Advertising on mobile devices

Abstract

Techniques and systems for advertising on mobile devices allow advertisements to be presented on a mobile device during delay periods caused by wireless data communications. An advertisement may initially be stored on a mobile device. Subsequently, when a wireless data communication involving the mobile device is initiated, the advertisement may be presented on the mobile device during at least a portion of the wireless data communication.

1 . A method for advertising on a mobile device, the method comprising: 
 storing an advertisement on a mobile device;    initiating a wireless communication involving the mobile device; and    presenting the advertisement on the mobile device during at least a portion of the wireless communication.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising downloading the advertisement to the mobile device over a wireless interface.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wireless communication comprises a download of data to the mobile device.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the download of data comprises data used by an application running on the mobile device.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the application comprises a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless application.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the download of data comprises an application file.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3  wherein presenting the advertisement on the mobile device comprises presenting the advertisement during a delay period, with the delay period representing a time during which the download of data occurs.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 determining that the stored advertisement has expired; and    sending a notification of the expiration in response to the expiration determination.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the notification comprises a request for a new advertisement.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the determination that the stored advertisement has expired is based on at least one of an expiration time and a number of times the advertisement is presented.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the notification comprises a request for a new expiration time.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising receiving a new advertisement in response to the notification.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising receiving at least one of an expiration time for the new advertisement and an assigned number of times to present the new advertisement.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the stored advertisement comprises a bitmap.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the bitmap comprises multiple frames, with presenting the advertisement on the mobile device comprising sequentially displaying the frames.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising monitoring at least one of a number of times the stored advertisement is presented and a frequency that the stored advertisement is presented.  
     
     
         17 . An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising: 
 receiving an indication of a wireless data communication involving a mobile device;    presenting an advertisement on the mobile device during the wireless data communication.    
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 17  wherein the machine-readable medium further stores instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising: 
 identifying expiration data associated with the advertisement;    determining if the advertisement has expired based on the expiration data; and    sending a notification of the expiration.    
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 18  wherein the expiration data relates to one of a number of times the advertisement is presented and an expiration time.  
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 18  wherein sending the notification comprises sending one of a request for a new advertisement and a request for new expiration data to a remote server.  
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 17  wherein the indication of a wireless data communication is received from an application running on the mobile device.  
     
     
         22 . The article of  claim 21  wherein the application initiates the wireless data communication.  
     
     
         23 . The article of  claim 22  wherein the wireless data communication involves data needed by the application to perform an operation requested by a user of the mobile device.  
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 22  wherein the application runs on a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless platform.  
     
     
         25 . The article of  claim 17  wherein the machine-readable medium further stores instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising maintaining statistical data relating to the advertisement.  
     
     
         26 . A communications system comprising: 
 a wireless telecommunications network operable to support communications with mobile devices;    a central advertising server in communication with the wireless telecommunication network and adapted to store advertisements for presentation on mobile devices during wireless data communications that cause a delay on the mobile devices, wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to: 
 receive a request for a new advertisement from an advertising application on a mobile device;  
 determine whether at least one new advertisement is available; and  
 transmit a selected new advertisement to the mobile device if at least one new advertisement is available.  
   
     
     
         27 . The communications system of  claim 26  wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to track statistics relating to advertisements.  
     
     
         28 . The communications system of  claim 27  wherein the statistics relating to advertisements include at least one of a number of times the advertisements have been presented on mobile devices, a number of presentations that have been assigned to mobile devices, a number of requested presentations for each advertisement, and an expiration time for each advertisement.  
     
     
         29 . The communications system of  claim 26  wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to: 
 assign a number of presentations for the selected new advertisement; and    transmit the assigned number to the mobile device.    
     
     
         30 . The communications system of  claim 26  wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to: 
 assign an expiration time for the selected new advertisement; and    transmit the assigned expiration time to the mobile device.    
     
     
         31 . The communications system of  claim 26  wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to select the selected new advertisement according to a priority weighting procedure.  
     
     
         32 . The communications system of  claim 31  wherein the priority weighting procedure relates to at least one of a remaining number of requested presentations for each advertisement and a time remaining until an expiration time for each advertisement.  
     
     
         33 . The communications system of  claim 26  wherein the central advertising server is further adapted to: 
 determine if a new expiration time for a current advertisement is available if at least one new advertisement is not available; and    transmit a new expiration time for the current advertisement if a new expiration time for the current advertisement is available.    
     
     
         34 . A method of advertising on a mobile device, the method comprising: 
 storing one or more advertisements on a mobile device;    initiating a wireless communication session involving the mobile device; and    presenting one or more of the advertisements on the mobile device during a period of delay in the wireless communication session.    
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  further comprising downloading an advertisement to the mobile device over a wireless interface.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34  wherein the period of delay comprises a time during which a download of data occurs.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34  further comprising: 
 determining that one or more of the stored advertisements have expired; and    sending a notification of the expiration in response to the expiration determination.    
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the notification comprises a request for a new advertisement.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the determination that the stored advertisement has expired is based on at least one of an expiration time and a number of times the advertisement is presented.