
presentation media 2402 may not include an independent internet
connection connected directly to the device 2402 or the device 2402
may use an existing nearby internet connection, such as a WiMax or
other cellular Internet connection, that is available through the
mobile handset 202. The relaying of the Internet connection from a
nearby internet-connected device such as the mobile handset may be
facilitated through short distance wireless communication (such as
WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, UWB, and the like) between the device 2402
and the nearby internet-connected device such as the mobile
handset. In such a scenario, the content, such as targeted
advertisements, presented by the flexible electronic presentation
media 2402 may be transmitted from a host 1802 through the internet
to the mobile handset 202 and to the media 2402. The features and
characteristics described herein that may be associated with more
than one mobile handset being detected within a viewing proximity
of a device, such as the flexible electronic presentation media
2402 may be applied to the embodiment of FIG. 24.
[0108] The presentation devices depicted in FIGS. 21-24 may
alternatively be audio only playback devices, such as an internet
connected radio, digital music player, and the like. Audio content,
including audio advertisements may be targeted to be played for a
listener within listening range of the device much like
advertisements may be targeted to a viewer in appropriate proximity
to the presentation devices of FIGS. 21-24. An appropriate
proximity may partially be determined by the content being
displayed to the presentation device which may further be
determined by the capabilities of the internet-enabled device.
Interactive targeted audio advertisements may be played and
interacted with through the user's mobile handset by providing
interactive signals such as an announcement to press a button on
the handset.
[0109] FIG. 25 depicts a timeline of internet interactions or usage
that maybe associated with a user so that the cumulative user
interaction experience may be applied to targeted advertising and
other services through the timeline. In this way, interactions
occurring at time 2504 may impact advertising targeting,
interaction prediction and the like at times 2508, 2510, and
2512.
[0110] In FIG. 25, a user engages various Internet-connected
devices throughout several periods. The cumulative and real-time
nature of the user-specific authentication/identification profiles
allows advertisements sent to the user via different platforms to
reflect all of the user's past recognized Internet usage
activities. In this way, FIG. 25 depicts how a time-sensitive,
device-agnostic internet protocol-based reactive relaying
advertising platform may operate. The platform may operate so that
while a user is watching content on a television, if the user also
demonstrates interest in a particular product or product category
of a DSI tracking enabled website (e.g. prior to or simultaneously
with watching content on a television, an advertisement could be
delivered on the television in immediate response to his Internet
usage activity. Similarly, if a user is walking past an electronic
multimedia display that is equipped with DSI based advertisement
delivery technology, the user may receive an advertisement that is
derived from information from his Internet usage on his mobile
device, such as a website that the user is currently visiting.
[0111] In the timeline depicted in FIG. 25, at time 2504 a user
engages a PC 2502 with the Internet. At time 2508 the user engages
a television 2518 with an internet-connected set-top box 2514.
Advertisement targeting provided at time 2508 may include usage
from time 2504. At time 2510 a user engages his mobile handset 202
and targeted advertising assumes usage from times 2504 and 2508. At
time 2512, a user's mobile handset's DSI is wirelessly extracted by
an Internet-connected Electronic Display 2520. Targeted ads sent to
user at time 2512 may include usage from times 2504, 2508, and
2510. This may be accomplished by host server 210 updating
user-specific authentication/id profiles in real-time, such as
after every recognized Internet engagement.
[0112] Referring to FIG. 26, automatic contact information exchange
between two individuals via proximate mobile handsets may be
supported by the DSI-based methods and systems herein described. A
user of a mobile handset 202 may initiate contact information
exchange with another individual with a mobile handset 2602 who is
located in close proximity to the user. After verifying that the
individual wishes to exchange contact information, the two mobile
handsets 202 and 2602 may exchange contact information via the
short range wireless connection. In embodiments, an initiator 202
my request a receiver 2602 to accept the initiator's contact
information. Alternatively, the initiator 202 may request the
receiver 2602 to send the initiator 202 the receiver's contact
information. Alternatively, the initiator 202 may request the
receiver 2602 to mutually swap contact information.
