U.S. patent application number 13/654395 was filed with the patent office on 2013-12-26 for method and system for presenting and accessing content.
This patent application is currently assigned to DIGITAL TURBINE, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is DIGITAL TURBINE, INC.. Invention is credited to Peter Adderton.
Application Number | 20130346840 13/654395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49775214 |
Filed Date | 2013-12-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130346840 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Adderton; Peter |
December 26, 2013 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING AND ACCESSING CONTENT
Abstract
A system and method for providing a tool to access relevant data
from a content management system. A set of words from a web page
are identified, for example by crawling the web page. A set of
keywords are maintained, for example, promotional or sponsored
keywords. A word match is determined between the keywords and the
set of words from the web page. An interface overlay is caused to
be displayed, with hyperlink anchors, such a thumbnail pictures and
text. The hyperlinks lead to brand pages, which include
aggregations of content relating to the brand. A search toolbar may
be used to access the brand pages.
Inventors: |
Adderton; Peter; (Newport
Beach, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DIGITAL TURBINE, INC. |
LOS ANGELES |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
DIGITAL TURBINE, INC.
LOS ANGELES
CA
|
Family ID: |
49775214 |
Appl. No.: |
13/654395 |
Filed: |
October 17, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61664723 |
Jun 26, 2012 |
|
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61693768 |
Aug 27, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/205 ;
715/234 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/335 20190101;
G06F 16/9535 20190101; G06F 40/134 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/205 ;
715/234 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/22 20060101
G06F017/22 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for providing a tool on a smart
phone or smart-phone-like device to access relevant data from a
content management system, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a set of words used on a web page, wherein the web page
is identified as having been loaded onto a user's device;
maintaining a set of keywords; determining one or more matched
keywords, which comprises the step of determining a match between
at least a word in a set of keywords and at least a word in the set
of words used on a web page; determining one or more hyperlinks
based on the one or more matched keywords; and causing one or more
anchor objects for the one or more hyperlinks to be displayed in an
interface, wherein the one or more hyperlinks point to at least a
brand page interface associated with the one or more matched
keywords.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the brand page interface includes
any one of: a web page comprising content relating to the one or
more matched keywords; a web application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords; a local device application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content relating to the one
or more matched keywords includes any one or more of content
sourced from: a content management system; contact data maintained
by the user; social media feeds; user's communication history;
hyperlinks to sources for retrieving data relating to the one or
more matched keywords, including any one or more of text, audio,
visual, images, media, publicity, or sold content.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the brand page interface includes
a command user interface element, which when selected, causes an
icon for the brand page to be placed onto a categorical row for
brand pages.
5. A computer-implemented method for providing a tool on a smart
phone or smart-phone-like device to access relevant data from a
content management system, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving one or more search words; maintaining a set of keywords;
determining one or more matched keywords, which comprises the step
of determining a match between at least a word in the set of
keywords and at least a word in the one or more search words;
causing to be loaded onto an interface on the device a brand page
interface associated with the one or more matched keywords, wherein
the brand page interface includes any one of: a web page comprising
content relating to the one or more matched keywords; a web
application having an interface adapted to be populated by content
relating to the one or more matched keywords; a local device
application having an interface adapted to be populated by content
relating to the one or more matched keywords,
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the brand page interface is
further configured to be accessible by the steps of: identifying a
set of words used on a web page, wherein the web page is identified
as having been loaded onto a user's device; determining one or more
matched keywords, which comprises the step of determining a match
between at least a word in a set of keywords and at least a word in
the set of words used on a web page; determining one or more
hyperlinks based on the one or more matched keywords; and causing
one or more anchor objects for the one or more hyperlinks to be
displayed in an interface, wherein the one or more hyperlinks point
to at least the brand page interface associated with the one or
more matched keywords.
