Dynamic web content via contextually aware text messaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544746-B2
Application number	US-201414584192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A system may provide dynamic web-based content in conjunction with text message content. A user may use text messages to interact with web content (e.g., to select hyperlinks, request information, provide information, etc.). A content server may process the text messages, sent by the user, in order to determine web content to provide to the user. The text messages may be authenticated by a message relay server, thereby eliminating the need for the content server to request authentication or identification information from the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A user device, comprising:
a memory device storing a set of processor-executable instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the user device to:
identify a telephone number associated with a sender of a text message received by the user device from a message relay device;
determine a location identifier that is associated with the telephone number, wherein the location identifier includes at least one of:
a uniform resource locator (“URL”), or
an Internet protocol (“IP”) address;

retrieve web content, from a content server, using the location identifier; and
concurrently present, via a display screen of the user device, the text message and the retrieved web content.

2. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the text message is a first text message, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the user device to:
receive a second text message, inputted to the user device by a user of the user device;
reply to the first text message by sending the second text message, using the telephone number, to the sender of the first text message;
receive updated web content, that has been generated by the content server based on content of the second text message; and
present the updated web content.

3. The user device of claim 2 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to present the updated web content, further causes the user device to:
concurrently present the updated web content and the second text message.

4. The user device of claim 2 ,
wherein the updated web content includes secure or personal information, and
wherein the updated web content is presented without a request, from the content server, for authentication by a user of the user device.

5. The user device of claim 4 , wherein the content server verifies an identity of the user device based on information that is included in the second text message and is verified by the message relay server.

6. The user device of claim 1 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to concurrently present the web content and the text message, further causes the user device to:
present the web content and the text message in a split screen user interface.

7. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the text message includes at least one of:
a short message service (“SMS”) message, or
a multimedia messaging service (“MMS”) message.

8. The user device of claim 1 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the location identifier that is associated with the telephone number, further causes the user device to:
query a repository that stores information linking telephone numbers to respective location identifiers.

9. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a user device, a text message;
identifying, by the user device, a telephone number associated with a sender of the text message;
determining, by the user device, a location identifier that is associated with the telephone number, wherein the location identifier includes at least one of:
a uniform resource locator (“URL”), or
an Internet protocol (“IP”) address;

retrieving web content, from a content server, using the location identifier; and
concurrently presenting, via a display screen of the user device, the text message and the retrieved web content.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the text message is a first text message, the method further comprising:
receiving a second text message, inputted to the user device by a user of the user device;
replying to the first text message by sending the second text message, using the telephone number, to the sender of the first text message;
receiving updated web content, that has been generated by the content server based on content of the second text message; and
presenting the updated web content.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein presenting the updated web content comprises:
concurrently presenting the updated web content and the second text message.

12. The method of claim 10 ,
wherein the updated web content includes secure or personal information, and
wherein the updated web content is presented without a request, from the content server, for authentication by a user of the user device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the content server verifies an identity of the user device based on information that is included in the second text message and is verified by a message relay server.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein concurrently presenting the web content and the text message comprises:
presenting the web content and the text message in a split screen user interface.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the text message includes at least one of:
a short message service (“SMS”) message, or
a multimedia messaging service (“MMS”) message.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the location identifier that is associated with the telephone number, further causes the user device to:
query a repository that stores information linking telephone numbers to respective location identifiers.

17. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a content server and via a message relay server, information regarding a text message sent by a user device to a telephone number associated with the content server, the information including:
content of the text message, and
an indication that an identity of the user device has been verified by the message relay server;

determining, by the content server, web content to provide to the user device, wherein the web content includes secure or personal content, the determining being based on the content of the text message and the indication that the identity of the user device has been verified; and
outputting, by the content server, the web content to the user device, the outputting being performed without requesting authentication information, from a user of the user device, for the secure or personal content.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
identifying a location identifier associated with the user device,
wherein the web content is determined based on the location identifier associated with the user device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the location identifier includes at least one of:
a uniform resource locator (“URL”), or
an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the text message includes at least one of:
a short message service (“SMS”) message, or
a multimedia messaging service (“MMS”) message.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Lynn Ian
• Steinbach Lodema Margaret

Classifications

• H04L9/40

  Network security protocols · CPC title

• H04W4/16

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title

• H04M1/72552

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72561

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L29/06

  Electricity · mapped topic