U.S. patent application number 12/011399 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-04 for system for and method of backing up content for use on a mobile device.
Invention is credited to Robert E. Garner, Richard Onyon, Leighton Ridgard, Liam Stannard.
Application Number | 20080214163 12/011399 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39674686 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080214163 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Onyon; Richard ; et
al. |
September 4, 2008 |
System for and method of backing up content for use on a mobile
device
Abstract
In accordance with the invention, mobile phones and other
electronic devices access content through links, rather than
storing the content on the mobile phone or at a location under the
control of a mobile phone operator. A user retrieves the content by
accessing a link on the mobile phone, which results in transferring
the content from a content-provider location directly to the mobile
phone. In this way, the mobile phone operator does not have to
reserve storage for the content, and the content provider, alerted
that the user is restoring or otherwise requesting content, is able
to offer the user upgrades, replacement content, and related
content. To better offer a user relevant content, a history of
purchases for the mobile phone, the user, or both is
maintained.
Inventors: |
Onyon; Richard; (San Jose,
CA) ; Stannard; Liam; (San Jose, CA) ;
Ridgard; Leighton; (San Jose, CA) ; Garner; Robert
E.; (Lawrenceville, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HAVERSTOCK & OWENS LLP
162 N WOLFE ROAD
SUNNYVALE
CA
94086
US
|
Family ID: |
39674686 |
Appl. No.: |
12/011399 |
Filed: |
January 25, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60897789 |
Jan 26, 2007 |
|
|
|
60937314 |
Jun 26, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/414.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/04 20130101;
G06F 16/182 20190101; H04W 4/18 20130101; H04W 4/60 20180201; H04L
67/2823 20130101; H04L 65/4084 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/414.2 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/42 20060101
H04M003/42 |
Claims
1. A method of providing content to a mobile device comprising:
determining a source of the content; and transmitting the content
from the source to a storage location accessible to the mobile
device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage location is on the
mobile device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content is transmitted
directly from the source to the mobile device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage location is remote
from the mobile device.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing on the mobile
device a selectable link for accessing the content on the storage
location.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data
associating the source with the content, the mobile device, or
both.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data is stored at a location
different from the mobile device and the storage location.
8. The method of claim 6, further comprising parsing the data to
thereby determine the source.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the data comprises a pathname to
the source.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pathname comprises a Uniform
Resource Locator.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the source comprises
querying one or more locations for the content.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the locations are third-party
content providers.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying an icon
corresponding to the content on the mobile device; and selecting
the icon to thereby automatically transmit the content from the
source to the storage location.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically
retrieving the content from multiple sources through a single
aggregation interface.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple sources comprise
third-party content providers.
16. A method of accessing content from a device comprising:
selecting on the device a link to content stored on a storage
system; and automatically accessing the content on the device in
response to selecting the link.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the storage system is remote to
the device.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the link comprises
transmitting a copy of the content from the storage system to the
device.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein accessing the content
comprises: determining that the content is not stored on the
storage system; and receiving the content on the storage
system.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location corresponds to a
third-party content provider.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein determining that the content is
not stored on the storage system comprises determining that no
content on the storage system has a hash that matches a hash of the
content.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein the device comprises a mobile
telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a personal
computer.
23. The method of claim 16, wherein the content comprises a mobile
application program, a mobile ring tone, a mobile wallpaper, video
data, audio data, a digital image, a ring back tone, or a
combination of these.
24. A method of offering content for a first device comprising:
storing a history of acquisitions associated with one or more
entities; and displaying on the first device offers for content
based on the history.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more entities
correspond to a user.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more entities
correspond to a mobile device.
27. The method of claim 24, wherein the offers are for purchasing,
subscribing to, licensing, upgrading, or replacing content, or any
combination of these.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein updated content comprises
content that is transcoded or resized from content corresponding to
the history.
29. The method of claim 24, further comprising automatically
receiving replacement or updated content on the first device.
30. The method of claim 24, wherein the history is stored at a
content provider location.
31. The method of claim 30, further comprising polling the content
provider location for an acquisition associated with the one or
more entities.
32. The method of claim 30, further comprising automatically
receiving notification from the content provider location of an
acquisition for the one or more entities.
33. The method of claim 24, further comprising storing metadata
about content acquired by the one or more entities.
34. The method of claim 34, wherein the metadata comprises a name
for content, a description of content, a size of content, a format
of content, an encoding of content, an author of content, or any
combination of these.
35. The method of claim 24, wherein the history comprises a count
of license usages.
36. A method of offering content for a device comprising:
displaying a first list of content acquired for one or more
entities; and transmitting one or more items in the first list to a
first mobile device.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more items are
transmitted in response to selecting the one or more items.
38. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting the
first list to the first mobile device and selecting on the first
mobile device the one or more items.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein displaying the first list,
selecting the one or more items, and transmitting the one or more
items are all performed at a location remote from the first mobile
device.
40. The method of claim 36, further comprising selecting a second
list of mobile devices and transmitting the one or more items to
the mobile devices in the second list.
41. The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more items are
transmitted to the first mobile device automatically.
42. The method of claim 36, wherein the first list is generated
from a history of acquisitions associated with the first mobile
device, a second mobile device, or both.
43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first and second mobile
devices are different.
44. The method of claim 42, wherein the first and second mobile
devices are the same.
45. A method of configuring a device comprising: constructing from
a first device a link to content on a storage system; and storing
the link on a second device.
46. The method of claim 45, wherein storing the link comprises
storing the content and data for selecting the content.
47. The method of claim 45, wherein the link, the content, or both
are stored on the second device during an initial configuration of
the second device.
48. The method of claim 45, wherein the link, the content, or both
are stored on the second device at predetermined time
intervals.
49. The method of claim 45, wherein the link, the content, or both
are wirelessly transmitted from the storage system to the second
device.
50. The method of claim 45, wherein the second device comprises a
mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a personal
computer.
51. A mobile device comprising: a client module containing a link
configured to access content and programmed to access the content
using the link.
52. The mobile device of claim 51, wherein the content comprises a
mobile application program, a mobile ring tone, a mobile wallpaper,
video data, audio data, a digital image, a ring back tone, or any
combination of these.
53. The mobile device of claim 51, wherein the client module is
programmed to access the content by requesting a copy of the
content.
54. The mobile device of claim 53, wherein the client module is
also programmed to display icons for selecting replacement content
for replacing content acquired for the mobile device.
55. The mobile device of claim 54, wherein the replacement content
comprise an upgrade to content acquired for the mobile device or a
different version of the content acquired for the mobile
device.
