Method and system for providing prepaid phone advertising
First Claim
1. A method of providing advertising services to a user of pre-paid communications services via a first communications unit capable of two-way audio communications, comprising:
- (a) receiving a personal identifier input from the user of the first communications unit;
(b) determining based on the personal identifier if the user is authorized to communicate with a further communication unit;
(c) sending a first message advertising a service to the first communications unit based on the personal identifier;
(d) receiving a reply in response to the first message indicating whether the user wants to receive further information about the offered service.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing advertisement services to a user of pre-paid telephony services includes communicating a PIN via a telephone link to a voice response unit, using a PIN-based index of pre-recorded services to generate a valid access request and matching the PIN link to an existing pre-recorded audio service. The person accessing the voice response unit can control telephonic access to the server or merchant who is offering the service or advertisement via telephone keypad instructions transmitted to the voice response unit and passed on to the data management server. The pre-recorded audio services may be, e.g., stored on a server as digital audio source, several control data fields including the PIN range associated with that message, a field for a dial-to number to the Audio Services Provider/Owner and fields to contain accounting numbers. The owner of the prepaid calling card may also be allocated additional call value or call time increments as a result of their selection of an option to receive additional, longer or other audio services during their call sequence.
62 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of providing advertising services to a user of pre-paid communications services via a first communications unit capable of two-way audio communications, comprising:
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(a) receiving a personal identifier input from the user of the first communications unit;
(b) determining based on the personal identifier if the user is authorized to communicate with a further communication unit;
(c) sending a first message advertising a service to the first communications unit based on the personal identifier;
(d) receiving a reply in response to the first message indicating whether the user wants to receive further information about the offered service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for selectively providing advertising to a user of prepaid communications services, comprising:
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(a) a user data store, capable of storing and retrieving remaining value information for personal identifiers;
(b) an ad data store, capable of storing and providing ad information in response to a communications request including at least one personal identifier; and
(c) a network communications processor, in communications with the user data store and ad data store, capable of accepting a communications request including a first personal identifier from a first communications unit and determining whether to place the first communications unit in communications with a further communications unit based on a first remaining value information of the first personal identifier, and providing a first ad from the ad data store to the first communications unit based on the first personal identifier before placing the first communications unit in communications with the further communications unit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A communications program for providing audio advertising to a user of a prepaid communications service, the program operable to control a network communications processor, the program comprising:
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(a) a PIN Validation Director having logic to verify, in response to a communications request from a first telephone including a PIN, whether a remaining value associated with the PIN is at least a minimum predetermined value for placing the first telephone in communications with a second telephone; and
(b) an Ad Director having logic to forward a first ad to the first telephone in response to a verification of the first remaining value. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of providing advertising services to a user of pre-paid communications via a communications unit capable of two-way audio communications, comprising:
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(a) entering via a user interface on the communications unit a unique identifier;
(b) communicating the unique identifier to a network communication processor;
(c) receiving at the communications unit, in response to the communicated unique identifier, a first message advertising the availability of an offered service;
(d) entering via the user interface a response indicating more information should be communicated to the communications unit concerning the offered service; and
(e) receiving at the communications unit further information about the offered service. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of providing advertisements to a user of pre-paid telephony services comprising:
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(a) entering via a user interface on a first phone a unique identifier and a further identifier for a second phone;
(b) communicating the unique identifier and further identifier to a network service provider;
(c) receiving a first advertisement at the first phone in response to the communicated unique identifier;
(d) entering a response indicating further information related to the advertisement should be communicated to the first phone;
(e) establishing communications with the second phone; and
(f) receiving at the first phone the further information. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification