COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR SENDING ADVERTISEMENT MESSAGES TO A MOBILE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20100223136A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Brown, Michael, Church, Mark, Mallick, Martyn, Wormald, Chris
• Application Number:
  US12/394,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223136A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.640
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A communications system includes at least one mobile wireless communications device operable based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee, and for sequentially playing media files. The communications system also includes an advertising server for sending at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between the media files. The at least one mobile wireless device plays the audio advertisement messages between the media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

at least one mobile wireless communications device operable based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee, and for sequentially playing media files; and

an advertising server for sending at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between media files;

said at least one mobile wireless device for playing the at least one advertisement message between media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee.

2. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said advertising server selectively sends the at least one advertisement message.

3. The communications system of claim 2 wherein said advertising server further cooperates with said at least one mobile wireless communications device to generate a played advertisement message history;

and wherein said advertising server selectively sends the at least one advertisement message based upon the played advertisement message history.

4. The communications system of claim 2 wherein said advertising server further cooperates with said at least one mobile wireless communications device to generate a played media file history;

and wherein said advertising server selectively sends the at least one advertisement message based upon the played media file history.

5. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said at least one mobile wireless communications device permits user selection of playback of the at least one advertisement message thereby affecting the discount of the wireless network user subscription fee.

6. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said at least one mobile wireless communications device permits user selection of playback of the at least one advertisement message;

and wherein said advertising server selectively sends the at least one advertisement message to said at least one wireless communications devices based upon at least one selected played back advertisement message.

7. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile wireless communications device comprises a processor and a memory cooperating therewith to store the media files.

8. The communications system of claim 7 wherein said advertising server sends the at least one advertisement message as a stream;

and wherein said at least one mobile wireless communications device further comprises a transceiver cooperating with said processor and said memory to play the at least one advertisement message stream.

9. The communications system of claim 7 wherein said processor and memory further cooperate to store the at least one advertisement message.

10. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the at least one advertisement message comprises at least one of an audio advertisement message and a visual advertisement message.

11. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said at least one mobile wireless communications device comprises a display;

and wherein said advertising server further cooperates with said at least one mobile wireless device for sending visual advertisement messages to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be displayed on said display.

12. An advertising server to cooperate with at least one mobile wireless communications device operable based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee and for sequentially playing media files, the advertising server comprising:

a processor and at least one memory cooperating therewith to

selectively send at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee,

store a played advertisement history,

the at least one advertisement message being selectively sent based upon the played audio advertisement message history.

13. The advertising server of claim 12 wherein said processor and said at least one memory are further to store a played media file history;

and wherein said processor and said memory selectively sends the at least one advertisement message based upon the played media file history.

14. The advertising server of claim 12 wherein said processor and said at least one memory sends the at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device during playback of the media files.

15. The advertising server of claim 12 wherein the at least one advertisement message comprises at least one of an audio advertisement message and a visual advertisement message.

16. A method of using an advertising server to send advertisement messages to at least one mobile wireless communications device operable based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee and for sequentially playing media files, the method comprising:

selectively sending at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee; and

storing a played advertisement history;

the selective sending of the at least one advertisement message being based upon the played audio advertisement message history.

17. The method claim 16 further comprising storing a played media file history;

and wherein the selective sending of the at least one advertisement message is also based upon the played media file history.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one advertisement message is selectively sent to the at least one mobile wireless communications device during playback of the media files.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one advertisement message comprises at least one of an audio advertisement message and a visual advertisement message.

20. A method of operating a communications system comprising:

operating at least one mobile wireless communications device based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee, the at least one mobile wireless communications device for sequentially playing media files;

sending, with an advertising server, at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between media files; and

playing, with the at least one mobile wireless device, the at least one advertisement message between media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one advertisement message is sent to the at least one mobile wireless communications device during playback of the media files.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising accepting a user selection of playback of the at least one advertisement message using the at least one mobile wireless device and altering the discount of the wireless network user subscription fee based upon the selection.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising accepting a user selection of playback of the at least one advertisement message using the at least one mobile wireless device;

and wherein the at least one advertisement message is sent to the at least one wireless communications device based upon at least one selected played back advertisement message.

24. A computer readable medium to store computer executable modules for use by an advertising server to cooperate with at least one mobile wireless communications device operable based upon payment of a wireless network user subscription fee and for sequentially playing media files, the computer executable modules comprising:

a computer executable advertising module for selectively sending at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device to be played between media files for a discount of the wireless network user subscription fee; and

a computer executable database module to cooperate with the advertising module to store a played advertisement history;

said computer executable advertising module selectively sending the at least one advertisement message based upon the played advertisement message history.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein the computer executable database module cooperates with the at least one mobile wireless communications device to store a played media file history;

and wherein said computer executable advertising module selectively sends the at least one advertisement message based upon the played media file history.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein said computer executable advertising module sends the at least one advertisement message to the at least one mobile wireless communications device during playback of the media files.