56. The mobile device of claim 51, wherein the client module is
programmed to wirelessly retrieve the content using the link.
57. The mobile device of claim 51, wherein the mobile device
comprises a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a
personal computer.
58. A content management system for a mobile device comprising: a
first content module containing content; and a delivery interface
programmed to transfer content from the content module to a mobile
device.
59. The system of claim 58, wherein the delivery interface is
programmed to transfer content from the content module to a mobile
device using a link to the content accessible to the mobile
device.
60. The system of claim 58, wherein the content comprises a mobile
application program, a mobile ring tone, a mobile wallpaper, video
data, audio data, digital images, a ring back tone, or a
combination of these.
61. The system of claim 58, further comprising a data store of
acquired content.
62. The system of claim 61, further comprising a replacement module
for mapping acquired content to replacement content.
63. The system of claim 58, further comprising an interface
programmed to receive content from one or more sources.
64. The system of claim 63, wherein the interface is also
programmed to poll the one or more sources to determine content
acquired for the mobile device from the one or more sources.
65. The system of claim 63, further comprising a parser for parsing
the content to thereby determine the one or more sources.
66. The system of claim 63, wherein the one or more sources are
third-party content providers.
67. The system of claim 63, wherein the interface comprises a
connection module for connecting to sources using Uniform Resource
Indicators to the one or more sources.
68. The system of claim 63, further comprising an offer module for
generating offers for replacement content on the mobile device.
69. The system of claim 68, wherein the offer module is programmed
to transmit data associated with the offers to the mobile device
and the mobile device is programmed to display and select the
offers.
70. The system of claim 69, wherein the offer module is also
programmed to generate the offers from a history of acquisitions
for one or more entities.
71. The system of claim 70, wherein the one or more entities
comprise a user.
72. The system of claim 70, wherein the one or more entities
comprise a mobile phone.
73. The system of claim 63, further comprising a metadata store
containing metadata about content.
74. The system of claim 73, wherein the metadata comprises
information indicating a manufacturer of a mobile device, a version
of a mobile device, operating capabilities of the mobile device, or
any combination of these.
75. The system of claim 74, wherein the operating capabilities
comprise a screen size, a number of pixels, or both.
76. The system of claim 63, further comprising a Web-based
interface coupled to the content manager and programmed to manage
the content.
77. The system of claim 63, further comprising: a multimedia
content data store; a user-generated content data store; and an
application data store.
78. The system of claim 63, wherein the mobile device comprises a
mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a personal
computer.
79. A method of storing content for use on a device comprising:
storing content on a storage system accessible to the device; and
storing a link on the device for automatically accessing the
content.
80. The method of claim 79, wherein the link comprises metadata
about the content and a locator to the content on the storage
system.
81. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage system is on the
device.
82. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage system is remote to
the device.
83. The method of claim 82, wherein the locator to the content
comprises a Uniform Resource Indicator.
84. The method of claim 79, further comprising displaying on the
device a digital image for selecting the link.
85. The method of claim 79, wherein the content comprises a mobile
application program, a mobile ring tone, a mobile wallpaper, video
data, audio data, a digital image, a ring back tone selected on a
module different from the device, or any combination of these.
86. The method of claim 79, wherein the device comprises a mobile
telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a personal computer.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of both the co-pending U.S. provisional patent application
Ser. No. 60/897,789, filed Jan. 26, 2007, and titled "CONTENT
LOCKER, APPLICATION AND CONTENT BACKUP," and the co-pending U.S.
provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/937,314, filed Jun. 26,
2007, and titled "CONTENT LOCKER, APPLICATION AND CONTENT BACKUP,"
both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention is related to transmitting content to
electronic devices. More specifically, this invention is related to
systems for and methods of restoring content, updating content,
storing equivalent content, and offering content for mobile devices
such as mobile phones.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Mobile phones and other electronic devices contain ever
increasing content, with upgrades, equivalents, and other content
created for them each year. Mobile phones, for example, store
address books, user-generated content such as digital images, and
third-party content such as ringtones, wallpaper, and music files,
to name only a few types of content. Content is not easily restored
when the phone is deactivated. It is difficult for a user to
remember what content was stored on the phone, the correct version
of the content for a particular phone, or even where she acquired
the content. Even if she can discover all this information, the
process of restoring content to the phone is still time-consuming,
error prone, and tedious.
[0004] When restoring content to a phone, the user is also unaware
of upgrades to content. Unknown to the user, a content provider may
have released a new version of content or an equivalent, more
popular version. The user misses an opportunity to get upgraded,
more desirable content, and the content provider misses an
opportunity to sell, license, or offer a subscription to new
content.
[0005] Users face these same problems when upgrading to a new phone
or other device. The new phone may require different versions of
content: a simple transfer of content from the old to the new
mobile phone will not work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, a method of
providing content to a mobile device includes determining a source
of the content (e.g., a content provider) and transmitting the
content from the source to a storage location accessible to the
mobile device, such as directly on the mobile device. Preferably,
the content is transmitted wirelessly. Mobile devices include, but
are not limited to, mobile telephones, personal digital assistants,
and personal computers. Content includes, but is not limited to, a
mobile application program, a mobile ring tone, a mobile wallpaper,
video data, audio data, a digital image, a ring back tone, or a
combination of these.
[0007] In one embodiment, the method also includes storing on the
mobile device a selectable link for accessing the content on the
storage location and storing data that associates the source with
the content, the mobile device, or both. This data is used to
determine what content has been acquired for the mobile device and
the source (e.g., one or more content providers) that can be
accessed to retrieve the content. The data includes a pathname to
the source, such as one containing a Uniform Resource Locator, and
identifiers for the content itself. The data is parsed to determine
the source and the content. Preferably, the data is stored on a
system remote from the mobile device, so that when the mobile
device retrieves the content it contacts the system, which
communicates with the source to transmit the content to the mobile
device.
[0008] In one embodiment, the source is determined by querying one
or more locations for the content, such as third-party content
providers. The content providers respond by transmitting the
content (e.g., wirelessly) to the mobile device. In one embodiment,
a single aggregation interface is used to automatically retrieve
content from multiple sources.
[0009] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method of
accessing content from a device includes selecting on the device a
link to content stored on a storage system and automatically
receiving the content on the device in response to selecting the
link. The storage system is remote to the device and when the link
is selected, a copy of the content is transmitted from the storage
system to the device.
