System and method of providing advertisements to portable communication devices

• US 7,930,211 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crolley, C. Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre; James W
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHORNESKY, ADAM B
• Application Number:
  US11/110,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/10, 705/14.27, 705/14.28, 705/14.45, 705/14.52, 705/14.6, 705/14.64, 705/14.4, 705/14.49, 705/14.58, 370/254, 370/259
• US Class Current: 705/14.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• 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 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method of advertising is disclosed and includes monitoring the location of one or more portable communication devices in communication with a data network as the one or more portable communication devices travel within a user vehicle along a freeway. The method further includes determining whether the one or more portable communication devices are within a predetermined range of a freeway exit. Additionally, the method includes determining one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices and transmitting one or more advertisements to the one or more portable communication devices. The advertisement is delivered in a format based on the determined one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices.

Claims

1. A method of advertising, the method comprising:

monitoring a location of one or more portable communication devices in communication with a data network as the one or more portable communication devices travel within a user vehicle;

determining whether the one or more portable communication devices are within a predetermined range of a point-of-interest;

retrieving information about the point-of-interest, wherein the information includes hours of operation of the point-of-interest;

determining one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices;

determining a current time; and

transmitting one or more advertisements related to the point-of-interest to the one or more portable communication devices when the one or more portable communication devices are within the predetermined range of the point-of-interest and when the current time is within the hours of operation of the point-of-interest,

wherein an advertising cost associated with a particular advertisement sent to a particular portable communication device is determined based on a distance between the particular portable communication device and the point-of-interest.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising polling the one or more portable communication devices in order to determine the one or more types of media files supported.

3. The method of claim 1, querying a database in order to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the database is queried with a user identification associated with the one or more portable communication devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the database is queried with a make and model identification associated with the one or more portable communication devices.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising cost increases when the distance increases and wherein the advertising cost decreases when the distance decreases.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular portable communication device is on a freeway and wherein the distance is measured in a number of freeway exits.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising cost is further determined based on a service tier associated with the particular advertisement, wherein a first service tier provides for text message advertisements, a second service tier provides for still graphical advertisements, a third service tier provides for streaming video and audio advertisements, and a fourth service tier provides for real-time voice and video advertisements.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising charging for transmitting the advertisement based on one or more types of media files supported by the portable communication devices, the service tier, and the advertising cost.

6. A system, comprising:

at least one wireless communication access point;

a database coupled to a server storing one or more media files associated with one or more advertisements, the database storing information concerning the one or more types of media files supported by one or more portable communication devices; and

a the server coupled to the database and having access to the at least one wireless communication access point, the server comprising;

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor; and

a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to monitor the location of the one or more portable communication devices in communication with a data network as the one or more portable communication devices travel within a user vehicle;

instructions to determine whether the one or more portable communication devices are within a predetermined range of a point-of-interest;

instructions to retrieve information about the point-of-interest, wherein the information includes hours of operation of the point-of-interest;

instructions to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices;

instructions to determine a current time; and

instructions to transmit one or more advertisements related to the point-of-interest to the one or more portable communication devices when the one or more portable communication devices are within the predetermined range of the point-of-interest and when the current time is within the hours of operation of the point-of-interest,

wherein an advertising cost associated with a particular advertisement sent to a particular portable communication device is determined based on a distance between the particular portable communication device and the point-of-interest.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to poll the one or more portable communication devices in order to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to query the database to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the one or more portable communication devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the database is queried with a user identification.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the database is queried with a make and model identification.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the database further stores a service tier associated with one or more service level agreements, each of the one or more service level agreements associated with an advertising customer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the service tier limits the type of media files sent as advertisements to the one or more portable communication devices.

13. A server, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor; and

a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to monitor a location of a portable communication device traveling within a user vehicle;

instructions to determine whether the portable communication device is within a predetermined range of a point-of-interest;

instructions to retrieve information about the point-of-interest, wherein the information includes hours of operation of the point-of-interest;

instructions to determine a current time;

instructions to retrieve at least one advertisement related to the point-of-interest from a database, the advertisement having a format based on a media file type supported by the portable communication device and based on a service tier, wherein the media file type complies with one of the service tier and a lower service tier; and

instructions to transmit the advertisement when the portable communication device is within the predetermined range of the point-of-interest and the current time is within the hours of operation of the point-of-interest,

wherein an advertising cost associated with the advertisement sent to the portable communication device is determined based on a distance between the portable communication device and the point-of-interest.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to transmit the advertisement to the portable communication device.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to charge an advertising customer based on the advertising cost.