(12) United States Patent
`Ashmore
`
`(54) COMBINING MARKERS WITH LOCATION
`INFORMATION TO DELIVER DOMAIN(cid:173)
`SPECIFIC CONTENT TO MOBILE DEVICES
`
`(75)
`
`Inventor: Bradley C. Ashmore, Mountain View,
`CA(US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Knowtate, Inc., Mountain View, CA
`(US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 221 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/833,207
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`(65)
`
`(51)
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2002/0147004 Al Oct. 10, 2002
`
`Int. Cl.7 .................................................. H04Q 7/20
`U.S. Cl. ................................ 455/456.3; 455/414.2;
`455/422.1; 455/432.1; 455/456.1
`Field of Search ................................. 455/456, 457,
`455/414, 422, 432, 458, 461, 456.1, 456.3;
`340/995, 988, 990; 701/208, 209, 201
`
`References Cited
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`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`I IIIII IIIIIIII Ill lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll 111111111111111111
`US006738630B2
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,738,630 B2
`May 18, 2004
`
`WO
`
`WO 00/67155 A2
`
`11/2000
`
`........... G06F/17/30
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`"i3 Mobile and BarPoint.com to Provide Product Informa(cid:173)
`tion and Price Comparisons Via Wireless Devices," PR
`Newswire, Sep. 12, 2000, [ online ], [ retrieved on Jun. 13,
`2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www.fin(cid:173)
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`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`Primary Examiner-Sonny Trinh
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fenwick & West LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system and method provides content to a mobile device in
`response to a marker received from the device and an
`associated context. A mobile device user initiates delivery of
`content or another action by entering the marker into the
`mobile device. The mobile device transmits the marker to a
`mobile network support system having a context server for
`supplying a context for the marker. The support system
`forms a message including the marker and context, and
`sends it to a content server. The content server uses the
`context to map the marker to a domain, retrieves from a
`content database the content identified by the marker and
`domain, and sends the content to the mobile network support
`system or performs another action with the content. The
`mobile network support system then transmits the content
`back to the mobile device.
`
`WO
`
`WO 00/45302 Al
`
`8/2000
`
`........... G06F/17 /30
`
`58 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
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`-
`
`-
`
`Base Station
`122
`
`Gateway
`124
`
`Mobile Device
`130
`
`Context Server
`126
`
`120
`
`100
`
`Content
`
`Database
`111
`
`l-------------·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·--·-·-·-·
`
`Twitter Exhibit 1046
`Twitter, Inc. v. BlackBerry Ltd.
`Page 00001
`
`

`

`US 6,738,630 B2
`Page 2
`
`OIBER PUBLICATIONS
`
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`Infospace, Inc., "Powering Integrated, Private-Labeled Ser(cid:173)
`vices to any Wireless Device," [ online ], [ retrieved on Jun.
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`story/0,,s2076550,00.html>, 2 pages.
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`on Jun. 13, 2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL:
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`b3684037.htm?scriptFramed>, 2 pages.
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`2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www.air(cid:173)
`clic.com/>, 1 page.
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`Connect Things and AirClic Form New Company to Drive
`the Growth of E-commerce through One-Scan Access to the
`Internet," Jun. 15, 2000, [ online ], [ retrieved on Jun. 13,
`2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www.sym(cid:173)
`bol.com/news/pressreleases/pr_motor.html>, 5 pages.
`Eastern Technology Council, Member Directory, [ online ],
`[ retrieved on Jun. 13, 2001]. Retrieved from the Internet
`<URL:
`http://www.techcouncil.org/detail.cfm?TechCoun(cid:173)
`cillD=l359>, 2 pages.
`"Competition," [ online ], [retrieved on Jun. 13, 2001].
`Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://filebox.vt.edu/
`users/ddiperna/website/COMPETITION.htm>, 1 page.
`BarPoint.com, "About Us," [online], [retrieved on Jun. 13,
`2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www.bar(cid:173)
`point.com/cgi-bin/barp .. ./template.jsp?template_type=
`Company&title=About_Us>, 1 page.
`
`Voelker et al., "Mobisaic: An Information System for a
`Mobile Wireless Computing Environment," Department of
`Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washing(cid:173)
`ton, Sep. 19, 1994, 7 pages.
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`tion Service for Mobile Clients," Jul. 17, 1995, Rutgers
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`loc_dep_mosaic/Overview.html>, 26 pages.
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`story2/0,1072,29786,00.html>, 3 pages.
`Niedzwiadek, "Java™ Location Services: The New Stan(cid:173)
`dard for Location-enabled e-Business," [ online ], [retrieved
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`javalocationServices.html>, 17 pages.
