Patent Publication Number: US-2018040026-A1

Title: Motion and gesture-based mobile advertising activation

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application relates to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/921,819 filed Dec. 30, 2013 and entitled “MOTION AND GESTURE BASED MOBILE AD ACTIVATION MECHANICS”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby wholly incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to online services and user interfaces therefor, and more particularly, to motion and gesture-based mobile advertising activation. 
     2. Related Art 
     Conventional online media business practices involve providing information or services free of charge or at minimal cost to the primary audience in exchange for being presented with advertising that is paid for by advertisers. As referenced herein, online media or content providers encompasses the Internet counterparts of traditional television, radio, and print news and magazine outlets, as well as search engines and other such aggregators, social networking sites, individual websites/web logs (blogs) and the like. Advertising revenue is understood to offset the costs of server maintenance, network bandwidth, and other technical operational aspects, as well as the costs for producing the content itself, including pay for the authors, editors, and various other personnel involved in production. Similar practices have been extended to software applications, particularly those running on mobile devices, which can be provided free to the user but subsidized by advertising revenue. 
     Advertising content can be integrated with the presentation of the primary content (news articles, application functionality, etc.) in various ways. One of the most common is the banner ad, which is a graphic designed by the advertiser and placed in a prominent location within a content page. Several technical solutions that achieve this functionality are known in the art, such as embedding the banner advertisement in-line with the content but laid out on the top, side, or bottom ends of the page, displaying the banner advertisement in a separate static frame that does not move when scrolling, and so forth. Besides static graphics, animations, sound, video and different interactive elements can be also be integrated into the banner ad. Clicking on the banner advertisement typically directs the user to the advertiser&#39;s website, where additional information and an opportunity to purchase the advertised product can be provided. 
     Other advertising presentation techniques are also known in the art. These include pop-up windows, floating advertisements that are overlaid on the content until some additional interaction, such as pressing a close button, is completed, and interstitial ads, which require a reader to view an advertisement before being provided access to the content page. These techniques vary in terms of obtrusiveness and effectiveness, and varying forms of online advertising can be deployed depending on the desires of the content provider, the advertiser, and the user base. 
     As these conventional advertising presentations are utilized more, their ubiquity has slowly led to a decrease in their impact and effectiveness. Most end users tend to regard conventional advertisements as boring at best, and thus are ignored. In many cases, the advertisements may be annoying as interfering with the viewing of actual content. Further exacerbating this is that while the aforementioned conventional advertising presentation techniques were originally developed for viewing on browser platforms with ample screen real estate such as desktop and laptop computers, the user base of mobile devices such as smart phones has been expanding. Thus, an increasing number of users are browsing Internet websites and interacting with apps on mobile devices, and hence being presented with advertisements on limited screen real estate. Whether implemented on content websites or software apps, existing advertisement presentations require modifications to fit within the constraints of the mobile device interface. These factors are understood to increase the annoyance factor, and contribute to decreasing value of conventional online advertisements. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for advertising presentations that involve more interactivity with the user, and is more engaging. There is also a need in the art for such advertising presentations to exploit the mobile device form factor and it ability to accept a variety of touch, gesture, and other types of inputs. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure contemplates various methods for presenting advertisements to a user in a manner that increases interaction and takes advantage of the latest hardware and software features of the mobile communications device to make mobile advertising truly mobile. The method may begin with displaying content on a graphical user interface of the mobile communications device. An advertisement delivery sub-application may be embedded in the content. An activatable graphic element for the advertisement delivery sub-application may be displayed in-line with the content. The method may continue with receiving a first external input corresponding to a triggering of the activatable graphic element for the advertisement delivery sub-application. The first external input may be received on a first input modality of the mobile communications device. The method may further include displaying an advertisement overlay in the graphical user interface in response to receiving the first external input corresponding to the triggering of the activatable graphic element. The advertisement overlay may partially cover the content. Next, the method may proceed with displaying advertisement invocation instructions within the advertisement overlay. The method may also include receiving a second external input on a second input modality of the mobile communications device that is different from the first input modality. Furthermore, there may be a step of translating the second external input to at least a set of quantified values. The method may also include displaying an advertisement within the advertisement overlay in response to a substantial match between the set of quantified values translated from the received second external input to the a set of predefined values corresponding to the advertisement invocation instructions. 
