TARGETED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PROMOTERS AND CONSUMERS

• US 20120278168A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael A O'Hara
• Original Assignee: Tagzo World LLC
• Inventors: O'Hara, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

Techniques for distributing messages to consumers on behalf of promoters. In some embodiments, once a message is provided to a message distribution system to be distributed to consumers on behalf of promoters, the message distribution system may determine the consumers to which to distribute the message based on the personal interest identifiers for the consumers that identify personal interests of the consumers. In particular, in some embodiments, a message distribution system may determine a topic for a message and personal interest identifiers for the message that correspond to personal interest identifiers input by consumers. Once the set of personal interest identifiers for the message has been identified, a set of consumers who have input one or more of those personal interest identifiers is identified. The message may then be made available to the identified set of consumers.

Claims

1. A method of operating a system that distributes, on behalf of one or more promoters, messages based on personal interests of one or more consumers to whom the messages are to be distributed, wherein the system comprises at least one server having a user interface by which consumers receive the messages, the method comprising:

receiving, at the system, a request from a consumer to receive, via the system from promoters, messages relating to a personal interest of the consumer, the request comprising a personal interest identifier indicating the personal interest; and

storing, in at least one data store of the system, information associating the personal interest identifier with the consumer regardless of whether the personal interest identifier was previously stored in the at least one data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing comprises updating the at least one data store based on the personal interest identifier received from the consumer, wherein the updating comprises:

when the personal interest identifier is not stored in the at least one data store, storing the personal interest identifier in the at least one data store;

storing in the at least one data store information associating the personal interest identifier with the consumer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing a consumer profile comprising information relating to the consumer, wherein the information of the consumer profile is insufficient to personally identify the consumer outside of the system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing a consumer profile comprising information relating to the consumer, wherein the information of the consumer profile comprises a username for the consumer in the system and does not comprise a legal name of the consumer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the consumer an indication that the consumer has an elevated interest in receiving via the system messages relating to the personal interest,

wherein storing the information in the at least one data store comprises storing information indicating that the personal interest identifier is related to the elevated interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the consumer a second request to receive messages via the system that are related to the personal interest identifier when the messages are related to a geographic region,

wherein storing the information in the at least one data store comprises storing information associating the personal interest identifier with the consumer and the geographic region.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the consumer a second request to receive messages via the system that are related to the personal interest identifier when the messages are related to a time interval,

wherein storing the information in the at least one data store comprises storing information associating the personal interest identifier with the consumer and the time interval.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the consumer, via the user interface, with at least one question related to at least one personal interest,

wherein receiving the request from the consumer comprises receiving the request and the personal interest identifier in response to the prompting.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying to the consumer, via the user interface, a set of one or more previously-received personal interest identifiers stored in the at least one data store, the set comprising the personal interest identifier,

wherein receiving the request from the consumer comprises receiving the request and the personal interest identifier in response to a selection by the consumer of the personal interest identifier in the user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, via the user interface, an input from the consumer; and

querying the at least one data store based on the input to determine whether any personal interest identifiers stored in the at least one data store match the input,

wherein, when at least one personal interest identifier stored in the data store matches the input, displaying the set of one or more previously-received personal interest identifiers comprises displaying a set comprising the at least one personal interest identifier stored in the at least one data store that matches the input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request from the consumer to receive via the system messages relating to the personal interest of the consumer comprises receiving at least a portion of a name of a commercial entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving at least a portion of a name of a commercial entity comprises receiving a name of a business.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a name of a business comprises receiving a name of a promoter from which the consumer would like to receive messages via the system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the request from the consumer to receive via the system messages relating to the personal interest of the consumer comprises receiving a word indicating a hobby of the consumer.