[0113] Automatic exchange of contact information in the physical
person, as described above and in FIG. 26 may be supplemented by
uploading the contact information 2604 to a DSI-based
authentication required online social networking platform 2608. The
online social networking platform 2602 may not require DSI-based
authentication. In an example John meets Sarah at a company
sponsored networking event, and they exchange contact information.
John immediately categorizes Sarah under a "coworkers" group. The
next time Sarah signs on to her social network, she will see
exactly what John's other contacts under his coworkers group sees,
or what he wishes her to see specifically.
[0114] Enabling Sarah to view only the portions of John's social
networking information viewable to his coworkers takes only two
steps. A first step may include one of John requesting Sarah for
her contact information, John accepting Sarah's request to receiver
her contact information, or John and Sarah both accepting a mutual
swap of contact information. A second step involves John
categorizing Sarah under a pre-made group of coworkers thereby
assigning her accessibility rights to his social networking
profile.
[0115] FIG. 27 shows methods and systems for automatic mobile
contact information exchange and synchronization with a social
network. At a step 2702 a user receives a request for contact
information from another user within close physical proximity. A
sending handset's DSI may be included in the data packet with the
request for contact information exchange. At a step 2704 the
receiving mobile user may approve the contact information exchange,
in which case the recipient handset DSI may be included in the
return data packet. At a step 2708 a social networking profile may
be linked to each mobile handset and may be updated to reflect the
contact information exchange.
[0116] Referring to FIG. 28, a method and system of mobile-aware,
automatic, mobile social networking may alert a user of individuals
who fall into one or more pre-defined social network categories or
groups who are in proximity to the user. Short distance wireless
communications (e.g. WiFi, Bluetooth, WUSB, or UWB) or
GPS/cellular/radio wave triangulation data may be combined with
DSI-based authentication/identification to identify a distance
between a user and individuals of potential interest and thereby
alert a user accordingly. A user who wishes to meet someone of a
given background, similar hobbies or interest, or any other
pre-defined category can be alerted once he is within a pre-defined
physical proximity of such persons, if such persons allow it. Thus,
at a step 2802 a handset may emit a mobile DSI via a short-distance
protocol. At a step 2804 mobile handset within range may accept a
mobile DSI of a nearby handset. At a step 2808 a common social
network may check the in-proximity DSIs to determine whether there
are matching interests of the handset users and notify the users.
At a step 2810 the users may interact, either using the handsets or
in a live, in-person interaction.
[0117] Alerting a user to the presence of a mobile handset user
meeting one or more classifications, categorizations, or interest
pools may be determined through a DSI based authentication process.
In an embodiment, at a step 2802 software executing on a recipient
mobile handset that receives a DSI from another mobile handset
seeking to be alerted may run a check to see if the user of the
seeking mobile handset is of any interest to the recipient. If so,
the recipient may acknowledge the DSI by exchanging information
such as messages, pictures, current GPS/cellular/radio wave
triangulated location, and the like.
[0118] Referring to FIG. 29, in embodiments a handset may emit a
DSI at a step 2902, along with a limited social networking profile.
At a step 2904 a recipient handset may accept the mobile DSI and
receive the limited profile. At a step 2908 social networking
software on the mobile handset may determine whether there is a
match between the profile of the first mobile handset and a profile
associated with the recipient handset, in which case both users may
be notified. At a step 2910 users may interact.
[0119] Referring to FIG. 30, in an alternative embodiment, social
networking management software on a given mobile handset may
monitor a GPS/cellular/radio wave triangulated location of
surrounding mobile DSI-enabled handsets. The DSI of each of the
surrounding mobile handsets and its corresponding social networking
profile may be analyzed to determine aspects of the users of the
surrounding handsets, such as interest categories, to facilitate
the user of the GPS/cellular/radio wave triangulation monitoring
device determining if any of the surrounding users may be of
particular interest. If so, contact exchange requests may be
initiated between the two mobile handsets using the short distance
wireless interface or through a network such as text messaging or
mobile emails is conducted today.
