Method for directed advertising and information distribution using a wireless communications network

• US 20070055565A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LVK, LLC
• Original Assignee: Andrew Baur, Peter Baur
• Inventors: Baur, Peter, Baur, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A method of and system for directing targeted advertising or transmitting information to end users, using wireless or mobile media, including cellular media, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method and system interconnects (a) advertisers or sponsors, (b) wireless device users (“system users”), and (c) wireless telecommunications companies (“telecoms”), via (d) an intermediary or “hub entity.” The hub entity maintains and controls computer operated software and data bases to direct specific advertising or information to targeted system users; collects subscription fees and distributes advertising fees; and determines the effectiveness of various advertising or information transmitted to specific system users. The method can further be customized for application as an information provider, alert notice or security warning system. In other embodiments the method and system may be applied to work with the membership of an organization, such as credit card companies'"'"' cardholders, an insurance companies'"'"' policy holders, employees, tenants, or other local, national, or world-wide groups or organizations.

Claims

1. A method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, the method having a central organizing entity, subscribing advertisers, subscribing consumers, and a communications service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving from the subscribing advertisers, advertising information to be transmitted to a targeted set of the subscribing consumers;

b. receiving from the subscribing advertisers, information describing an intended set of recipient consumers;

c. collecting from the subscribing advertisers, a fee for transmitting the advertising information to the targeted set of subscribing consumers;

d. receiving from each of the subscribing consumers, first information describing each subscribing consumers'"'"' wireless communications identification information;

e. receiving from each of the subscribing consumers, second information describing each subscribing consumers'"'"' preferences for receiving advertising information;

f. selecting specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information to be transmitted, over a wireless communications network, to a first subset of the subscribing consumers who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information;

g. transmitting the selected specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information to the subset of subscribing consumers who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information; and

h. distributing to the subset of subscribing consumers who have received the specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' information, a fee for each specific advertising information transmitted to the subset of subscribing consumers.

2. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, wherein step g. is:

transmitting a preselected number of the selected specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information during a preselected time period to the subset of subscribing consumers who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information.

3. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, wherein step g. is:

transmitting approximately less than 25 of the selected specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information during an approximate 24 hour period to the subset of subscribing consumers who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information.

4. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, further comprising additional step:

g1. transmitting, over the wireless communications network, to the first subset of subscribing consumers, during a preselected time period, a preselected limited number of subscribing advertisers'"'"' advertising information not selected in step f.

5. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, further comprising additional step:

e1. receiving from each of the subscribing consumers, third information relating to general information about each subscribing consumers.

6. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, wherein step h. is:

distributing to the communications service provider a fee for each specific advertisement transmitted to the subset of subscribing consumers who use said communications service provider'"'"'s communications network.

7. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, further comprising additional step:

e1. collecting from each subscribing consumer a subscription fee for providing the service of transmitting the advertising information to the subscribing consumer.

8. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, wherein step h. is:

receiving from at least one of the subscribing consumers, the identity of an organization to which a portion of the earned subscribing consumers'"'"' fees are to be distributed; and

further comprising new steps;

i. distributing to the subset of subscribing consumers who have received the specific advertisers'"'"' information, a first portion of the earned subscribing consumers'"'"' fee for each specific advertising information transmitted to the subset of subscribing consumers; and

j. distributing to the identified organization, a second portion of the earned subscribing consumers'"'"' fee for each specific advertisement transmitted to the subset of subscribing consumers.

9. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, further comprising the additional steps:

d1. receiving from at least one of the subscribing consumers, authorization to receive information relating to the subscribing consumers'"'"' purchasing history, from at least one of the subscribing consumers'"'"' credit card companies;

d2. receiving from the at least one of the subscribing consumers'"'"' credit card companies, information relating to the subscribing consumers'"'"' purchasing history.

10. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, further comprising the additional steps:

i. receiving from the subscribing advertisers, information showing purchases made by the subset of subscribing consumers who received the specific advertisers'"'"' information over the wireless communications network;

j. tracking the effectiveness of the step f. selection process with the purchases information received from the subscribing advertisers; and

k. revising the step f. selection process based upon the tracking of the selection effectiveness step.

11. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network is a cellular media network and the wireless communications identification information is each subscribing consumer'"'"'s cellular identification information.

12. A method for transmitting information using a wireless communications network, the method having a central organizing entity, subscribing information providers, subscribing recipients, and a communications service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving from the subscribing information providers, information to be transmitted to a targeted set of the subscribing recipients;

b. receiving from the subscribing information providers, information describing an intended set of recipients;

c. collecting from the subscribing information providers, a fee for transmitting the advertising information to the targeted set of subscribing recipients;

d. receiving from each of the subscribing recipients, first information describing each subscribing recipient'"'"'s wireless communications identification information;

e. receiving from each of the subscribing recipients, second information describing each subscribing recipient'"'"'s preferences for receiving information;

f. selecting specific subscribing information providers'"'"' information to be transmitted, over a wireless communications network, to a first subset of the subscribing recipients who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information;

g. transmitting the selected specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information to the subset of subscribing recipients who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information; and

h. distributing to the subset of subscribing recipients who have received the specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information, a fee for each specific information transmitted to the subset of subscribing recipients.

13. The method for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 12, wherein step g. is:

transmitting a preselected number of the selected specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information during a preselected time period to the subset of subscribing recipients who have identified a desire to receive the specific subscribing information provider'"'"'s information.

