Auctioning of message delivery opportunities in a location-based services system
First Claim
1. A method of providing location-based services, the method comprising the steps of:
- obtaining profile information for users associated with respective mobile user devices associated with a wireless network;
establishing an auction for one or more interested parties to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to said mobile user devices, wherein establishing the auction comprises the steps of;
determining a number of messages that can be delivered to said mobile user devices for a corresponding message delivery opportunity; and
receiving at least one bid from the one or more interested parties, the at least one bid being at least in part based on the determined number of messages for the message delivery opportunity; and
controlling delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices based on the profile information and the at least one received bid for the corresponding message delivery opportunity;
wherein the obtaining, establishing and controlling steps are implemented in a location-based services system comprising at least one processing device having a processor coupled to a memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, one or more interested parties are permitted to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on user profile information and at least one received bid for a corresponding message delivery opportunity. The message delivery opportunities may be specified as combinations of two or more of a message category, a location for message delivery and a time for message delivery. For example, a given message delivery opportunity may be a category-location-time combination.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of providing location-based services, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining profile information for users associated with respective mobile user devices associated with a wireless network; establishing an auction for one or more interested parties to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to said mobile user devices, wherein establishing the auction comprises the steps of; determining a number of messages that can be delivered to said mobile user devices for a corresponding message delivery opportunity; and receiving at least one bid from the one or more interested parties, the at least one bid being at least in part based on the determined number of messages for the message delivery opportunity; and controlling delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices based on the profile information and the at least one received bid for the corresponding message delivery opportunity; wherein the obtaining, establishing and controlling steps are implemented in a location-based services system comprising at least one processing device having a processor coupled to a memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for use in providing location-based services, the apparatus comprising:
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a location-based services system comprising at least one processing device having a processor coupled to a memory; wherein the location-based services system is adapted to obtain profile information for users associated with respective mobile user devices associated with a wireless network, and to establish an auction for one or more interested parties to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to said mobile user devices; wherein establishing the auction comprises determining a number of messages that can be delivered to said mobile user devices for a corresponding message delivery opportunity, and receiving at least one bid from the one or more interested parties, the at least one bid being at least in part based on the determined number of messages for the message delivery opportunity; and wherein the location-based services system is further adapted to control delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices based on the profile information and at least one received bid for a corresponding message delivery opportunity. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A mobile user device associated with a wireless network, the mobile user device being configured to receive at least one message that is controllably delivered to the mobile user device based on a combination of (i) at least one received bid for a corresponding message delivery opportunity and (ii) profile information of an associated user;
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wherein the at least one received bid is at least in part based on a determined number of messages that can be delivered for the message delivery opportunity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification