How Phones Store and Rotate Ads Locally by Breaking Rules
Sprint's 2006 patent on a system that downloads a pool of ads to a phone and uses an on-device manager to decide which ad to show, even breaking its own rules to make sure lagging ad campaigns get seen.
Original patent title: “Dynamic advertising content distribution and placement systems and methods”
Sprint's 2006 patent on a system that downloads a pool of ads to a phone and uses an on-device manager to decide which ad to show, even breaking its own rules to make sure lagging ad campaigns get seen. Granted to Sprint Communications Co LP in 2013 with 23 claims and 119 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a mobile device that stores a local pool of targeted ads sent from an external server. Instead of fetching a new ad over the network every time a user opens an app, the phone's local software decides which ad to show from its stored rotation. Crucially, the system manages ads from multiple campaigns and uses a priority engine. If a specific ad campaign is falling behind on its promised views (impressions), the system can apply a high-priority rule that intentionally breaks a lower-priority rule—such as a limit on how many times a user can see the same ad (frequency capping)—to force the lagging ad to display.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems where ads are streamed in real-time for every single view without being stored locally on the device first.
- Does not cover ad rotation systems that only manage a single advertising campaign at a time.
- Does not cover systems that strictly adhere to all rules without the ability to dynamically break a lower-priority rule to favor a lagging campaign.
- Does not cover ad targeting based solely on direct ad clicks, without tracking broader device behavior like web browsing or purchases.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Instead of treating ad delivery rules as absolute, the system can dynamically break its own rules—like ignoring a limit on repeating the same ad—if a specific campaign is lagging behind its target view count.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Early mobile ad networks on 3G networks
Offline ad caching in mobile games
Carrier-branded portal applications
Why it matters
The bigger picture
In 2006, mobile data was slow and expensive. Downloading ads in real-time inside apps would lag and eat up a user's data plan. By storing a batch of ads locally and letting the phone handle the complex campaign rules offline, carriers and ad networks could deliver smooth, targeted ads without constant network requests.
Filed
April 17, 2006
Granted
April 16, 2013
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Sprint (now part of T-Mobile) originally patented this. Modern mobile ad platforms like Google's AdMob, Unity Ads, and AppLovin use similar local caching and offline rotation strategies to ensure ads load instantly without lag.
Market impact
This technology helped transition mobile advertising from slow, network-dependent banner loads to instant, offline-capable ad placements. It allowed developers to monetize apps even when users had spotty cellular connections.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a mobile device that stores a local pool of targeted ads sent from an external server. Instead of fetching a new ad over the network every time a user opens an app, the phone's local software decides which ad to show from its stored rotation. Crucially, the system manages ads from multiple campaigns and uses a priority engine. If a specific ad campaign is falling behind on its promised views (impressions), the system can apply a high-priority rule that intentionally breaks a lower-priority rule—such as a limit on how many times a user can see the same ad (frequency capping)—to force the lagging ad to display.
The clever bit
Instead of treating ad delivery rules as absolute, the system can dynamically break its own rules—like ignoring a limit on repeating the same ad—if a specific campaign is lagging behind its target view count.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems where ads are streamed in real-time for every single view without being stored locally on the device first.
- Does not cover ad rotation systems that only manage a single advertising campaign at a time.
- Does not cover systems that strictly adhere to all rules without the ability to dynamically break a lower-priority rule to favor a lagging campaign.
- Does not cover ad targeting based solely on direct ad clicks, without tracking broader device behavior like web browsing or purchases.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
40/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
15/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$102K – $328K
Midpoint $205K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
23 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Urbanek, R. E., Distler, P. H., Barnes, J. D., & Sharma, S. K. (2013). How Phones Store and Rotate Ads Locally by Breaking Rules (U.S. Patent No. 8,423,408). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8423408/amazon-advertising
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Phones Store and Rotate Ads Locally by Breaking Rules cover?
Sprint's 2006 patent on a system that downloads a pool of ads to a phone and uses an on-device manager to decide which ad to show, even breaking its own rules to make sure lagging ad campaigns get seen.
Who owns patent US 8423408?
Sprint Communications Co LP owns this patent, granted in 2013.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on April 16, 2033, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 8423408 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 119 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
In 2006, mobile data was slow and expensive. Downloading ads in real-time inside apps would lag and eat up a user's data plan. By storing a batch of ads locally and letting the phone handle the complex campaign rules offline, carriers and ad networks could deliver smooth, targeted ads without constant network requests.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems where ads are streamed in real-time for every single view without being stored locally on the device first.
Patent monitoring