[0120] Physical person social networking may be facilitated by
software executing on a mobile handset that transmits a limited
social networking profile associated with the user of the mobile
handset so that it can be received by surrounding mobile handsets.
Software running on the surrounding mobile handsets may perform
checks against categories, and the like as described above to
determine if contact information exchange may be beneficial. If so,
requests for contact exchange may be performed between proximate
DSI-based mobile handsets as described in reference to FIG. 26.
[0121] Referring to FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, file-less (non-file based)
content that is stamped with a mobile DSI may enable digital rights
management for safe content streaming while prohibiting content
transfers between mobile handsets or other computing devices.
Content to be downloaded to a mobile device may be tagged with
signal that represents the mobile DSI of the device to which the
download is directed. The tagged content may be directly downloaded
into a mobile handset and integrated with the software used to
present (playback) the tagged content. The mobile DSI tag
representation may be integrated with the content's metadata (or
data within the content which is used to describe the content,
examples include content title, copyright information, production
year, etc). The downloaded tagged content may become an integral
part of content that a user-specific authentication/identification
profile may access. Because the content is integrated into an
adapted playback application on the mobile handset, the tagged
downloaded content cannot be moved to another device
permanently.
[0122] Referring to FIG. 33, some access to the tagged content,
such as for temporarily streaming to nearby playback devices (e.g.
television, PC, another mobile handset) may be provided by the
adapted playback software but may include time limitations on
access to the content by the receiving device. The receiving or
secondary device may upload the mobile DSI through the Internet
onto an authentication server for the purposes of verifying if
content playback is within the legal limits of its use. In
embodiments downloaded protected content cannot be copied from the
mobile device and moved somewhere else, but using content playback
software the user may stream the content to a more desirable
platform or nearby device 3302, such as a nearby larger electronic
display (such as a network-enabled television screen), a better
audio system, or the like.
[0123] The methods and systems described in this document and the
referenced documents include many possible alternate combinations
for the described methods and systems, such as wireless protocols
and/or device-specific identifications. In an example, utilizing a
device's MAC address, which is a standard unique identification
assigned to every WiFi/WiMax adapter and Ethernet card (fixed--for
facilitating a wired broadband internet connection) as a basis for
a device-specific identification (DSI) or mobile end user
identification (MEUI) in a wireless protocol is one alternative
combination. In this example, another alternative may include the
wireless protocol being based on Bluetooth, WUSB, UWB, and the
like, instead of being based on WiFi/WiMax/Ethernet connection.
[0124] In the various embodiments of the methods and systems
disclosed herein, various technologies may be employed. In certain
preferred embodiments, the methods and systems disclosed herein
identify and/or authenticate use of Internet-connected devices
(mobile handsets--including cellular phones), PCs/laptops,
television set-top boxes, televisions, and the like) using,
primarily but not limited to, a variety of device-specific
identification (DSI) types and techniques associated with various
wireless protocols. This objective may be associated with WiFi and
WiMax (both of which may utilize MAC addresses), WUSB (Wireless
USB), UWB (Ultra-wide Band), Bluetooth (e.g. Bluetooth 3.0), and
other forms of device-specific identifications. Other forms of DSI
may not be derived from an identification associated with a
wireless protocol.
[0125] The methods and systems herein may facilitate building
privacy-sensitive and device-specific user identification and/or
authentication profiles. The methods and systems may allow
aggregation of various DSIs that belong to a number of different
devices that may include any combination of devices (i.e. 1 mobile
handset, 1 PC, 1 set-top box and 2 laptops OR 2 mobile handsets, 3
PCs, 1 laptops, etc.) and may tie it to specific users WITHOUT
necessarily revealing a given user's "real world" identity (e.g. to
non-affiliated third parties). A mobile handset's DSI is an example
of a source of DSI used in the creation of
identification/authentication profiles. The mobile handset's DSI
may be the primary or base DSI associated with the
identification/authentication profile. Other device DSIs may become
associated with a profile based on usage from those devices being
associated with the usernames/surfing habits associated with the
mobile handset's DSI.
