Method and apparatus for delivering advertisements to mobile users

• US 20070271139A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myriad Group AG
• Original Assignee: Myriad Group AG
• Inventors: Fiorini, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.730
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

Abstract

The present invention contemplates a variety of techniques for delivering advertisements and similar promotional messages to mobile users through the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) bearer in the GSM (Global System for Mobile) network or the 3G (3^rd Generation) network. The USSD is a GSM and 3G communication technology that is used to send text between a mobile phone and an application program in the network. USSD provides session-based communication in which transactions occur only during a session. Advertisements delivered through USSD provide a way for the recipient to respond to the promotional message immediately and often at no cost, as many mobile networks do not bill mobile users for their USSD traffic. The present invention allows advertisements to be delivered through USSD in several ways: by inserting a short text into a message in a mobile-initiated USSD session, by temporarily diverting a mobile-initiated USSD session toward an advertisement sub-session, by triggering a network-initiated USSD session the main purpose of which is the delivery of an advertisement, and by causing a mobile user to initiate a USSD session the main purpose of which is the delivery of an advertisement. The present invention discloses a process for inserting advertisements into USSD messages, a process for inserting advertisement sub-sessions into USSD sessions, and a process for delivering advertisements with network-initiated USSD sessions.

Claims

1. A process for providing an advertisment to a mobile device wherein the improvement comprises inserting an advertisement into a USSD message.

2. A process for providing an advertisment to a mobile device wherein the improvement comprises inserting an advertisement sub-session into a USSD session.

37. The process of claim 2, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, marketing preferences previously supplied by said mobile user.

3. A process for providing an advertisment to a mobile device wherein the improvement comprises delivering an advertisement with a network-initiated USSD session.

4. A process for inserting an advertisement into a USSD message, comprising the steps of:

a) processing message traffic between a service provider and a mobile user;

b) identifying said service provider and said mobile user;

c) selecting a message to be sent by said service provider to said mobile user;

d) deciding whether it is appropriate to insert an advertisement into said message;

e) if it is appropriate to insert an advertisement into said message, selecting an advertiser and an advertisement to be inserted into said message;

f) transcoding said advertisement so that it uses the same character set as said message;

g) modifying said message by inserting said transcoded advertisement;

h) forwarding said modified message to said mobile user;

i) storing information about said modification, so that it is possible to determine later whether said mobile user'"'"'s response to said modified message is a response to the original USSD message or a response to said advertisement;

j) depending on said mobile user'"'"'s response, either proceeding with the original USSD session, or diverting that session to a sub-session related to said advertisement, said sub-session comprising one or more USSD messages from said advertiser and one or more USSD responses from said mobile user.

18. The process of claim 4, comprising the additional step of logging to a database how said mobile user has responded to said advertisement, so that the mobile operator can later bill the advertiser and/or compensate the service provider.

22. The process of claim 4, wherein the decision to insert an advertisement into a USSD message depends on the length of said USSD message, the length of said advertisement, and the maximum allowable length of a USSD message.

23. The process of claim 4, wherein the decision to display an advertisement comprises the step of looking-up in a database whether said mobile user has requested not to receive advertisements.

26. The process of claim 4, wherein the decision to display an advertisement comprises the step of looking-up in a database whether said service provider has requested that its service should not be interrupted by advertisements;

28. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of using keywords or similar information that said service provider explicitly attaches to its messages.

29. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of automatically detecting words in the USSD message.

30. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of detecting the brand and model of the mobile device that is being used.

31. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, marketing preferences previously supplied by said mobile user.

32. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, a list of advertisers or categories of advertisers that said service provider has blacklisted.

33. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, a list of service providers or categories of service providers that said selected advertiser has blacklisted.

40. The process of claim 4, wherein one or more steps are performed off-line and the results are stored in a database until said mobile user accesses the USSD service.

5. A process for inserting an advertisement sub-session into a USSD session, comprising the steps of:

a) processing message traffic between a service provider and a mobile user;

b) identifying said service provider and said mobile user;

c) deciding whether it is appropriate to display advertisements in said USSD session;

d) selecting times during said USSD session when it is appropriate to insert advertisements;

e) selecting an advertiser and an advertisement to be inserted into said USSD session;

f) diverting said USSD session to an advertisement sub-session, said sub-session comprising one or more USSD messages from said advertiser and one or more USSD responses from said mobile user;

19. The process of claim 5, comprising the additional step of logging to a database how said mobile user has responded to said advertisement, so that the mobile operator can later bill the advertiser and/or compensate the service provider.