     Another embodiment of the present disclosure is also directed to a method for presenting advertisements to a user on a mobile communications device. The method may include receiving a first external input corresponding to a triggering of an advertisement delivery. The first external input may be received on a first input modality of the mobile communications device. The method may also include displaying an advertisement overlay in a graphical user interface in response to receiving the external input corresponding to the triggering of the advertising delivery. Furthermore, there may be a step of displaying advertisement invocation instructions within the advertisement overlay. The method may include receiving a second external input on a second input modality of the mobile communications device that is different from the first input modality. There may also be a step of translating the second external input to a set of quantified values. Finally, there method may include displaying an advertisement within the advertisement overlay in response to a substantial match between the set of quantified values translated from the received second external input to the set of predefined values corresponding to the advertisement invocation instructions. 
     Certain other embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate respective computer-readable program storage media that each tangibly embodies one or more programs of instructions executable by a data processing device to perform the foregoing methods. The present disclosure will be best understood accompanying by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating the components of a mobile communications device utilized in various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for presenting advertisements to a user on a mobile communications device; 
         FIG. 3  is an example graphical user interface of an app running on the mobile communications device; 
         FIG. 4  shows the graphical user interface displaying an advertising overlay; 
         FIG. 5  shows the graphical user interface displaying a consent screen prior to accessing a motion subsystem of the mobile communications device for the first time; 
         FIG. 6  shows the graphical user interface displaying advertisement invocation instructions; 
         FIG. 7  is a user imparting a motion on the mobile communications device by walking; 
         FIG. 8  shows the graphical user interface displaying a progress indicator; 
         FIG. 9  shows the graphical user interface displaying an advertisement after the user has provided the input therefor; 
         FIG. 10  shows the graphical user interface displaying a variation of the advertisement invocation instructions directing the user to run; 
         FIG. 11  is a user imparting a motion on the mobile communications device by running; 
         FIG. 12  shows the graphical user interface displaying another variation of the advertisement invocation instructions directing the user to input a gesture of a letter to display the advertisement; 
         FIG. 13  is a user imparting another motion on the mobile communications device as instructed in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 14  shows the graphical user interface displaying yet another variation of the advertisement invocation instructions directing the user to face and walk a certain direction to display the advertisement; and 
         FIG. 15  is a user inputting voice to the mobile communications device to invoke an advertisement. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure encompasses various embodiments of methods for motion and gesture-based mobile advertising activation. The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the several presently contemplated embodiments of these methods, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the disclosed invention may be developed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and features in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as first and second and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another entity without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one exemplary mobile communications device  10  on which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The mobile communications device  10  may be a smartphone, and therefore include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver  12  that transmits and receives signals via an antenna  14 . Conventional devices are capable of handling multiple wireless communications modes simultaneously. These include several digital phone modalities such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution), and the like. For example, the RF transceiver  12  includes a UMTS module  12   a . To the extent that coverage of such more advanced services may be limited, it may be possible to drop down to a different but related modality such as EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) or GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), with specific modules therefor also being incorporated in the RF transceiver  12 , for example, GSM module  12   b.  Aside from multiple digital phone technologies, the RF transceiver  12  may implement other wireless communications modalities such as WiFi for local area networking and accessing the Internet by way of local area networks, and Bluetooth for linking peripheral devices such as headsets. Accordingly, the RF transceiver may include a WiFi module  12   c  and a Bluetooth module  12   d . The enumeration of various wireless networking modules is not intended to be limiting, and others may be included without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The mobile communications device  10  is understood to implement a wide range of functionality through different software applications, which are colloquially known as “apps” in the mobile device context. The software applications are comprised of pre-programmed instructions that are executed by a central processor  14  and that may be stored on a memory  16 . The results of these executed instructions may be output for viewing by a user, and the sequence/parameters of those instructions may be modified via inputs from the user. To this end, the central processor  14  interfaces with an input/output subsystem  18  that manages the output functionality of a display  20  and the input functionality of a touch screen  22  and one or more buttons  24 . 
     In a conventional smartphone device, the user primarily interacts with a graphical user interface that is generated on the display  20  and includes various user interface elements that can be activated based on haptic inputs received on the touch screen  22  at positions corresponding to the underlying displayed interface element. One of the buttons  24  may serve a general purpose escape function, while another may serve to power up or power down the mobile communications device  10 . Additionally, there may be other buttons and switches for controlling volume, limiting haptic entry, and so forth. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize other possible input/output devices that could be integrated into the mobile communications device  10 , and the purposes such devices would serve. Other smartphone devices may include keyboards (not shown) and other mechanical input devices, and the presently disclosed interaction methods with the graphical user interface detailed more fully below are understood to be applicable to such alternative input modalities. 
