Acquiring, storing, and correlating profile data of cellular mobile communications system's users to events

• US 7,849,154 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2005
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: M:Metrics, Inc. (comScore, Inc.)
• Inventors: Craswell, Ronald J., Grecco, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger; Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murray; Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US11/183,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 455/407, 705/14.66
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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

Abstract

A system to collect personal and demographic data from user'"'"'s of cellular mobile communications system devices. This system uses a standard web browser to collect the personal and demographic data instead of the device itself because of the limited interactive experience available to cellular mobile communications system device users. After obtaining data from the user including the user'"'"'s cellular mobile communications system device'"'"'s cellular phone number, a message is sent to the device. When a link is the message is activated a small event collection data software module is downloaded to the cellular mobile communications system device. The return message to the data collection entity incorporates the cellular mobile communications system device'"'"'s International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) number. This number then ties the event data collected by the module to the personal and demographic information collected from the cellular mobile communications system device user.

Claims

1. A method for collecting and associating profile data of a user of a mobile device to events of the mobile device, the method comprising:

collecting profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer, the form being retrieved from a system associated with an information requesting entity;

in response to collecting the profile information, including the phone number, sending a message to the mobile device using the phone number, wherein the sent message, when responded to, results in a downloading of a device metering software module to the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device and at a system associated with the information requesting entity, a message containing a unique individual identification number;

associating, in a system associated with the information requesting entity, the unique individual identification number with the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer;

receiving, from the mobile device and at a system associated with the information requesting entity, information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device, the information including the unique individual identification number; and

associating, using the unique individual identification number received with the received information and the association between the unique individual identification number and the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer, the received information with the collected profile data.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the unique individual identification number is an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) number associated with the mobile device.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the collected profile data is encrypted and compressed, such that collecting profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer comprises receiving encrypted and compressed profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein receiving information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device is dependent upon a predetermined criteria being met.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising gaining permission from the user to download the device metering software module to the mobile device.

6. A system comprising one or more processing devices and one or more storage devices, the storage devices storing one or more computer programs for collecting and associating profile data of a user of a mobile device to events of the mobile device, the computer programs comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more of the processing devices to perform the following:

collect profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer, the form being retrieved from a system associated with an information requesting entity;

in response to the collection of the profile information, including the phone number, send a message to the mobile device using the phone number, wherein the sent message, when responded to, results in a download of a device metering software module to the mobile device;

receive, from the mobile device and at a system associated with the information requesting entity, a message containing a unique individual identification number;

associate, in a system associated with the information requesting entity, the unique individual identification number with the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer;

receive, from the mobile device and at a system associated with the information requesting entity, information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device, the information including the unique individual identification number; and

associate, using the unique individual identification number received with the received information and the association between the unique individual identification number and the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer, the received information with the collected profile data.

7. The one system as in claim 6 wherein the unique individual identification number is an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) number associated with the mobile device.

8. The system as in claim 6 wherein the collected profile data is encrypted and compressed, such that, to collect profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer, the computer programs comprise instructions which, when executed, cause one or more of the processing devices to receive encrypted and compressed profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer.

9. The system as in claim 6 wherein the operation to receive information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device is dependent upon a predetermined criteria being met.

10. The system as in claim 6 wherein the computer programs further comprise instructions which, when executed, cause one or more of the processing devices to receive permission from the user to download the device metering software module to the mobile device.

11. A system operable to collect and associate profile data of a user of a mobile device to events of the mobile device, the system comprising:

one or more servers configured to;

collect profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer, the form being retrieved from the one or more servers,

in response to the collection of the profile information, including the phone number, send a message to the mobile device using the phone number, wherein the sent message, when responded to, results in a downloading of a device metering software module to the mobile device,

receive, from the mobile device, a message containing a unique individual identification number,

associate the unique individual identification number with the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer,

receive, from the mobile device, information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device, the information including the unique individual identification number, and

associating, using the unique individual identification number received with the received information and the association between the unique individual identification number and the profile data collected on the web browser running on the desktop computer, the received information with the collected profile data; and

a mobile device configured to;

send the response to the sent message to result in a download of a device metering software module to the mobile device,

send, to the one or more servers, the message containing the unique individual identification number, and

send, to the one or more servers, the information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device, including the unique individual identification number.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein the unique individual identification number is an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) number associated with the mobile device.

13. The system as in claim 11 wherein the collected profile data is encrypted and compressed, such that the one or more servers configured to collect profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer are further configured to receive encrypted and compressed profile data of a user, including a phone number of a mobile device of the user, via a form displayed on a web browser running on a desktop computer.

14. The system as in claim 11 wherein the one or more servers are configured to receive information indicative of events associated with the use of the mobile device dependent upon a predetermined criteria being met.

15. The system as in claim 11 wherein the one or more servers are further configured to gain permission from the user to download the device metering software module to the mobile device.