Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND PROCESS FOR PROVIDING TARGETED CONTENT
WITHIN A THIRD-PARTY APPLICATION
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application
Serial
No. 12/767,102, filed on April 26, 2010 and claiming benefit of U.S.
Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/320,649, entitled "BACKGROUND PROCESS FOR
PROVIDING TARGETED CONTENT WITHIN A THIRD-PARTY
APPLICATION", filed on April 2, 2010 and to U.S. Patent Application Serial No.
12/767,250, filed on April 26, 2010 and claiming benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent
Application No. 61/320,661, entitled "CACHING MULTIPLE VIEWS
CORRESPONDING TO MULTIPLE ASPECT RATIOS", filed on April 2, 2010.
Field:
[0002] The following relates to presenting a first application within a
second
application and more specifically relates to a background service that
beneficially
assists in the selection of an appropriate first application for presentation
within the
second application.
Background:
[0003] Targeting content to individual users has become an area of great
importance in consumer computing technologies. Both users and content
developers
are helping to build momentum for this type of content.
[0004] Generally, targeting content to an individual user requires a server
that
can learn at least some facts about the user or their preferences and
interests. Often
times this is accomplished using cookies stored on the user's machine that
store and
record small facts about a user's past usages of the computing device.
However, in
some instances those facts can include data mined from the computing device
itself
and include information of a personal nature, such as a user's global
positioning
system location, home country and zip code, phone number area code, mobile
carrier
code, mobile country code, parental controls, etc.
[0005] Access to users' information is an extremely sensitive subject, and
for
obvious reasons, operating system developers protect this information from
third-
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party software developers. However, the need and desire for more personalized
content is putting pressure on operating system developers to provide access
to the
sensitive information stored on these devices.
SUMMARY
[0006] Accordingly, the present technology achieves a balance between the need
to
protect a user's information and sharing some of this information with trusted
sources
for selected targeted content. The present technology further presents
targeted
content, such as a targeted application, within a primary application, in such
a fashion
that the targeted application is a separate process from the primary
application.
[0007] The present technology presents a primary application having a reserved
view or window within which targeted content can be displayed. The primary
application can be any application for any purpose, however, in many
embodiments of
the technology the primary application is a third-party application.
[0008] Being a third-party application, the primary application is restricted
from
accessing data that is typically known only to the operating system and device
components. Such data can include personal information, location information,
preference information and other data that can be considered sensitive.
[0009] However, this data can be especially valuable in determining which
content
is most suitable for a specific user. Content can be considered suitable
because it is
both appropriate for the user's viewing, and because it includes content that
is likely
to be interesting to that specific user. Some examples include sending content
related
to the outdoors to a user interested in outdoors activities, or sending
content related to
arts and crafts to an artist, etc.
[0010] In many cases, the developer of the primary application desires to have
targeted content presented within the primary application in order to enrich
the
experience of the user or to present advertising. However, most third-party
developers do not have the means to determine which content is most suitable
for
presentation.
[0011] Accordingly, the primary application can request a targeted application
from
the operating system, or a service sufficiently trusted by the operating
system, that has
access to data that can be useful in determining suitable content. Such data
can be
compiled as targeting data, and sent to a trusted service specialized in
determining the
most suitable content to be presented within the primary application.
Importantly,
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,
while the targeting data can describe a user's preferences, previous search
terms,
interests, location, etc., no information that can relate this targeting data
to the
identity of the user is recorded or shared. The targeting data can also
include less
personal information, such as information about the primary application or
type of
device which has requested the targeted application.
[0011a] Accordingly, in a further aspect, the present invention
provides a method
comprising: receiving, at a daemon, a request for a targeted application to be
displayed within a view in a primary application, the daemon being a
background
process in an operating system executing on a device, wherein the request is
received
from the primary application executing on the device; collecting, at the
daemon,
targeting data, the targeting data including device and operating system data
that the
primary application is prohibited from accessing; sending, by the daemon, the
targeting data to an application server; receiving the targeted application
from the
application server, the targeted application being selected by the application
server
based on an analysis of the targeting data; and presenting the targeted
application
within the view in the primary application.
[0011b] In a still further aspect, the present invention
provides a system for
presentation of targeted content on a handheld communication device
comprising: a
processor configured to execute a daemon to collect requests for a targeted
application and targeting data, the daemon being a background process in an
operating system executing on a device, wherein the request is received from a
primary application executing on the device; a communications interface
configured
to send a request for the targeted application, to send the targeting data to
an
applications server, and to download the targeted application from the
applications
server, the targeted application determined based on the targeting data; and
the
processor further configured to display the targeted application within the
primary
application.