7. A system for providing a tool on a smart phone or
smart-phone-like device to access relevant data from a content
management system, said system comprising: one or more processors;
and a computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of
instructions, which when executed by said one or more processors,
implement a method for automatically organizing a user interface,
the method comprising the steps of: identifying a set of words used
on a web page, wherein the web page is identified as having been
loaded onto a user's device; maintaining a set of keywords;
determining one or more matched keywords, which comprises the step
of determining a match between at least a word in a set of keywords
and at least a word in the set of words used on a web page;
determining one or more hyperlinks based on the one or more matched
keywords; and causing one or more anchor objects for the one or
more hyperlinks to be displayed in an interface, wherein the one or
more hyperlinks point to at least a brand page interface associated
with the one or more matched keywords.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the brand page interface includes
any one of: a web page comprising content relating to the one or
more matched keywords; a web application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords; a local device application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the content relating to the one
or more matched keywords includes any one or more of content
sourced from: a content management system; contact data maintained
by the user; social media feeds; user's communication history;
hyperlinks to sources for retrieving data relating to the one or
more matched keywords, including any one or more of text, audio,
visual, images, media, publicity, or sold content.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the brand page interface
includes a command user interface element, which when selected,
causes an icon for the brand page to be placed onto a categorical
row for brand pages.
11. A system for providing a tool on a smart phone or
smart-phone-like device to access relevant data from a content
management system, said system comprising: one or more processors;
and a computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of
instructions, which when executed by said one or more processors,
implement a method for automatically organizing a user interface,
the method comprising the steps of: receiving one or more search
words; maintaining a set of keywords; determining one or more
matched keywords, which comprises the step of determining a match
between at least a word in the set of keywords and at least a word
in the one or more search words; causing to be loaded onto an
interface on the device a brand page interface associated with the
one or more matched keywords, wherein the brand page interface
includes any one of: a web page comprising content relating to the
one or more matched keywords; a web application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords; a local device application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the one or more
matched keywords,
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the brand page interface is
further configured to be accessible by the steps of: identifying a
set of words used on a web page, wherein the web page is identified
as having been loaded onto a user's device; determining one or more
matched keywords, which comprises the step of determining a match
between at least a word in a set of keywords and at least a word in
the set of words used on a web page; determining one or more
hyperlinks based on the one or more matched keywords; and causing
one or more anchor objects for the one or more hyperlinks to be
displayed in an interface, wherein the one or more hyperlinks point
to at least the brand page interface associated with the one or
more matched keywords.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority of
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/664,723, filed on
Jun. 26, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/693,768, filed on Aug. 27, 2012, the contents of both of which
are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
[0002] The present application is related to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 40059-034-001),
filed on even date herewith, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.
______ (Attorney Docket No. 40059-034-002), filed on even date
herewith, the contents of both of which are incorporated by
reference as if fully set forth herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present field of invention relates generally to a user
interface for presenting and accessing content, and more
particularly but not exclusively for presenting and accessing
application and media content.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In a graphical user interface computing environment, files
and other data content are represented as touchable or clickable
user interface elements, or icons. The icons may be automatically
arranged in an interface by Name, Size, Type, or Date, or arranged
by the user manually. In certain computing environments, for
example, a mobile device environment such as a smart phone, tablet
computer, or a personal digital assistant, icons for launching
software applications, or "apps," may be arranged in an interface
by Name, Installation Date, or manually arranged by the user.
However, these arrangements may not provide a user with the best
way to organize the presentation of icons in an interface. It is
desirable to have other ways to automatically arrange application
icons for a better user experience.
[0005] In a computing environment, users may add apps by visiting
an electronic vendor, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play,
Amazon Appstore, or other vendor interfaces. Such vendors may
provide a web-based interface or provide an app interface for
selling and providing other apps. Vendor interfaces may provide
recommendations to users for apps, for example, a Recommended For
You section in the vendor interface. It is desirable to have other
ways to recommend apps for a better user experience.
[0006] Content providers may provide aggregations of content for a
particular subject matter. In one approach, the content
aggregations may be provided to a user in response to a user's
submission of search terms. It is desirable to have other ways to
provide content aggregations for a better user experience.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,
a user interface is provided for automatically recommending content
for downloading or communicating to the user's device, including
applications, media, and other content, by displaying a modified
icon, such as an application icon with some degree of transparency,
for example, a ghost icon on a grid layout. The ghost icon, when
touched or clicked, directly initiates the process for
communicating the recommended content directly from the grid
layout.