[0010] Preferably, the content is accessed by determining that the
content is not stored on the storage system and then receiving the
content on the storage system. As one example, content is
determined to be on the storage system using a hash. A list
containing the hash for each content on the storage system is
maintained. If it is determined that a hash for desired content is
not in the list, it is determined that the content is not on the
storage system and must be retrieved from a content provider.
[0011] In a third aspect of the present invention, a method of
offering content for a first device includes storing a history of
acquisitions associated with one or more entities and displaying on
the first device offers for content based on the history. The one
or more entities correspond to a user, to a mobile device, or to
both. In other words, offers can be based on what was acquired for
a particular mobile phone, for a particular user, or both. The
offers are for purchasing, subscribing to, licensing, upgrading, or
replacing content, or any combination of these.
[0012] Content is updated, in part, by transcoding or resizing
using content in the history. In one embodiment, the method also
includes automatically receiving replacement or updated content on
the first device. Preferably, the history is stored at a content
provider location but can be stored at other locations.
[0013] In one embodiment, the method also includes polling the
content provider location for an acquisition associated with the
one or more entities, automatically receiving notification from the
content provider location of an acquisition for the one or more
entities, storing metadata about content acquired by the one or
more entities, or any combination of these. The metadata includes a
name for content, a description of content, a size of content, a
format of content, an encoding of content, an author of content, or
any combination of these. The history includes a count of license
usages.
[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of
offering content for a device includes displaying a first list of
content acquired for one or more entities and transmitting one or
more items in the first list to a first mobile device. Preferably,
from this first list, one or more of the items are selected for
storing on the device.
[0015] In one embodiment, the first list is automatically
transmitted to the first mobile device. The first list is
displayed, and one or more items are selected from it and
transmitted to the first mobile device from a location remote to
the first mobile device. The method also includes selecting a
second list of mobile devices and transmitting the one or more
items to the mobile devices in the second list. The first list is
generated from a history of acquisitions associated with a second
mobile device.
[0016] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method of
configuring a device includes constructing from a first device a
link to content on a storage system and storing the link on a
second device. Thus, the second device is configured to access the
same content available to the first device. Preferably, storing the
link includes storing the content and data for selecting the
content. The link, the content, or both are wirelessly transmitted
from the storage system to the second device during an initial
configuration of the second device. Alternatively, the link, the
content, or both are stored on the second device at predetermined
time intervals.
[0017] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a mobile device
includes a client module containing a link and programmed to access
content using the link, preferably wirelessly. The client module is
programmed to display icons for selecting replacement content for
replacing content acquired for the mobile device. The replacement
content includes an upgrade to content acquired for the mobile
device or a different version of the content acquired for the
mobile device.
[0018] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, a content
management system for a mobile device includes a first content
module containing content and a delivery interface programmed to
transfer content from the content module to a mobile device. The
delivery interface is programmed to transfer content from the
content module to a mobile device using a link to the content
accessible to the mobile device.
[0019] The system also includes a data store of acquired content, a
replacement module for mapping acquired content to replacement
content, and an interface programmed to receive content from one or
more sources and to poll the one or more sources to determine
content acquired from the one or more sources. The interface
includes a connection module for connecting to sources using
Uniform Resource Indicators to the one or more sources. In one
embodiment, the system also includes a parser for parsing the
content to thereby determine the one or more sources. Preferably,
the one or more sources are third-party sources.
[0020] In one embodiment, the system also includes an offer module
for generating offers for replacement content on the mobile device.
The offer module is programmed to transmit data associated with the
offers to the mobile device and the mobile device is programmed to
display and select the offers. The offer module is also programmed
to generate the offers from a history of acquisitions for one or
more entities such as users or mobile phones.
[0021] Preferably, the system also includes a metadata store
containing metadata about content. Metadata includes information
indicating a manufacturer of a mobile device, a version of a mobile
device, operating capabilities of a mobile device, or any
combination of these. The operating capabilities include a screen
size, a number of pixels, or both.
[0022] In one embodiment, the system also includes a Web-based
interface coupled to the content manager and programmed to manage
the content, a multimedia content data store, a user-generated
content data store, and an application data store.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 shows a mobile phone, a platform for restoring
content, and a content provider in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a mobile phone, a platform for restoring
content, and multiple content providers in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows metadata stored on the platform in FIGS. 1 and
2 and used to locate and restore content in accordance with the
present invention.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps in a process for
restoring content to a mobile phone in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 5 shows a display on a mobile device, allowing a user
to store equivalent content on the mobile device in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 6 shows a display on a mobile device, allowing a user
to upgrade content on the mobile device in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the steps for acquiring
equivalent content in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIGS. 8A and 8B show transferring links to content from one
mobile phone to another in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0031] FIG. 9 shows a display on a mobile phone and icons of
different content and the corresponding links for acquiring the
content in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0032] FIG. 10 is a use-case diagram for restoring/acquiring
content in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0033] FIG. 11 is a use-case diagram for backing up content in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 12 shows the steps of purchasing content, transferring
content, storing information for restoring content in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 13 shows user data stored at a content provider in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] FIGS. 14-17 show components for acquiring, backing up, and
restoring content in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention.
[0037] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram for acquiring and restoring
content in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0038] FIG. 19A shows an interface for selecting content and
configuring one or more mobile phones to store the selected
content, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0039] FIG. 19B shows the selected mobile phones of FIG. 17A, after
being configured to store the selected content, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0040] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to
restoring, updating, and offering content on electronic devices,
such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, personal
computers, and the like.
[0041] Different embodiments of the present invention are able to
restore content to an electronic device in different ways. In one
embodiment, a link to content is stored on a mobile phone, allowing
the mobile phone to automatically access multiple content stored at
one or more remote (e.g., third-party) locations. In this way,
content is accessed and stored on the mobile phone only when
needed, thus using memory on the mobile phone more efficiently.
[0042] Other embodiments ensure continued access to subscribed
content, even when the mobile phone is deactivated. For example,
when a mobile phone is deactivated and then reactivated, or when
service to one mobile phone is migrated to another mobile phone,
the user is able to seamlessly restore access to the subscribed
content.
[0043] Other embodiments allow a user to substitute content on a
mobile device. As one example, when a mobile phone is reactivated,
the mobile phone is restored with an upgrade of content previously
stored on the mobile phone or its equivalent. The content provider
thus increases its opportunities to sell to customers content or
subscriptions to content, and gives customers opportunities to get
the latest version of content.
