MEDIA CONTENT DELIVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD
One or more wireless networks operate to provide wireless connectivity to a network server that runs an application that operates to deliver content to a mobile communication device that is either moving around a building interior or moving around in the open air. The mobile communication device has functionality that determines is rate of motion and functionality that allows it to determine its geographic location. The rate of motion and the geographic location can be sent to the application running on the network server and used to determine what type of content is appropriate to deliver to the mobile communication device.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/136,757 entitled “Media Content Delivery System and Method”, filed Mar. 23, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates generally to the delivery of media content based upon a location and movement of a mobile communication device, and particularly to the delivery of content in a location that does not have wireless network connectivity.
BACKGROUNDThe nearly ubiquitous availability of wireless network connectivity has revolutionized the manner in which information is delivered to mobile communication devices. As a consequence, information of interest can now be delivered in real-time to users of mobile communication devices where and when it is most useful. The current generation of mobile computer applications can operate in conjunction with geographic positioning systems (GPS) to deliver information or media content that is relevant to the current location of a mobile communications device. Such mobile computer applications can continually monitor the geographic position of the mobile communication device on which it is running, send this position information over a wireless connection to a networked server which can then deliver information to the mobile communication device that is relevant to the current geographic position of the device and which may be of interest to the device user.
Generally with reference to
With the proliferation of wireless connectivity to networks that permits access to information stored in association with computational devices (i.e., servers) connected to these networks, a very large number of applications (mobile applications) are being developed that are compatible to run on mobile communication devices. During the time that a mobile device is connected to a wireless network, a user of the device is able to search for and down-load information that they are interested in and which is germane to their current geographic location. At some point, network developers and mobile communication developers realized that by implementing geographic positioning system (GPS) functionality in a mobile communication device, they could easily track the current location of a mobile device, and use this current location as the basis for identifying information to be delivered to the mobile device. Such location based information delivery applications can be configured to request or pull location dependent content from a network, or they can be configured to automatically accept certain type of information that is of interest to the device user. Regardless of the method, the delivery of information to a mobile device based upon the current location of that device was a step forward in the development of mobile applications.
In addition to adding location tracking functionality to mobile communication devices, wireless communication device developers found it beneficial to implement functionality in these devices that detects device motion and orientation. This functionality is typically implemented with an accelerometer, and the output of an accelerometer can be used to re-orient information that is displayed on a mobile device screen so that the user is not forced to re-orient the device in order to easily view the information.
While delivering information to a mobile computer application (mobile application) running on a mobile communication device (mobile device) based upon the current location of the device is a convenient means for the device user to receive and consume the information, delivering information in this manner does not make any allowance for the wireless network environment in which the mobile application is operating, and does not consider the current or recent history of mobile device movement prior to delivering the information. If a mobile device is currently located in an environment or a location in which it is not able to connect to a wireless network, this location is for all intents and purposes an dead spot with respect to the delivery of information of interest to the user, and as a consequence, the information is not able to be delivered to the user for display in a timely manner or at all. Further, current information delivery methods make no allowance for the speed with which a mobile communication device moves through its environment when delivering information. In the event that a mobile device is moving rapidly, such as in a vehicle, it is not convenient, or safe, for a user of the device to view certain types of information, such as textual, still image, or video type information. But under the same circumstances it may be convenient (and safer) for audio information to be delivered to the mobile application to be heard by the user. On the other hand, if a user of a mobile communication device is walking, then it may be convenient for them to receive information that is other than only audio, such as still pictures or video type content.
While access to a wireless network is nearly ubiquitous geographically, it is problematical to provide wireless connectivity in certain types of environments. As described earlier in the background section, this wireless coverage problem is largely the result of the environment in which a wireless network is operating.
In order to deliver information that both relates to a particular subject and is of an appropriate type, and in order to deliver this information to locations that do not have wireless connectivity, it was discovered that if the current position of a mobile communication device is known, or if a future geographic position can be predicted, it is possible to control the subject matter of the information that is delivered to a mobile application, and it is also possible to control the type of information that is delivered to the mobile application based upon the rate of movement of the mobile communication device. Further, in the event it is determined that, based upon a recent pattern of movement, the mobile communication device will move into an area that does not provide wireless network connectivity (dead zone), information that is relevant to the area corresponding to the dead zone can be delivered to the mobile application prior to loosing wireless network connectivity, and this information can be displayed by the mobile application to the user at a time during which the device is proximate to a position that corresponds to a subject matter that corresponds to at least some of the information that is delivered. Hereinafter, the information that is delivered to the mobile application is referred to as media content or simply content, and the different types of formats of media content (content) can be any combination of one or more of, but are not limited to, audio content, still image content, video content, textual content in varying quantities or amounts for delivery to the mobile application over longer or shorter periods of time and at higher or lower quality.
