Methods, systems and storage medium for providing offerings to consumers

• US 20050138653A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Littrell, Kim
• Application Number:
  US10/740,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20050138653A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method of providing offerings to a consumer includes accumulating consumer activity associated with a device on a consumer network. A determination is made whether the consumer activity establishes a pattern corresponding to an offering including a component deliverable to the consumer network over a content distribution network. The consumer is presented with a notification of the offering on a device on the consumer network. The offering is provided to the consumer in response to the consumer requesting the offering using a device on the consumer network.

Claims

1. A method of providing offerings to a consumer, the method comprising:

accumulating consumer activity associated with a device on a consumer network;

determining if the consumer activity establishes a pattern corresponding to an offering, the offering including a component deliverable to the consumer network over a content distribution network;

presenting the consumer with a notification of the offering, the notification of the offering being presented to a device on the consumer network;

providing the offering to the consumer in response to the consumer requesting the offering, the requesting the offering being performed using a device on the consumer network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the consumer activity includes at least one of telecommunications, internet, e-mail and content distributed to the consumer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the consumer activity includes at least two of telecommunications, internet, e-mail and content distributed to the consumer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the determining includes determining if the activity meets a predefined criteria associated with the offering.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the offering is provided by multiple suppliers, the determining includes determining if the activity meets two predefined criteria associated with the offering.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the determining includes detecting the pattern in the consumer activity and searching available offerings for offerings corresponding to the pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

a component of the offering includes video on demand delivered over the content distribution network.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

another component of the offering includes goods provided to the consumer.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein:

another component of the offering includes services provided to the consumer.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining approval from the consumer to accumulate the consumer activity.

11. A system for providing offerings to a consumer, the system comprising:

a consumer network including a controller and a device, the controller accumulating consumer activity associated with the device on the consumer network;

a database coupled to the controller for storing the consumer activity;

a network element having access to the database, the network element determining if the consumer activity establishes a pattern corresponding to an offering including a component deliverable to the consumer network over a content distribution network;

the network element presenting the consumer with a notification of the offering, the notification of the offering being presented to a device on the consumer network;

the network element providing the offering to the consumer in response to the consumer requesting the offering, the requesting the offering being performed using a device on the consumer network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the network element includes a plurality of network elements in a grid computing network.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the network element is the controller.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the consumer activity includes at least one of telecommunications, internet, e-mail and content distributed to the consumer.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the consumer activity includes at least two of telecommunications, internet, e-mail and content distributed to the consumer.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the network element determines if the activity meets a predefined criteria associated with the offering.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the offering is provided by multiple suppliers, the network element determines if the activity meets two predefined criteria associated with the offering.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the network element detects the pattern in the consumer activity and searches available offerings for offerings corresponding to the pattern.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein:

a component of the offering includes video on demand delivered over the content distribution network.

20. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for providing offerings to a consumer, the storage medium including instructions for causing at least one network element to implement a method comprising:

accumulating consumer activity associated with a device on a consumer network;

determining if the consumer activity establishes a pattern corresponding to an offering including a component deliverable to the consumer network over a content distribution network;

presenting the consumer with a notification of the offering, the notification of the offering being presented to a device on the consumer network;

providing the offering to the consumer in response to the consumer requesting the offering, the requesting the offering being performed using a device on the consumer network.