[00121 The service, hereinafter referred to as an application
server, can process
the received targeting data and determine the most suitable targeted
application,
selected from targeted applications available to or known by the application
server,
and send the targeted application to the requesting device.
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[0013] The requesting device can be directed to download the targeted
application sent from the server and can present the targeted application
within the
view of the primary application that is reserved for targeted applications.
[0014] In some embodiments of the technology, the targeted application can
be
an HTML application, such as an HTML5 application, video, game, puzzle,
advertisement, image or any other suitable application.
[0015] In some embodiments of the technology, a banner looking like the
targeted application can be initially downloaded and presented in place of the
targeted
application while the targeted application completes downloading. This can be
desirable to quickly 0 in the view reserved for the targeted application while
the
application completes downloading.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary display presenting a targeted
application
within a primary application;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method embodiment for receiving
a
targeted application based on targeting data;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method embodiment for
downloading
the targeted application and initial views thereof;
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates multiple views of the targeted application
corresponding
to portrait and landscape display orientations;
[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates a banner image for the targeted application that
is a
portion of the full screen view of the targeted application and a transition
from the
banner to the full screen view;
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[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates a point-of-sale embodiment without navigating away
from
the targeted application;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method embodiment for completing
the
sale of a product without navigating away from the targeted application; and
[0023] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary system embodiment.
DESCRIPTION
[0024] The technology described herein relates to presenting a targeted
application
within a primary application whereby the targeted application can be
identified using
a background process to access sensitive data that must be treated with due
care
appropriate to its sensitive nature.
[0025] The background process works as a daemon to respond to requests for a
targeted application from the primary application. The daemon can have access
to
sensitive information that should not be shared with third-party applications
and using
the sensitive data, it can determine which targeted application should be
returned to
the primary application.
[0026] Such sensitive data can be application-targeting data, which can be
used to
deliver content that is targeted to a user of a device. The application-
targeting data
can include information about the device or about the user. For example,
application-
targeting data can include information identifying: the type of the device,
applications
loaded or running on the device, preferences, frequently viewed websites,
frequently
used applications, global positioning system data (GPS data), the operating
system,
etc. Due to the sensitive nature of much of this data, it is important that
this data not
be shared with third-party developers who could misuse the data or whose
applications might be more vulnerable to hacking than an operating system. It
is
important to note, that while the operating system has access to this data,
most
operating system developers take great care to divorce these characteristics
from the
user itself to keep the individual user as anonymous as possible. It is a
preferred
aspect of the present technology that the identity of the user remains
anonymous
while still accessing enough data to provide properly targeted material.
[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary device 102 displaying a primary
application
104 and a targeted application 106 in a view 108 within the primary
application 104.
As illustrated, the device 102 is a handheld computing device, for example, a
smart
phone, e.g., an IPHONE, by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, CA. However, the device
102
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can be any computing device such as a personal computer, laptop, or personal
media-
playing device; even a household appliance having a processor and a display
can be
used with the present technology.
[0028] The primary application 104 can be any application that reserves a view
108
or a window or a frame to display a second application 106. In some
embodiments,
the view has a standard dimension that is consistent across all potential
primary
applications. In some embodiments, the view 108 occupies about ten percent of
the
available screen area. Of course, the targeted application can occupy any
desired
portion of the primary application. However, the area of the targeted
application
should not be so large as to obscure or detract from the primary application,
yet the
targeted application should be large enough to view and interact with.
Accordingly,
the targeted application could be between one and sixty percent of the
available
screen area.
[0029] The targeted application 106 can be any application having content that
is
created with an audience in mind and can be targeted to that audience. For
example,
the application can be a game for children; a web application targeted at
sports fans;
or an advertisement for home improvement products targeted at home owners. In
some preferred embodiments, the targeted application 106 can have some
relationship
to the primary application 104, such as a similarity in the target demographic
for the
audiences of both applications or in the nature of the content of the
applications, etc.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method embodiment for providing the
targeted application for presentation within the primary application. When the
primary application launches, it requests a targeted application for display
in the view
reserved for the targeted application and the request is received by a
background
process (202), a daemon.
[0031] The daemon has access to and collects various information to be used in
determining which targeted application to provide to the primary application.
This
information, called targeting data, is collected from the application and the
operating
system.