     The mobile communications device  10  includes several other peripheral devices. One of the more basic is an audio subsystem  26  with an audio input  28  and an audio output  30  that allows the user to conduct voice telephone calls. The audio input  28  is connected to a microphone  32  that converts sound to electrical signals, and may include amplifier and ADC (analog to digital converter) circuitry that transforms the continuous analog electrical signals to digital data. Furthermore, the audio output  30  is connected to a loudspeaker  34  that converts electrical signals to air pressure waves that result in sound, and may likewise include amplifier and DAC (digital to analog converter) circuitry that transforms the digital sound data to a continuous analog electrical signal that drives the loudspeaker  34 . Furthermore, it is possible to capture still images and video via a camera  36  that is managed by an imaging module  38 . 
     Due to its inherent mobility, users can access information and interact with the mobile communications device  10  practically anywhere. Additional context in this regard is discernible from inputs pertaining to location, movement, and physical and geographical orientation, which further enhance the user experience. Accordingly, the mobile communications device  10  includes a location module  40 , which may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that is connected to a separate antenna  42  and generates coordinates data of the current location as extrapolated from signals received from the network of GPS satellites. Motions imparted upon the mobile communications device  10 , as well as the physical and geographical orientation of the same, may be captured as data with a motion subsystem  44 , in particular, with an accelerometer  46 , a gyroscope  48 , and a compass  50 , respectively. Although in some embodiments the accelerometer  46 , the gyroscope  48 , and the compass  50  directly communicate with the central processor  14 , more recent variations of the mobile communications device  10  utilize the motion subsystem  44  that is embodied as a separate co-processor to which the acceleration and orientation processing is offloaded for greater efficiency and reduced electrical power consumption. One exemplary embodiment of the mobile communications device  10  is the Apple iPhone with the M7 motion co-processor. 
     The components of the motion subsystem  44 , including the accelerometer  46 , the gyroscope  48 , and the compass  50 , while shown as integrated into the mobile communications device  10 , may be incorporated into a separate, external device. This external device may be wearable by the user and communicatively linked to the mobile communications device  10  over the aforementioned data link modalities. The same physical interactions contemplated with the mobile communications device  10  to invoke various functions as discussed in further detail below may be possible with such external wearable device. 
     There are other sensors  52  that can be utilized in the mobile communications device  10  for different purposes. For example, one of the other sensors  52  may be a proximity sensor to detect the presence or absence of the user to invoke certain functions, while another may be a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the display  20  according to ambient light conditions. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other sensors  52  beyond those considered herein are also possible. 
     With reference to the flowchart of  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of a method for presenting advertisements to the user on the mobile communications device  10  will be described. As shown in  FIG. 3 , there is a graphical user interface  54  of an app running on the mobile communications device. By way of example only and not of limitation, the app involves sharing/viewing photographs, and within a main screen area  56  there may be a plurality of content panels  58  within which a picture or content  60  is rendered. Thus, the method begins with a step  200  of displaying the content  60  on the graphical user interface  54 . Scrolling upwards or downwards according to standard touch input navigation reveals additional content panels  58  with different pictures. Although photo sharing/viewing app is depicted, it will be appreciated that any other type of content may be presented in a similar manner, such as news and blog articles and so forth. 
     In further detail, on the upper right hand corner of the content panel  58 , there is an activatable graphic element  62  that is a part of an advertisement delivery sub-application embedded within the content  60 . As referenced broadly herein, the term embedded with respect to the advertisement delivery sub-application may mean an executable or scripted module that is incorporated into the underlying app, a single instruction or reference that invokes the functionality of the advertisement delivery sub-application, or any other modality of calling a separate set of instructions that perform the function of advertisement delivery as contemplated. In order for the user to continue to experience the underlying app and/or content in the same manner as before, any other suitable unobtrusive location within the graphical user interface  54  that indicates an advertisement is available to be viewed can be substituted. 