[0008] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,
a user interface is provided for automatically organizing
applications into categorical groups in the interface. In one
example, a grid interface is divided into rows, where each row
represents a category. All apps from a common category are
automatically associated with the row. On a home page, a limited
group of applications are visible at a time. The row can be touched
or clicked to expand the interface to show more applications from
the category.
[0009] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, a
user interface is provided for automatically presenting a set of
one or more keywords. The set of keywords are presented in response
to determining that several of the keywords appear on a webpage
that was loaded in response to a user's request into a browser
interface. The set of presented keywords are from among a set of
promotional keywords, for example, keywords that are sponsored to
be promoted, keywords that correspond to a user's personal data,
such as key contacts. The keywords that are chosen to be presented
are selected by performing the method of extracting words from a
webpage, comparing the extracted words against the set of
promotional keywords, finding matching keywords, and presenting the
matched keywords in a user interface. The keywords may be presented
with a thumbnail image in the interface. The thumbnail image or
keywords may be touched or clicked through on the interface to open
additional content. For example, touching a presented keyword may
open a brand page relating to the keyword.
[0010] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention,
brand pages are content aggregations for a particular keyword,
which may correspond to an entity, brand, product, or individual
person. Brand pages may include content for the entity, brand,
product, or individual from a content management server, from local
storage, or from social networking sources associated with the
entity, brand, product, or individual, including images, contact
information, location data, social media feeds. Brand pages may
also include user interface controls for launching communication
with the entity, and may presented a view of the entity's or
individual's last communications with the user.
[0011] This brief summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the
detailed description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to
limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are
illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the
figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference
numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a view of a user interface for presenting
automatic recommendations for content, according aspects of some
embodiments of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for
automatically recommending content, according aspects of some
embodiments of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
presenting automatic recommendations for content, according aspects
of some embodiments of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a view of a user interface for automatically
organizing applications into categorical groups, and user interface
gestures for rearranging the categorical groups in a user
interface, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a view of a user interface for automatically
organizing applications into categorical groups, and user interface
gestures for showing category headers for the categorical groups in
a user interface, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a view of a user interface for automatically
organizing applications into categorical groups, and user interface
gestures for showing category headers for the categorical groups in
a user interface, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
manipulating categorical rows in a user interface, according to
aspects of some embodiments of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a view of a user interface control for selecting a
search tool, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a view of a user interface toolbar for presenting
automatically presenting related and sponsored keywords based on a
loaded browser web page, according to aspects of some embodiments
of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
presenting automatically presenting related and sponsored keywords
in a user interface toolbar based on a loaded browser web page,
according to aspects of some embodiments of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a view of a brand page layout, according to
aspects of some embodiments of the invention.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a view of an example of a brand page for a
personal contact, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a view of an example of a brand page for artist
Nicki Minaj, according to aspects of some embodiments of the
invention.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a view of an example of a brand page for film
producer and author Peter Guber, according to aspects of some
embodiments of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 15 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer
system upon which some embodiments of the invention may be
implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Other and further features and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from the following descriptions of the
various embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art
that the following embodiments are provided for illustrative and
exemplary purposes only, and that numerous combinations of the
elements of the various embodiments of the present invention are
possible. Exemplary methods, apparatus, and systems for providing a
user interface for presenting and accessing content according to
preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with
reference to the accompanying figures, beginning with FIG. 1.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a view 100 of a user interface for presenting
automatic recommendations for content, according to aspects of the
invention. Ghost icons 101 are presented to a user among a grid of
icons of installed applications or shortcuts to recommend
applications to a user. In some embodiments, ghost icons 101 are
partially transparent versions of the content's standard icon,
although ghost icons may comprise other variations of the standard
icon without departing from the spirit of the invention. In some
embodiments, the recommendations are based on a user's transaction
and/or content purchase history, including previous content
selection. In one example, the user's transaction and/or content
purchase history are used to determine applications that are
positively correlated with the type of user with such transaction
and/or content purchase history. For example, applications that are
positively correlated with the type of user include those that the
type of user is likely to buy, to appeal to the user, to download,
or to request more information about. In another example,
applications similar to those of the user's transaction and/or
content purchase history are used to determine recommendations. In
another example, applications also purchased or selected by another
user of the user's type are used to determine recommendations.