`
`Nokia.com, Presentation, [online], [retrieved on Jun. 13,
`2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www(cid:173)
`nrc.nokia.com/jp-location/location-services-hill.ppt>,
`5
`pages.
`Directionsmag.com, "Vicinity Teams with AT&T Wireless
`to Provide Location-Based Application for AT&T Digital
`PocketNet Service," [online], [retrieved on Jun. 13, 2001].
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`mag.com/pressreleases.asp?PressID=1804>, 3 pages.
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`13, 2001]. Retrieved from the Internet <URL: http://www.i(cid:173)
`e tf. org/inte met-cir afts/
`draft-korkea-aho-isl-scenarios-00.txt>, 11 pages.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
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`US 6,738,630 B2
`
`1
`COMBINING MARKERS WITH LOCATION
`INFORMATION TO DELIVER DOMAIN(cid:173)
`SPECIFIC CONTENT TO MOBILE DEVICES
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention relates generally to wireless technology,
`and particularly to providing information to wireless mobile
`devices.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`2
`mobile device user initiates the delivery of the desired
`content or another action by entering the marker into a
`mobile device. The mobile device transmits the marker to
`the mobile network support system. Preferably, a context
`5 server within the mobile network support system determines
`a context for the marker, such as the geographic location of
`the mobile device. Then, the mobile network support system
`sends a message including the marker and the context to the
`content server.
`The content server is in communication with a content
`database, which stores content associated with markers for
`specified domains. A domain mapping module within the
`content server uses the context information to map the
`marker to a domain. The content server retrieves the content
`15 referenced by the given marker and domain from the content
`database and sends it to the mobile network support system,
`which then transmits the content to the mobile device.
`Alternatively, the content server uses the content to contact
`the entity associated with the marker on behalf of the mobile
`20 device user or performs some other action.
`
`10
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for
`25 providing content to a mobile device according to an
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of a computer system
`for use as a content server according to one embodiment of
`the present invention.
`FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary situation in
`which a mobile device user uses an embodiment of the
`present invention to obtain desired content.
`FIG. 4 is a ladder diagram illustrating a process for
`providing content corresponding to a marker having a
`35 context, according to an embodiment of the present inven(cid:173)
`tion.
`
`With the rapid expansion of wireless technology, many
`hand-held mobile devices are now capable of various
`applications, such as performing stock trades, sending/
`receiving text messages, etc. As wireless technology
`becomes more pervasive, it opens up new windows for
`companies and content providers to deliver personalized and
`localized information to mobile device holders. For
`example, a mobile device holder on the move may need
`information such as local weather, local maps, and/or direc(cid:173)
`tions to local hotels and restaurants, and it is desirable to
`deliver this information directly to the mobile device.
`Companies and content providers do not usually know
`what information a mobile device holder may desire at a
`particular time and location. Some companies and content
`providers have designed applications to push information to
`mobile devices based on the assumption that at least some of
`the device holders are at locations where the information is
`useful. However, as usually happens, a large percentage of 30
`this information is not useful to the vast majority of mobile
`device users. This unwanted information can flood the
`mobile devices and consume bandwidth, memory, and bat(cid:173)
`tery power.
`For these reasons, it is more efficient for a mobile device
`user to initiate the delivery of desired information, for
`example, by entering the universal resource locater ("URL")
`of a website holding the desired information. On the other
`hand, a mobile device user may be limited by the capabilities
`of the mobile device. For example, a cell phone has a small 40
`monochrome screen and no convenient way to input long
`text strings. The user of the cell phone may find it easier to
`dial "411" than to input names or addresses via multiple
`button presses in order to make use of a wireless directory
`look-up service. Also, much like the current concerns with 45
`people driving and using a cell phone, there are safety issues
`related to people in automobiles trying to obtain content on
`the Internet by entering long strings of URLs. Moreover, a
`URL is often not easy to memorize. Therefore, a user may
`have to go through lengthy searches on the Internet to find 50
`a desired website. These searches consume time and battery
`power, and are not practical when the user is driving a
`vehicle.
`Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and
`system for providing desired content to a mobile device
`holder without the aforementioned disadvantages.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for
`providing content to a mobile device 130, according to an
`embodiment of the present invention. The system 100
`includes a content server 110 coupled to a network 101, such
`as the Internet, a mobile network support system 120 in
`communication with the network 101, and the mobile device
`130. The system 100 makes use of a display 140 for
`informing a user of the mobile device 130 of a marker 141.
