Method and computing system for games, lottery and/or advertising campaign events using SMS or multimedia messages

• US 20060190321A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Egidio Fernando Pinto Da Silva, Eurico Pinto Martins Nicho
• Original Assignee: Egidio Fernando Pinto Da Silva, Eurico Pinto Martins Nicho
• Inventors: Martins Nicho, Eurico Pinto, Pinto Da Silva, Egidio Fernando
• Application Number:
  US11/022,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives

Abstract

This invention concerns a method and computing system for game, lottery and advertising campaign events in order to encourage the use of chained SMS or Multimedia messages where the sender, responsible for supporting all associated costs, becomes eligible for winning randomly awarded prizes set according to predetermined rules, using the cellular phone channel, in theory, reaching all cellular phone users, without breaking any mobile network service operator database privacy. It is characterized by: The use of a network computing system, connected to the mobile network operator numbers, who receive cellular phone messages and forward them to a computing system management platform. The messages are then assigned a sequential number by order of arrival to the system, all numbers are logged and the user is notified of this number and invited to forward one or more potential participant phone numbers to a specific phone number; the management platform, using a group of software applications will then send the future participant a message inviting him/her to join the game; if the participant whishes to enter the chain, he/she will have to send a message stating the arrival number of the participant who inserted him/her in the chain as well as one or more cellular phone numbers of prospective participants, it is therefore always possible to identify the origin and all the members of a any given sequence.

Claims

1. Method and computing system for game, lottery and advertising campaign events encouraging the use of chained Multimedia or SMS messages, the sender being responsible for supporting all associated costs becoming eligible for winning prizes set according to predetermined rules and randomly awarded, using the cellular phone channel, reaching, in theory, all cellular phone users, without breaking any mobile network service operator database privacy, comprising the steps of:

providing a network computing system, connected to the mobile network operator numbers, who receive cellular phone messages and forward them to a computing system management platform;

assigning a sequential number by order of arrival to the system, recording all numbers, notifying the user of this number and inviting the user to forward one or more potential participant cellular phone numbers to a specific phone number;

using a software package, directing the management platform to send a message to the potential participant, inviting him/her to join the game;

if the user wishes to enter the chain, sending a message specifying the order of arrival of the user who placed him/her in the chain as well as the phone number of one or several potential participants, thus enabling the source and all the players in any sequence to be identified.

2. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events as stated in claim 1 comprising the step of providing instructions to the management platform to customise the game, lottery or advertising campaign features through predetermined rules and software applications.

3. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events, as stated in claim 1 comprising the step of associating a prize with the definition of levels of use (grading awarded by the management platform to the participants order of arrival), according to the number of planned users in accordance to predetermined rules.

4. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events, as stated in claim 1 comprising the steps of including an advertising message in addition to the messages sent by the computing system management platform required for the management of the chain.

5. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events as stated in claim 3 comprising the step of awarding the prizes through a draw or to the message with the log number matching the predetermined number of a specific level.

6. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events, as stated in claim 5 comprising the steps of, whether it is a game, lottery or just an advertising campaign, always awarding a prize to all the participants that originated the winning messages, and awarding a prize to the participant with the largest number of messages sent.

7. Method and computing system for game, lottery and/or advertising campaign events, as stated in claim 1 comprising the steps of, using an added-value message, to support the costs of the messages sent to the operator, and also paying an additional sum for the prizes, in games and lotteries, or for the improvement of the services in advertising campaigns.

8. Computing system management platform for the implementation of a method for game and/or advertising campaigns events, in accordance with the claims stated above, comprising:

means to identify all the variables defining a game, lottery and/or advertising campaign;

means to receive, from mobile service operators, messages sent by participants;

means to check for any errors in the messages received;

means to log all messages received on their matching level and to assign them a sequential order of arrival number;

means to send the participant a confirmation message with his/her number of arrival or notifying him/her of a message error;

means to send the participant a message inviting him/her to send one or several potential participant'"'"'s phone numbers to a specific cellular phone number;

means to send the winner an alphanumeric code number;

the means cooperating to identify the source of every player in any sequence, as well as manage the received messages database.

9. A computing system management platform, as stated in claim 8, comprising means, to configure every variable of the game/lottery or advertising campaign, including the number of levels and the maximum number of logs per level, the value for the difference between the cost supported by the participant per logging message and the costs associated with the logging process (return messages to the participant and percentage for GMS operator, the value intended for payment of accumulated prizes, and start and end date of the logging process).