[0030] With further reference to FIG. 1, a grid layout for user
interface 100, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, is automatically
organized into categories in the interface. A user interface for a
device has one or more user interface elements, such as touchscreen
buttons or icons, for accessing applications, hyperlinks, or other
assets. The user interface elements are organized by rows, with
each row corresponding to a category or "channel." In one example,
a view of grid interface 100 is divided into rows, where each row
represents a category. For example, row 103 relates to the category
of brand pages for people, row 105 relates to the category of
games, row 107 relates to the category of sports, row 109 relates
to the category of social media. As such, all apps from a common
category are automatically associated with a row. While the above
examples are of particular categories, it is understood that other
categories may be defined and used in accordance with principles of
embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a portions of a
system for automatically recommending content, such as
applications, according to embodiments of the invention. A
recommendations module 201 on a provider's computer server
considers a user's transaction and/or content purchase history from
a user profile stored on a user profile database. A recommendations
module 201 reviews and considers content information from content
database 205 to determine recommendations. In one example,
recommendations module 201 reviews content database 205 for
applications known to be likely to appeal to or positively
correlate with the user's type for recommending to the user. For
example, applications that are positively correlated with the type
of user include those that the type of user is likely to buy. A
user's type includes the group of people sharing the user's
characteristics. A user's demographic can be an example of user's
type. The user's type are determined based on a review of at least
the user's transaction and/or content purchase history from a
user's profile stored in user profile database 203. In another
example, popular applications related to the user's transaction
and/or content purchase history are determined for recommending to
the user. In some embodiments of the invention, after determining
the applications to recommend, the provider's computer server
initiates a series of communications and actions resulting in ghost
icons 101 being presented in the user's applications and shortcut
grid layout. For example, the provider's computer server sends
instructions and an icon image for a recommended content to the
device, which implements the instructions to present a ghost icon
having the icon image in the layout. As such, the provider's
computer server causes ghost icons 101 representing the recommended
content to be shown. In some embodiments, ghost icons 101 are
displayed in their categorical row with other standard icons in the
interface.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
presenting automatic recommendations for content, according to
aspects of the invention. In some embodiments, the user interface
as shown in FIG. 1 is used the method. The method is useful for
marketing applications to a user in accordance with principles of
preferred embodiments of the invention. At step 301, a user's
transaction and/or content purchase history is first considered and
reviewed. At step 303, the user's transaction and/or content
purchase history analyzed to select one or more applications for
recommendation for the user. For example, user's transaction and/or
content purchase history is analyzed to determine user's type, and
applications known to be likely to appeal to the user's type are
chosen. In another example, popular applications classified as
similar to user's transaction and/or content purchase history are
selected. At step 305, ghost icons are sent to and appear in the
user interface of the device to recommend apps based upon users
selected and/or content purchase history. At step 307, performing
an action relating to the content represented by the ghost icon
based on detecting a touch on the ghost icon, including any one or
more of launching installer for the recommended application;
beginning and completing a purchase transaction or other necessary
transaction; and communicating content to the user's device. In
some embodiments, the purchase transaction is verified as having
been completed before the content is communicated to the user's
device.
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates a manipulating gesture for a user
interface for automatically organizing and arranging applications
or icons into categorical rows as described above with reference to
FIG. 1 in accordance with principles of preferred embodiments of
the invention. As shown, tapping and holding row 402 with two
fingers will allow row 402 to be selected from interface 400 and
moved a different location by displacing other rows, or moved to a
different page. As each row's applications correspond to a
category, and this feature allows for a category of user interface
elements to be moved at once to another location in interface 400.
While the example shows the two-finger gesture as used for moving
rows, other gestures may be used for selecting the moving action
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0034] According to embodiments of the invention, each grid icon is
correlated with a a category, also referred to as a channel. As the
icon is installed in the grid information, for example, such as by
installing an app or creating a shortcut, the UI on the phone will
automatically categorize the icon into a channel.
[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates a manipulating gesture for indicating
channels/categories names with a one-finger click gesture in
accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention. A
touchscreen gesture, such as a single-finger tap-hold-move gesture,
as shown by the trail of dots 501, is interpreted by the interface
as a command to reveal labels 503 at the head of each row
corresponding to a channel/category for the row.