[0032] The daemon receives some targeting data directly from the primary
application (204). For example the primary application requests a targeted
application
that can fit reserved views of specified dimensions and/or number of views.
The
primary application can also request applications that meet other
specifications, e.g.,
specifications such as content type (sports applications, retail applications,
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educational applications, etc.), target demographic information, etc. In
some
embodiments these specifications can be sent by the primary application as
part of the
request for a targeted application while in some embodiments these
specifications can
be sent in a separate communication.
[0033] Additionally, the daemon polls the operating system for additional
targeting
data (206). Since the daemon is a background process that is part of the
operating
system, it has access to a variety of targeting data that can be used to
determine the
optimum content to display to a user. This data can include user preferences,
such as
configuration preferences; it can also include data identifying specific
applications
installed or running on the device, or more general information about the
applications
identifying applications by broad category; it can include information
identifying the
primary application requesting the targeted application; it can include past
internet
search terms, topics extracted from electronic communications; it can include
network
information such as network state, roaming information, type of connection
such as 3-
G, 2-G, wi-fl, connection speeds, etc., and carrier information; it can
include general
user information such as country of residence, home zip code, phone number
area
code, language preferences, keyboard configuration, and parental restrictions;
it can
include device information such as screen dimensions, screen resolution,
hardware
capabilities, a device ID, etc.; it can include data extracted from a social
network
profile, for example what groups or applications the user is a member of,
etc., or from
an online store profile; and it can include other targeting data. The daemon
can also
have access to various hardware components of the device and can access
targeting
data such as GPS locations. In short, since the daemon is part of the
operating
system, it is deemed trusted enough to learn targeting data, some of which can
be
considered sensitive information, for the limited use of determining the
optimum
targeted content. While some examples of targeting data are listed above, they
should
not be considered limiting, but rather exemplary for the purposes of providing
a fuller
explanation of the present technology.
[0034] User protection and privacy is a primary concern, and one of the many
benefits of the present technology is the protection of the user's sensitive
information
while gaining the benefit of using the data to determine the optimum content
to
display to a specific user. Among other protections provided by the present
technology, the daemon can be trusted to not share any identifying
information. The
user's identity is separate from the targeting data used in selecting the
targeted
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applications and not shared, thus keeping the user associated with the
targeting data
anonymous.
[0035] As introduced above, the daemon can learn of the primary application's
identity from the operating system. While the primary application can send
this
information directly to the daemon in its request for a targeted application,
in some
environments, it is more desirable for the daemon to positively identify the
application from the operating system itself. For example, in a system wherein
all
applications on the device originated from an associated store, the daemon can
positively identify the application because the application comes from the
store and is
therefore highly likely to be correctly identified. Some stores
cryptographically sign
each application and include a unique key to identify the application. Every
message
sent by one application to another application on the device must identify
itself with
this key. In such systems each application can know with confidence that the
calling
application is as it appears, which makes the device more secure.
Additionally,
because the store is the source of the application, the store will often have
more
detailed information regarding the application and this data is not subject to
manipulation by the software developer. Correctly identifying the application
enables
the application server to provide better targeted applications, to avoid
presenting
another ad for this same application to the user, and to track payments to the
developer of the application.
[0036] The targeting data can be sent to an application server (208) to
determine
which targeted application should be presented to the user. The daemon can
communicate with the application server using any suitable protocol, but in
some
embodiments, the daemon and the application server communicate via https. The
application server can process the received targeting data using algorithms
engineered
for the purpose of selecting the targeted application. Importantly, the
application
server never learns the identity of the user, although it will use information
about the
user in determining the content to deliver to the user.
[0037] Once the application server determines which content to deliver to the
user,
it can send the content to the device and the daemon thereon. The daemon
receives
metadata describing the targeted application (210) and forwards the metadata
to the
primary application. The primary application then downloads the targeted
application
specified by the metadata and by storing the targeted application in a cache
specific to
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the primary application. The primary application can then present a targeted
application stored in its cache in the view field within the primary
application (212).
[0038] Operating in this manner, the primary application can always present a
targeted application that is already stored in its cache without calling the
daemon. As
illustrated in FIG. 2, when the primary application is launched (201) it can
immediately display one of the targeted applications stored in its cache
(214). If there
are multiple targeted applications stored in the cache, the targeted
application can
present them in a round-robin fashion.
[0039] However, it is not desirable to allow the primary application to only
retrieve
a targeted application once and then always display it from the cache.