[0044] In general, the present invention ensures the integrity of
customer purchase data, restores already purchased content when a
handset is restored, provides customers the opportunity to upgrade
applications previously stored on a handset, conserves bandwidth
since content is transferred only when restored on a handset, and
allows users to transfer content, upgrades, or equivalent content
on new handsets. Content includes, but is not limited to, address
book contact data, user-generated pictures and sound recordings,
ringtones, wallpapers, and videos purchased or subscribed from
third-party content provides, and Binary Runtime Environment for
Wireless (BREW) applications purchased through a Content Provider
BREW mobile shop.
[0045] FIG. 1 is a high-level diagram of components of a system in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The system
includes a mobile phone 101 coupled to an intermediate platform
110, which in turn is coupled to a content provider 120. The mobile
phone 101 contains both user-generated and other content 105, such
as ringtones, calendars, video images, audio data, wallpaper, etc.
The platform 110 stores a user record 115 that contains a link to
the content 105 at a content provider 120. When the mobile device
101 must restore content 105, such as when it is reactivated or
initialized, it notifies the platform 110. The platform 110
contacts the content provider 120, identifying the mobile phone 101
and, using the link to the content 105, the content 105. The
content provider 120 then transmits the content 105 to the mobile
phone 101, which restores the content 105.
[0046] During device set up, a user purchases or otherwise acquires
content for the mobile phone 101. When the purchase is made, the
user record 115 is added to the platform 110, and the content
provider 120 records that the user (identified, for example, by the
telephone number of the mobile phone) has purchased the content.
Any license usage counts are initialized at this stage, so that the
user is able to retrieve the content 105 only the allowed number of
times. An icon is stored on the mobile phone 101 to access the
platform 110 and thus ultimately the content provider 120, as
described herein.
[0047] Advantageously, the mobile phone 101 and the platform 110 do
not require extra storage for the content 105, storing only links
to it. Preferably, content is stored at a content provider, from
which the content is retrieved. This structure allows the content
provider to keep track of and notify the user that updates and
equivalent content, which are generally under the control of the
content provider, are available. The content provider 120 is also
able to substitute equivalent or updated content when available. In
alternative embodiments, the content 105 is stored on the platform
110, from where it is transmitted to the mobile 101.
[0048] While FIG. 1 shows the mobile device 101 and platform 110
coupled to a single content provider, it will be appreciated that
the mobile device 101 is able to contain content acquired from and
thus to be restored by multiple content providers. Thus, FIG. 2
shows a system in which the mobile device 101 and platform 110 are
both coupled to multiple content providers 120A-D, which all
function similarly to the content provider 120 in FIG. 1. It will
also be appreciated that while FIG. 1 shows a single user record
115, the platform 110 will generally store multiple user record,
for multiple users.
[0049] Preferably, the platform 110 is coupled to the multiple
content providers 120A-D through an aggregator 140, which receives
a request for content from the platform 110 and routes the request
to the appropriate one of the multiple content providers 120A-D
containing the content sought. Alternatively, the aggregator 140
queries all content providers 120A-D, and the one content provider
hosting the content sought transmits it to the mobile phone 101. In
a preferred embodiment, the aggregator 140 is part of the platform
110; in an alternative embodiment, the aggregator 140 and the
platform 110 are separate components.
[0050] It will be appreciated that although FIGS. 1 and 2 show
lines directly connecting the components (e.g., directly connecting
the mobile device 101 to the platform 110), the components are
preferably coupled over a wireless network, or are coupled over a
wide area network such as the Internet, over a local area network,
or any combination of these.
[0051] FIG. 3 shows the user record 115 according to one embodiment
of the present invention. The user record 115 contains an
identifier of the mobile phone 201 (the phone number, 15555551212),
a uniform resource locator (URL) of the content provider 203
(contentprovider.com), a name of the content 205 (Tetris), a
classifier of the content 207 (game), a version number of the
content 209 (4.0), a size of the content 211 (500 kB), a format for
displaying the content on the mobile device 213 (720p 1080i), an
encoding scheme for the content (JPEG) 215, an author of the
content 217 (GameMaker), an identifier of the mobile phone 219
(PhoneVendor1), and a model of the mobile phone 221 (3.1). Those
skilled in the art will recognize that the user record 115 is able
to contain other metadata, a subset of the metadata shown in FIG.
3, or any combination of metadata suitable for identifying the
content and communicating with the content provider 120 to transmit
the content to the mobile phone 101. In operation, the platform 110
parses the user record 115 to determine the source (e.g., URL 203)
of the content provider from which the content is retrieved for
storing on the mobile device 101.
[0052] As discussed above, in one embodiment, the aggregator 140 of
FIG. 2 polls the content provider locations 120A-D to determine
whether they contain content to be restored to the mobile phone
101. FIG. 4 shows the steps 250 that each content provider location
120A-D takes in response to the polling. Referring to the exemplary
content provider location 120A, first, in the step 251, the content
provider 120A receives a request to restore content to the mobile
phone 101. Preferably, the request includes the telephone number of
the mobile phone 101; alternatively, the request includes some
other identifier of the mobile phone 101 or some identifier of the
user of the mobile phone. In the step 253, the content provider
120A looks up all the content that has been acquired for the mobile
phone 101. In the step 255, the content provider 120A determines
whether any upgrades are available for the acquired content and
substitutes upgrades when available. In the step 257, the content
provider 120A transmits the content (including upgrades, if
available) to the mobile phone 101. The process ends in the step
259. It will be appreciated that new content may be resized,
reformatted, or otherwise changed to ensure that it performs or is
displayed properly on the mobile device 101.
[0053] In other embodiments, discussed below, if neither previously
acquired content nor an upgrade is available, equivalent content is
transmitted to the mobile phone 101 in the step 257. In still other
embodiments, the user of the mobile phone is given the option of
acquiring an upgrade or equivalent content. FIG. 5 shows the mobile
device 101, with a display offering content equivalent to what was
previously acquired for the mobile device 101 (Tetras 3.1) and a
selectable link 190 for acquiring the equivalent content.
[0054] FIG. 6 shows the mobile phone 101 offering a list of
upgrades, which the user has the option of accepting or
declining.
[0055] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram 300 showing user data (e.g.,
metadata) on the platform 110, updated when equivalent (or
upgraded) content is transmitted to the mobile phone 101.
Preferably, the user is presented on the mobile phone 101 with a
list from which she can select equivalent content. After selecting
equivalent content, in the step 301, the mobile phone 101 transmits
to the content provider 120 a request for particular equivalent
content. In the step 303, the content provider 120 transmits the
equivalent content to the mobile phone 101. In the step 305, the
content provider 305 transmits information (e.g., metadata) to the
platform 110 to reflect that the mobile phone 101 has now acquired
the equivalent content (e.g., the previously acquired content has
been replaced). The user record (FIG. 3) is then updated to reflect
that equivalent content has been acquired.