[0036] FIG. 6. illustrates a manipulating gesture for expanding a
channel/category of applications on a device in accordance with
principles of preferred embodiments of the invention. As shown,
with one gesture detected on a row in the user interface, a user
can expand the channel or category to view all items within that
channel. In this example, as shown by dot 601, a user taps and
holds row 603, which is detected by the system. Row 603 is
correlated with a category of items, including items not presented
in the home interface 600. Upon detecting the tap-and-hold, all the
items belonging in the category or channel is displayed in
refreshed page 605. The page may be scrolled to show additional
items in the category, as shown the inputted gesture represented by
dot 607.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
manipulating categorical rows in a user interface, according to
aspects of some embodiments of the invention. At step 701, the
category for content that is installed on a device is determined.
In some embodiments, the content is associated with keywords or
identification code for identifying its category. At step 703, an
icon for the content is caused to be displayed in the categorical
row of a grid layout for the content's category. At step 705, a
gesture on a row is detected in the interface. At step 707, the
command associated with the touchscreen gesture is determined, for
example, a two-finger hold and slide, a single-finger hold and
slide, or single-finger slide. At step 709, the row interface is
moved, rearranged, or otherwise changed depending on the gesture
command. For example, according to one preferred embodiment, a
two-finger gesture on a row indicates a row is to be moved. The
user manipulates the location of the move with the two-finger hold
gesture. In another example, according to one preferred embodiment,
a single-finger hold on row indicates an expansion of the row to
refresh into a new page showing all the items belonging with the
category associated with the row. In another example, according to
one preferred embodiment, a single-finger slide cause a movement of
the icons in the rows toward the direction of the sliding, and
reveals categorical labels for the rows in the interface at the
head of each row.
[0038] FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface control 801 for
selecting a search tool for launching a search. In some
embodiments, the interface receives a tap on search button 803, or
receives a tap on a default view of a Spinner object in an
Android.TM. interface, which reveals a menu of transactions for
alternative search tools. Examples of alternative search tools, as
shown in FIG. 8, includes Google, Bing, Yahoo!, YouTube, IQ,
Facebook, Twitter. In some embodiments, the user interface control
701 is an overlay that appears when the IQ button 805 is tapped or
touched.
[0039] In some embodiments, user interface control 801 is a 3-D
search bar appears as an overlay over the existing state of the
user interface. The 3-D search bar is a user interface element
appears that simulates a three-dimensional elongated prism having
multiple rectangular faces. Each face features a text box for
inputting search words, and an indication 703 of the search engine
being used (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo!, YouTube, IQ, Facebook,
Twitter). The three-dimensional prism can be spun on its central
axis by a flicking motion gesture to turn the prism to another face
to access other search engines. The number of different search
engines accessible is not limited by the number of faces on the
prism as shown. For example, if the prism appears as a triangular
prism as it is spun, the faces will cycle through all available
search engine options sequentially as each of the three faces is
changed by a motion gesture on the interface. In other words, the
three faces are dynamic and not statically corresponding to any one
search engine.
[0040] FIG. 9 illustrates a keyword and hyperlink presentation tool
that provides a tool for accessing a brand page associated with the
keyword. Web page 901 is loaded on a device. The system crawls the
site and gathers words used on the site. The system matches the
words on the site to the set of keywords maintained by the system.
In some embodiments, the keywords are promotional and sponsored.
The matches are used to determine a set of hyperlinks for the
matches. In some embodiments, hyperlink anchor objects for the
hyperlinks include graphical thumbnails 903 with a text label
comprising one or more of the matched keywords, or other anchor
that may be used for the hyperlink. Hyperlink anchors are caused to
be displayed and anchored in user interface overlay 905. In other
embodiments, anchor text with a hyperlink is used instead of a
graphical thumbnail. In some embodiments, the hyperlink points to a
brand page associated with the keyword, which are further described
below.