Targeted
applications can have limited life spans, or restrictions on the number of
times the
application can be presented. Such restrictions may be tied to the life of the
targeted
application or to only one session of the primary application. When the
primary
application requires a new targeted application it will request the targeted
application
from the daemon (204) as described above.
[0040] In some embodiments the application server can determine that multiple
targeted applications should be sent to the device. In such embodiments, the
first
targeted application that is downloaded will be the first targeted application
presented
in the primary application.
[0041] In summary, the daemon functions as a proxy for the application server.
The
daemon receives requests for targeted applications and forwards targeted
applications
to the primary application. However, because the daemon is a process of the
operating system it is also ideally suited to mine data that is needed by the
application
server to select the best targeted content for presentation in the primary
application.
[0042] In addition to the proxy-like functions already described, in some
embodiments the daemon can have additional proxy-like attributes. In such
embodiments, targeted applications can be stored in a device-wide cache. The
daemon can be configured to have limited logic, usually reserved for the
application
server, to select a targeted application from the pool of targeted
applications stored in
the device-wide cache. The targeted applications in a device-wide cache would
include all applications downloaded from the application server over a certain
period
irrespective of which primary application for which the targeted applications
were
originally intended.
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[0043] FIG. 3 illustrates a process for downloading the full content of the
targeted
application that balances the competing interests of immediately displaying
content so
that the reserved view is not left blank with presenting a fully operational
and
interactive application. Initially, a static view of the targeted
application is
downloaded (302) and displayed (304).
[0044] In some embodiments, the targeted application can have more than one
basic
application configuration. Multiple basic configurations can be used, for
example, in
situations where the primary application can be presented in multiple
presentation
formats, e.g., landscape or portrait views corresponding to the availability
of
landscape and portrait orientations of the device display. In such
embodiments, one
or both of the basic application configurations can be initially downloaded
(302).
[0045] After the initial application configuration has been downloaded it is
displayed within the primary application (304). Initially, the targeted
application
displays as a static banner, the rest of the application content has been
optimistically
pre-fetched (306) the targeted application is available for full interaction.
[0046] While only a small portion of the targeted application is displayed, it
can be
interactive and full of rich content. The additional content can be pre-
fetched so that
the targeted application can present a functional user interface immediately
upon
being selected and then download additional resources as the user requests
them by
interacting with the application.
[0047] This method of downloading the targeted application overcomes some of
the
drawbacks related to serving the targeted application from a remote server. By
initially downloading the initial application configurations, content is
quickly made
available for display on the device. This minimizes the possibility that the
targeted-
application view will be left blank while the full content is downloaded. The
full
content of the application is further downloaded and cached so that future
interaction
with the application will not be delayed by additional downloading operations.
The
application is optimistically downloaded so that all of the content is
available
immediately.
[0048] As mentioned above, multiple application configurations can be
downloaded
if the device has multiple possible presentation formats, such as portrait and
landscape. In such aspects, it is anticipated that a view in portrait will not
be as
desirable in landscape. In some embodiments, it is desired that the targeted-
application view and corresponding targeted-application configuration occupy
only
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about ten percent of the display. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the targeted-
application
view in the portrait view (402) is fatter but thinner than the targeted-
application view
in the landscape view (404). Both views take up only about ten percent of the
available screen area.
[0049] When the device is in a first orientation, for example a portrait
orientation,
and then rotates to a second orientation, for example a landscape orientation,
the
targeted-application view can resize along with the rest of the primary
application,
and the targeted-application configuration for that orientation can be
displayed. When
the device is rotated into a different orientation, the primary application
will react to
the change in orientation by rotating its view and resizing itself according
to the new
orientation. Along with this process, the primary application can can present
an
alternate configuration for the targeted application that corresponds to the
current
orientation of the device which was downloaded along with the targeted
application.
In other words, a primary application that can be displayed in both landscape
and
portrait orientations will download a targeted application that can fit both
orientations.
When the device is rotated, the targeted application changes shape and
animates to
show content appropriate to the new aspect ratio. The content is still the
same
targeted application; it just has a slightly different representation for the
new aspect
ratio.
