Method and system for managing delivery of communications

• US 7,577,433 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: CVON
• Inventors: Antikainen, Ismo, Ahtisaari, Marko, Romppanen, Timo, Ahopelto, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Di Prisco, German Viana
• Application Number:
  US12/080,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

Method and system for managing delivery of communications such as advertisements to mobile telephone subscribers where delivery to roaming subscribers is prevented or blocked when the subscriber is determined to be using a roaming network and revenue derived from delivery of the advertisements to a roaming subscriber is less than the cost for delivering the advertisements to the roaming subscribers.

Claims

1. A method for managing delivery of communications from a plurality of content providers to at least one user of a mobile communications device, comprising:

determining a communications network being used by a user;

determining whether the communications network being used by the user is a home communications network or a roaming network;

identifying a prespecified delivery parameter of at least one of the plurality of content providers based on the determination of whether the communications network being used by the user is a home communications network or a roaming network, each of the plurality of content providers having respective prespecified delivery parameters, wherein a respective delivery parameter is specified by a respective content provider and the user is required to receive or be available to receive communications from at least one of said plurality of content providers;

selectively delivering communications to the user based on the identified prespecified delivery parameter, wherein the communications delivered to the user comprise content from at least one of said plurality of content providers;

deriving available resource usage from resource usage allocated by the at least one of said plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user; and

comparing the available resource usage to resource usage required for delivering such communications,

wherein the step of selectively delivering communications to the user comprises managing delivery of communications based on the comparison of the available resource usage and the resource requirement for delivering communications to the user using a roaming network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of the user based on the communications network the user is using; and

maintaining location information about the user in a database,

the step of selectively delivering communications to the user comprising accessing the database to determine the location of the user and managing the delivery of communications based on the location of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively delivering communications to the user comprises preventing delivery of communications to the user if it is determined that the user is using a communications network different than the home communications network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively delivering communications to the user further comprises preventing delivery of communications to the user using a roaming network when the required resource usage for delivery of the communications exceeds the available resource usage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the communication services to the user in exchange for a requirement that the user receive communications.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content delivered to the user comprises at least one of an SMS message, an MNS message, a WAP push message, a data call, a voice call, a video call, music streaming, video streaming, an advertising message, and a marketing message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the available usage corresponds to monetary resources of the at least one of the plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user.

8. A system for managing delivery of communications from a plurality of content providers to at least one user of a mobile communications device, comprising:

means for determining a communications network being used by a user;

means for determining whether the communications network being used by the user is a home communications network or a roaming network;

means for identifying a prespecified delivery parameter of at least one of the plurality of content providers based on the determination of whether the communications network being used by the user is a home communications network or a roaming network, each of the plurality of content providers having respective prespecified delivery parameters, wherein a respective delivery parameter is specified by a respective content provider and the user is required to receive or be available to receive communications from at least one of said plurality of content providers;

means for selectively delivering communications to the user based on the identified prespecified delivery parameter wherein the communications delivered to the user comprise content from at least one of said plurality of content providers;

means for deriving available resource usage from resource usage allocated by the at least one of said plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user; and

means for comparing the available resource usage to resource usage required for delivering such communications,

wherein the means for selectively delivering communications to the user comprises means for managing delivery of communications based on the comparison of the available resource usage and the resource requirement for delivering communications to the user using a roaming network.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for determining a location of the user based on the communications network the user is using; and

a database in which location information about the user is maintained,

said means for selectively delivering communications to the user being arranged to access said database to determine the location of the user and manage the delivery of communications based on the location of the user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for selectively delivering communications to the user is arranged to prevent delivery of communications to a user determined to be using a communications network in a country different than the home communications network.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for comparing available resource usage to resource usage for delivery of communications to a user using a roaming network, said means for selectively delivering communications to the user being arranged to prevent delivery of communications to a user using a roaming network when the required resource usage for delivery of the communications exceeds the available resource usage.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the available resource usage is derived from resource usage allocated by the at least one of the plurality of content providers, the system further comprising means for reducing the allocated resource usage at different rates depending on the communications network being used by the user when receiving the communications.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the content delivered to the user comprises at least one of an SMS message, an MMS message, a WAP push message, a data call, a voice call, a video call, music streaming, video streaming, an advertising message, and a marketing message.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the available usage corresponds to monetary resources of the at least one of the plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user.

15. A system for managing delivery of communications from a plurality of content providers to at least one user of a mobile communications device, comprising:

a communications management system arranged to receive communications from the plurality of content providers for delivery to the user wherein the communications delivered to the user comprise content from at least one of said plurality of content providers;

a determining system which determines the communications network being used by the user;

a database coupled to said determining system and said communications management system, said database containing data about the communications network being used by the user as determined by said determining system and providing the data to said communications management system;

a deriving system which derives available resource usage from resource usage allocated by the at least one of said plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user; and

a comparator system which compares the available resource usage to resource usage required for delivering such communications,

wherein selectively delivering communications to the user comprises managing delivery of communications based on the comparison of the available resource usage and the resource requirement for delivering communications to the user using a roaming network,

said communications management system being arranged to identify a prespecified delivery parameter of at least one of the plurality of content providers based on the determination of whether the communications network being used by the user is a home communications network or a roaming network, each of the plurality of content providers having respective prespecified delivery parameters, wherein a respective delivery parameter is specified by a respective content provider and the user is required to receive or be available to receive communications from at least one of said plurality of content providers,

said communications management system being further arranged to manage delivery of communications to the user based on the identified prescribed delivery parameter.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said determining system is a home location register.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said determining system is arranged to determine whether the user is using a home communications network or a roaming network, said communications management system being arranged to manage delivery of communications to the user based on whether the user is using a home communications network or a roaming network.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said determining system is arranged to determine a country in which the user is situated when using a roaming network, said communications management system being arranged to manage delivery of communications to the user based on the country in which the user is situated when using the roaming network.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said determining system is arranged to determine an operator of the roaming network being used by the user when the user is using a roaming network, said communications management system being arranged to manage delivery of communications to the user based on the operator of the roaming network being used by the user when the user is using a roaming network.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said database further includes at least one user-determined delivery preference relating to delivery of communications, said communications management system being arranged to manage delivery of communications to the user based on the communications network being used by the user and the at least one user-determined delivery preference.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising an interface for enabling the user to interface with said database and manage the at least one user determined delivery preference.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein said at least one user-determined delivery preference includes preferences relating to a list of different communication sources from which the user could receive communications and preferences relating to a list of different communication types which the user could receive.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein said communications management system includes a secondary communications management system arranged to manage communications to the user, said secondary communications management system being arranged to receive communications intended for the user, data from the database about the at least one user-determined delivery preference and data about the communications network being used by the user from said determining system, to determine whether the communications should be delivered to the user, and if so, to control a communications network element to deliver the communications to the user.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said secondary communications management system is arranged to receive an indication of the sender and recipient of communications and optionally the communications via the communications network element.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein said communications management system includes tools which enable each of the plurality of contents providers to define rules of controlling delivery of said communications.

26. The system of claim 15, further comprising resource usage determining means coupled to said communications management system, said resource usage determining means being arranged to receive data identifying the communications network being used by the user and to levy resource usage requirements at a first rate for a communication delivered to a user using the home communications network and at a second rate when the user is using a roaming network, wherein said second rate is different from said first rate.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the content delivered to the user comprises at least one of an SMS message, an MMS message, a WAP push message, a data call, a voice call, a video call, music streaming, video streaming, an advertising message, and a marketing message.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein the available usage corresponds to monetary resources of the at least one of the plurality of content providers for delivery of communications to the user.