Method and system of providing event content sharing by mobile communication devices

Abstract

An approach is disclosed for providing sharing of content relating to an event. Detection of a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location is performed. An event is identified corresponding to the predetermined location and a current time. The mobile communication devices are notified to enable exchange of content about the event. The content is received from one or more of the mobile communication devices, wherein the content is accessible by the mobile communication devices.

Description

115513 509 displays an upload button 513 to transmit locally generated content to the platform 101, using text or multimedia messaging (e.g., SMS and MMS). Further, a download button 515 can be selected by the user to retrieve shared content.

Moreover, the device 501 can receive advertisements 517 that are targeted to attendees of the event.

The above described processes relating to providing event content sharing using an integrated set-top may be implemented via software, hardware (e.g., general processor, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware or a combination thereof. Such exemplary hardware for performing the described functions is detailed below.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computer system 600 upon which an exemplary embodiment can be implemented. For example, the processes described herein can be implemented using the computer system 600. The computer system 600 includes a bus 601 or other communication mechanism for communicating information and a processor 603 coupled to the bus 601 for processing information. The computer system 600 also includes main memory 605, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus 601 for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor 603. Main memory 605 can also be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by the processor 603. The computer system 600 may further include a read only memory (ROM) 607 or other static storage device coupled to the bus 601 for storing static information and instructions for the processor 603. A storage device 609, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is coupled to the bus 601 for persistently storing information and instructions.

The computer system 600 may be coupled via the bus 601 to a display 611, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display, active matrix display, or plasma display, for displaying information to a computer user. An input device 613, such as a keyboard including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to the bus 601 for communicating information and command selections to the processor 603. Another type of user input device is a cursor control 615, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor 603 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 611.

According to an embodiment, the processes described herein are performed by the computer system 600, in response to the processor 603 executing an arrangement of instructions contained in main memory 605. Such instructions can be read into main memory 605 from another computer-readable medium, such as the storage device 609. Execution of the arrangement of instructions contained in main memory 605 causes the processor 603 to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the instructions contained in main memory 605. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the exemplary embodiment. Thus, exemplary embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The computer system 600 also includes a communication interface 617 coupled to bus 601. The communication interface 617 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 619 connected to a local network 621. For example, the communication interface 617 may be a digital subscriber line (DSL) card or modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, a cable modem, a telephone modem, or any other communication interface to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of communication line. As another example, communication interface 617 may be a local area network (LAN) card (e.g. for Ethernet™ or an Asynchronous Transfer Model (ATM) network) to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links can also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 617 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. Further, the communication interface 617 can include peripheral interface devices, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) interface, etc. Although a single communication interface 617 is depicted in FIG. 6, multiple communication interfaces can also be employed.

The network link 619 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, the network link 619 may provide a connection through local network 621 to a host computer 623, which has connectivity to a network 625 (e.g. a wide area network (WAN) or the global packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet”) or to data equipment operated by a service provider. The local network 621 and the network 625 both use electrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals to convey information and instructions. The signals through the various networks and the signals on the network link 619 and through the communication interface 617, which communicate digital data with the computer system 600, are exemplary forms of carrier waves bearing the information and instructions.

The computer system 600 can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), the network link 619, and the communication interface 617. In the Internet example, a server (not shown) might transmit requested code belonging to an application program for implementing an exemplary embodiment through the network 625, the local network 621 and the communication interface 617. The processor 603 may execute the transmitted code while being received and/or store the code in the storage device 609, or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In this manner, the computer system 600 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier wave.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processor 603 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as the storage device 609. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as main memory 605. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise the bus 601. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, optical, or electromagnetic waves, such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, optical mark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or other optically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in providing instructions to a processor for execution. For example, the instructions for carrying out at least part of the various exemplary embodiments may initially be borne on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. In such a scenario, the remote computer loads the instructions into main memory and sends the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem of a local computer system receives the data on the telephone line and uses an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal and transmit the infrared signal to a portable computing device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a laptop. An infrared detector on the portable computing device receives the information and instructions borne by the infrared signal and places the data on a bus. The bus conveys the data to main memory, from which a processor retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory can optionally be stored on storage device either before or after execution by processor.