[0056] The system must ensure that equivalent or other replacement
content is selected so that it is compatible with the mobile
device. Thus equivalent content must be selected so that its
binary, image size and device form factor, and its encoding format
are all suitable for the mobile device. To this end, content
providers (or intermediate platforms) maintain mapping databases
that map content suitable for one device to content suitable for
another device.
[0057] Preferably, a history of purchases, subscriptions, and other
acquisitions are generated for the mobile phone 101. As discussed
below, this history is used to determine upgrades or equivalent
content for the content acquired for the mobile phone 101. Based on
this history, the user of the mobile phone 101 is offered upgrades
and equivalent content for content previously acquired for the
mobile phone 101, as well as offers for content similar or related
to previously purchased content.
[0058] It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present
invention are able to be used, not only to restore content to a
mobile phone, but also to migrate content from one mobile phone to
another. Thus, for example, a user may upgrade his mobile phone and
wishes to transfer content from the mobile phone to a new one. FIG.
8A shows mobile phone 101 coupled to the platform 110, which in
turn is coupled to the content provider 120. FIG. 8B shows a mobile
phone 350, an upgrade of the mobile phone 101, coupled to the
platform 110 and the content provider 120. In one embodiment, when
the mobile phone 350 is first activated, it automatically
communicates with the platform 120. The platform 120 is programmed
to recognize that the mobile phone 350 is an upgrade of the mobile
phone 101 and performs the steps of "restoring" content previously
acquired for the mobile phone 101 to the mobile phone 350, such as
described above. This may occur because, for example, the mobile
phone 350 is given the same phone number as the mobile phone 101.
Alternatively, the user of the mobile phone 350 identifies herself
to the platform 110 and initiates "restoration" of content, such as
described above.
[0059] In still other embodiments of the invention, a mobile phone
is programmed to store content efficiently. In one embodiment,
rather than store links to content on a remote platform (e.g.,
platform 110, FIG. 1), the mobile phone itself stores links to
content. Preferably, the content is accessed using one or more
icons displayed on the mobile phone. FIG. 9 shows a mobile phone
400 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The mobile
phone 400 includes a display screen 405 showing icons 401 (Tetris),
402 (Chess game), and 403 (Train schedule). Each icon 401-403 has
an associated link, 401A-403A, respectively, such that when one of
the icons 401-403 is selected, its associated link is accessed,
thereby connecting the mobile device 400 to a content provider
associated with the selected content (e.g., a third-party content
provider) to trigger the content provider to download the content
to the mobile phone 400.
[0060] As one example, the link 401A associated with the icon 401
is the URL, contentprovider.com/tertris/4.0/15555551212, which
contains the Web address of the content provider
(contentprovider.com), the name of the content to be retrieved
(Tetris), the version of the content (4.0), and the phone number of
the mobile phone (5555551212). When contacted, the content provider
parses this URL, determines what content to store on the mobile
phone 400, and then, using the phone number of the mobile phone,
transmits the content to the mobile phone 400. Preferably, once the
content is no longer used on the mobile phone 400 (e.g., the
application is closed), it is removed from the mobile phone 400. In
this way, because the mobile phone 400 does not persistently
maintain all the content it has access to, it can access content
larger than its available memory.
[0061] In an alternative embodiment, once the content is retrieved
from the content provider, it is stored on both the mobile phone
400 and on an intermediate storage location. In this way, any
future retrieval of the content (which may be deleted on the mobile
phone after use) is from the intermediate storage location, which
functions as a proxy server. In this embodiment, the link 401A is
updated to refer to the intermediate storage location.
[0062] In one embodiment, the content is not automatically deleted
from the mobile phone after it is used. Instead, the content is
removed manually and remains of the mobile device for future use.
Again using the icon 401 and its associated link as an example,
when the icon 401 is selected, the mobile device 400 is programmed
to first determine whether the associated content is available on
the mobile phone 400. Preferably, the mobile phone 400 stores a
hash of the content as part of the metadata about the content. The
mobile phone 400 compares this hash against the hashes of all other
content stored on the mobile phone 400. If the mobile phone 400
determines that it does not contain the content, it will retrieve
the content from the content provider, as described above.
Alternatively, the content is stored on an intermediate platform,
which stores and uses a hash to determine available content in a
similar manner.
[0063] It will be appreciated that features of each embodiments
described in this application can be used on other embodiments. For
example, the link 401A is able to include metadata similar to the
metadata 200, which also contains an address of a third-party
content provider (element 203). Similarly, when updating or
changing mobile phones, the icons 401-403 and associated links
401A-403A are all able to be transferred to the new mobile phone.
This may occur during an initial configuration of the new mobile
phone.
Use Case Diagrams
[0064] FIGS. 10 and 11 are use-case diagrams 500 and 600,
respectively, used to model backing up and restoring content in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The use-case
diagrams shown in this application use the well-known labels
"uses," "extends," and "includes." To make the diagrams more
readable, cases that use the relationship "uses" are left
unlabeled.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 10, a mobile device is able to subscribe
to an application 501, purchase an application 502, end an
application subscription 503, delete an application 504, access a
"mobile shop" for the first time 505, and perform a device restore
507. All of the cases 501-504 are able to be extended to update a
user application status datastore 521. The case of performing a
device restore is also able to deliver applications to the device
521, deliver equivalent content to the device 523, deliver
user-generated (UG) content to the device 525, and query a user
application status datastore 527. From the case of accessing a
mobile shop for the first time 505, the system is also able to
perform device restore 507.
[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 10, any application or content
purchase or subscription is reported to and maintained in the
backup system datastores. When a restore is initiated, the
subscribed applications, application settings, purchased multimedia
content, and user-generated content are restored to the mobile
device, as described herein.
[0067] One popular trigger for a mobile device restore is the
initiation of the on-device mobile shop. The mobile shop
application can be configured to launch the restore process when it
is launched for the first time on a device. Alternatively, a stub
application may be preloaded onto the device. The stub application
will launch shortly after the mobile phone is activated and
provisioned and will prompt the user to restore applications and
purchased content.
[0068] Any business logic desired may be implemented in the client:
application or content-specific rules may be applied and an
appropriate user interface displayed to the user. Examples of these
rules and user-interfaces include automatic no-fee download and
installation of subscription-based applications, reduced-fee
"repurchases" prompt for pay-per-download applications and content,
no-fee download of operator-determined number of previously
purchased ringtones, special reduced fees for particular previously
purchased ringtones, reminders about previously downloaded but
deleted applications, offers to continue previously initiated but
subsequently canceled application subscriptions, and simple
reminders (or recommended alternative applications) detailing what
content the user had previously.