[0126] The methods and systems herein provide mechanisms that may
transparently monitor the flow of device-specific or
profile-specific information, such as a user-profile, while
enabling a user's "real world" identity to be scrambled or
encrypted (herein referred to as morphed) such that providers or
facilitators who have access to the communications within the
process would be not be capable of deriving the user's real world
identity. Such morphing of real world identities may occur by
creating unique algorithms that scramble a DSI or username-specific
profile as the information associated with that profile is
transferred from a partner's server (a partner may include but is
not limited to internet search and content companies such as
Google, MySpace, internet email sites such gmail.com or
mail.yahoo.com, retail websites such as Amazon.com, and the
like.)
[0127] User-specific identification and/or authentication profiles
may be utilized for, but not limited to targeted advertising.
Targeted advertising may include delivering targeted advertising
across various media forms including but not limited to internet
websites, television, internet television, outdoor advertising,
mobile handset advertising, portable LCD-advertising, Internet
radio, and the like. Mechanisms for delivering targeted
advertisements across each media form may vary but may benefit from
the core concepts of the methods and systems herein.
[0128] The methods and systems herein may facilitate creating
content authentication and management systems or digital rights
management systems using a mobile DSI, such as authenticating and
managing access rights to and management of content (e.g. free
content or content provided for a fee) and Internet
software-as-a-service information content such as Lexis Nexus,
Gartner, IDC, digital textbooks, and other digital media/digital
information providers that grant conditional access (for payment,
or otherwise).
[0129] In regards to digital rights management/content
authentication, due to a mobile device's individual specific nature
and its portability, a mobile DSI may provide a higher level of
accuracy and flexibility than using a system in which access to
content is tied to a particular PC/laptop, set-top box, and the
like. The latter is a system that is commonly used in many current
digital rights management schemes. Through the methods and systems
herein described, a user may essentially carry all of his online
digital rights with him as it is rooted in a DSI from his mobile
handset. Although content may be exchanged with the user's mobile
handset through other devices, (e.g. a set top box, PC/laptop,
television, kiosk, external advertising device, and the like), the
mobile handset DSI provides the means for
authentication--independent of any other device in the content
transfer chain. This is beneficial in that the other device(s) in
the content transfer chain may have multiple users, may not be
secure, may not support digital rights management and most
importantly may be stationary in its location and thus not allowing
the authenticated user to carry his digital rights with him. Make
the comparison to a DVID? You bought it, you can take it with you.
Not being able to do that for digital content is a step backwards,
not forward. In such a system, if a user attempts to access a
Mobile DSI-protected online account through a PC/laptop, or other
internet-connected device, short distance communication would take
place between the user's mobile handset and the internet-connected
device at which point the user's mobile DSI would be passed to
internet servers for authentication. The server at which the
protected account exists may then attempt to match an entered
username/password combination against a pre-registered mobile DSI.
The username/password may be collected at the time a user's account
is registered or at the time of an update/replacement of a mobile
DSI for the user's account). If the username/password combination
matches up with the mobile DSI, then the user will be granted
access to the mobile DSI-protected account. If the mobile DSI does
not match the username/password of the account, the user will not
be granted access. Standard mechanisms for lost passwords or for
resetting a password may also be applied, such as the use of
pre-registered secret password questions.