24. The process of claim 5, wherein the decision to display an advertisement comprises the step of looking up in a database whether said mobile user has requested not to receive advertisements.

27. The process of claim 5, wherein the decision to display an advertisement comprises the step of looking up in a database whether said service provider has requested that its service should not be interrupted by advertisements.

34. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of using keywords or similar information that said service provider explicitly attaches to its messages.

35. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of automatically detecting words in the USSD message.

36. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of detecting the brand and model of the mobile device that is being used.

38. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, a list of advertisers or categories of advertisers that said service provider has blacklisted.

39. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting an advertiser and an advertisement comprises the step of looking up, in a database, a list of service providers or categories of service providers that said selected advertiser has blacklisted.

41. The process of claim 5, wherein one or more steps are performed off-line and the results are stored in a database until said mobile user accesses the USSD service.

42. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting a time when it is appropriate to insert a sub-session comprises the operation of detecting specific markers that service providers insert in their messages to indicate suitable times for advertisements.

43. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting a time when it is appropriate to insert a sub-session comprises the operation of detecting messages which indicate the end of a USSD session, and postponing the closing of said session.

44. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting a time when it is appropriate to insert a sub-session comprises the operation of detecting transitions, within a USSD session, from one service provider to another service provider.

6. A process for delivering an advertisement with a network-initiated USSD session, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting an appropriate time for delivering advertisements to a mobile user;

b) selecting an advertiser and an advertisement to be delivered to said mobile user;

c) triggering a network-initiated USSD session;

d) delivering said advertisement to said mobile user.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement comprises detecting that a mobile user has just completed a mobile-initiated USSD session.

8. The process of claim 6, comprising the additional step of causing the mobile device to ring or vibrate prior to triggering said USSD session by initiating a short voice call to said mobile user.

9. The process of claim 6, comprising the additional step of causing the mobile device to ring or vibrate prior to triggering said USSD session by sending a Short Message to said mobile user.

10. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user has just completed a voice call by monitoring Call Detail Records generated by Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs).

11. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user has just completed a voice call by monitoring CAMEL transactions between MSCs and SCPs.

12. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user has just sent a Short Message by monitoring CAMEL transactions between MSCs and SCPs.

13. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user has just sent a Short Message by monitoring GSM MAP MO-ForwardSM messages between MSCs and Short Message Service Centers.

14. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user is engaged in a WAP session or has just completed a WAP session by monitoring WAP traffic between said mobile user and the WAP gateway.

15. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user is engaged in a WAP session or has just completed a WAP session by monitoring WAP traffic between the WAP gateway and the WAP service providers.

16. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the most appropriate time to deliver an advertisement includes detecting that said mobile user is engaged in a WAP session or has just completed a WAP session by requiring WAP service providers to generate a notification event when a user accesses a WAP service.

17. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of selecting said advertiser and said advertisement depends on the specific WAP service that said mobile user has just accessed.

20. The process of claim 6, comprising the additional step of logging to a database how said mobile user has responded to said advertisement, so that the mobile operator can later bill the advertiser and/or compensate the service provider.

21. The process of claim 7, comprising the additional step of logging to a database how said mobile user has responded to said advertisement, so that the mobile operator can later bill the advertiser and/or compensate the service provider.

25. The process of claim 6, wherein the decision to display an advertisement comprises the step of looking up in a database whether said mobile user has requested not to receive advertisements.

45. A system for providing advertisements to users of mobile devices comprising a GSM SCP, GSM SCF, USSD gateway, USSD Service Center, USSD service portal or similar server.

46. A database, including:

information about mobile users who have requested that their USSD service not be interrupted by advertisements;

information about service providers who have requested that their services not be interrupted by advertisements;

information about marketing preferences supplied by mobile users;

information about advertisers or categories of advertisers that have been blacklisted by service providers;

information about service providers or categories of service providers that have been blacklisted by advertisers; and

information about responses of mobile users to advertisements.