Configurable and pushable carrier communications with rich content
View Patent ↗Apparatus, methods, data structures, and computer programming for the display on mobile wireless communications devices of information without the authorization or control of administrative servers. Displayed information can include, for example, carrier logos, news, and advertisements presented at the initiative of local service providers or other third-party systems. The local service providers or other parties are enabled to control the location and manner of the displays, as well as the content of data displayed. Providing control over the display to the local service provider enables, among other advantages, the transmission and display of much richer content, in more flexible manner than has heretofore been possible, including static and dynamic graphic images. The Application can be particularly useful in GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS systems.
1. Apparatus for displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, wireless communication with which is administered by an administrative server, the apparatus comprising a local service provider system, the local service provider system communicatively linked to the administrative server and to at least the mobile wireless device, the local service provider system adapted to:
receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;
provide to an administrative server a signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;
conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;
conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation; the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation is designated by the provider system.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the provider system and the administrative server share at least one processor.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein communications between the provider system and the wireless device are provided on at least two communications channels, at least one of the channels used for control signals sent from the provider system to the wireless device, and the data transmitted by the provider system to the wireless device for display are transmitted on the channel used for control signals sent from the provider system to the wireless device.
5. Apparatus for displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, wireless communication with which is administered by an administrative server, the apparatus comprising a local service provider system, the local service provider system communicatively linked to the administrative server and to at least one mobile wireless device, the local service provider system adapted to:
receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;
provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;
conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;
conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising text content designated without authorization by the administrative server.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the content is designated by the provider system.
7. Computer usable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to:
receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;
provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;
conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;
conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation; the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.
8. Computer usable media having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to:
receive from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;
provide to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;
conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classify the device as a member of a group;
conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, access memory associated with the provider system and transmit to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising text content designated without authorization by the server.
9. A method of displaying data on a mobile wireless communications device, communicative access to which is administered by a server, the method performed by a local service provider apparatus communicatively linked to the server and to the at least one mobile wireless device, the method comprising:
at local service provider apparatus, receiving from a mobile wireless communications device a signal identifying the device;
at local service provider apparatus, providing to an administrative server the same or another signal identifying the device and requesting authentication of the device;
at local service provider apparatus, conditioned upon receipt from the administrative server of a signal authenticating the device, classifying the device as a member of a group;
at local service provider apparatus, conditioned upon classification of the device as a member of a group, accessing memory associated with the provider system and transmitting to the device for display data stored in the memory and addressed to the group, the data comprising at least one of a size designation, a font designation, a color designation, and a display position designation; the at least one size designation, font designation, color designation, or display position designation designated without authorization by the administrative server.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data transmitted to the display device for display is formatted according to a data structure comprising fields of predetermined order and format for communicating data identifying:
at least one wireless device to which the data is addressed;
a class of type to which the data structure belongs;
a font to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying text content communicated by the data structure;
at least one position in an at least two-dimensional space, the position to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure;
a size to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure;
at least one color to be used by the at least one wireless device in displaying data associated with the data structure.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data further comprises at least one field for data representing text content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with an identified font, position size and at least one color.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data further comprises at least one field for data representing graphic content to be displayed by the at least one display device in accordance with an identified font, position size and at least one color.