According to one embodiment, the mobile application operating environment is the interior of a building, such as a museum, but in other embodiments, the mobile application can operate in an environment that is open to the air. The environment in which the mobile application is running is not important to its operation, it is only important that the rate of movement of the mobile device on which the mobile application is running can be determined, and that a current or past geographic location can be determined. While the mobile application described herein operates to deliver content associated with a guided museum tour, it should be understood that the operation of the mobile application is not limited to a guided tour or to a tour corresponding to subject matter located in the interior of a building. But the mobile application can be configured to deliver other than museum content and it can be configured to deliver content based upon movement and current location of the mobile device while it is open to the air.
Continuing to refer to
Typically, and provided that the mobile device 27 has adequate connectivity to the LAN 23 or to the cellular network 22, the server 26 is able to deliver the appropriate type of content to the mobile application running on the device 27 as needed and in a timely manner. However, in the case that the wireless LAN 23 or cellular network 22 does not provide full coverage to one or more galleries in the Museum, then it is not always possible to deliver content to the device 27 in a timely manner.
Referring now to
As described earlier, regardless of the wireless network over which the mobile device 27 receives media content, the subject matter comprising the content that is delivered to the mobile application running on the mobile device 27 depends upon the currently known position or an anticipated future position of the mobile device 27, and the type of content delivered depends upon the current and/or history of the rate of movement of the mobile device 27 through a building interior, such as the Museum 24, or through an open air environment. The type of content that is delivered to the mobile application can change from one gallery to another, or it can change during time spent in one gallery, or the type of content delivered may not change depending upon the current rate of movement of the mobile device 27 or the past history of movement of the device 27. For example, and referring back to
Additionally, the rate of movement proximate to an object on display at the Museum can determine what type of content can be delivered to the mobile application. If it is determined that the mobile device 27 spends more than some selected threshold period of time (lingers) in a particular location, then the type of content that is delivered can include more detail (more text, more audio, more pictures, artist biography, etc.), and the content can continue to be delivered to the mobile application for as long as the device 27 lingers proximate to the location. The methods which can be employed to determine lingering time, as well as any other movement, will be described later with reference to
Referring to
The museum object location map 71 includes a listing of the identities of some or all of the objects on display in the museum 24, and it includes the identity of one or more beacons that are located proximate to each object. According to one embodiment, one beacon is positioned proximate to each object on display in the Museum, and so the location of the object is determined by the identity of that beacon. According to another embodiment, one or more beacons are positioned proximate to each object, and so the location of each object in the museum is determined by beacon signal strength measurements. Signal strength measurements received from one or more beacons proximate to each displayed object can be recorded and entered into the map in association with that object. As described earlier, each beacon is assigned a unique identifier that each beacon periodically or continually transmits in a low power signal. A device that is configured to receive a beacon signal can determine the identity of each beacon using this unique identifier, and by detecting a beacon signal strength is able to determine how far the object is from each of one or more beacons. This information is then stored in the map in association with the object that is positioned proximate to the location in which the beacon signal strength is recorded. It should be understood, that while the embodiment described herein uses beacon technology as means to determine an interior location, other interior location systems can also be employed for this purpose.
Continuing to refer to
The device movement function 73 operates to receive information generated by an accelerometer from a mobile device that corresponds to a current rate of movement of the mobile device. This current movement information can be stored and used by logic comprising a content store module 75 to determine what type of content to deliver to the mobile device. The movement function 73 can also receive information from the locator function 72 that corresponds to how much time is spent at any particular location in the museum, such as the time spend proximate to an object (lingering time) on display. A Network connectivity map 74 maintains information relative to locations in the Museum at which connectivity to a wireless network (either or both of a wireless LAN or Cellular network) is available. In this regard, the availability of connectivity to a wireless network can be maintained relative to each gallery in the Museum, within each gallery in the Museum, between galleries in the Museum or at any level of granularity that facilitates the delivery of content to the mobile application.