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that flow. The specification and the drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating positional information;

transmitting the positional information over a wireless network to an event content sharing platform that is configured to detect a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location for identifying an a particular event corresponding to the predetermined location and a current time;

upon entry to the particular event or detection within a predetermined proximity to the particular event, receiving notification from the event content sharing platform about the particular event and instructions regarding sharing content relating to the particular event;

generating content relating to the particular event in response to the notification; and

transmitting the content to the event content sharing platform.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content includes text, image, audio, video, or a combination thereof.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is transmitted via a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) protocol.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to generate the positional information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a third party event database is accessed to identify the particular event.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is accessible by a computing device that is separate from the mobile communication devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the computing device is configured to run a web-based application to access the content, the computing device receiving an advertisement message that is targeted based on the particular event.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a location module configured to generate positional information for transmission over a wireless network to an event content sharing platform that is configured to detect a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location for identifying an a particular event corresponding to the predetermined location and a current time; and

a processor configured to receive notification from the event content sharing platform about the particular event, upon entry to the particular event or detection within a predetermined proximity to the particular event, and instructions regarding sharing content relating to the particular event, and to generate content relating to the particular event in response to the notification, wherein the content is transmitted to the event content sharing platform.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content includes text, image, audio, video, or a combination thereof.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content is transmitted via a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) protocol.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the location module is configured to receive Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to generate the positional information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a third party event database is accessed to identify the particular event.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content is accessible by a computing device that is separate from the mobile communication devices.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the computing device is configured to run a web-based application to access the content, the computing device receiving an advertisement message that is targeted based on the particular event.

15. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions configured to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

generating positional information;

transmitting the positional information over a wireless network to an event content sharing platform that is configured to detect a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location for identifying an a particular event corresponding to the predetermined location and a current time;

upon entry to the particular event or detection within a predetermined proximity to the particular event, receiving notification from the event content sharing platform about the particular event and instructions regarding sharing content relating to the particular event;

generating content relating to the particular event in response to the notification; and

transmitting the content to the event content sharing platform.

16. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the content includes text, image, audio, video, or a combination thereof.

17. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the content is transmitted via a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) protocol.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to generate the positional information.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein a third party event database is accessed to identify the particular event.

20. The method non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the content is accessible by a computing device that is separate from the mobile communication devices.

21. The method non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the computing device is configured to run a web-based application to access the content, the computing device receiving an advertisement message that is targeted based on the particular event.

22. A method comprising:

detecting and monitoring a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location using an event content sharing platform configured to identify a particular event corresponding to a particular location and a current time;

sending participation information to the mobile communication devices regarding the particular event and, upon detecting entry of a participant to the particular event or detection of the participant within a predetermined proximity to the particular event, sending instructions regarding content sharing; and

sending one or more advertisements to the mobile communication devices targeted to the participant of the event.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving positional information from one of the plurality of mobile communication devices.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving content from at least some of the plurality of mobile communication devices.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

receiving a request to view requested content from individual ones of the plurality of mobile communication devices; and

providing the requested content to the individual ones of the plurality of mobile communications devices for viewing.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising receiving comments associated with the requested content from the individual ones of the plurality of mobile communication devices and associating the comments with the requested content.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of receiving content comprises receiving content at a server device from devices at a plurality of events, and categorizing the event according to identification information.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of categorizing the event comprises categorizing the event according to topic and location.

29. The method of claim 24 further comprising terminating content sharing capability upon an event's end.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of sending one or more advertisements comprises sending advertising to the mobile communication devices regarding future events having similar identification information.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to being executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

detecting and monitoring a plurality of mobile communication devices within a predetermined location via an event content sharing platform;

identifying a particular event corresponding to the predetermined location and a current time by accessing an event and presence service module;

upon detection of entry of one or more participants to the particular event or detection of the one or more participants within a predetermined proximity to the particular event, notifying the associated mobile communication devices regarding content sharing;

receiving shared content provided from one or more of the mobile communication devices; and

terminating content sharing capability upon an event's end.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31 wherein accessing an event and presence service module comprises accessing a third party event database and the operations further comprise compiling a database of content for the particular event and sending requested content to one or more computing devices.