[0130] Mobile handsets provide a variety of device-specific
identification types on which a DSI may be based. A mobile handset
that is WiFi or WiMax enabled will have a MAC address, this MAC
address may serve as a DSI. A mobile handset that is
Bluetooth-enabled will have a Bluetooth Device Address. This
Bluetooth Device Address may serve as a DSI. A unique
identification, potentially a serial code that identifies a mobile
handset's central processing unit (CPU) may serve as a DSI. A
unique identification, potentially a serial code, that identifies a
mobile handset's WUSB (wireless USB) or UWB (Ultra Wide-band)
chipset may serve as a DSI. A mobile telephone number that is used
to dial a voice connection or send a TXT message to a mobile
handset may serve as a DSI. GSM phones use the International Mobile
Equipment Identity or IMEI that may serve as a DSI. CDMA phones use
Mobile Equipment Identifiers or MEIDs that may serve as a DSI.
Other similar device-specific identifications that are unique to a
single physical mobile handset may serve as a mobile DSI.
[0131] When connected wired or wirelessly, PC/laptops may
contribute device-specific information that may be used as a basis
for a DSI. A PC/laptop that has a fixed wired connection via an
Ethernet card will have a MAC address, this MAC address may serve
as a DSI. A PC/laptop that is WiFi or WiMax enabled will have a MAC
address, this MAC address may serve as a DSI. A PC/laptop that is
Bluetooth-enabled will have a Bluetooth Device Address. This
Bluetooth Device Address may serve as a DSI. A unique
identification, potentially a serial code, which identifies a
PC/laptop's central processing unit (CPU), may serve as a DSI. A
unique identification, potentially a serial code, which identifies
a PC/laptop's WUSB (wireless USB) or UWB (Ultra Wide-band)
connection, may serve as a DSI.
[0132] Other consumer electronic devices that can be connected to
an electronic network such as the Internet may also have DSI. If
the consumer electronic device is capable of accessing an
electronic network such as the Internet, it may do so using a wired
Ethernet connection using a Ethernet card, or a wireless connection
using a WiFi/WiMax connection, in both such scenarios, the device
should have a MAC address that will be used as its DSI>.
Examples of such consumer electronic devices capable of being
connected to an electronic network include Television set-top
boxes, Televisions, LCDs fixated outdoors, within retail stores,
taxi cabs, other public transportation, Radio devices that are
Internet-enabled, car radio devices that are Internet-enabled, and
the like. These other consumer electronic devices may use many of
the same or similar DSIs as mentioned above for mobile handsets or
PCs/laptops including the MAC address as a DSI if its
available.
[0133] The role of MAC addresses in Internet protocol v4 and v6 may
require unique treatment. In Internet Protocol version 4, or IPv4,
the IP Address of a given device is 32 bits long and is assigned
without embedding the device's unique, permanent, MAC-address.
However, In IPv6, the MAC-address of a device is intended to be
embedded into a device's IP Address.
[0134] Public sources of information regarding the difference of
the IPv6 address and its relevance to MAC-addresses describe IPv6
addresses as typically composed of two logical parts: a 64-bit
sub-network prefix, and a 64-bit host part, which is either
automatically generated from the interface's MAC address or
assigned sequentially. Because the globally unique MAC addresses
offer an opportunity to track user equipment, and so users, across
time and IPv6 address changes, RFC 3041
(http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3041) was developed to reduce the
prospect of user identity being permanently tied to an IPv6
address, thus restoring some of the possibilities of anonymity
existing at IPv4. RFC 3041 (http://tools.ietforg/html/rfc3041)
specifies a mechanism by which time-varying random bit strings can
be used as interface circuit identifiers, replacing unchanging and
traceable MAC addresses
[0135] In IPv6, the possibility arises, that since the IP address
includes the MAC address, that the IP address may become an easier
and quicker way to derive a device-specific identification. The
methods and systems herein support methodologies using IPv6 and
IPv4. In particular an IPv6 IP Address or a MAC-address suited for
IPv6 may facilitate determining and using a DSI. It is anticipated
that while IPv4 is the popular standard today, a transition to IPv6
is imminent.
[0136] Targeted television advertising may be associated with
personal devices, such as through mobile DSI-enabled identification
or with mobile device internet browser cache/history content.
