Method for advertising on digital cellular telephones and reducing costs to the end user

• US 7,551,919 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xcellasave Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Xcellasave Incorporated
• Inventors: Cortegiano, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US11/821,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20080045195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/503, 455/414.1, 455406-409, 705/14, 705/27, 379/93.12
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for displaying messages, such as advertisements, on digital wireless communication devices, such as digital cellular telephones, comprising the steps of creating at least one visual advertising message in the form of an information file for display on a digital wireless communication device, valuating the at least one advertising message, transmitting the at least one advertising message to a database, wherein the database is in communication with the wireless communication device via a wireless communications network or system, such as a cellular telephone network, transmitting according to a predetermined schedule the at least one advertising message from the database via the wireless communication system to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device chosen for reception of the at least one advertising message contains necessary software for displaying the advertising message and a display, recording the date and time the at least one wireless communication device receives the at least one advertising message, displaying the at least one advertising message on the digital wireless communication device such that the display does not interfere with the operation of the digital wireless communication device, and applying the valuation of the at least one advertising message as credit to a user account associated with the digital wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method for providing advertising information to a wireless communication device, comprising:

downloading the advertising information into a memory of the wireless communication device according to a predetermined schedule; and

displaying from the memory, display messages of the advertising information on the wireless communication device for a specified time period according to a specified repetitive play sequence, wherein displaying the display messages does not interfere with the normal use of the wireless communication device, and a display message in the play sequence is displayed from a power-up of the wireless communication device until the wireless communication device is powered-down, and a next display message in the play sequence is displayed from a next power-up of the wireless communication device until a next power-down of the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, including displaying a priority display message before displaying display messages according to the specified repetitive play sequence.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a display message is a priority display message associated with a particular date.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined schedule is selected from the group of a month, a week, ten days, and a billing cycle of the wireless communication network provider.

5. The method of claim 1, including:

creating information for display on the wireless communication device;

recording the information onto a recording medium; and

transferring the information from the recording medium to a database in communication with a wireless communication network, wherein the advertising information is downloaded from the database, via the wireless communication network, into the memory of the wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of marking a display message as played in the specified play sequence only after the display message is displayed for the specified time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloaded advertising information includes a display schedule.

8. A method for providing advertising information to a wireless communication device, comprising:

valuating allowance by a user of display of the advertising information on the wireless communication device over a specified period of time;

transmitting the advertising information to the wireless communication device;

displaying the advertising information according to a specified schedule for a specified period of time;

wherein the display of the advertising information does not interfere with the normal use of the wireless communication device; and

applying the valuation for allowance of display of the advertising information to the user,

wherein a display message in the play sequence is displayed from a power-up of the wireless device until the wireless device is powered-down, and a next display message in the play sequence is displayed from a next power-up of the wireless device until a next power-down of the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

applying the valuation includes reducing the cost to the user of the wireless communication device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein

the advertising information includes advertisements;

and

applying the valuation includes shifting a portion of the user'"'"'s costs for subscribing to a wireless service to an advertiser.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein applying the valuation includes reducing the cost to the user of a service plan with a network provider for the specified period of time.

12. A method for providing advertisements to a wireless communication device, comprising:

valuating allowance of display of advertisements on a wireless communication device for a specified period of time;

transmitting the advertisements to the wireless communication device;

storing the advertisements in a memory of the wireless communication device for the specified period of time;

displaying the advertisements according to a specified repetitive display sequence during the specified period of time;

wherein the displaying does not interfere with the normal use of the wireless communication device; and

crediting a user account with the valuation for allowance of display of the advertisements,

wherein an advertisement in the display sequence is displayed from a power-up of the wireless device until the wireless device is powered-down, and a next advertisement in the display sequence is displayed from a next power-up of the wireless device until a next power-down of the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

displaying is discontinued during an interruption event; and

displaying according to the display sequence resumes at the termination of an interruption event with an advertisement being displayed when the interruption event occurred.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

displaying is discontinued during an interruption event; and

;

displaying according to the display sequence resumes at the termination of an interruption event with an advertisement in the display sequence that follows an advertisement being displayed when the interruption event occurred.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying according to the display sequence begins after power-up of the wireless device with advertisement that has not previously been initially displayed after a power-up.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein one advertisement of the display sequence is displayed after power-up until occurrence of an interruption event, and the next advertisement of the display sequence is displayed after the interruption event until another interruption event occurs.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:

a particular advertisement has a scheduled display duration;

displaying of the particular advertisement is discontinued during an interruption event; and

displaying according to the display sequence resumes at the termination of an interruption event with the particular advertisement being displayed for a time equal to a remainder of the scheduled display duration which did not elapse prior to the interruption event.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the specified period of time coincides with a billing cycle of a wireless communication network provider.

19. The method of claim 12, including:

associating a designator with each of the advertisements; and

wherein the display sequence is predetermined in the wireless communication device based on a hierarchy of the designators.