Modifying a streaming media service for a mobile radio device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10674310-B2
Application number	US-201916355489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Aug 19, 2016
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A method performed in a network server system of a service provider providing a service comprising media streaming. The method comprises receiving a detection message from a mobile radio device running the service for a user registered with the service provider, wherein the message comprises an indication that the radio device has detected that it is within a predefined geographical area. The method also comprises determining that the predefined geographical area is registered with the service provider and associated with one or more actions. The method also comprises electing an action of the one or more actions. The method also comprises sending an instructions message to the radio device, comprising instructions to modify the service such that the radio device performs the elected action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed in a network server system of a service provider providing a service comprising media streaming, the method comprising:
receiving a detection message from a mobile radio device running the service for a user registered with the service provider, said detection message comprising an indication that the radio device has detected that the radio device is within a predefined geographical area;
determining that the predefined geographical area is registered with the service provider and associated with one or more actions;
electing an action of the one or more actions; and
sending an instructions message to the radio device, said instructions message comprising instructions to modify operation of the radio device used with the service including that the radio device performs the elected action.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detection message, as the indication, comprises an identifier associated with the registered geographical area.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electing is based on any of:
location of the radio device, location of the predefined geographical area, distance between the radio device and a predefined point within the predefined geographical area, a currently playing media stream for a media playing device associated with the predefined geographical area, time of day, day of week, and/or gender, age, nationality, address, habits in using the service and/or payment history of the registered user.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining information that the radio device is within a specified geographical region; and
instructing the mobile radio device to search for specified geographical area(s), comprising the predefined geographical area, within the specified geographical region, before the receiving of the detection message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises looking up the predefined geographical area in a database of predefined areas, in which each predefined geographical area is associated with respective one or more actions and, optionally, with an identifier for said predefined geographical area.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to modify operation of the radio device used with the service comprises instructions to stream media associated with the elected action, to at least one of play an advertisement or to provide a pre-prepared playlist.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio device is running the service by means of a dedicated application software, which software is configured for automatically reporting any detection of the predefined geographical area to the network server system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the elected action includes modifying the media streaming to the radio device of the service to include an advertisement or other information describing products or offers associated with the predefined geographical area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of one or more radio devices running the service are instructed by the service provider to report the radio device's geographical position, whereby the service provider checks whether the geographical position associated with radio device is in the vicinity of a registered predefined geographical area.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service provider provides each of one or more radio devices information describing predefined geographical areas which information the radio device uses to determine whether the radio device is within one of the predefined geographical areas.

11. A method performed in a mobile radio device running a service comprising media streaming provided by a service provider, the method comprising:
detecting that the radio device is within a predefined geographical area;
automatically sending a detection message over a radio interface to a network server system of the service provider, said detection message comprising an indication that the radio device has detected that the radio device is within the predefined geographical area;
receiving an instructions message from the network server system, said instructions message comprising instructions to modify operation of the radio device used with the service to perform an action elected by the server system; and
modifying operation of the radio device used with the service in accordance with the received instructions including that the radio device performs the elected action.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting the predefined geographical area within a specified geographical region in which the radio device is instructed to search for specified geographical area(s), comprising the predefined geographical area.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving instructions from the network server system to search for the specified geographical area(s) within the specified geographical region, before the detecting of the predefined geographical area.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the instructions to modify operation of the radio device used with the service comprises instructions to stream media associated with the elected action, to at least one of to play an advertisement or to provide a pre-prepared playlist.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the radio device is running the service by means of a dedicated application software, which software is configured for automatically reporting any detection of the predefined geographical area to the network server system.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the elected action includes modifying the media streaming to the radio device of the service to include an advertisement or other information describing products or offers associated with the predefined geographical area.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of one or more radio devices running the service are instructed by the service provider to report the radio device's geographical position, whereby the service provider checks whether the geographical position associated with radio device is in the vicinity of a registered predefined geographical area.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the service provider provides each of one or more radio devices information describing predefined geographical areas which information the radio device uses to determine whether the radio device is within one of the predefined geographical areas.

19. A network server system for a service provider providing a service comprising media streaming, the server system comprising:
processor circuitry; and
a storage unit storing instructions executable by said processor circuitry whereby said server system is operative to:
receive a detection message from a mobile radio device running the service, said detection message comprising an indication that the radio device has detected that the radio device is within a predefined geographical area;
determine that the predefined geographical area is registered with the service provider and associated with one or more actions;
elect an action of the one or more actions; and
send an instructions message to the radio device, said instructions message comprising instructions to modify operation of the radio device used with the service including that the radio device performs the elected action.

20. A mobile radio device configured for running a service comprising media streaming provided by a service provider, the radio device comprising:
processor circuitry; and
a storage unit storing instructions executable by said processor circuitry w

Assignees

• Spotify Ab

Inventors

• Toumpelis Nikolaos
• Wang Lingyu
• Becker Michael
• Cusick Shannon
• Konstantinidis Nicholas

Classifications

• H04L65/1073

  Registration or de-registration · CPC title

• H04L65/4069

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W4/18

  Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title