Computer network page advertising method

• US 10,242,389 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Westling, Mark, Wherry, Phillip, Owensby, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dagnew, Saba
• Application Number:
  US14/040,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20140099917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 705413, 705 2641, 370338, 455410
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The invention provides a system for promoting computer network pages. The system includes a mobile station that allows a user to conduct telephone calls and connect to a computer network. A call management server selects and transmits an audible advertisement for a network page to a user, based on profile information of the user. A gateway then causes a menu including a selection choice for connecting to the advertised computer network page to appear on the mobile station when the user connects to the computer network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting, by a server comprising a processor, advertisements to prepare a predetermined list of the advertisements for a user, wherein the predetermined list of the advertisements is based on at least one of demographic data related to the user or preference data related to the user, and wherein the advertisements are selected by the server to prepare the predetermined list of the advertisements during a non-peak time prior to when one of the advertisements from the predetermined list of the advertisements is to be sent to the user;

receiving, at the server, via a mobile switch, a telephone call from a mobile station associated with the user to a destination terminal, wherein the telephone call is received at the server prior to the telephone call being connected between the mobile station and the destination terminal;

parking, by the server, the telephone call;

while the telephone call is parked and prior to the telephone call being connected between the mobile station and the destination terminal,

determining, by the server, based at least in part on the telephone call from the mobile station associated with the user, an identity of the user, wherein the identity of the user is further determined based on a comparison of a voice sample provided by the user at initiation of the telephone call with voice samples of users known to use to the mobile station,

retrieving, by the server, based on the identity of the user, the predetermined list of the advertisements previously prepared for the user,

selecting, by the server, an advertisement from the predetermined list of the advertisements previously prepared by the server for the user, wherein the advertisement is for a web page located at an address on a computer network, the web page formatted for display on a display of the mobile station,

transmitting, by the server, to the mobile station, an audio message of the advertisement for the web page, wherein the audio message of the advertisement for the web page is played by the mobile station prior to the telephone call between the mobile station and the destination terminal being connected,

sending, by the server, to a gateway, the address on the computer network for the web page associated with the advertisement, and

inserting, by the gateway, using the address on the computer network for the web page associated with the advertisement, hyperlink to the web page associated with the advertisement into a front page menu created by the gateway for the mobile station, wherein the front page menu including the hyperlink for the web page associated with the advertisement is caused to be displayed on the display of the mobile station associated with the user when the user requests to access information on the computer network; and

redirecting, by the server, the telephone call to the mobile switch to allow the telephone call from the mobile station to be connected to the destination terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page is a wireless application protocol page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink for the web page associated with the advertisement is displayed on the display of the mobile station at a top of a list of hyperlinks for available web pages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the advertisements to prepare the predetermined list of the advertisements for the user comprises determining, based at least in part on a targeting criteria specified by an advertiser and the at least one of the demographic data related to the user or the preference data related to the user, whether the user should be excluded from receiving the advertisement for the web page.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the targeting criteria comprises a minimum age for receiving the advertisement for the web page.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking that the advertisement has been transmitted to the mobile station to prevent repeatedly sending the advertisement to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio message of the advertisement for the web page comprises features or services offered by the web page.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing, by the server, a first incentive to the user when the user listens to the audio message of the advertisement for the web page;

and

providing, by the server, a second incentive to the user when the user selects the hyperlink for the web page to connect to the web page associated with the advertisement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first incentive is a function of a length of the advertisement for the web page listened to by the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first incentive comprises providing a discount for at least a portion of charges incurred for the telephone call.

11. A system comprising:

a server comprising

a processor, and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

selecting advertisements to prepare a predetermined list of the advertisements for a user, wherein the predetermined list of the advertisements is based on at least one of demographic data related to the user or preference data related to the user, and wherein the advertisements are selected by the server to prepare the predetermined list of the advertisements during a non-peak time prior to when one of the advertisements from the predetermined list of the advertisements is to be sent to the user,

receiving, via a mobile switch, a telephone call from a mobile station associated with the user to a destination terminal, wherein the telephone call is received at the server prior to the telephone call being connected between the mobile station and the destination terminal,

parking the telephone call,

while the telephone call is parked and prior to the telephone call being connected between the mobile station and the destination terminal,

determining, based at least in part on the telephone call from the mobile station associated with the user, an identity of the user, wherein the identity of the user is further determined based on a comparison of a voice sample provided by the user at initiation of the telephone call with voice samples of users known to use to the mobile station,

retrieving, based on the identity of the user, the predetermined list of the advertisements previously prepared for the user,

selecting an advertisement from the predetermined list of the advertisements previously prepared by the server for the user, wherein the advertisement is for a web page located at an address on a computer network, the web page formatted for display on a display of the mobile station,

transmitting, to the mobile station, an audio message of the advertisement for the web page, wherein the audio message of the advertisement for the web page is played by the mobile station prior to the telephone call between the mobile station and the destination terminal being connected, and

sending, to a gateway, the address on the computer network for the web page associated with the advertisement; and

the gateway, wherein the gateway performs gateway operations comprising inserting, using the address on the computer network for the web page associated with the advertisement, a hyperlink to the web page associated with the advertisement into a front page menu created by the gateway for the mobile station, wherein the front page menu including the hyperlink for the web page associated with the advertisement is caused to be displayed on the display of the mobile station associated with the user when the user requests to access information on the computer network,

wherein the operations further comprise redirecting the telephone call to the mobile switch to allow the telephone call from the mobile station to be connected to the destination terminal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting the advertisements to prepare the predetermined list of the advertisements for the user comprises determining, based at least in part on a targeting criteria specified by an advertiser and the at least one of the demographic data related to the user or the preference data related to the user, whether the user should be excluded from receiving the advertisement for the web page.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the targeting criteria comprises a minimum age for receiving the advertisement for the web page.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise tracking that the advertisement has been transmitted to the mobile station to prevent repeatedly sending the advertisement to the user.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the audio message of the advertisement for the web page comprises features or services offered by the web page.

16. The server system of claim 11, wherein the hyperlink for the web page associated with the advertisement is displayed on the display of the mobile station at a top of a list of hyperlinks for available web pages.

17. The server system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a first incentive to the user when the user listens to the audio message of the advertisement for the web page, and

providing a second incentive to the user when the user selects the hyperlink for the web page to connect to the web page associated with the advertisement.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise tracking the first incentive and the second incentive to apply to the user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first incentive is a function of a length of the advertisement for the web page listened to by the user.