Electronic short messaging and advertising method and device

• US 8,005,495 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Vaananen, Mikko Kalervo
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US12/401,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20090181704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/417, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/458, 455/517, 455/460, 455/466, 455/405, 455/406, 379/98.12, 379/93.17, 705/39
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic short messaging and advertising method where minimal initiative is required from the consumer. Some embodiments of the invention may also be applied to an electronic sales method. The invention may also be applied for normal short messaging. The electronic short messaging method for collect calling may send transmissions to at least one subscriber terminal via the Internet and/or the telephony network. The method may include sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, wherein the first transmission defines one or more active alternatives including at least one of initiating a collect call and deleting the first transmission. The method may also include calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more active alternatives.

Claims

1. An electronic short messaging method for sending and receiving transmissions using the Internet and/or the telephony network, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, the first transmission defining one or more active alternatives including a first alternative for further action, the further action including a refund to the recipient;

calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more active alternatives; and

sending a second transmission to the recipient subscriber terminal, the second transmission having a different transmission activity than the first transmission and depicting attributes related to at least one of user input, further actions, and a state of the first transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein unless the first alternative is selected, the first transmission is removed from a display of the recipient subscriber terminal at a predetermined time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first transmission and the second transmission contains at least one of a ringtone, WAV-file and an MP3-file, which is played at the recipient subscriber terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the further actions include connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal is one of a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant and a UMTS, GSM, WAP, Teldesic, Inmarsat, Iridium, GPRS, CDMA or WCDMA mobile station, or a combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal operates using at least one of Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS and an Epoc operating system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein money is charged to the recipient on the basis of the calculated costs.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission is at least one of an SMS transmission, a CB transmission, a USSD transmission, a PDS transmission, a WAPPush transmission, and an email, and is embedded with at least one of a phone number, an IP-address, and a URL-address.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission is at least one of an MMS transmission, an SMS transmission, a DTMF-tone, and a FTP, TCP/IP, H323, HTTP, or UDP data transfer and is embedded with at least one of a phone number, an IP-address, a URL-address, and a Session Initiation Protocol address.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the collect call is initiated by pressing a dedicated key on the recipient subscriber terminal.

11. An electronic short messaging device for collect calling, comprising:

a transmitter and receiver structured to communicate using at least one of a packet switched connection and telephony network connection;

at least one display device; and

a processor structured to identify incoming transmissions and process the transmissions for displaying at least a part of the content of the transmission on the display device directly or at predetermined intervals,

wherein the processor is further structured to process a first transmission of the transmissions, the first transmission defining one or more active alternatives including at least one of initiating a collect call and deleting the transmission, calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more active alternatives, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a second transmission to the recipient subscriber terminal, the second transmission having a different transmission activity than the first transmission and depicting attributes related to at least one of user input, further actions, and a state of the first transmission.

12. The electronic short messaging device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is embodied on a SIM card.

13. The electronic short messaging device according to claim 11, wherein the electronic short messaging device is one of a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant and a UMTS, GSM, WAP, Teldesic, Inmarsat, Iridium, GPRS, CDMA or WCDMA mobile station, or a combination thereof.

14. The electronic short messaging device according to 

claim 12, wherein the electronic short messaging device operates using at least one of Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS and an Epoc operating system.

15. The electronic short messaging device according to claim 11, wherein the collect call is initiated by pressing a dedicated key on the recipient subscriber terminal.

16. A computer readable medium for collect calling, the computer readable medium including instructions executable by computer, the instructions for:

receiving a first transmission at a recipient subscriber terminal for display, the first transmission defining one or more active alternatives executed by the instructions including at least one of initiating a collect call and deleting the transmission;

calculating costs associated with at least one of the first transmission and the one or more active alternatives; and

receiving a second transmission that is associated with the first transmission, wherein the second transmission includes attributes including at least one of further actions to initiate the collect call and a state of the first transmission.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the further actions include connecting to at least one of a telephone number, an IP-address, and a URL related to the collect call.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the instructions are embodied on a SIM card.