Continuing to refer to
In one embodiment, a mobile device can connect to the server 26 regardless of its position in the Museum, in this case content can be delivered by the server to the mobile device at the point that the server determines that the mobile device is moving to be proximate to an object on display in the Museum. In an alternative embodiment in which the mobile device moves to a location in the Museum where it is not able to connect to the server, then the server 26 can operate to anticipate this movement into an area without wireless connectivity to the server, and deliver the appropriate content to the mobile device for storage before the mobile device loses connectivity with the server. In the later embodiment, the mobile application running on the mobile device can determine the current location of the mobile device and display content that is appropriate to that location. The mobile application running on the mobile device 27 will now be described with reference to
Continuing to refer to
The operation of the content selection logic, described with reference to
Referring to
Referring now to
The forgoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the forgoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed; obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, they thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A method of identifying an instance of media content to send to a first mobile communication device, comprising:
- storing at a network computer device a plurality of instances of media content;
- receiving, over a network at the network computer device from the first mobile communication device, information indicative of a current rate of speed and a current location of the first mobile communication device;
- identifying, based upon the current location and the current rate of speed of the first mobile communication device, at least one instance of media content among the plurality of instances of the media content stored at the network computer device; and
- sending over the network the at least one identified instance of media content to the first mobile communication device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending over the network the at least one identified instance of media content to a second mobile communication device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second mobile communication device can be in a same current location or a different current location as the first mobile communication device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one identified instance of media content comprises any one or more of an audio content type, a video content type, a textual content type, and a still image content type.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a quality level of the at least one identified instance of media content sent to the first mobile communication device is determined based on the current or past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communications device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the at least one identified instance of media content sent to the first mobile communication device is determined based upon the current or past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communication device.
7. A method of identifying an instance of media content to send to a first mobile communication device, comprising:
- sending, by the first mobile communication device over a network to a network computer device, information indicative of a current rate of speed and a current location of the mobile communication device;
- receiving, over the network at the first mobile communication device from the network computer device, at least one instance of media content identified by the network computer device among a plurality of instances of media content stored at the network computer device based upon the current rate of speed and location of the first mobile communication device; and
- playing the received at least one identified instance of media content by the first mobile communication device.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, receiving, over the network at a second mobile communication device from the network computer device, the at least one identified instance of the plurality of instances of media content stored at the network computer device that is identified by the network computer device based upon the current rate of speed and location of the first mobile communication device, and
- playing the received at least one identified instance of media content by the second mobile communication device.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second mobile communication device can be in a same current location or a different current location as the first mobile communication device.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one identified instance of media content received at the first communication device can comprise any one or more of an audio content type, a video content type, a textual content type, and a still image content type.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein a quality level of the at least one identified instance of media content received at the first mobile communication device is determined based on the current or past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communications device.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of the at least one identified instance of media content received at the first mobile communication device is determined based upon the current of past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communication device.
13. A method of identifying an instance of media content to send to a mobile communication device, comprising:
- storing at a network computer device a plurality of instances of media content;
- receiving, over a network at the network computer device from the mobile communication device, information indicative of a current location of the mobile communication device, and anticipating, based upon the current location and a recent pattern of mobile communication device movement, that the mobile communication device is moving to a location that does not provide connectivity to the network,
- identifying at least one instance of media content among the plurality of the instances of media content that is associated with the location not having network connectivity, and sending the at least one identified instance of media content to the mobile communication device prior to the mobile communication device losing connectivity with the network.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the mobile communication device receiving the at least one identified instance of media content sent by the network computer device and playing the received at least one identified instance of media content when the mobile communication device determines that it is proximate to the location not having network connectivity.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one identified instance of media content received at the communication device can comprise any one or more of an audio content type, a video content type, a textual content type, and a still image content type.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein a quality level of the at least one identified instance of media content received at the first mobile communication device is determined based on the current or past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communications device.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the type of the at least one identified instance of media content received at the first mobile communication device is determined based upon the current of past history of the rate of speed of the first mobile communication device.
18. A media content delivery system, comprising:
- a mobile communication device in communication over a network with a network computer device, the network computer device storing a plurality of instances of media content and operating to receive current location and movement information from the mobile communication device that the network computer device uses to identify at least one instance of media content among the plurality of instances of media content stored at the network computer device to send to the mobile communication device.
19. The system of claim 18, further comprising an indoor positioning system or an outdoor positioning system with which the mobile communication device interacts to determine a current indoor or outdoor location.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 19, 2016
Publication Date: Sep 29, 2016
Inventor: BRENDAN CIECKO (BOSTON, MA)
Application Number: 15/048,543