14. A method for providing information over a wireless communications network, the method having a central organizing entity, information providers, subscribing wireless communications network users, and a communications service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving from the subscribing information providers, a first set of information to be transmitted to a targeted set of the wireless communications network users desiring to receive said information;

b. collecting from the information providers a fee for transmitting the first set of information to the targeted set of subscribing wireless communications network users;

c. receiving from each subscribing wireless communications network user, the subscribing wireless communications network user'"'"'s identification information;

d. receiving from each subscribing wireless communications network user a description of information desired to be received by the subscribing wireless communications network user;

e. collecting from each subscribing wireless communications network user a fee for transmitting the desired information to the subscribing wireless communications network user;

f. selecting from the information providers'"'"' first set of information, information substantially matching the description of desired information received in step d., for a subset of the subscribing wireless communications network users; and

g. transmitting, over a wireless communications network, to the subset of subscribing wireless communications network users, the information selected from the information provider'"'"'s first set of information that is desired to be received by the subscribing wireless communications network user.

15. A system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, comprising:

a. a central organizing entity to coordinate collection and transmission of advertising information, said central organizing entity also coordinating collection and distribution of fees for the targeted advertising service;

b. a plurality of subscribing advertisers providing advertisements to the central organizing entity to be transmitted to targeted consumers using a wireless communications network, said subscribing advertisers paying a fee to the central organizing entity for the central organizing entity'"'"'s service of transmitting the advertisements to the targeted consumers; and

c. a plurality of subscribing consumers agreeing to receive, using a wireless communications network, a limited number of the advertisers'"'"' advertisements that are selected by said consumers, from the central organizing entity during a preselected time period in exchange for receiving a fee for each advertisement transmitted to the subscribing consumers over the wireless communications network.

16. The system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 15, wherein the limited number of advertisers'"'"' advertisements is approximately less than 25.

17. The system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 15, wherein the plurality of subscribing consumers agree to receive a first limited number of selected advertisers'"'"' advertisements from the central organizing entity, and a second limited number of advertisers'"'"' advertisements that are not selected by the subscribing consumers, from the central organizing entity in exchange for receiving a fee for each advertisement transmitted to each subscribing consumer using the wireless communications network.

18. The system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 17, wherein the first limited number of specifically selected advertisers'"'"' advertisements is approximately less than 20, and the second limited number of advertisers'"'"' advertisements not selected by the consumer is approximately less than 5.

19. The system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 17, wherein the first limited number of specifically selected advertisers'"'"' advertisements is approximately less than 40, and the second limited number of advertisers'"'"' advertisements not selected by the consumer is approximately less than 10.

20. The system for conducting targeted advertising using a wireless communications network, as provided in claim 15, wherein the wireless communications network is a cellular media network.

21. A system for directing information over a wireless communications network to various wireless communications devices used by a selected group of wireless communications device users, comprising:

a. a central organizing entity to coordinate collection and transmission of information to be directed to a selected group of wireless communications device users, said central organizing entity also coordinating collection and distribution of fees for the service of directing the information;

b. an information provider supplying the information to the central organizing entity to be transmitted to the selected group of wireless communications device users, using a wireless communications network, said information provider paying a fee to the central organizing entity for the central organizing entity'"'"'s service of transmitting the information to the selected group of wireless communications device users; and

c. a selected group of wireless communications device users subscribing with the central organizing entity to receive the information provided by the information provider and transmitted by the central organizing entity to the wireless communications devices of the selected group of wireless communications device users.

22. The system for directing information over a wireless communications network to a selected group of wireless communications device users, of claim 21, wherein the information provider is a governmental entity.

23. The system for directing information over a wireless communications network to a selected group of wireless communications device users, of claim 21, wherein the information provider is a medical provider.

24. The system for directing information over a wireless communications network to a selected group of wireless communications device users, of claim 21, wherein the information provider is a behavior modification organization.

25. The system for directing information over a wireless communications network to a selected group of wireless communications device users, of claim 21, wherein the wireless communications network is a cellular communications network and the wireless communications devices are mobile cellular devices.

26. A system for directing information over a wireless communications network to various wireless communications devices used by a selected group of wireless communications device users, comprising:

a. a central organizing entity to coordinate collection and transmission of information to be directed to a selected group of wireless communications device users, said central organizing entity also coordinating collection and distribution of fees for the service of directing the information;

b. an information provider supplying the information to the central organizing entity to be transmitted to the selected group of wireless communications device users, using a wireless communications network; and

c. a selected group of wireless communications device users subscribing with the central organizing entity to receive the information provided by the information provider and transmitted by the central organizing entity to the wireless communications devices of the selected group of wireless communications device users, said selected group of wireless communications device users paying a fee to the central organizing entity for the central organizing entity'"'"'s service of transmitting the information to the selected group of wireless communications device users.

27. A system for directing information over a wireless communications network to various wireless communications devices used by a selected group of wireless communications device users, comprising:

a. a central organizing entity to coordinate collection and transmission of information to be directed to a selected group of wireless communications device users, said central organizing entity also coordinating collection and distribution of fees for the service of directing the information;

b. an information provider supplying the information to the central organizing entity to be transmitted to the selected group of wireless communications device users, using a wireless communications network;

c. a selected group of wireless communications device users subscribing with the central organizing entity to receive the information provided by the information provider and transmitted by the central organizing entity to the wireless communications devices of the selected group of wireless communications device users; and

d. at least one sponsoring entity to pay a fee to the central organizing entity for the central organizing entity'"'"'s service of transmitting the information to the selected group of wireless communications device users.