System and method for managing short message service communications for a radio station hosted event

• US 20050266865A1
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vibes Media LLC
• Original Assignee: Phi-Cam, LLC
• Inventors: Philbin, John Joseph, Villaruel, Vincent Borreros, Campbell, Alexander Gates, Zhao, Leon Xiaoliang, Benediktson, Samuel Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,489,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A system and method for communicating with an audience. The system includes a radio transmitter that transmits a first communication to a plurality of audience members. A server receives a plurality of short message service communications, wherein each of the plurality of short message service communications is transmitted from a portable communication device in reply to the first communication. A display operably coupled to the server automatically displays each of the plurality of short message service communications.

Claims

1. A system for managing short message service communications transmitted from an audience in response to a first communication transmitted from a radio transmitter comprising:

a server for receiving a plurality of short message service communications, wherein each of the plurality of short message service communications is transmitted from a portable communication device in reply to the first communication, the server being configured to identify a parameter of each of the plurality of short message service communications; and

,

a display operably coupled to the server for automatically displaying each of the plurality of short message service communications.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server tracks information relating to each of the plurality of short message service communications received.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of short message service communications received by the server is transmitted from a cellular telephone.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first communication is a request for participation in a contest, and each of the plurality of short message service communications is an entry into the contest, and wherein the server is further configured to automatically determine whether the parameter of each of the plurality of short message service communications indicates one of a win and a loss for the contest.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of short message service communications received by the server is a text message.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is configured to assign a number to at least one of the plurality of short message service communications received by the server based on the order in which the at least one short message service communication is received by the server.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the server is configured to transmit a third communication to at least one portable communication device which transmitted a short message service communication to the server in response to the first communication.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the third communication is generated based on the number assigned to the short message service communication received by the at least one portable communication device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the short message service communications each comprise a predetermined parameter, the server being configured for tabulating aggregate data from the plurality of short message service communications based on the predetermined parameter.

10. A computer readable storage medium adapted to control a computer and including a computer program for communicating with a plurality of portable communication devices, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment for configuring a computer to receive a plurality of responding communications, wherein each of the plurality of responding communications comprises a short message service communication and is transmitted from a portable communication device in response to a radio transmitted broadcast communication; and

,

a second code segment for generating a graphical user interface image, wherein at least a portion of the graphical user interface image is adapted to display each of the plurality of responding communications.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising a code segment for generating statistical data based on the plurality of responding communications.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising a code segment for plotting the statistical data on at least a portion of the graphical user interface image.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the statistical data corresponds to the relative number of the plurality of responding communications received from each of a plurality of service providers.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the statistical data corresponds to a relative at least one of a number of unique participants transmitting each of the plurality of responding communications, a number of responding communications received by the computer and relative time interval between receipt of responding communications.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising a code for updating the statistical data in real time.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising a code segment for configuring the computer to transmit a reply communication to at least one portable communication device in reply to the responding communication received from the at least one portable communication device.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising a code segment for configuring the computer to identify a parameter of each of the plurality of responding communications.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising a code segment for configuring the computer to automatically determine whether the parameter of each of the plurality of responding communications indicates one of a win and a loss.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of responding communications is a text message.

20. A system for communicating with an audience using a radio transmitter for transmitting a radio broadcast at a predetermined radio frequency to an audience, wherein the radio broadcast is an invitation to participate in a contest;

the system comprising;

a server for receiving a plurality of text message responses to the radio broadcast transmitted by a cellular telephone to a predetermined address, wherein each text message response is an entry into the contest; and

assigning a number to each of the plurality of text message responses based on the order in which each text message response was received by the server, and wherein the server is configured for generating a text message reply to each text message response to a corresponding cellular phone from which each text message response was transmitted, the text message reply to each text message response being based upon the number assigned to each text message response.