Method for cross-promoting communications services

• US 7,835,941 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Messaging Technologies, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: J2 Global, Inc.
• Inventors: Zucker, Nehemia
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre; James W
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHORNESKY, ADAM B
• Application Number:
  US11/040,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/10, 705/14.13, 705/14.23, 705/14.27, 705/14.36, 705/14.39, 705/14.49
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0262 during computer stand-by mode

Abstract

A method to promote use of one communication service by associating it with another service and offering incentives to use the first service in return for use of the second service. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

performing, by a computer system of a merchant, a first communication service to a customer, by transmitting electronic data between the customer and a participant;

determining, by the computer system of the merchant, whether the customer has used a predetermined amount of the first communication service;

transmitting, by the computer system of the merchant, an offer to the customer to perform a second, different communication service at a price that is less than a usual price for the second communication service when the customer has used the predetermined amount of the first communication service; and

performing, by the computer system of the merchant, the second, different communication service to the customer pursuant to the offer when the customer accepts the offer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first communication service is one of facsimile transmission/reception, conference call management, voice mail and machine-implemented oral recitation of textual data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communication service is not the same as the first communication service, and is one of facsimile transmission/reception, conference call management, find-me/follow-me and machine-implemented oral recitation of textual data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communication service is performed to the customer at no charge to the customer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting the offer for the second communication service at a price that is less than the usual price comprises notifying the customer that he is given a credit to receive a predetermined amount of the second communication service for free.

6. The method of claim 5 where the credit is stored in a customer account maintained for the benefit of the customer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first communication service is forwarding a facsimile received at an inbound telephone number assigned to the customer, to a data network address of the customer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the data network address is an electronic mail address.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the second communication service is forwarding via a facsimile transmitter a message received from the customer to a destination selected by the customer.

10. A computer-readable storage medium comprising processor instructions that, when executed by a computer system,

cause a first communication service to be performed by the computer system for a customer by transmission of electronic data between the customer and a participant, determine whether the customer has used a predetermined amount of the first communication service, present an offer of a second, different communication service to the customer at a price that is less than a usual price for the second communication service when the customer has used the predetermined amount of the first communication service, and cause the second, different communication service to be performed by the computer system for the customer pursuant to the offer when the customer accepts the offer.

11. The storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions that maintain a customer account for the benefit of the customer and credit the customer account with an amount by which the second communication service is offered below the second communication service'"'"'s usual price.

12. The storage medium of claim 10 wherein the first communication service and the second communication service are one of facsimile transmission, facsimile reception, conference call management, and machine-implemented oral recitation of textual data.

13. The storage medium of claim 10 wherein the offer of the second communication service being contingent upon use of the first communication service is to transmit a predetermined number of free voice messages for every predetermined number of voice messages received.

14. A computerized method comprising:

providing, by a computer system of a merchant, a first communication service to a customer, the first communication service supports a transmission of electronic data between the customer and a participant;

providing, by the computer system of the merchant, a second communication service that is different from the first communication service to the customer; and

giving, by the computer system of the merchant, the customer credit for having used a predetermined amount of the first communication service, wherein the credit is given in the form of making a predetermined amount of the second communication service available to the customer for free.

15. A computerized method comprising:

providing to a customer, by a computer system of a merchant, a telephone number of a device that can receive facsimile transmissions;

receiving, by the computer system of the merchant, one or more pages transmitted to the device; and

offering, by the computer system of the merchant, to transmit via facsimile, at no charge to the customer, a number of pages that is proportional to the one or more pages received by the device, wherein a cost of transmitting more than said number of pages by the computer system of the merchant, on behalf of the customer, is charged to the customer.