[0069] FIG. 11 is a high-level use case diagram 600 for application
and content backup and restore. As shown in the use-case diagram
600, a client is able to restore a phone 601 and backup an
application 603. A phone can be restored by restoring standard data
605, restoring user-generated content 610, restoring premium
content 620, and restoring applications 640. User-generated content
restores 610 can be restored by delivering user-generated content
to a device, which in turn performs image transcoding 613, video
file transcoding 614, and audio file transcoding 615.
[0070] Premium content is restored 620 by getting a purchase
premium content list 621, delivering premium content to the device
623, and displaying application and content specific repurchase
user interface 630. Premium content is delivered to the device 623
by looking up equivalent premium content 625 and delivering premium
content to the device 627. Premium content is delivered to the
device 627 by checking a content delivery policy 629.
[0071] An application is restored 640 by displaying an application
and content specific repurchase user interface 630, getting a
purchased application list 641, getting a subscribed application
list 645, and delivering the application to the device 650. Both
the cases of getting a purchased application list 641 and getting a
subscribed application list 645 are extended by querying the
application state database 643.
[0072] Applications are delivered to a device 650 by looking up
equivalent applications 651, checking the application delivery
policy 653, and updating the application state database 655.
[0073] An application is backed up 603 by registering a purchased
application 660, registering a subscribed application 665, and
backing up multimedia content 670. A purchased application is
registered 660 and a subscribed application is registered 665 by
updating the application state database 655. Multimedia content is
backed up 670 by registering multimedia content purchase, which is
extended by updating the multimedia content state database 673.
[0074] FIG. 12 shows the steps 680 of a process for acquiring
content (e.g., purchase, license, etc.) for a mobile phone in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Referring
to FIGS. 1 and 12, the process starts in the step 681, and in the
step 682, the content is requested. In the step 683, the content is
transferred from the content provider 120 to the mobile phone 101.
In the step 684, the user record 115 is stored on the intermediate
platform 110. In the step 685, the content provider 120 records the
acquisition (along with other acquisitions for the mobile phone
101), used to later restore the mobile phone 101. In one
embodiment, the acquisition is recorded in an acquisition table,
such as shown in FIG. 13. The process ends in the step 686.
[0075] FIG. 13 shows an "acquisition table" 690 maintained at the
content provider 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention The acquisition table 690 contains a history of a
user's past acquisitions for the mobile phone 101. Individual
purchases are stored in individual records of the acquisition table
690. When the content provider 120 is later polled, the acquisition
table 690 can be used to determine what content the content
provider 120 provided to the mobile phone 101, and thus what
content (or equivalents or upgrades) is to be restored to the
mobile phone 101.
[0076] The acquisition table 690 includes rows 691-694. The row
(also referred to as a "record") 691 is used, among other things,
to identify the mobile phone 101. The record 691 contains a
telephone number 691A (15555551212) of the mobile phone 101, a name
(e.g., owner) 691B associated with the mobile phone ("Joe Smith"),
and an Internet address 691C associated with the mobile phone
"Address@domain.com"). The telephone number 691A, the Internet
address 691C, or both can be used to transmit content to the mobile
phone 101 in accordance with the present invention.
[0077] The records 692-694 all contain information about previously
acquired content. For example, the record 692 indicates that the
game Tetris (692A), version 3.0 (692B), for the phone brand
Phonemaker1 (692C) was acquired for the mobile phone 101. Thus, for
example, when Tetris 3.0 is purchased for the mobile phone 101, the
record 692 is added to the acquisition table 690. In a similar
manner, the record 693 indicates that Chessgame (693A), version 1.0
(693B), for the phone brand Phonemaker1 (693C) was acquired; and
the record 694 indicates that the application "Train schedule"
(694A), version 3.0 (694B), for the phone brand Phonemaker1 (694C),
was also acquired.
[0078] It will be appreciated that the acquisition table 690 is
only illustrative. Those skilled in the art will recognize that
acquisition tables containing other information can also be used in
accordance with the present invention.
Hardware Components
[0079] FIGS. 14-17 show components used to implement embodiments of
the present invention. Some of these components are described
below.
Backup Client
[0080] The backup client is preloaded on the mobile device and is
programmed to implement the client-side business logic required for
an application and content backup and restore system. The client's
primary function is to present a user interface to the user which
allows the user to backup content on the device, and in the case of
a device migration or new device, retrieve the content to the new
device.
Content Delivery Interface
[0081] This is a server-side interface that provides programmed
retrieval of the applications and premium content from a
server-side database. Preferably, HTTP with a simple protocol
encoded in it is used. The interface may also use opaque tokens,
such as used with the Application/Multimedia Purchase and Restore
Manager. Preferably, this interface is also be programmed to parse
metadata to determine the source of content. Application/Multimedia
Purchase and Restore Manager This manager interfaces with the
application billing system to determine which applications a user
has purchased, subscribed to, or both, what equivalent application
is appropriate for a given device, and a mechanism to push that
application to the backup client. Preferably, this manager
generates data for offers of new content from user purchase
histories and transmits these offers to the backup client.
Preferably, the Restore Manager communicates with the mobile phone
using a wireless protocol such as Wireless Application Protocol
(WAP).
Equivalent Application Mapping Datastore
[0082] An extended version of the currently available datastore,
which shows which applications supersede existing applications, and
which application binary is appropriate for a given mobile device.
Preferably, the mapping database is populated by entries from the
content providers when they submit content for inclusion on the
application/content catalog and may be updated as new versions of
applications are provided for new platforms.
"Equivalent" Mapping Datastores
[0083] These databases map from a particular piece of content
(e.g., "Who Let the Dogs Out" ringtone) to a number of
platform-specific formats. The mapping datastore is utilized by the
portability interface to report which instance of a piece of
content is appropriate for a given platform. Preferably, if a piece
of content is not available for a given platform, the mapping
datastore recommends a substitute content instance, if
appropriate.
User Generated Content and Application Settings Datastore
[0084] Content and application providers provide and maintain
mapping and equivalence databases, which contain information
allowing the client to retrieve the device-appropriate version of
an application or premium content. These datastores are queried at
restore time before downloading an application or instance of
premium content.
Premium Content Portability Interface
[0085] This is the third-party implementation of a specified
interface that allows the synchronization platform to determine
which of the third-party's content a given user has purchased,
metadata about the content in question (e.g., ringtone title and
description), which equivalent content should be provided to the
device, and a URL that the synchronization platform can access to
retrieve the content from the third party.