[0041] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
presenting automatically presenting related and sponsored keywords
in a user interface toolbar based on a loaded browser web page,
according to aspects of some embodiments of the invention. At step
1001, the system maintains a set of keywords for matching against
words found on a web page. In some embodiments, the keywords are
promotional and sponsored. At step 1003, for a web page identified
as having been loaded by a device, such as ultimatechart.com, the
system crawls the site and determines words from the page. At step
1005, matches between the keywords and the words from the webpage
are determined. At step 1007, the matches determined at step 1005
are used to determine a set of hyperlinks corresponding to the
matches. At step 1009, in some embodiments, the hyperlinks are
provided in the user interface as a graphical thumbnail with
descriptive text in an interface overlay. In other embodiments,
anchor text is used for the hyperlink. The hyperlinks with
thumbnails or anchor text or both are presented in an interface
overlay that is presented over the web page, as shown at the gray
area at the bottom of the screen in FIG. 9. The presentation tool
includes a UI element for hiding the tool into a minimized state,
and the minimized state is capable of being restored.
[0042] In some embodiments, the hyperlinks include hyperlinks
originally existing on the web page. In some embodiments, the
hyperlinks include hyperlinks or commands to open to brand pages
selected by the system based on words or phrases detected on the
text of the website. For example, if words from the web page
matches the keywords "Britney Spears," the hyperlink provided by
the system links to a brand page for the singer Britney Spears. As
is described further below, brand pages can be maintained by a
content provider or marketing affiliate for promoting the person or
entity featured on the page. In other embodiments, the brand pages
are content aggregations of an entity, brand, product, or
individual person.
[0043] FIG. 11 illustrates a example of a layout of a brand page
according to some embodiments. Brand pages may be web pages
accessed by a web browser in some embodiments. In other
embodiments, a brand page is a template for displaying content
accessed on a network, including the internet. In still other
embodiments, a brand page is a page of static content. The brand
page can pop up as an overlay on the user interface of the device.
A brand page is one method for displaying the search results from a
search using a search tool, such as search bar shown in FIG. 8. A
brand page interface includes any one of web page comprising
content relating to the matched keyword; a web application having
an interface adapted to be populated by content relating to the
matched keyword; or a local device application having an interface
adapted to be populated by content relating to the matched keyword.
Content may include content sourced from a content management
system.
[0044] In further reference to FIG. 11, search tool 801 can be used
to bring up a brand page, or in other embodiments, it could be
brought up from interface overlay 905. Brand page includes page
control elements, such as a close element 1101 to close the brand
page. An add icon element 1103 is provided to add the brand page
icon to a home page. In some embodiments, a brand page category is
provided to group the brand pages into a categorical row on a web
page, as previously described above. Buttons 1105 are provided for
launching a related application, such as a Facebook application,
for the device, upon receiving a touch or selection of a button.
Alternatively, in some embodiments, if Facebook is not installed,
the button selection causes the Facebook application to be founded.
Buttons 1107 are similarly provided for a different content feed
from a different content source, such as a social media feed. Image
1109 includes a brand image representing the subject of the brand
page. Buttons 1111 are provided to allow a user to access resources
and content linked from the brand page, such as songs, videos, ring
tones, and wall papers.
[0045] A brand page could be for displaying content about an
artist, an athlete, product, brand, or other individuals or
entities, collectively referred to hereinafter as "brands." A brand
page is configured to aggregate into one page one or more of:
contact information of the brand; logs of e-mails and other
electronic communication with the brand; content, such as music,
videos, articles, product web pages, associated with the brand;
information from and links to social networking sites relating to
the brand, for example, from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube,
or other sites where a brand can establish a profile to link to;
items for sale from the brand, including tickets for concerts and
movies, music; website links to web pages relating to the brand,
including publicity; information about the brand, for example,
biographic information, from a brand's official home page or from
an encyclopedic source.
[0046] In some embodiments, a brand page is populated by content
received from a content management system (CMS) of the brand page's
provider. Information for the CMS may be gathered by ingesting data
retrieved from public sources, such as music publishers. Examples
of content retrieved from a music publisher includes album names,
name of songs, album covers, and other data relating to a published
album or other collection. Accessing brand pages by the system and
method described herein provides an effective way for presenting
information from a CMS.
[0047] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a brand page interface for
searching, aggregating, and displaying information about a personal
contact. FIG. 12 shows a brand pages including content stored at
and retrieved from a content management server, locally at the
user's device, or other content storage. In some embodiments, the
brand page presents content retrieved from a user's list of
contacts in response to finding a match for a search from the list
of contacts.