`The marker 141 is a number, a text string, a pictogram, or
`any other symbol or series of symbols that the mobile device
`user can enter into his or her mobile device 130 to request
`content. Preferably, the marker 141 is a short number, such
`as "42," that is easy to read, remember, and enter into the
`mobile device 130. The marker 141 may also be a word,
`55 such as "food," "traffic," or a business name, a short phrase,
`and/or a particular color or sound.
`In general, the marker 141 is associated with an entity
`such as a restaurant, hotel, theater, store, corporation, school,
`or road sign. In addition, a marker 141 may be associated
`60 with more general concepts, such as weather, traffic
`conditions, Mexican food, etc. Preferably, the mobile device
`user uses the marker 141 to obtain information about the
`entity or concept associated with the marker. Typically, this
`information is in the form of content, such as restaurant
`65 menus, theater show times, or traffic conditions.
`However, there may be instances where the mobile user
`uses the marker 141 to obtain a service or cause an event to
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention meets the above need by assigning
`a short identifier, called a "marker," to an entity about which
`the mobile device user is interested in obtaining information.
`In one embodiment of the present invention, every marker is
`associated with a particular domain, such as a geographic
`area. Markers can be re-used in different domains.
`In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes a
`mobile network support system and a content server. The
`
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`US 6,738,630 B2
`
`10
`
`3
`occur that does not directly provide additional information
`to the user. For example, the user may use the marker 141
`to cause content to be mailed, electronically or otherwise, to
`an address associated with the user. In another example, the
`user may use the marker 141 to establish a connection with
`an entity such as a reservation service so that the user can
`provide and/or obtain additional information. Regardless,
`this description refers to the mobile user as using the marker
`141 to obtain "content." It will be understood by those of
`ordinary skill in the art that "content" includes all possible
`benefits that may accrue to the mobile user through the use
`of the marker 141.
`In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
`marker 141 is valid in view of one or more particular types
`of domains. Possible types of domains for a marker include
`geographic areas, times, dates, and/or events. A domain can
`be contiguous or discontiguous. In a preferred embodiment
`of the present invention, the domain is one or more geo(cid:173)
`graphical areas. Examples of geographical areas that may be
`defined as domains include particular counties, cities, towns,
`districts, school campuses, shopping centers, buildings, and
`geographic areas surrounding the marker 141 or some other
`location, such as the areas around particular roads or
`highways, paths formed by bus routes, and cellular tele(cid:173)
`phone base stations. Since a meaning for a particular marker
`141 is valid for only a particular domain, a marker 141 can
`be reused and have a different meaning in a different domain.
`In one embodiment of the present invention, the marker
`141 is illustrated on a display 140, such as a billboard or
`other physical object having a fixed location and/or known
`to reside in a prescribed location or volumetric region. For
`example, the display 140 can illustrate the marker 141 as
`part of an advertisement and/or together with other charac(cid:173)
`teristics of the entity with which the marker 141 is assigned,
`such as a sign at a store, restaurant, motel, theater, school,
`etc. The display 140 can also be a mobile object that either
`moves through a known domain or otherwise makes appar(cid:173)
`ent a domain for the marker 141. For example, a bus might
`display the message "Enter '42' for traffic information."
`Since the route of the bus is known, the domain of the
`marker 141 is also known. In another example, a matchbook
`or phonebook, displays the message "When in San Jose,
`enter marker '42' for local weather information." In this
`latter example, the domain for which the marker 141 is valid
`is explicitly specified; the marker may have another meaning
`outside of San Jose.
`Alternatively, the display 140 can be anything else
`through which the mobile user learns about the marker 141.
`For example, the display 140 can be orally or visually
`communicated via a radio or television. For example, a radio
`advertisement might say "Enter '42' for locations of theatres
`near you showing 'Star Wars: Episode Two' starting within
`the next two hours." The display 140 may also be a personal
`computer or any other device through which the mobile
`device user learns about the marker 141.
`The mobile device 130, to which the mobile device user
`preferably has direct access, is preferably a wireless device
`that can accept input from and provide output to the mobile
`device user in various forms. For example, the mobile
`device 130 can accept input as keypad presses, spoken 60
`words or phrases, and/or direct electronic data input.
`Likewise, the mobile device 130 can provide output as text
`messages, icons or other pictograms, video, and/or audio.
`Examples of mobile devices include cellular telephones,
`satellite telephones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs ), 65
`pagers, portable computers, and in-vehicle communications
`systems such as the Onstar system available from General
`
`4
`Motors Corporation. Preferably, the mobile device 130
`supports the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), however,
`it should be understood that the present invention works
`with wireless and/or wired devices that support WAP or
`5 other protocols. For example, the mobile device 130 may
`support standard telephony protocols, such as dual-tone
`multi-frequency ("DTMF," or "touch-tone") instead of or in
`addition to other protocols such as WAP. The terms "mobile
`device" and "wireless device," as used herein, are also
`intended to include devices that are in fact not mobile and/or
`wireless.