Synchronization Server Platform Components
[0086] When contacted by the backup client at restore time, the
synchronization server connects to each third-party content
provider and queries its content portability interface to determine
which content belonging to the provider should be restored to the
handset. The appropriate content is retrieved over the same
interface and provided to the backup client, which installs it on
the handset to complete the restore process.
[0087] The synchronization server provides a standardized interface
to Web sites (such as an operator's customer-facing Web sites),
which enables the Web site to provide information and actionable
interfaces pertaining to the user's content.
Third-Party Mapping Interface
[0088] This layer is a conduit that connects to each of the
third-party content suppliers and uses their interfaces to
implement the business logic in accordance with the present
invention. This layer is also able to poll content providers to
determine what content was provided to a particular user or mobile
phone.
User Purchase History Directory
[0089] The content provider purchase history databases are
populated by queries by the server-side components in the course of
determining which applications may be offered to a user when
restoring to the new device.
[0090] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a backup and restore system
700 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The
system 700 allows an operator or original device manufacturer (ODM)
the ability to maintain control of the applications and multimedia
content and its delivery system, while relying on the
synchronization server to handle the details of what is installed
on the mobile device (along with user-generated content). The
system 700 includes a mobile device 705 (e.g., a mobile phone)
coupled to a synchronization server platform 720. The mobile device
705 includes a backup client 709, an application datastore 707, and
a multimedia content datastore 711. The synchronization server
platform 720 includes a content delivery interface 721, an
application/multimedia purchase and restore manager 723, user
purchase history datastores 730, multimedia content/application
mapping datastores 740, a user-generated content and application
settings datastore 751, a multimedia content datastore 753, an
application datastore 755, and synchronization server platform
components 760.
[0091] In operation, when content is restored to the mobile device
705, the backup client 709 sends a request to restore data to the
content delivery interface 721. The Application/Multimedia Purchase
and Restore Manager 723 queries the user purchase history databases
730 to determine what the user has previously subscribed to (using
the datastore 731) or purchased (using the datastores 733 and 735).
The manager 723 also queries the multimedia content/application
mapping datastores 740 to determine any equivalent content, and
also generates new offers, if applicable. The content delivery
interface 721 responds to the mobile device 705 with a list of
content to be restored, including upgrades, updates, equivalents,
and new offers, if any. The client 705 responds with a list of
content to be restored. The platform 720 responds with
user-generated content and applications settings (to ensure that
the content is formatted for use on the mobile phone), as well as
the multimedia content (from the datastore 753) and the application
(from the datastore 755).
[0092] Preferably, the content-delivery interface 721 and the
backup client communicate using HTTP. It will be appreciated,
however, that other protocols such as HTTPS (HTTP Secure) and
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) can also be used.
[0093] FIGS. 15-17 are high-level diagrams of backup and restore
systems 800, 900, and 1000, respectively, in accordance with other
embodiments of the present invention. Throughout this application,
the same label refers to the same component. The systems 800, 900,
and 1000 provide different levels of control over content among the
mobile phone operators and the third-party content providers.
[0094] The system 800 in FIG. 15 includes the mobile device 705
coupled to a synchronization server platform 850 and third-party
content/application catalog components 810. Preferably, the
components 810 function similarly to the intermediate platform 110
of FIG. 1. In the system 800, the operator or original device
manufacturer is able to maintain control of the applications and
multimedia content and its delivery system, while relying on a
synchronization server platform component 851 to control what is
installed on the mobile device 705. The synchronization server
platform 850 includes an application/multimedia restore manager
855, the synchronization server platform component 851, the user
purchase history datastores 730, and a user-generated content
datastore 860.
[0095] The third-party content/application catalog components 810
includes the content delivery interface 721, the application
datastore 755, the multimedia content datastore 753, the
"Equivalent Application" mapping datastore 741, the "Equivalent
Multimedia Content" mapping datastore 743, and a third-party
mapping interface 845.
[0096] As shown in FIG. 15, the client 709 is coupled to the
application/multimedia restore manager 855 and the content delivery
interface 721, preferably using an HTTP interface. The
synchronization server 850 is coupled to the third-party mapping
interface 845, also preferably using an HTTP interface. In this
embodiment, a third-party controls equivalent mapping
information.
[0097] In operation, the mobile device 705 communicates with the
content delivery interface 721, which recognizes the mobile device
705 by the URL used to request content, such as described above.
The components 810 store applications and multimedia (755 and 753),
from which some requests for content can be satisfied. When content
requested is not hosted on the components, the components 810
determine equivalent content, if any, using the mapping data stores
741 and 743, and then communicate with the synchronization server
platform 850 using the third-party mapping interface 845. The
synchronization server platform responds by transmitting the
requested content, or its equivalent, to the mobile device 705,
such as described above.
[0098] FIG. 16 shows a system 900 for backing up content in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In the
system 900, purchase information, application equivalency, and
content delivery are all provided by a third party. The system 900
includes the mobile device 705 coupled to a platform 910 and a
third-party content/application catalog of components 950. The
third-party content/application catalog of components 950 is
similar to the catalog of components 810, except that the user
purchase history datastores 730 is included on the catalog 950 but
not on the catalog 810.
[0099] FIG. 17 shows a system 1000 for backing up content in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The
system 1000 includes the mobile device 705 coupled to a third-party
content/application catalog of components 1010. The third-party
content/application catalog of components 1010 is similar to the
catalog of components 950, except that third-party mapping
interface 845 in FIG. 14 is replaced with a content/application
restore manager 1015, which is coupled to the backup client
709.
[0100] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram 1100 of interactions between a
mobile device client, a synchronization platform server, and a
content repository in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. In the step 1110, the user starts a routine for
acquiring (e.g., purchasing, licensing, taking a subscription to,
etc.) content, and in the step 1115, the client communicates with
the server to register the new application, thereby updating the
appropriate application datastore in the step 1120. In the step
1125, the user selects to purchase the application, and in the step
1130, the client registers the purchased application on the server,
thereby updating the application datastore in the step 1135. In the
step 1140, the user indicates that she is done acquiring new
content, and in the step 1145 the client notifies the server that
the purchasing is complete. The datastore is updated in the step
1150.