15. A method of operating a system that distributes, on behalf of one or more promoters, messages via the system to one or more consumers associated with one or more personal interest identifiers, each personal interest identifier indicating a personal interest of a consumer and indicating a request by a consumer to receive, via the system from the one or more promoters, messages relating to the personal interest, the method comprising:

for a message of a promoter that is to be distributed via the system to one or more consumers;

identifying, based on at least one characteristic of the message and a set of one or more personal interest identifiers stored in at least one data store of the system and associated with one or more consumers, a set of personal interest identifiers for the message, the set of personal interest identifiers comprising one or more personal interest identifiers;

identifying, based on information in the at least one data store associating the one or more consumers and the set of one or more personal interest identifiers, at least one consumer to whom to distribute the message based at least in part on the set of personal interest identifiers; and

making the message available to the at least one consumer via at least one server of the system having a user interface by which consumers can receive the message.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

for a consumer of the one or more consumers, managing a consumer profile comprising information relating to the consumer, wherein the information of the consumer profile is insufficient to personally identify the consumer.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting an interaction between a consumer of the at least one consumer to whom the message is made available and the message; and

storing in the at least one data store information regarding the interaction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting the interaction comprises detecting a rating by the consumer of the message, and

wherein the method further comprises providing feedback to a promoter of the message based at least in part on the rating by the consumer.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing feedback to a promoter of the message based at least in part on the interaction, wherein the feedback comprises a number of consumers who viewed the message and/or a number of consumers who did not view the message.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting the interaction between the consumer and the message comprises detecting an interaction from a group of interactions comprising viewing the message, deleting the message, rating the message, and adding an event to a calendar of the consumer based on the message.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein making the message available to the at least one consumer comprises displaying the message to a consumer of the at least one consumer via the user interface.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, from a consumer of the at least one consumer to whom the message was made available, a request to add an event to a calendar managed by the system for the consumer, the event being based on the message; and

storing in the at least one data store information related to the event.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying to the consumer, via the user interface, information related to the message in a calendar.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein making the message available to the consumer of the at least one consumer comprises, when the message comprises information identifying an event occurring at a time, enabling the consumer to add the event to the calendar managed by the system for the consumer.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein making the message available to the at least one consumer comprises making the message available to the at least one consumer via a web page stored by at least one server of the system.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein making the message available to a consumer of the at least one consumer to whom the message is distributed comprises, for the consumer:

when the message relates to a personal interest identifier for which the consumer has indicated an elevated interest, displaying the message in a different manner from at least one other message distributed to the consumer.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying the at least one consumer to whom to distribute the message comprises identifying at least one consumer who has requested to receive messages relating to one or more of the set of personal interest identifiers.

28. A method of operating a system that distributes, on behalf of one or more promoters, messages via the system to one or more consumers associated with one or more personal interest identifiers, each personal interest identifier indicating a personal interest of a consumer and indicating a request by a consumer to receive, via the system from the one or more promoters, messages relating to the personal interest, the method comprising:

receiving a request to view information regarding a set of personal interest identifiers stored by the system, the set of personal interest identifiers comprising one or more personal interest identifiers;

querying at least one data store of the system to determine the information regarding the set of personal interest identifiers, the querying to determine the information comprising determining a number of consumers who have provided a personal interest identifier of the set as part of a request to receive via the system messages relating to a personal interest corresponding to the personal interest identifier; and

providing a response to the request that includes the information.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

for a consumer of the one or more consumers, managing a consumer profile comprising information relating to the consumer, wherein the information of the consumer profile is insufficient to personally identify the consumer.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein determining the number of consumers who have provided the personal interest identifier comprises determining a number of consumers who have provided the personal interest identifier within a time period.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein querying the at least one data store of the system to determine the information comprises querying the at least one data store to determine a set of popular personal interest identifiers, the set of popular personal interest identifiers including one or more personal interest identifiers that were received the highest number of times from the one or more consumers within the time period.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving from a consumer a request to view the set of popular personal interest identifiers, and

wherein providing the response comprises displaying to the consumer, via a user interface of the system, the set of popular personal interest identifiers.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein querying the at least one data store to determine the information comprises, for each personal interest identifier of the set of personal interest identifiers, determining a number of consumers who have provided the personal interest identifier of the set as part of a request to receive via the system messages relating to a personal interest corresponding to the personal interest identifier.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the number of consumers for each personal interest identifier of the set comprises determining the number for each personal interest identifier stored by the system.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein receiving a request to view information regarding the set of personal interest identifiers stored by the system comprises receiving a request for information regarding any consumers of the one or more consumers that associated with all of the personal interest identifiers of the set of personal interest identifiers.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the querying further comprises:

determining a number of consumers who have indicated that a personal interest identifier of the set relates to a personal interest in which the consumers have an elevated interest.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the querying further comprises:

determining a number of consumers who have requested viewing messages that relate to a personal interest identifier when the messages are related to a geographic region.

38-111. -111. (canceled)