`The mobile device 130 communicates via wireless and/or
`wired technologies with a base station 122 in a mobile
`network support system 120. The base station 122 is typi-
`15 cally either ground-based or satellite-based depending upon
`the type of communication utilized by the mobile device
`130. For example, if the mobile device 130 is a cellular
`phone, the base station 122 preferably includes a cellular
`base antenna and associated hardware and software for
`20 engaging in two-way communications with the cellular
`phone. If the mobile device 130 is a satellite-based
`telephone, the base station 122 preferably includes the
`hardware and software for supporting satellite uplink and
`downlink capabilities. Alternatively, if the mobile device
`25 130 is a laptop having a network connection, the base station
`122 may be simply an Internet server maintained by an
`Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other entity.
`In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
`base station 122 communicates with multiple mobile devices
`30 simultaneously through radio links using an established
`protocol, such as WAP or the i-Mode protocol from NTT
`DoCoMo. WAP is a standard for providing cellular phones,
`pagers and other handheld devices with secure access to
`e-mail and text-based Web pages. WAP provides an envi-
`35 ronment for wireless applications including a wireless coun(cid:173)
`terpart of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Proto(cid:173)
`col (TCP/IP) and a framework for telephony integration
`such as call control and phone book access. WAP supports
`the Wireless Markup Language (WML), which is a tag-
`40 based language allowing standard EXtensible Markup Lan(cid:173)
`guage (XML) and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
`tools to be used to develop WAP applications. WAP also uses
`WMLScript, a compact JavaScript-like language that runs in
`limited memory. In addition, WAP supports handheld input
`45 methods such as a keypad and voice recognition, and
`requires only a minimum functionality in the mobile device.
`i-Mode is a packet-based information service for mobile
`phones. i-Mode provides Web browsing, e-mail, calendar,
`chat, games and customized news. i-Mode uses a proprietary
`50 display language called cHTML.
`The mobile network support system 120 also preferably
`includes a context server 126 for providing contextual
`information for markers 141 in messages received from
`mobile devices 130. In general, the context server 126
`55 receives information from the base station 122 and/or the
`mobile device 130 and determines the context associated
`with the marker 141 sent by the device. As mentioned above,
`in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the
`context is the geographic location of the mobile device 130.
`The context server 126 preferably determines this location
`from the base station 122 or network that received the signal
`from the mobile device 130.
`The context information may include data such as a
`heading, velocity, and altitude for the mobile device 130. To
`provide this more detailed context information, the context
`server 126 or base station 126 may utilize technologies
`including overlay triangulation based on timing or angle of
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`US 6,738,630 B2
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`20
`
`5
`signal transmission and reception at the mobile device 130
`and/or base station 122. Such triangulation typically uses
`Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD) and Time of
`Arrival (TOA) information. Alternatively, global positioning
`system (GPS) technology may be included in the mobile 5
`device 130. In this latter case, an embodiment of the present
`invention may lack or otherwise not use the functionality of
`the context server 126 because the context information is
`received directly from the mobile device 130.
`Regardless of the technology used, the context server 126
`preferably identifies the location of the mobile device 130
`from which it receives the marker 141. The location infor(cid:173)
`mation of the mobile device 130 can be in the form of
`latitude, longitude, and/or altitude, or in the form of physical
`coordinates relative to the base station 122 or some other
`point of origin, or in any other format. In one embodiment,
`the context server 126 also provides information indicating
`a degree or confidence in the established location of the
`mobile device.
`In alternative embodiments, the context server 126 pref(cid:173)
`erably supplies other information related to the given con(cid:173)
`text. For example, if the context is the time of day, then the
`context server 126 preferably supplies the time that the
`marker was received from (or sent by) the mobile device
`130. In addition, the context server 126 may supply multiple 25
`contexts for a single marker, such as the location of the
`mobile device 130 and the time that the marker was received
`by the base station 122.
`The mobile network support system 120 further includes
`a gateway 124 coupled between the base station 122 and the
`network 101. The gateway 124 is preferably a computer
`system for performing protocol conversion between differ(cid:173)
`ent types of networks and/or applications. For example, the
`gateway 124 preferably converts messages among TCP/IP,
`WAP, i-Mode, and/or standard telephony protocols. In a
`preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gateway
`124 forms a message containing both the marker 141
`received from the mobile device 130 and the context infor(cid:173)
`mation provided either by the context server 126 or by the
`mobile device 130. The gateway 124 then converts the
`message into a TCP/IP message, such as a Uniform
`Resource Locator (URL), and passes this message to the
`network 101 using an established protocol such as the
`hypertext transport protocol (HTTP). Alternatively, in the
`embodiment where the gateway 124 communicates with the
`content server 110 via a standard telephone network, the
`gateway converts the message into a format designed for
`communicating the marker 141 and contextual information
`via the telephone network.
