SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING AND RESPONDING TO PROMOTIONAL OFFERS USING A MOBILE PHONE

• US 20050149385A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Trively, Martin Churchill
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.250
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method and means by which a mobile phone can participate in a promotional offer that is sponsored by an interested party is disclosed. The sponsor creates a promotional campaign and defines its parameters using promotional offer code (POC) data. The POC data is then pre-provisioned into the mobile phone. If a mobile phone user becomes aware of the promotional campaign and wishes to participate, he navigates his mobile phone menu structure to a “promotions” menu and inputs a POC that was included in the sponsor'"'"'s advertisements. The mobile phone then links the input POC to the pre-provisioned POC data. Another function in the mobile phone then constructs a promotional offer entry (POE) that conforms to the parameters set out in the pre-provisioned POC data. The POE is then transmitted to the sponsor. The sponsor reviews all valid entries and chooses one or more winners. The sponsor can then broadcast a status message to all entrants to inform them whether they won anything from the promotion.

Claims

1. A mobile phone having a software application for participating in a promotional offer, said mobile phone comprising:

a processor;

a processor readable storage medium;

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to input a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to access promotional offer code data that has been pre-provisioned in the mobile phone;

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to associate an input promotional offer code with corresponding promotional offer code data;

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to construct a promotional offer entry based on promotional offer code data that corresponds to a promotional offer code; and

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to transmit the promotional offer entry to a promotional sponsor.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was embedded into the mobile phone by the manufacturer.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the promotional offer code data defines the format and content of a promotional offer entry.

5. The mobile phone of claim 4 wherein the code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to construct a specific promotional offer entry comprises:

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to create a message addressed to the promotional sponsor in the format described by the promotional offer code data; and

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to include the content described by the promotional offer code data in the message.

6. The mobile phone of claim 5 wherein the code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to construct a specific promotional offer entry further comprises:

code recorded in the processor readable storage medium to encrypt the message.

7. The mobile phone of claim 5 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an SMS message.

8. The mobile phone of claim 5 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an MMS message.

9. The mobile phone of claim 5 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an e-mail message.

10. A method by which a mobile phone can participate in a promotional offer, said method comprising:

inputting a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

accessing promotional offer code data that has been pre-provisioned in the mobile phone;

associating an input promotional offer code with corresponding promotional offer code data;

constructing a promotional offer entry based on promotional offer code data that corresponds to a promotional offer code; and

transmitting the promotional offer entry to a promotional sponsor.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was embedded into the mobile phone by the manufacturer.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the promotional offer code data defines the format and content of a promotional offer entry.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein constructing a specific promotional offer entry comprises:

creating a message addressed to the promotional sponsor in the format described by the promotional offer code data; and

including the content described by the promotional offer code data in the message.

15. The mobile phone of claim 14 wherein constructing a specific promotional offer entry further comprises encrypting the message.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an SMS message.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an MMS message.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an e-mail message.

19. A mobile phone for participating in a promotional offer, said mobile phone comprising:

means for inputting a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

means for accessing promotional offer code data that has been pre-provisioned in the mobile phone;

means for associating an input promotional offer code with corresponding promotional offer code data;

means for constructing a promotional offer entry based on promotional offer code data that corresponds to a promotional offer code; and

means for transmitting the promotional offer entry to a promotional sponsor.

20. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

21. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the pre-provisioned promotional offer code data that resides in the mobile phone was embedded into the mobile phone by the manufacturer.

22. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the promotional offer code data defines the format and content of a promotional offer entry.

23. The mobile phone of claim 22 wherein constructing a specific promotional offer entry comprises:

means for creating a message addressed to the promotional sponsor in the format described by the promotional offer code data; and

means for including the content described by the promotional offer code data in the message.

24. The mobile phone of claim 23 wherein constructing a specific promotional offer entry further comprises encrypting the message.

25. The mobile phone of claim 23 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an SMS message.

26. The mobile phone of claim 23 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an MMS message.

27. The mobile phone of claim 23 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry described by the promotional offer code data is an e-mail message.