     Continuing on, the method includes a step  202  of receiving a first external input corresponding to a triggering of the activatable graphic element  62  of the advertisement delivery sub-application. The first external input is received on a first input modality. In the context of the mobile communications device  10  with a touch user interface, this refers to receiving a haptic contact on the touch screen  22  at a location corresponding in position to the displayed activatable graphic element  62 . Other ways of providing the same input are also possible. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 4 , and in accordance with a step  204 , an advertisement overlay  64  is displayed on the graphical user interface  54  in response to the foregoing receipt of the first external input that corresponds to the triggering of the activatable graphic element  62 . According to various embodiments, the advertisement overlay  64  at least partially covers the content  60 . An animation effect may be utilized to bring the advertisement overlay  64  into view. One example of such an animation effect may be gradually raising the advertisement overlay  64  from the bottom of the graphical user interface  54 . Simultaneously, the content panels  58  can be faded into the background by darkening the same via another animation effect. Other effects that subdue the content panels  58  may also be utilized. To indicate to the user that additional content to be shown within the advertisement overlay  64  is forthcoming. A transition graphic  66  may be displayed as the animation effect of the advertisement overlay  64  progresses. 
     Although the step  204  of displaying the advertisement overlay  64  has been described in the context of one embodiment in which the step is responsive to receiving the first external input that triggers the activatable graphic element  62 , alternative embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the advertisement overlay  64  may be displayed in response to a first external input that is independent of the graphical user interface  54  and any user interactions therewith. The first input modality of the mobile communications device  10  could be an indoor positioning system (beacon) receiver. Upon receiving a signal from an indoor positioning system transmitter by virtue of the mobile communications device  10  being brought in proximity thereto where such reception becomes possible, it is evaluated as such. In this case, the first external input could be the receipt of the beacon signal. Similarly, establishing a network link over particular wireless local area networks, being in a particular location as detected by the location module  40 , being in a location with a particular type of weather reported, and so forth, can invoke the display of the advertisement overlay  64 . Additional context can be discerned from nearby connected devices such as thermostats, televisions, lights, door locks, vehicles, and the like. Furthermore, the interaction with the graphical user interface as in the previously described embodiment could be combined with location triggering to further refine the type of advertisements that are presented to the user. 
     The present disclosure contemplates the invocation of advertisements in response to various motion/gesture inputs applied to the mobile communications device  10  by the user. Such inputs are detected, measured, and quantified by the motion subsystem  44 . The conventions of certain mobile communications devices  10  dictate obtaining consent from the user prior to the use of this data due to privacy concerns. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a system-generated consent screen  68  is displayed over the advertisement overlay  64  as well as the content  60  if it is the first time the motion subsystem  44  is being accessed from the underlying app. When consent is provided, subsequent accesses to the motion subsystem  44  do not require further confirmation from the user. 
     Referring again to the flowchart of  FIG. 2 , as well as to the example graphical user interface shown in  FIG. 6 , the method for presenting advertisements to the user continues with a step  206  of displaying advertisement invocation instructions  70  within the advertisement overlay  64 . In other words, the user is prompted as to what motion or gesture action to perform in order to display the advertisement. The advertisement invocation instructions  70  as shown in  FIG. 6  prompt the user to start walking. An additional hint as to how many steps are necessary to so invoke the advertisement, e.g. twenty steps, may also be displayed. The user begins walking as shown in  FIG. 7 , and the motion subsystem  44  detects the motion  72  imparted on the mobile communications device  10  and receives this as a second external input in accordance with a step  208 . It was mentioned above that in certain embodiments, the haptic contact on the touch screen  22  constituted the first external input. In this regard, this second external input on the motion subsystem  44 , that is, one or a combination of the accelerometer  46 , the gyroscope  48 , and the compass  50 , is understood to be different from such first external input and the input modalities involved therewith. 
     The captured second external input is thereafter translated to at least a set of quantified values in accordance with step  210 . The second external input could be one set of data captured in one time instant as would be the case for direction and orientation, or it could be multiple sets of data captured over multiple time instances that represent a movement action. Where multiple sets of data are required to detect an action from the user, a progress indicator towards the completion thereof may be displayed on the advertisement overlay  64 .  FIG. 8  depicts one such exemplary progress indicator  74  that also instructs the user to “keep going.” With each step that is detected, another animation effect may be applied to the transition graphic  66  that indicates the same to the user. The progress indicator  74  is updated during the step of receiving the second external input, and so these processes are understood to occur concurrently. None of the steps of the method disclosed herein should be deemed to require sequential execution. 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 9 , the method for presenting advertisements continues with a step  212  of displaying an advertisement  76  within the advertisement overlay  64 . This step takes place in response to a substantial match between the set of quantified values translated from the received second external input, e.g., the motion  72 , to a set of predefined values corresponding to the advertisement invocation instruction  70 . In further detail, the set of predefined values is understood to include data that would be measured by the accelerometer  46 , and is known to be correlated to the user walking with the mobile communications device  10 . Within a predetermined threshold of such data, if the set of quantified values translated from the second external input as measured by the same accelerometer  46  is matching, then it is determined that the user was walking. Various algorithms to determine such matches are known in the art, and any one can be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The display of the advertisement  76  need not be static, and may be modified according to other inputs being concurrently provided to the mobile communications device  10 . For instance, a different graphic may be displayed in instances where the mobile communications device  10  is truly stationary, versus instances where the mobile communications device  10  is stationary but within a moving object such as a train, automobile, and the like. Where animated graphics are used as the advertisement  76 , the playback speed can also be adjusted depending on the circumstances. 