[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 12 search bar 801 is provided
for inputting search terms. Brand page 1200 presents the brand page
matching the search. Content for the entity or individual from a
content management server, from local storage, or from social
networking sources associated with the entity or individual, such
as brand image 1202, contact information 1204, including phone
number, street address, e-mail address, or other contact
information. Command button 1206 is provided for adding search
results to a Contacts List of a user.
[0049] Communication user interface elements are provided for
launching communication to the entity or individual by a
communications application, such as by telephone using call button
1208, by SMS or MMS using text button 1210, by e-mail using email
button 1214, or by communications applications not shown, such as
instant messaging, or video conferencing, using contact information
retrieved for the entity or individual in response to a search or
other retrieval mechanism for the individual or entity, such as by
browsing a list.
[0050] Brand page 1200 includes user interface elements for
accessing the entity's or individual's location as published to a
location-based service, such as Google Maps, Google Latitude or
other mapping and location application, such as map and location
button 1212.
[0051] FIG. 12 further includes one or more feeds 1214 for social
media updates from the entity or individual, such as from Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Linked-In, Pinterest. In some
embodiments, a user can customize a brand page to include certain
sources. In some embodiments, a different set of social media
updates are selected for different individuals or entities
depending on certain criteria, for example, recency of updates.
[0052] FIG. 12 further includes a presentation of the entity's or
individual's interactions with the user, including content such as
the entity's or individual's last e-mails 1216, last SMS or MMS
messages 1218, and top calendar or event entries.
[0053] FIG. 13 shows an example of a brand page 1300 for artist
Nicki Minaj according to the principles of embodiments of the
invention shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The brand page for Nicki Minaj
includes an image of Nicki Minaj as the brand image at the top of
the page. It includes buttons for accessing categories of content
relating to Nicki Minaj, for example songs, videos, ring tones, and
wall papers. The brand page for Nicki Minaj includes text providing
information about the artist. The brand page includes an area
showing content from Facebook, as well as command buttons for
accessing the source Facebook content from a browser of by
launching the Facebook app. The brand page includes an area showing
content from Twitter, as well as command buttons for accessing the
source Twitter content from a browser of by launching the Twitter
app.
[0054] FIG. 14 shows an example of a brand page 1400 for entity
Peter Guber according to the principles of embodiments of the
invention shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The brand page further includes
areas providing thumbnail images for directly accessing methods for
purchasing content, including books and movies relating to the
artist.
[0055] According to some embodiments of the invention, the user
interface is implemented on smart phones or smart-phone-like
devices. In some embodiments, smart phones or smart-phone-like
devices include devices running smartphone operating systems such
as Apple's iOS, Google's Android, or Microsoft's Windows Phone. In
some embodiments, smart-phone-like devices include larger devices,
such as an Android tablet or iPad. In some embodiments,
smart-phone-like devices include devices without wireless wide area
network (WWAN) communications components, such as iPod Touch or
iPad with only wireless local area network (WLAN) access.
[0056] FIG. 15 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer
system 1500 upon which some embodiments of the invention may be
implemented. Computer system 1500 includes a bus 1502 or other
communication mechanism for communicating information, and a
processor 1504 coupled with bus 1502 for processing information.
Computer system 1500 also includes a main memory 1506, such as a
random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled
to bus 1502 for storing information and instructions to be executed
by processor 1504. Main memory 1506 also may be used for storing
temporary variables or other intermediate information during
execution of instructions to be executed by processor 1504.
Computer system 1500 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 1508
or other static storage device coupled to bus 1502 for storing
static information and instructions for processor 1504. A storage
device 1510, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided
and coupled to bus 1502 for storing information and
instructions.
[0057] Computer system 1500 may be coupled via bus 1502 to a
display 1512, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal
display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. An
input device 1514, including alphanumeric and other keys, is
coupled to bus 1502 for communicating information and command
selections to processor 1504. Another type of user input device is
cursor control 1516, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor
direction keys for communicating direction information and command
selections to processor 1504 and for controlling cursor movement on
display 1512. This input device typically has two degrees of
freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis
(e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane.