[0101] Later, when the device is to be restored, such as when it
has been deactivated and is to be reactivated, in the step 1155,
the client notifies the server to restore the device. In the step
1160, the device sends a command to query the subscriptions that
have been acquired for the device. In the step 1165, the server
retrieves a list of subscribed applications, including equivalents,
and returns this list to the client in the step 1170. In the step
1175, the client presents this list to the user, allowing her to
select the content that she wants. In the step 1180, the client
requests the applications (original, equivalent, upgrades, etc.),
which are returned to the client in the step 1185. In the step
1190, the applications are installed on the device. In the step
1195, the mobile device requests the settings for the applications,
which are retrieved in the step 1195 and installed on the device in
the step 1199.
Querying Third-Party Content Providers
[0102] As discussed above, third-party content providers support a
queryable interface, which allows the synchronization platform to
retrieve, for a given user, a list of previously purchased content,
metadata about items in the content catalog, equivalency data about
previously purchased content, and a mechanism for retrieving
equivalent content on a new handset.
[0103] The list of previously purchased content can include a
unique identifier that the synchronization platform presents to the
content provider on subsequent calls to these interfaces, which
provides an instance of content (e.g., "Who Let The Dogs Out
Ringtone in MP3 @ 128 kbps). Metadata can include information such
as the name, description size, and format of a particular content
item in the catalog. Equivalency data can include, given a
previously purchased content ID, new content ID appropriate for a
given BREW platform ID. A preferred mechanism for retrieving
equivalent content includes an interface that returns an HTTP
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) via which binary data can be
retrieved. When this interface is accessed, a third-party content
provider can apply any digital rights management (DRM) desired,
such as the remaining number of downloads allowed. It will be
appreciated that mechanisms other than HTTP are able to be used in
accordance with the present invention.
[0104] Third-content providers are able to be queried in many ways.
As one example, a third-party content provider is queried by
accessing it using a URL that contains the query command. In this
example, the URL contains a base URL path (here, "/la/fl cpi") and
a string that includes an operation code, an operation version
number, and a user telephone number. The URL has the general
form:
https://address/base URL
path/cpi?op=operationcode&v=versionnumber&u=telephonenumber
where the address is the domain of the third-party content
provider.
[0105] Thus, for example, if the address of the third-party content
provider is "contentprovider.com," the query is to retrieve a list
of user content purchased by the user (operationcode=1), the
operation version is 1, and the user is identified by the telephone
number 15555551212, then the querying URL is
https://contentprovider.com/al/fl cpi?op=1 &v=1
&u=115555551212
[0106] Accessing the third-party content provider using the URL
will return results such as a list of persistent, unique content
instance identifiers.
[0107] In another example, the query is to retrieve content details
such as metadata about a particular instance on content owned by a
third-party content provider. In this example, the querying URL is
given as:
https://contentprovider.com/al/fl cpi?op=2&v=1
&cid=A1123897ADFAD where the operation code is 1 and the
operation version number is 1. The string A123897ADFAD is the
content instance ID in question. Accessing the third-party content
provider using this URL will display the returned results such as
delimiter separated fields containing metadata about content
instances such as content file name, content description, content
size, content format description, content encoding description, and
content author.
[0108] In a similar manner, using an appropriate operation code and
associated parameters, a content portability interface can be
queried to return a list of correct equivalent content and to
return content URLs usable by the synchronization platform to
download the appropriate version of a particular premium content
item.
Content Migration
[0109] Embodiments of the present invention provide an interface
for configuring or updating mobile devices to access content
available to other mobile devices. FIG. 19A, for example, shows a
system 1200 that displays icons 1210, 1220, and 1230, corresponding
to Tetris, a Chess game, and a Train schedule application,
respectively, and icons 1215, 1225, and 1235, corresponding to a
first mobile phone (Mobile phone 1), a second mobile phone (Mobile
phone 2), and a third mobile phone (Mobile phone 3). As shown on
FIG. 19A, by the dotted lines, the icon 1210 is dragged and dropped
to the icon 1215, the icon 1220 is dragged and dropped to the icon
1225, and the icon 1230 is dragged and dropped to the icon 1235.
The result of this is that a link to the game Tetris on a content
provider (e.g., a URL), such as described above, is stored on the
mobile phone 1. As shown in FIG. 19B, the icon to the Tetris 401
and the corresponding link 401A are stored on the Mobile phone 1
and the Mobile phone 2, such as shown in FIG. 9. Similarly, an icon
to the Chess game 402 and its associated link are also stored on
the Mobile phone 2, and an icon to the Train schedule application
403 and its associated link 403A are stored on the Mobile phone 3.
Preferably, the icons 401-403 and the associated links 401A-403A
are transmitted to the Mobile phones 1-3 wirelessly.
[0110] In one embodiment, the system 1200 is programmed to receive
icons and associated links from any one of the Mobile phones 1-3.
As one example, the system 1200 receives an icon and related link
from the Mobile phone 1. The icon is then displayed on the system
1200, alone or in a list of other icons. The icon and associated
link are then selected and transferred to the Mobile phones 2 and
3, as discussed above.
[0111] It will also be appreciated that while the system 1200 is
programmed to transfer content to mobile phones, the system 1200
can also be used to offer new content for the Mobile phones 1-3.
These new offers can be based on previous acquisitions for any one
or more of the Mobile phones 1-3, such as found in purchase history
databases discussed above. The system 1200 can be programmed to
offer content, list prices for content, and transmit content to
mobile phones. In accordance with one embodiment, links to content
are automatically and periodically transferred from one mobile
device to another so that the two are synchronized.
[0112] In operation, links to content are stored on a platform
remote to a mobile phone. When content is to be restored on the
mobile, the mobile phone communicates with a platform that
associates the content with one or more content providers. The
platform contacts the one or more contact providers, which directly
transmit the content to the mobile phone. Replacement content, such
as upgrades, equivalent content, related content, and the like, can
be offered to the mobile phone user, who can then select the
replacement content, for a regular fee, a reduced fee, or even for
no fee. Replacement content can be determined from a history of the
user's past purchases, which is stored and used for this
purpose.
[0113] In the operation of other embodiments, a link to content is
stored on the mobile phone; when an icon on the mobile phone is
selected, the mobile phone communicates directly with the content
provider, which transmits the content to the mobile phone. In the
operation of still other embodiments, links to content are stored
on a central device and transmitted to selected mobile phones. In
this way, a mobile phone can be configured so that it can access
content previously accessible to another mobile phone.
[0114] It will be appreciated that while many of the examples
included in this application refer to mobile phones, other
electronic devices are able to use embodiments of the present
invention including, but not limited to, personal digital
assistants and personal computers.
[0115] It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that
various modifications may be made to the embodiments without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by
the appended claims.
* * * * *
References