Mobile DSI-enabled identification.rarw.what?. Advertisement
targeting may be improved through the use of mobile DSI device
detection within proximity of a front of a television. Mobile DSI,
as herein described, may uniquely identify an individual through an
association of a user profile with the Mobile DSI. By detecting a
mobile device (through Mobile DSI detection) that is positioned
within viewing distance of a television and identifying
advertisements targeted to the user of the detected mobile device,
the targeted advertisement may be presented to the television, or a
set-top box controlling the television, and displayed for the user.
The advertisement may be targeted based on a variety of factors
associated with the mobile DSI including a user profile associated
with the mobile DSI.
[0137] Advertisements may be targeted to and presented to a user
based on the user's mobile DSI through a process that includes:
gathering the device identifier or device-specific identification
(DSI) from the user's mobile device, associating the gathered DSI
with a user identity to provide a usage profile that may include
usage tracking of content interaction through the mobile device and
other internet enabled devices, using the usage profile to identify
an advertisement or offer, determining which screen provides a good
proximity to the user based on the relative distance of the user's
mobile DSI device from a screen, and displaying the advertisement
or offer on the screen.
[0138] Alternatively in the methods and systems, PC and/or laptops
can have wired connections, whereas for mobile devices this is
typically not the case. As such, referring to a wire connected
PC/laptop MAC address is the equivalent of a wireless
PC/Laptop/Mobile Handset's WiFi MAC address. As a result of such
considerations, in the following described processes and diagrams,
device-specific identifications, including those which are
associated with wired or wireless technologies, are collectively
referred to as DSIs.
[0139] The elements depicted in flow charts and block diagrams
throughout the figures imply logical boundaries between the
elements. However, according to software or hardware engineering
practices, the depicted elements and the functions thereof may be
implemented as parts of a monolithic software structure, as
standalone software modules, or as modules that employ external
routines, code, services, and so forth, or any combination of
these, and all such implementations are within the scope of the
present disclosure. Thus, while the foregoing drawings and
description set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems,
no particular arrangement of software for implementing these
functional aspects should be inferred from these descriptions
unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context.
[0140] Similarly, it will be appreciated that the various steps
identified and described above may be varied, and that the order of
steps may be adapted to particular applications of the techniques
disclosed herein. All such variations and modifications are
intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. As such, the
depiction and/or description of an order for various steps should
not be understood to require a particular order of execution for
those steps, unless required by a particular application, or
explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context.
[0141] The methods or processes described above, and steps thereof,
may be realized in hardware, software, or any combination of these
suitable for a particular application. The hardware may include a
general-purpose computer and/or dedicated computing device. The
processes may be realized in one or more microprocessors,
microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital
signal processors or other programmable device, along with internal
and/or external memory. The processes may also, or instead, be
embodied in an application specific integrated circuit, a
programmable gate array, programmable array logic, or any other
device or combination of devices that may be configured to process
electronic signals. It will further be appreciated that one or more
of the processes may be realized as computer executable code
created using a structured programming language such as C, an
object oriented programming language such as C++, or any other
high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly
languages, hardware description languages, and database programming
languages and technologies) that may be stored, compiled or
interpreted to run on one of the above devices, as well as
heterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures,
or combinations of different hardware and software.
[0142] Thus, in one aspect, each method described above and
combinations thereof may be embodied in computer executable code
that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the
steps thereof. In another aspect, the methods may be embodied in
systems that perform the steps thereof, and may be distributed
across devices in a number of ways, or all of the functionality may
be integrated into a dedicated, standalone device or other
hardware. In another aspect, means for performing the steps
associated with the processes described above may include any of
the hardware and/or software described above. All such permutations
and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0143] While the invention has been disclosed in connection with
the preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, various
modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent
to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of
the present invention is not to be limited by the foregoing
examples, but is to be understood in the broadest sense allowable
by law.
[0144] All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by
reference.
* * * * *
References