SMS gifting

• US 20090198592A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Emerson, David
• Application Number:
  US12/012,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198592A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

A SMS gifting system including a computer of a commercial business in communication with a network; the computer generates a purchase authorization code (“PAC”) and an indicia that describes a purchase by a purchaser of goods, services, and gift amounts relating to the commercial business; the computer transmits the generated PAC and indicia to a recipient; a communications device operable by the purchaser receives the information relating to the goods, services, and gift amounts and displays the information to the purchaser, a wireless communications device in communication with the network operable by the recipient to receive and display the generated PAC and indicia; and a store providing the goods, services, and gift amounts of the commercial business, the store receives the generated PAC and indicia and compares the presented PAC to the generated PAC for authorizing the provision at the store of the purchased goods, services, and gift amounts.

Claims

1. A system for SMS gifting comprising:

a central online computer of a commercial business in communication with a network comprising;

a processor for generating a purchase authorization code and an indicia describing a purchase by a purchaser of at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts relating to the commercial business;

a memory for storing information relating to the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts of the commercial business and the generated purchase authorization code;

an input/output unit for transmitting the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to a recipient;

a communications device in communication with the network the communications device operable by the purchaser and configured to;

receive the information relating to the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

display the information to the purchaser relating to the at least one of the goods, services, and gift amounts;

responsive to purchaser input, purchase the at least one of the goods, services, and gift amounts;

a wireless communications device in communication with the network operable by the recipient and configured to;

receive the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, gift amounts;

display to the recipient the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts; and

a store providing the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts of the commercial business, the store having a computer in communication with the central online computer, the computer comprising;

an input/output unit for receiving the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

a memory for storing the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

an input device for accepting a purchase authorization code presented by the recipient;

a processor for comparing the presented purchase authorization code to the generated purchase authorization code for authorizing the provision at the store of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts.

2. The system for SMS gifting of claim 1, wherein the communications device is a wired or wireless communications device comprising:

an input/output unit configured to communicate with the central online computer to receive the information relating to the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts; and

a display for displaying to the purchaser the information relating to the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts.

3. The system for SMS gifting of claim 1, wherein the presented purchase authorization code is presented by on the recipient'"'"'s wireless communications device.

4. The system of SMS gifting of claim 1, wherein the network is at least one of Internet, Intranet, TDMA network, CDMA network, PCS network, GSM network, WiMAX network, WLAN, data network, packet network, private network, PSTN, and VoIP network.

5. The system of SMS gifting of claim 1, wherein the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts is displayed to the recipient in the form of one of a text message and SMS.

6. A system for SMS gifting comprising:

a first store configured to execute a sale of at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts by a purchaser, the first store having a computer in communication with a network, the computer comprising;

a processor for generating a purchase authorization code corresponding to the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts and an indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

a memory for storing the indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts and the generated purchase authorization code;

an input/output unit for transmitting the generated purchase authorization code and the indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to at least one of the purchaser, the first store, and a second store;

a first wireless communications device in communication with the network operable by the purchaser and configured to;

transmit at least one of the purchase authorization code and the indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts; and

a second wireless communications device in communication with the network operable by the recipient and configured to;

receive the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

display to at least one of the recipient, the first store, and the second store the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts.

7. The SMS gifting system of claim 6, wherein the second store has a computer in communication with the network, the computer comprising:

an input/output unit for receiving the generated purchase authorization code and the indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

a memory for storing the indicia describing the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts and the generated purchase authorization code; and

a processor for comparing the generated purchase authorization code and a presented purchase authorization code by the recipient.

8. The SMS gifting system of claim 6, wherein the network is at least one of Internet, Intranet, TDMA network, CDMA network, PCS network, GSM network, WiMAX network, WLAN, data network, packet network, private network, PSTN, and VoIP network.

9. The SMS gifting of claim 6, wherein the generated purchase authorization code and indicia describing the purchase of the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts is displayed to the recipient in the form of one of a text message and SMS.

10. A method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code corresponding to a purchased gift by a purchaser comprising:

displaying information corresponding to at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to a purchaser'"'"'s communications device in communication with a network;

selecting at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts on the communications device by the purchaser;

purchasing the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

responsive to the purchase, generating the purchase authorization code corresponding to the purchase; and

transmitting the purchase authorization code and indicia of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient'"'"'s communications device.

11. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, wherein the displaying further comprises:

storing the information corresponding to at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts at a central online computer in communication with the network.

12. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting the purchase authorization code to a business for redemption of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts.

13. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the generated purchase authorization code at the business.

14. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing the presented purchase authorization code with the stored purchase authorization code to confirm whether to provide the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient.

15. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, wherein the generating further comprises:

generating a unique purchase authorization code corresponding to the purchase; and

storing the purchase authorization code at the business.

16. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

transmitting to the recipient a message from the purchaser.

17. The method for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 10, wherein purchasing further comprises:

transmitting the purchase authorization code and indicia of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient'"'"'s communications device using the telephone number of the recipient'"'"'s communications device.

18. A system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code corresponding to a purchased gift by a purchaser comprising:

means for displaying information corresponding to at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to a purchaser'"'"'s communications device in communication with a network;

means for selecting at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts on the communications device by the purchaser,

means for purchasing the at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts;

responsive to the purchase, means for generating the purchase authorization code corresponding to the purchase; and

means for transmitting the purchase authorization code and indicia of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient'"'"'s communications device.

19. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, wherein the means for displaying further comprises:

means for storing the information corresponding to at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts at a central online computer in communication with the network.

20. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, further comprising:

means for presenting the purchase authorization code to a business for redemption of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts.

21. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, further comprising:

means storing the generated purchase authorization code at the business.

22. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 21, further comprising:

means for comparing the presented purchase authorization code with the stored purchase authorization code to confirm whether to provide the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient.

23. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, wherein the means for generating further comprises:

means for generating a unique purchase authorization code corresponding to the purchase; and

means for storing the purchase authorization code at the business.

24. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises:

means for transmitting to the recipient a message from the purchaser.

25. The system for sending to a recipient a purchase authorization code of claim 18, wherein the means for purchasing further comprises:

means for transmitting the purchase authorization code and indicia of the purchased at least one of goods, services, and gift amounts to the recipient'"'"'s communications device using the telephone number of the recipient'"'"'s communications device.