Methods and apparatus for providing SMS notification, advertisement and e-commerce systems for university communities
First Claim
1. A communication system for a university community comprising a plurality of university users and students, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages and a client device adapted to browse web pages, the communication system comprising:
- a messaging platform coupled to the university users, the students, a merchant and a web advertiser, the messaging platform adapted to allow;
each student to specify associated notification and advertisement interest categories;
each university user to create and send SMS notification messages to the mobile devices of the students based on the students'"'"' specified notification interest categories;
the merchant to create and send SMS advertisement messages to the mobile devices of the students based on the students'"'"' specified advertisement interest categories; and
the web advertiser to display web advertisements in the web pages based on the students'"'"' specified advertisement interest categories.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods are provided for providing SMS notification, SMS advertisement, web advertisement and e-commerce systems for university communities. A messaging platform includes a web server and a database. The web server provides student, university, merchant and web advertiser interfaces for communications with students, university users, merchants and web advertisers, respectively, and back-end interfaces for communications with SMS aggregators and wireless carriers used to communicate SMS messages to the students'"'"' Mobile Devices and web advertisements to student clients. The database stores information regarding the students'"'"' demographic information and interest categories. The messaging platform may be used by university users and merchants to send SMS notification and advertisement messages, respectively, to the mobile devices of students based on interest category information extracted from the database. The messaging platform also may be used by web advertisers to display web advertisements in web pages displayed on student clients based on interest category information extracted from the database
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A communication system for a university community comprising a plurality of university users and students, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages and a client device adapted to browse web pages, the communication system comprising:
a messaging platform coupled to the university users, the students, a merchant and a web advertiser, the messaging platform adapted to allow;
each student to specify associated notification and advertisement interest categories;
each university user to create and send SMS notification messages to the mobile devices of the students based on the students'"'"' specified notification interest categories;
the merchant to create and send SMS advertisement messages to the mobile devices of the students based on the students'"'"' specified advertisement interest categories; and
the web advertiser to display web advertisements in the web pages based on the students'"'"' specified advertisement interest categories. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
14. A communication system for providing merchants with access to a plurality of students at a plurality of universities, each university comprising a plurality of university users and a plurality of associated students, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages, the method comprising:
providing a messaging platform coupled to university users, the students and the merchants, the messaging platform adapted to allow the university users to send SMS notification messages to their associated students, and allow the merchants to send SMS advertisement messages to students at one or more universities. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
28. A method for communicating SMS advertisement messages to a plurality of students at a plurality of universities, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages, the method comprising:
-
providing a messaging platform coupled to the students and a plurality of merchants, the messaging platform adapted to allow the merchants to send SMS advertisement messages to the students at any of the universities;
providing a first user interface that allows each student to select options regarding the SMS messages that the student would like to receive; and
providing a second user interface that allows each merchant to select options regarding the students to whom the advertiser would like to send SMS advertisement messages.
-
-
29. A method for providing SMS message services, the method comprising:
-
providing a plurality of universities with access to a system that is adapted to allow university users to send SMS notification messages to a plurality of their associated students, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages;
providing a plurality of merchants with access to the system, which is further adapted to allow the merchants to send SMS advertisement messages to the students who elect to receive such SMS advertisement messages on an opt-in basis; and
charging each merchant a fee for each SMS advertisement message sent via the system.
-
-
30. A method for providing SMS message services for university communities comprising university users, a plurality of students and merchants, each student having a mobile device adapted to receive SMS messages, the method comprising:
-
providing a means for allowing the university users to create SMS notification messages, and to select a category of students to receive each notification messages;
providing a means for allowing each student to select options regarding the SMS messages that the student would like to receive;
requiring that each student agree to receive a minimum number of SMS advertisement messages in a given time period;
providing a means for allowing the merchants to create SMS advertisement messages, and to select a category of students to receive each SMS advertisement message; and
charging each merchant a fee for SMS advertisement messages sent to the students.
-
Specification