METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING UNSOLICITED CONTENT
One embodiment is concerned with the receipt of unsolicited content, such as advertisement messages, but also including other data, such as network control data, warning messages, or the like, at an apparatus, and also how such unsolicited content is displayed to the user of the apparatus. For example, the unsolicited content may be combined with or replace an image being displayed. Here, a dedicated logical channel is provided for the communication of unsolicited content, and which terminates within the apparatus at a module provided for the task in the apparatus operating system. The channel links into the operating system of the apparatus, rather than a receiving application, as the OS is trusted, and can control other applications miming on the apparatus to accommodate the received advert. For example, the operating system can change the display of other applications that are running on the apparatus, to provide display space for a received advert. Another embodiment relates to how received unsolicited content is combined and displayed on the display of the apparatus. In particular, the existing display is adapted by shrinking the display in one or both of the horizontal and/or vertical directions, so as to make room for the received content. In this way, both the received content and the existing display can be combined and shown simultaneously, without one obscuring the other.
1 - 19 . (canceled)
20 . A method, comprising:
processing at an apparatus data packets containing unsolicited content;
causing at least in part processing of the data packets to retrieve the unsolicited content there from; and
determining to combine or replace or modify, a content that is presently being reproduced by the apparatus with the unsolicited content.
21 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein the unsolicited content is audio content and/or visual content.
22 . A method according to claim 21 , wherein in the case of visual content, presently reproduced visual content is adapted to accommodate the unsolicited visual content such that the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content are combined to be displayable simultaneously.
23 . A method according to claim 22 , wherein the adaptation comprises reducing the size of the presently reproduced visual content so as to make room for the unsolicited visual content when combined therewith.
24 . A method according to claim 23 , wherein the presently reproduced content is reduced in size in one dimension, whilst retaining its original size in an orthogonal dimension.
25 . A method according to claim 22 , wherein combining the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content such that they overlay.
26 . A method according to claim 22 , wherein combining the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content such they do not substantially overlap.
27 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein the unsolicited content is accompanied by meta-data relating to the intended rendering properties of the unsolicited content.
28 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein receiving the data packets containing unsolicited content over a logical data channel dedicated to the provision of unsolicited content.
29 . An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
process at the apparatus data packets containing unsolicited content;
cause at least in part process of the data packets to retrieve the unsolicited content there from; and
determine to combine or replace or modify a content that is presently being reproduced by the apparatus with the unsolicited content.
30 . An apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein the unsolicited content is audio content and/or visual content.
31 . An apparatus according to claim 30 , wherein in the case of visual content, presently reproduced visual content is adapted to accommodate the unsolicited visual content such that the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content are combined to be displayable simultaneously.
32 . An apparatus according to claim 31 , wherein the adaptation comprises reducing the size of the presently reproduced visual content so as to make room for the unsolicited visual content when combined therewith.
33 . An apparatus according to claim 32 , wherein the presently reproduced content is reduced in size in one dimension, whilst retaining its original size in an orthogonal dimension.
34 . An apparatus according to claim 31 , wherein combining the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content such that they overlay.
35 . An apparatus according to claim 31 , wherein combining the present visual content and the unsolicited visual content such they do not substantially overlap.
36 . An apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein the unsolicited content is accompanied by meta-data relating to the intended rendering properties of the unsolicited content.
37 . An apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein receiving the data packets containing unsolicited content over a logical data channel dedicated to the provision of unsolicited content.
38 . An apparatus according to claims 29 , wherein the present content is adapted in dependence on the intended position of the received unsolicited graphical content.
39 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following:
processing at the apparatus data packets containing unsolicited;
causing at least in part processing of the data packets to retrieve the unsolicited content there from; and
determining to combine or replace or modify a content that is presently being reproduced by the apparatus with the unsolicited content.