In some embodiments, input device 1514 is integrated into display
1512, such as a touchscreen display for communicating command
selections and gestures to processor 1504. Another type of input
device includes a video camera, a depth camera, or a 3D camera.
Another type of input device includes a voice command input device,
such as a microphone operatively coupled to speech interpretation
module for communication command selection to processor 1504.
[0058] The invention is related to the use of computer system 1500
for implementing the techniques described herein. According to one
embodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by
computer system 1500 in response to processor 1504 executing one or
more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory
1506. Such instructions may be read into main memory 1506 from
another machine-readable medium, such as storage device 1510.
Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory
1506 causes processor 1504 to perform the process steps described
herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be
used in place of or in combination with software instructions to
implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not
limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and
software. In further embodiments, multiple computer systems 1500
are operatively coupled to implement the embodiments in a
distributed system.
[0059] The terms "machine-readable medium" as used herein refer to
any medium that participates in providing data that causes a
machine to operate in a specific fashion. In an embodiment
implemented using computer system 1500, various machine-readable
media are involved, for example, in providing instructions to
processor 1504 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms,
including but not limited to storage media and transmission media.
Storage media includes both non-volatile media and volatile media.
Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic
disks, such as storage device 1510. Volatile media includes dynamic
memory, such as main memory 1506. Transmission media includes
coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires
that comprise bus 1502. Transmission media can also take the form
of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during
radio-wave and infra-red data communications. All such media must
be tangible to enable the instructions carried by the media to be
detected by a physical mechanism that reads the instructions into a
machine.
[0060] Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example,
hard disk, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, magnetic tape, or any
other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium,
punchcards, papertape, any other physical medium with patterns of
holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory
chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any
other medium from which a computer can read.
[0061] Various forms of machine-readable media may be involved in
carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to
processor 1504 for execution. For example, the instructions may
initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The
remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory
and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A
modem local to computer system 1500 can receive the data on the
telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data
to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data
carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place
the data on bus 1502. Bus 1502 carries the data to main memory
1506, from which processor 1504 retrieves and executes the
instructions. The instructions received by main memory 1506 may
optionally be stored on storage device 1510 either before or after
execution by processor 1504.
[0062] Computer system 1500 also includes a communication interface
1518 coupled to bus 1502. Communication interface 1518 provides a
two-way data communication coupling to a network link 1520 that is
connected to a local network 1522. For example, communication
interface 1518 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN)
card or other internet connection device, or a modem to provide a
data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone
line. As another example, communication interface 1518 may be a
local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication
connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless network links may also be
implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface
1518 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical
signals that carry digital data streams representing various types
of information.
[0063] Network link 1520 typically provides data communication
through one or more networks to other data devices. For example,
network link 1520 may provide a connection through local network
1522 to a host computer 1524 or to data equipment operated by an
Internet Service Provider (ISP) 1526. ISP 1526 in turn provides
data communication services through the world wide packet data
communication network now commonly referred to as the Internet
1528. Local network 1522 and Internet 1528 both use electrical,
electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams.
The signals through the various networks and the signals on network
link 1520 and through communication interface 1518, which carry the
digital data to and from computer system 1500, are exemplary forms
of carrier waves transporting the information.
[0064] Computer system 1500 can send messages and receive data,
including program code, through the network(s), network link 1520
and communication interface 1518. In the Internet example, a server
1510 might transmit a requested code for an application program
through Internet 1528, ISP 1526, local network 1522 and
communication interface 1518.
[0065] The received code may be executed by processor 1504 as it is
received, and/or stored in storage device 1510, or other
non-volatile storage for later execution. In this manner, computer
system 1500 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier
wave.
[0066] Other features, aspects and objects of the invention can be
obtained from a review of the figures and the claims. It is to be
understood that other embodiments of the invention can be developed
and fall within the spirit and scope of the invention and
claims.
[0067] The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the
present invention has been provided for the purposes of
illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Various
additions, deletions and modifications are contemplated as being
within its scope. The scope of the invention is, therefore,
indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing
description. Further, all changes which may fall within the meaning
and range of equivalency of the claims and elements and features
thereof are to be embraced within their scope.
* * * * *