Method and system for targeted offers to mobile users

• US 20100280892A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Uzunalioglu, Huseyin, Budka, Kenneth C.
• Application Number:
  US12/453,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280892A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A system for targeted offers to at least one mobile user includes a data collection system configured to collect information relating to the at least one mobile user'"'"'s interests, a profiling engine configured to profile the at least one mobile user according to a plurality of classification groups based on the collected information of the data collection system, a matching engine configured to map the at least one mobile user profile received from the profiling engine to at least one service profile, and an offer manager configured to offer at least one service to the at least one mobile user based on the mapping received from the matching engine and a trigger received from the data collection system.

Claims

1. A system for targeted offers to at least one mobile user, comprising:

a data collection system configured to collect information relating to the at least one mobile user'"'"'s interests;

a profiling engine configured to profile the at least one mobile user according to a plurality of classification groups based on the collected information of the data collection system;

a matching engine configured to map the at least one mobile user profile received from the profiling engine to at least one service profile; and

an offer manager configured to offer at least one service to the at least one mobile user based on the mapping received from the matching engine and a trigger received from the data collection system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the data collection system is configured to send the trigger based on information relating to at least one of user acceptance probability, network load, and network signaling events, where the networking signaling events relate to at least one of powering on, attachment to a data network, and roaming, and

the data collection system is further configured to collect information relating to an acceptance rate of the at least one service offered to the at least one mobile user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein,

the offer manager offers the at least one service when the mobile user acceptance probability is high and the network load is low such that offering the service will not degrade performance of a network,

the offer manager determines the network load is low if a portion of the network that will carry service traffic has sufficient capacity for an additional mobile user, and

the offer manager determines the mobile user acceptance probability is high when the at least one mobile user is performing an activity related to the at least one service.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the offer manager offers the at least one service at a another time period when the mobile user acceptance probability is high and the network load is low, if at least one of the network load is not low and the mobile user acceptance probability is not high at a current time period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the offer manager activates the at least one service if the at least one offered service is accepted by the at least one mobile user,

the offer manager requests the at least one mobile user to subscribe to the at least one activated service for a fee after a trial time period expires, and

the offer manager deactivates the at least one activated service if the at least one mobile user does not subscribe to the at least one activated service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the matching engine pairs each of the at least one mobile users to the at least one of the services based on the at least one mobile user profiles and the at least one service profiles, where the at least one mobile user profiles indicate at least one mobile user'"'"'s level of interest in one or more target areas and the at least one service profile indicates the at least one service'"'"'s compatibility to the one or more target areas.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a deep packet inspection unit (DPI) configured to analyze data packets sent between the at least one mobile user and a public internet network to send information about the analyzed data packets to the data collection system, wherein

the data collection system collects information relating to at least one of web traces, web sites visited, keyword searches, a duration the websites are visited, a duration the services are accessed are visited, a duration the services are accessed, calling records, Call Detail Records (CDRs), and demographics information, and

the web traces are collected from the DPI, the CDRs are collected from at least one of the DPI and a billing system, and the demographics information is collected from an external database, with the CDRs including summary records describing the at least one mobile user'"'"'s usage of network resources and the demographics information including at least one of subscriber age, gender and location of the at least one mobile user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to conduct market research for a new service, where the market research includes gauging at least one of user interest, pricing strategies, usage patterns, and an effect on the network of the new service, with the pricing strategies including offering a service contract at varying prices to the users.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the profiling engine having the plurality of classification groups includes at least one of video, music, sports, news, and social networking groups,

the profiling engine classifies the received collected information according to one of the plurality of classification groups based on at least one classification rule,

the profiling engine having the at least one classification rule includes tallying each visit to a website by the at least one mobile user to one of the plurality of classification groups based on a type of the website, and

the profiling engine having the at least one classification rule includes weighting behavior of the at least one mobile user over a period of time according to an algorithm taking into account a plurality of factors, where at least one of the plurality of factors includes previous acceptance rates of at least one of service offers and service subscriptions by the at least one mobile user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer manager is further configured to at least one of receive the at least one mobile user'"'"'s response to the offered service and to send user and service information to the data collection system.

11. A method for targeted offers to at least one mobile user, comprising:

collecting information relating to the at least one mobile user'"'"'s interests;

profiling the at least one mobile user according to a plurality of classification groups based on the collecting;

mapping the at least one mobile user profile received from the profiling to at least one service profile; and

offering at least one service to the at least one mobile user based on the mapping and a trigger received from the collecting.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein,

the collecting sends the trigger based on information relating to at least one of user acceptance probability, network load, and network signaling events, where the networking signaling events relate to at least one of powering on, attachment to a data network, and roaming, and

the collecting is further configured to collect information relating to an acceptance rate of the at least one service offered to the at least one mobile user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein,

the offering offers the at least one service when the mobile user acceptance probability is high and the network load is low such that offering the service will not degrade performance of a network,

the offering determines the network load is low if a portion of the network that will carry service traffic has sufficient capacity for an additional mobile user, and

the offering determines the mobile user acceptance probability is high when the a least one mobile user is performing an activity related to the at least one service.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the offering offers the at least one service at a another time period when the mobile user acceptance probability is high and the network load is low, if at least one of the network load is not low and the mobile user acceptance probability is not high at a current time period.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

activating the at least one service if the at least one offered service is accepted by the at least one mobile user, requesting the at least one mobile user to subscribe to the at least one activated service for a fee after a trial time period expires, and

deactivating the at least one activated service if the at least one mobile user does not subscribe to the at least one activated service.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the mapping pairs each of the at least one mobile users to the at least one of the services based on the at least one mobile user profiles and the at least one service profiles, where the at least one mobile user profiles indicate at least one mobile user'"'"'s level of interest in one or more target areas and the at least one service profile indicates at least one service'"'"'s compatibility to the one or more target areas.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing data packets sent between the at least one mobile user and a public internet network to send information about the analyzed data packets to the collecting, wherein

the collecting collects information relating to at least one of web traces, web sites visited, keyword searches, a duration the websites are visited, a duration the services are accessed are visited, a duration the services are accessed, calling records, Call Detail Records (CDRs), and demographics information, and

the web traces are collected from the DPI, the CDRs are collected from at least one of the DPI and a billing system, and the demographics information is collected from an external database, with the CDRs including summary records describing the at least one mobile user'"'"'s usage of network resources and the demographics information including at least one of subscriber age, gender and location of the at least one mobile user.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is implemented to conduct market research for a new service, where the market research includes gauging at least one of user interest, pricing strategies, usage patterns, and an effect on the network of the new service, with the pricing strategies including offering a service contract at varying prices to the users.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein,

the profiling having the plurality of classification groups includes at least one of video, music, sports, news, and social networking groups,

the profiling classifies the received collected information according to one of the plurality of classification groups based on at least one classification rule,

the profiling having the at least one classification rule includes tallying each visit to a website by the at least one mobile user to one of the plurality of classification groups based on a type of the website, and

the profiling having the at least one classification rule includes weighting behavior of the at least one mobile user over a period of time according to an algorithm taking into account a plurality of factors, where at least one of the plurality of factors includes previous acceptance rates of at least one of service offers and service subscriptions by the at least one mobile user.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the offering at least one of receives the at least one mobile user'"'"'s response to the offered service and sends user and service information to the collecting.