[0050] Except while the targeted application is being downloaded, the targeted
application can be interactive. As illustrated in FIG.5, the targeted
application (504)
can be selected using a pointing device (506). In the illustrated embodiment,
the
device has a touch screen input and thus a finger touch is illustrated,
although any
other selection mechanism is acceptable. Upon selection, the targeted
application
expands (504') to reveal its full view. In some embodiments, such as the
embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 5, the targeted application can be shown in a reduced view
or a full
view. At the left of FIG. 5, the targeted application is shown in a reduced
view (504),
while at the far right the full view (504") is illustrated. Upon selecting the
reduced
view (504), the targeted application morphs into its full view. The morphing
is
illustrated in the middle of FIG. 5 with 504' illustrating the transition
between the
reduced view (504) and the full view (504"). In other words, targeted
applications
can include banner images such that the targeted application shown in the
primary
application is a slice of a larger image that is seamlessly revealed when
selected. This
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full screen targeted application provides the full interactive content of the
targeted
application.
[0051] In some aspects of the technology, the targeted application either
advertises
products for purchase or links to an online store to purchase products. In
such aspects
of the technology, it is undesirable to have the user navigate away from the
application because such additional steps reduce the likelihood that a sale
will be
converted. Accordingly, the present technology provides for allowing a user to
purchase products outside of the targeted application, while maintaining the
appearance that the user is still operating within the targeted application.
[0052] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary user interface for allowing a user to
purchase
a product outside of the targeted application while the user experience
maintains the
appearance of being within the targeted application. As illustrated, the
targeted
application (602) is advertising ITEM X (a hypothetical item for purchase),
which the
user has selected to purchase. A purchase interface (604) is further shown
overlaid
the targeted application. In some embodiments, the purchase interface (604) is
translucent or has transparent portions so that the targeted application (602)
remains at
least partially visible through the purchase interface. While the purchase
interface
(604) looks like it is part of the targeted application (602), it is really an
extension of
an online store. As an example, ITEM X could be a media item such as a movie
or
music, which is available for purchase from an online store, such as ITUNES,
by
Apple Inc., of Cupertino, CA. In such an example, the targeted application
could be a
game or video or advertisement relating to the media item. The media item is
not sold
by the targeted application; it is sold by the online media store.
Accordingly, the
purchase interface is an extension of the online store and can be used to
allow the user
to purchase the media item from the store. To the user, it as though they
bought the
media item from the targeted application.
[0053] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method for providing a point of
purchase that
appears to be within the targeted application. The targeted application is
displayed on
the device and it advertises a product for sale (702). If a user wishes to
purchase the
item, the user can select the product for purchase using an input device and
the input
is detected by the system (704). Responsive to the received user input, the
system can
request data needed to provide a purchase interface (706). In some
embodiments, the
data needed to provide the purchase interface includes data representing the
entire
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purchase interface, while in some embodiments it includes data representing
information used to fill out fields in a template purchase interface.
[0054] Whether a template purchase interface is used with data from the store,
or a
purchase interface sent by the store is used, the purchase interface is
displayed
overlaid the targeted application (708). As addressed above, in some
embodiments,
the purchase interface is displayed as a substantially translucent or
transparent
interface so that at least portions of the targeted application can be seen
through the
purchase interface.
[0055] Receiving user inputs effective to complete the purchase completes the
purchase (710). Responsive to those inputs, the system can communicate the
confirmed purchase with the online store. The purchase interface can be
removed and
the user is returned to the targeted application or the primary application
(712).
[0056] The targeted application can be a program, applet, image, object with
hyperlinks, html application, video, flash object, etc. It can be for any
purpose
including, gaming, video, web interaction, advertising, document preparation,
presenting, etc.
[0057] In some embodiments, the targeted application is an HTML5 web
application for the purpose of advertising. In such embodiments, the primary
application can call the operating system requesting an advertisement to be
displayed
in the view reserved for that purpose in the primary application. The
operating
system can use a daemon to collect advertisement targeting information that
can be
sent to an advertising server which can select and serve an advertisement that
is best
suited for display to the specific user in that primary application.
[0058] The device can download initial banner views of the advertisement
suitable
for display in any display orientation, which the primary application is
expected to
run. For example, the primary application might be expected to run in a
portrait and a
landscape orientation and, accordingly, the device will download the
advertisement
banners to be initially displayed.
[0059] The banners for portrait and landscape orientation can be standard
sizes,
which, in some embodiments, should not take up more than ten percent of the
display
area. When the orientation of the device changes from portrait to landscape or
landscape to portrait, the banner corresponding to the orientation will be
loaded and
displayed.
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[0060] The device can thereafter download the HTML5 version of the
advertisement that contains interactive features to enrich the user's
experience with
the advertisement. Additionally, the device can preload a web archive of
additional
content associated with the ad so that the advertisement can present its full
functional
advertisement content without waiting for the additional content to be
downloaded.