     Other types of gestures and motions that can be imparted on the mobile communications device  10  by the user are also contemplated. For example,  FIG. 10  illustrates the advertisement invocation instructions  70  directing the user to begin running. By way of the user so running with the mobile communications device  10  as shown in  FIG. 11 , another motion  78  is imparted. The set of quantified values may have a greater magnitude than the walking motion  72 , but similarly defined by measurements read from the accelerometer  46 . Again, these readings can be compared to predefined values that are known to correlate to a running motion. When there is a match, the advertisement  76  can be displayed as described above. 
       FIG. 12  shows the advertisement invocation instructions  70  for yet another different gesture/motion that can be imparted on the mobile communications device  10  to invoke the advertisement  76 .  FIG. 13  illustrates the mobile communications device  10  being moved accordingly, per motion  80 . In the illustrated example, the user is directed to draw an alphabet character “N,” which may be related to the advertiser&#39;s branding. Along these lines, the particular gestures and motions requested can relate in this manner to the advertiser. For example, a running action can be suitable for advertisers that sell athletic goods, while a shaking motion could be appropriate for juice bars, and so forth. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize suitable matching of a given advertiser with appropriate gestures. These gestures may be more accurately measured by the gyroscope  48 , or a combination of the gyroscope  48  and the accelerometer  46 . 
     Yet another motion/gesture can be requested as shown in the advertisement invocation instructions  70  of  FIG. 14 . In particular, this prompts the user to face and walk in a certain direction. There is a directional indicator  82  that shows a current direction  84  and a guided direction  86  that corresponds to a predetermined direction set by the advertiser. The direction measurements are understood to be made by the compass  50 , and in this example, additional readings from the gyroscope  48  and/or the accelerometer  46  can be used to determine whether the user is walking in the direction as prompted by the advertisement invocation instructions  70 . One possible use for this feature may be to direct the user to the nearest retail branch of the advertiser. These motions can be coupled with granting incentives such as free goods/services when the user complies with the prompted advertisement invocation instructions. In the illustrated example of a coffee chain, walking in a direction toward the closest branch may yield a free coffee coupon. Other types of incentives, coupons, and free items could be offered in exchange for performing the actions prompted in the advertisement invocation instructions  70 , including contest entries for more expensive items also offered by the advertiser. 
     The foregoing examples illustrate that multiple inputs to the motion subsystem  44  can be used in sequence to correlate various actions by the user. However, it is also possible to utilize and prompt for single actions. 
     Although the previous advertisement invocation instructions  70  each involved a motion or gesture that is measured by the motion subsystem  44 , it is possible to use the other inputs of the mobile communications device  10  to similarly activate the advertisement  76 . For example,  FIG. 15  illustrates the user providing a voice input  90  to the audio subsystem  26 . One possible advertisement invocation instruction  70  may prompt the user to “say brand name to activate the ad.” With the on-board voice recognition capabilities, a match of the user speaking the brand name can be used to display the advertisement  76 . Another possible advertisement invocation instruction  70  may prompt the user to input a facial gesture (e.g., a smile) that is captured by the camera  36 . Hand gestures that can be captured as a sequence of images can also be used to display the advertisement  76 . 
     As indicated above, the outputs generated throughout the steps of the method are all within the advertisement overlay  64 , and designed to complement the native environment. Thus, it is possible to show the instructions, receive the input, and display the advertisement within the same main screen area  56  of the underlying app, without the need for leaving or exiting out of the same. Along these lines, whenever the advertisement overlay  64  is displayed, the user has the option to close the same and return to the underlying app by tapping a close button  88 . The familiar entertainment and discovery that the user has come to expect from the app are still readily accessible, as the underlying app continues to run in the background. It is contemplated that advertisers will be able to attain superior brand engagements and drive messaging that imaginatively involves the user on a deeper level. 
     The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosure only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects. In this regard, no attempt is made to show details of the present invention with more particularity than is necessary, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.