Systems and methods for text message alerts and referrals

• US 10,204,358 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zeta Global Corp. (Zeta Global Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Zeta Global Corp. (Zeta Global Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Friborg, Jr., George Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Macasiano, Marilyn G
• Application Number:
  US14/166,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1416, 705 1464, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for referring contacts to receive text message alerts. An accounts module receives first user data including an indicator that a first user requested to subscribe to receive text messages alerts. The account module adds, based at least on the received first user data, a first user account to a database of subscribers. A message generator module generates, using the processor in response to receiving the first user data, a first text message corresponding to an offer to subscribe to receive text message alerts. A communication module transmits to the first user the first text message corresponding to the offer to subscribe to receive text message alerts. The transmitted first text message can be forwarded to a second user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

a non-transitory machine-readable medium for storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving first user data from a first client device associated with a first user, the first user data including an indicator that the first user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts;

adding, based on the first user data, a first user account associated with the first user to a database of subscribers;

operating a web beacon on a second client device to track web browser activity of one or more users;

determining, based on the first user account, that a portion of the browser activity is associated with the first user;

generating, automatically after the determining, a first text message corresponding to an offer to subscribe to receive text message alerts, the first text message comprising, within the text message, a first text portion and a second text portion, the first text portion being personalized to a second user using the portion of the browser activity, the second text portion having a request to subscribe to receive text message alerts;

transmitting the first text message to the first client device, the first text message being configured to the forwarded to a third client device, the third client device associated with the second user;

receiving, in response to activation of a hyperlink in the first text message, second user data from the third client device, the hyperlink comprising a portion of the second user data, the second user data including an indicator that the second user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts based on the first text message transmitted to the first client device associated with the first user, and an indicator that the first user referred the second user; and

storing a second user account to the database of subscribers to receive text message alerts, the second user account including the second user data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator that the first user referred the second user includes a phone number associated with the first user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing reward data of the first user account in response to receiving the second user data;

determining a reward based on the first user data of the first user account; and

updating the reward data of the first user account based on the determined reward.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a second text message providing a notification of the determined reward; and

transmitting the second text message to the first device associated with the first user.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the second user account was added to the database of subscribers based on receiving the second user data; and

providing the second user a reward based on a determination that the second user account was added to the database of subscribers based on the second user data.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the reward is further determined based on the second user data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user data includes a telephone number associated with the first user, and wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting the first text message to a particular client device corresponding to the telephone number associated with the first user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving the first user data, adding the first user account to the database of subscribers by;

determining account information based on parsing the received user data;

verifying that the first user data includes written authorization to send text messages to the first device associated with the first user; and

storing the account information in a record of the database based on a verification that the first user data includes written authorization to send text messages to the first device associated with the first user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a second text message in response to receiving the first user data, the second text message indicating an acknowledgement that the first user account has been added; and

transmitting the second text message to the first client device associated with the first user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a hyperlink that is associated with a web resource for adding accounts to the database of subscribers; and

including the hyperlink in the first text message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyperlink is configured to provide an indication to the web resource that the first user referred the second user.

12. A method for providing electronic notifications, the method comprising:

receiving first user data from a first client device associated with a first user, the first user data including an indicator that the first user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts;

adding, based on the received first user data, a first user account associated with the first user to a database of subscribers;

operating a web beacon on a second client device to track web browser activity of one or more users;

determining, based on identification information associated first user account, that a portion of the web browser activity is associated with the first user;

determining, using permissions provided associated with first user account, that referral text messages can be sent to the first client device;

generating automatically, after determining that a portion of the web browser activity is associated with the first user and in response to determining that referral text messages can be sent to the first client device, a first text message corresponding to an offer to subscribe to receive text message alerts, the first text message comprising, within the text message, a first text portion and a second text portion, the first text portion being personalized to a second user using the portion of the browser activity, the second text portion having a request to subscribe to receive text message alerts, the generating being performed by one or more hardware processors in response to receiving the first user data;

transmitting the first text message to the first client device, the first text message being configured to be forwarded to a third client device, the third client device associated with the second user;

receiving, in response to activation of a hyperlink in the first text message, second user data from the third client device, the hyperlink comprising a portion of the second user data, the second user data including an indicator that the second user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts based on the first text message transmitted to the first client device associated with the first user, and an indicator that the first user referred the second user; and

storing a second user account to the database of subscribers to receive text message alerts, the second user account including the second user data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing reward data of the first user account in response to receiving the second user data;

determining a reward based on the first user data of the first user account; and

updating the reward data of the first user account based on the determined reward.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a second text message providing a notification of the determined reward; and

transmitting the second text message to the first client device associated with the first user.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the second user account was added to the database of subscribers based on receiving the second user data; and

providing the second user a reward based on a determination that the second user account was added to the database of subscribers based on the second user data.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more hardware processors of a machine, cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving first user data from a first client device associated with a first user, the first user data including an indicator that the first user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts;

adding, based on the received first user data, a first user account associated with the first user to a database of subscribers;

operating a web beacon on a second client device to track web browser activity of one or more users;

determining, based on the first user account, that a portion of the browser activity is associated with the first user;

generating, automatically after the determining, a first text message corresponding to an offer to subscribe to receive text message alerts, the first text message comprising, within the text message, a first text portion and a second text portion, the first text portion being personalized to a second user using the portion of the browser activity, the second text portion having a request to subscribe to receive text message alerts;

transmitting the first text message to the first client device, the first text message being configured to be forwarded to a third client device, the third client device associated with the second user;

receiving, in response to activation of a hyperlink in the first text message, second user data from the third client device, the hyperlink comprising a portion of the second user data, the second user data including an indicator that the second user requested to subscribe to receive text message alerts based on the first text message transmitted to the first client device associated with the first user, and an indicator that the first user referred the second user; and

generating a second user account in the database of subscribers to receive text message alerts, the second user account including the second user data.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing reward data of the first user account in response to receiving the second user data;

determining a reward based on the first user data of the first user account; and

updating the reward data of the first user account based on the determined reward.