However, it may be necessary or desired to download some content upon request.
[0061] In some embodiments, the banner, which is initially displayed, is
actually
only a small portion of the full targeted-advertisement application. When a
user
selects the banner, the full advertisement can be displayed. In such
embodiments, an
animation can show the banner portion of the targeted-advertisement
application grow
into the full advertisement, or the animation can show the primary application
being
pulled back to reveal the full ad. Other animations are possible. It is also
possible
that the banner is just a link to the full targeted-advertisement application,
which can
be loaded upon selection of the banner.
[0062] The full targeted-advertisement application can have a variety of
interactive
functions. The advertisement can present a game, information, or any other
desired
content. The advertisement can also provide a point of purchase for one or
more
advertised items. While it will most commonly be the case that the
advertisement is
providing a link to an online store that is the entity actually selling the
advertised
items, to the user, it looks as if the advertisement is the entity selling the
item because
the user will not have to leave the advertisement to complete the purchase.
[0063] When a user desires to purchase an advertised product, the user can
select
the product from the advertisement. The advertisement can request information
to
complete a purchase interface, or can request a purchase interface directly
from the
store. The purchase interface can be displayed directly in, or above, the
advertisement
program and thus the purchase is completed without navigating away from the
advertisement program.
[0064] The present technology also protects the operating system and the
primary
application from unstable and malicious targeted applications by running the
targeted
application as a separate process. In some embodiments, the targeted
application is
run in a virtual machine type environment or given access to limited
resources. In
some embodiments, the targeted application is run in a sandbox so that it
cannot effect
the primary application or operating system. Running the targeted application
in a
sandboxed environment allows the targeted application to crash or freeze and
be quit
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without effecting the primary application. It also prevents the targeted
application
from including malicious content or extracting data from the primary
application.
[0065] FIG. 8 illustrates a computer system 800 used in executing the
described
method. Computer system 800 is an example of computer hardware, software, and
firmware that can be used to implement disclosures above. System 800 includes
a
processor 820, representative of any number of physically and/or logically
distinct
resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardware configured to
perform identified computations. Processor 820 communicates with a chipset 822
that can control input to and output from processor 820. In this example,
chipset 822
outputs information to display 840 and can read and write information to non-
volatile
storage 860, which can include magnetic media and solid-state media, for
example.
Chipset 822 also can read data from and write data to RAM 870. A bridge 835
for
interfacing with a variety of user interface components can be provided for
interfacing
with chipset 822. Such user interface components can include a keyboard 836, a
microphone 837, touch detection and processing circuitry 838, a pointing
device, such
as a mouse 839, and so on. In general, inputs to system 800 can come from any
of a
variety of sources, machine-generated and/or human-generated.
[0066] Chipset 822 also can interface with one or more data network interfaces
825
that can have different physical interfaces 817. Such data network interfaces
can
include interfaces for wired and wireless local area networks, for broadband
wireless
networks, as well as personal area networks. Some applications of the methods
for
collecting data in the location-popularity index and ranking and returning
location
search results disclosed herein can include receiving data over physical
interface 817
or be generated by the machine itself by processor 820 analyzing data stored
in
memory 860 or 870. Further, the machine can receive inputs from a user via
devices
836, 837, 838, 839 and execute appropriate functions, such as browsing
functions, by
interpreting these inputs using processor 820.
[0067] Methods according to the above-described examples can be implemented
using computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwise available
from
computer-readable media. Such instructions comprise, for example, instructions
and
data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special
purpose
computer, or special-purpose processing device to perform a certain function
or group
of functions. Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a
network.
The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,
intermediate-
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format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code,
including
transitory signals carrying the instructions. Examples of computer-readable
media
that may be used to store instructions, information used, and/or information
created
during methods according to described examples include magnetic or optical
disks,
flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage
devices, and so on.
[0068] Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can
comprise
hardware, firmware, and/or software, and can take any of a variety of form
factors.
Typical examples of such form factors include laptops, smart phones, small
form
factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, and so on.
Functionality
described herein also can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such
functionality also can be implemented on a circuit board among different chips
or
different processes executing in a single device, by way of further example.
[0069] The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing
resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such
computing
resources are means for providing the functions described in these
disclosures.
[0070] Although a variety of examples and other information was used to
explain
aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims
should be
implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one
of
ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of
implementations. Further, and although some subject matter may have been
described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or
method steps,
it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims
is not
necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For
example, such
functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other
than
those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are
disclosed as
examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended
claims.