`The gateway 124 also preferably converts content
`received from the network 101 into a wireless communica(cid:173)
`tion format such as WML or cHTML, and passes the content
`to the base station 122 for transmission to the mobile device
`130. The gateway 124 may also compress content sent to the
`mobile device 130 and/or expand messages received from
`the mobile device 130 to account for the limited bandwidth
`of radio links. In one embodiment, the functionality of the
`gateway 124 is incorporated into the context server 126 or
`another device.
`The network 101 transfers information between the gate(cid:173)
`way 124 and a content server 110. The network 101 can
`utilize any known networking technology, including tech(cid:173)
`nologies designed to carry voice and/or data. In addition, the
`network 101 may utilize paths over a public network such as 65
`the Internet, consist of dedicated and/or private communi(cid:173)
`cations link, or include some combination of public and
`
`6
`private links. In an alternative embodiment, the content
`server 110 is located in the mobile network support system
`120. Accordingly, the network 101 may be a local area
`network.
`The content server 110 preferably receives the marker 141
`transmitted by the mobile device 130 and the contextual
`information supplied by the context server 126, maps the
`context to a domain, determines the content associated with
`the marker 141 and the mapped domain, and then either
`10 sends the content to the mobile device or performs some
`other action. In one embodiment, the content server 110 is
`adapted to receive and respond to communications protocols
`such as HTTP over TCP/IP. In another embodiment, the
`content server 110 is an interactive voice response (UVR)
`system adapted to receive and respond to communications
`15 received via standard telephony protocols.
`FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of a computer system
`200 for use as the content server 110 or another device
`illustrated in FIG. 1, such as the context server 126. FIG. 2
`illustrates at least one processor 202 coupled to a bus 204.
`Also coupled to the bus 204 are a memory 206, a storage
`device 208, a keyboard 210, a graphics adapter 212, a
`pointing device 214, and a network adapter 216. A display
`218 is coupled to the graphics adapter 212.
`At least one processor 202 may be any specific or general-
`purpose processor such as an INTEL x86 or POWERPC(cid:173)
`compatible central processing unit (CPU). The storage
`device 208 may be any device capable of holding large
`amounts of data, like a hard drive, compact disk read-only
`30 memory (CD-ROM), DVD, or some other form of fixed or
`removable storage device. The memory 206 holds instruc(cid:173)
`tions and data used by the processor 202. The pointing
`device 214 may be a mouse, track ball, light pen, touch(cid:173)
`sensitive display, or other type of pointing device and is used
`35 in combination with the keyboard 210 to input data into the
`computer system 200. The network adapter 216 couples the
`computer system 200 to the computer network 101.
`Program modules 220 for providing the functionality
`attributed to the content ( or other) server 110 are preferably
`40 stored on the storage device 208, loaded into the memory
`206, and executed by the processor 202. Alternatively,
`hardware or software modules may be stored elsewhere
`within the computer system 200. As used herein, the term
`"module" refers to computer program logic and/or any
`45 hardware or circuitry utilized to provide the functionality
`attributed to the modules. The types of hardware and soft(cid:173)
`ware within the computer system 200 may vary depending
`upon how the computer system is utilized. For example, a
`computer system used as a content server 110 is likely to
`50 have greater processing power and storage capacity than a
`typical personal computer system. In addition, the content
`server 110 may lack certain components, such as a display
`218 or graphics adapter.
`Returning to FIG. 1, the content server 110 preferably
`55 includes a domain mapping module (DMM) 150 and is in
`communication with a content database 111. The DMM 150
`analyzes the contextual information received from the con(cid:173)
`text server 126 and determines a domain for the marker. In
`one embodiment of the present invention, the context and
`60 the domain are the same. In another embodiment of the
`present invention, the DMM 150 uses predetermined
`information, information stored in a different database (not
`shown), or information received via a data feed 152 to map
`the context into the appropriate domain. The mapping from
`context to domain can be contiguous or discontiguous.
`For example, the contextual information may specify a
`geographic location, such as the location of a cell served by
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`7
`a cellular base station. Likewise, a marker 141 may be valid
`within a certain geographic area (i.e., the domain), such as
`an area served by one or more base stations. The DMM 150
`maps the geographic location provided by the context server
`126 to the appropriate domain in which t