Platform for communicating across multiple communication channels

• US 20090028183A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IgnitionOne, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IgnitionOne, Inc.
• Inventors: Deagan, Brian, Novak, Taras, Grimm, Jonathon L., Landers, William P.
• Application Number:
  US12/157,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20090028183A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with communications through a software platform are described herein. In an embodiment, a method for communicating with users across multiple communication channels from a single platform includes gathering data related to a first user; storing the gathered data; accessing the stored data to determine whether a message should be sent to the first user; accessing the stored data to determine what communication channel should be used to send the message to the first user; formatting the message for the determined communication channel; and sending the message to the first user through the determined communication channel.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with users across multiple communication channels from a single platform comprising:

gathering data related to a first user;

storing the gathered data;

accessing the stored data to determine whether a message should be sent to the first user;

accessing the stored data to determine what communication channel should be used send the message to the first user;

formatting the message for the determined communication channel; and

sending the message to the first user through the determined communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the data in a data store.

3. The method of claim 1, where the multiple communication channels includes at least one of an electronic mail communication channel, a mobile phone communication channel, an internet website communication channel, or an interactive television communication channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating rules to determine that a communication is to be sent to the first user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing rules in a subsystem.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the data in the subsystem.

7. The method of claim 4, where the subsystem is one of a content management system, an extensible profile system, an activity and response system, or a rules and segmentation system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the message through a multiple channel rendering engine.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending the message through a messaging engine.

10. A method for associating a stored profile of a user of an internet website with the user comprising:

detecting the user accessing the internet website;

placing an HTTP cookie on the user'"'"'s computer;

creating an anonymous profile of the user in a data store;

storing the user'"'"'s website activity in the data store;

associating the user'"'"'s website activity with the anonymous profile;

monitoring the user'"'"'s activity for personal identification data;

associating the personal identification data with the anonymous profile; and

converting the anonymous profile to a first known profile.

11. The method of claim 10, where the data store is a database.

12. The method of claim 10, where the data store is a subsystem.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

searching the data store for known profiles with personal identification information that matches the personal identification data of the first user profile; and

merging the first user profile with a second user profile with personal identification information that matches the personal identification data of the first user profile.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a relevant message to the user based on the user'"'"'s website activity.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting a communication channel from multiple communication channels by which to send the relevant message to the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising formatting the relevant message based on the selected communication channel.

17. A system for selectively communicating with a user across one of at least two communication channels comprising:

a data store;

a rendering engine in communication with the data store for selectively rendering a message for one of the at least two communication channels; and

a first subsystem in communication with the data store and the rendering engine, the first subsystem including logic for generating the selectively rendered message;

wherein the system is distributed across a single platform.

18. The system of claim 17, where the one of at least two communication channels includes an electronic mail communication channel, a mobile phone communication channel, an internet website communication channel, or an interactive television communication channel.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a messenger engine in communication with the rendering engine for delivering the message to the user.

20. The system of claim 17, where the first subsystem is either a content management system, an extensible profile system, an activity and response system, or a rules and segmentation system.