Method and system to facilitate multiple media content providers to inter-work with media serving system

• US 7,894,834 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Martin, Geoff S., Harmon, Jay S., Zhang, Baoquan
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngo; Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US11/501,284
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 455/401, 455/407, 4554121-4144, 455/466, 455/403, 455418-420, 725/135, 209/200, 209/219, 209/246
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for integrating a plurality of providers of media content such as call tones, games, ringers, etc. with a wireless service provider network. The wireless service provider network includes a media service platform, a profile database and a media database. The media content providers provide an interactive facility, e.g., Web interface, allowing a user to purchase content. A notification message is sent to the user which is triggered in response to purchase of content. The notification message includes a network address (e.g., URL) of the media service platform. The media service platform checks to see if the purchased content is stored in the media database, and if not, it pulls it over from the content provider. The profile database is updated regarding the purchased content in response to information from the user.

Claims

1. A method of integrating a call tones content provider with a call tones service provider, the call tones content provider providing a facility allowing a user to purchase call tones content and the call tones service provider including a call tones service platform, a profile database and a call tones database, comprising the steps of:

providing a notification message to a user in response to the user purchasing a call tone from the call tones content provider;

providing in the notification message a network address of the call tones service platform of the call tones service provider, the network address facilitating the user accessing the call tones service platform;

providing an identification of the purchased call tone to the call tones service platform in response to the user accessing the call tones service platform via the network address provided in the notification message;

making a determination whether the purchased call tone is stored in the call tones database of the call tones service provider;

responsive to the determination of the purchased call tone not being stored in the call tones database, the call tones service provider (i) connecting to the call tones content provider, and (ii) updating the call tones database to include the purchased call tone; and

updating the profile database of the call tones service provider to include assignment of the purchased call tone in response to information from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message is triggered in response to a purchase transaction at the call tones content provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the call tones content provider provides an interactive interface for purchasing call tone, and wherein the network address contained in the notification message comprises a Uniform Resource Locator address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call tones service provider further includes a content gateway and wherein communication between the call tones service platform and the call tones content provider is routed through the content gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether call tones contains objectionable matter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call tone is ringback media provided to a caller while waiting for a called party to answer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call tone is not downloaded to a client device of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing call tones data at the call tones database with a database of one or more run time sites that serve media content of the call tones data during a call.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the call tones service provider playing the purchased call tone.

10. A media service provider system comprising:

a platform for use in providing media services for subscribers;

a profile database for the subscribers,

a database of media content; and

a memory storing a set of instructions executable by the platform for;

a) determining whether content purchased by the subscribers is located in the database of media content, and

b) obtaining media content from third party media providers in the event that the content purchased is not in the database; and

c) updating the profile database regarding the purchased media in response to information from the subscriber.

11. The platform of claim 10, further comprising

a content gateway for routing messages between the platform and third party media providers.

12. The platform of claim 10, wherein the platform further comprises a facility for screening media content for objectionable matter.

13. The platform of claim 10, and wherein the media is selected from the group of media consisting of call tones, ringers, screen savers, games, voice mail messages, and celebrity voices.

14. The platform of claim 10, further comprising one or more run time sites associated with the database of media content, the run time sites serving the media content during a call.