Electronic short messaging and advertising method and means

• US 7,369,864 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Suinno Oy
• Inventors: Väänänen, Mikko Kalervo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US10/416,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20040063445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/422.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/517, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/558, 379/93.12, 379/93.17
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An electronic short messaging and advertising method and means relates to an electronic advertising method, where minimal initiative is required from the consumer. Some embodiments of the invention may also be applied to an electronic sales method. The invention may be applied for normal short messaging also. The electronic short messaging and advertising method comprises at least one subscriber terminal and uses the Internet and/or the telephony network. With the method in accordance with the invention the recipient can receive advertisements or other short messages with the shortest manipulation time possible. No navigation, browsing of inboxes, copying and/or pasting of telephone numbers needs to be done. The user is shown the message automatically, and he may delete it or receive further information on it with one single press of a dedicated key.

Claims

1. An electronic short messaging method for sending transmissions to at least one subscriber terminal using the Internet and/or the telephony network, comprising the steps of,

sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, said first transmission defining two active alternatives:

a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the transmission, wherein unless the first alternative is selected, a second transmission is sent to the recipient subscriber terminal, said second transmission being separate from and commencing as a different transmission activity than the first transmission and removing the first transmission from display.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further transmission is sent and associated with the first transmission, depicting attributes related to user input, further actions and/or state of the first transmission.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the further action includes connecting to a telephone number, IP-address, URL-, or the like directory, sending a further subscriber originated message, requesting a call, requesting a call to the message sender, and/or registering for further information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal is a PC computer, Apple Macintosh computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and/or a UMTS-, GSM-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-, and/or WCDMA mobile station, and/or a device using either the Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS and/or the Epoc operating system.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein bits transmitted and/or received and/or connected minutes are calculated, and the calculation is done by a software at the subscriber terminal or in the network or both.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein money is charged or refunded to the recipient on the basis of bits transmitted and/or received, connected minutes and/or price or promise in the original message.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transmission is an MMS-, SMS-, SMS CB-, USSD-, PDS-, WAPPush message and/or an email, and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-addresses and/or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transmission is an MMS-, SMS transmission and/or an email, DTMF-tone or a FTP, TCP/IP, H323, HTTP, UDP data transfer or some other direct data transfer and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-address, ISDN-, FTP-, email-, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)- address(es) and/or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection of one of the first and second alternatives is indicated by pressing a dedicated key on the subscriber terminal.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transmission or some parts of the first transmission are displayed in place of the telephony network operator logo, and/or the network cell logo.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transmission or some parts of the first transmission are popped up on at least one display of the subscriber terminal instantly or within a defined period upon arrival to the subscriber terminal.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the further action includes connecting to a telephone number, IP-address, URL-, or the like directory, sending a further subscriber originated message, requesting a call and/or registering for further information.

13. An electronic short messaging method for receiving transmissions by a recipient subscriber terminal using the Internet and/or the telephony network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first transmission at the recipient subscriber terminal for display, said first transmission defining two active alternatives, a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the transmission,

wherein unless the first alternative is selected, a second transmission is received at the recipient subscriber terminal, said second transmission being separate from and commencing as a different transmission activity than the first transmission and removing the first transmission from display.

14. An electronic short messaging device, comprising:

means for communicating using at least one packet switched connection and/or telephony network connection;

at least one display; and

associated software that is arranged to identify incoming transmissions and display the content or some parts of the content on the display directly and/or at predetermined intervals, first ones of the incoming transmissions defining two alternatives, a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the respective first incoming transmission,

wherein unless the first alternative for further action is selected the associated software is arranged to identify a second incoming transmission to the device, said second transmission being separate from and commencing as a different transmission activity than the first incoming transmission and removing the first incoming transmission from display.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the associated software is realised as SIM Application Toolkit software on the SIM card of the mobile terminal.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the device is a PC computer, Apple Macintosh computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and/or a UMTS-, GSM-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-, and/or WCDMA mobile station, and/or a device using either the Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS and/or the Epoc operating system.

17. The device according to claim 14, wherein the first incoming transmission is an MMS-, SMS message and/or an email, and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-address, ISDN-, FTP-, email, SIP- address(es) and/or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected by a dedicated action.

18. Software program product embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising:

program code means for recognising a first transmission;

program code means for displaying a bioptional message in the first transmission on the terminal display, the bioptional message defining two active alternatives, a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the first transmission;

program code means for initiating proceedings in response to selection of the first alternative by a user; and

program code means for recognizing a second transmission that is sent to the recipient subscriber terminal, said second transmission being separate from and commencing as a different transmission activity than the first transmission and removing the first transmission from display.

19. A software program product according to claim 18, wherein the software program product is realised as SIM Application Toolkit software on the SIM card of the mobile terminal, and/or as an USSD application on the network.