Electronic short messaging and advertising method and device

• US 10,055,764 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Vaananen, Mikko Kalervo
• Primary Examiner(s): Casca, Fred
• Application Number:
  US15/056,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20160183070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 455566, 455418, 455517, 4554141, 705 57, 705 1461, 705 51, 370240, 370260, 370203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic short messaging and advertising method where minimal initiative is required from the consumer. Some embodiments of the invention may also be applied to an electronic sales method. The invention may also be applied for normal short messaging. The electronic short messaging method for collect calling may send transmissions to at least one subscriber terminal via the Internet and/or the telephony network. The method may include sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, wherein the first transmission defines one or more active alternatives including at least one of initiating a collect call and deleting the first transmission. The method may also include calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more active alternatives.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a computer sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, the first transmission defining one or more active alternatives including a first alternative for further action, the further action including a refund to the recipient; and

the computer sending a second transmission to the recipient subscriber terminal, the second transmission comprising a different transmission activity than the first transmission;

wherein the first transmission comprises a unique identifier in a header of a message associated with the first transmission, the unique identifier allowing identification of the message in order to prompt a bioptional display based on the recognized unique identifier;

the computer performs destroying of a presently displayed message upon detecting a change in geographic position of the recipient subscriber terminal;

calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more alternatives;

wherein the second transmission comprises depicting attributes related to at least one of user input, further actions, and a state of the first transmission, wherein the further actions comprise connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein unless the first alternative is selected, the first transmission is removed from a display of the recipient subscriber terminal at a predetermined time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first transmission and the second transmission comprises at least one of a ringtone, a WAV-file, and an MP3-file, which is played at the recipient subscriber terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal comprises a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant and a UMTS, GSM, WAP, Teldesic, Inmarsat, Iridium, GPRS, CDMA, or WCDMA mobile station, or a combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal operates using at least one of Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS, and an Epoc operating system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein money is charged to the recipient on the basis of the calculated costs.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission comprises at least one of an SMS transmission, a CB transmission, a USSD transmission, a PDS transmission, a WAPPush transmission, and an email, and is embedded with at least one of a phone number, an IP-address, and a URL-address.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission comprises at least one of an MMS transmission, an SMS transmission, a DTMF-tone, and a FTP, TCP/IP, H323, HTTP, or UDP data transfer and is embedded with at least one of a phone number, an IP-address, a URL-address, and a Session Initiation Protocol address.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the computer initiating a collect call when a dedicated key is pressed on the recipient subscriber terminal.

10. A device, comprising:

a transmitter and receiver configured to communicate via at least one of a packet switched connection and a telephony network connection;

at least one display device; and

a processor configured to identify incoming transmissions and process the transmissions to display at least a part of the content of the transmission on the display device directly or at predetermined intervals;

wherein the processor is further configured to process a first transmission of the transmissions, wherein the first transmission defines one or more alternatives including at least one of an initiation to a collect call, a deletion of the transmission, and receipt of a refund,

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a second transmission to the recipient subscriber terminal, the second transmission having a different transmission activity than the first transmission;

wherein the first transmission comprises a unique identifier in a header of a message associated with the first transmission; and

wherein the processor is configured to recognize the unique identifier to identify the message and to prompt a bioptional display based on the recognized unique identifier; and

the processor is further configured to destroy a presently displayed message upon detecting a change in geographic position of the recipient subscriber terminal;

calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more alternatives;

wherein the second transmission comprises depicting attributes related to at least one of user input, further actions, and a state of the first transmission, wherein the further actions comprise connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is embodied on a SIM card.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the electronic short messaging device comprises a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant and a UMTS, GSM, WAP, Teldesic, Inmarsat, Iridium, GPRS, CDMA, or WCDMA mobile station, or a combination thereof.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the electronic short messaging device operates via at least one of Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS, and an Epoc operating system.

14. The device according to claim 10, wherein the collect call is initiated via a dedicated key on the recipient subscriber terminal.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by computer, the instructions, when executed, configured to cause a processor to:

receive a first transmission at a recipient subscriber terminal for display, the first transmission defining one or more alternatives executed by the instructions including at least one of initiating a collect call, deleting the transmission, and receiving a refund, the first transmission further comprising a unique identifier in a header of a message associated with the first transmission;

receive a second transmission that is associated with the first transmission;

recognize the unique identifier to identify the message; and

prompt a bioptional display based on the recognized unique identifier,

the processor destroys a presently displayed message upon detecting a change in geographic position of the recipient subscriber terminal;

calculate costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more alternatives;

wherein the second transmission comprises depicting attributes related to at least one of user input, further actions, and a state of the first transmission, wherein the further actions comprise connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processor to calculate costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more alternatives.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the second transmission includes attributes including at least one of further actions to initiate the collect call and a state of the first transmission, wherein the further actions comprise connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL related to the collect call.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the instructions are embodied on a SIM card.