Visual alert provisioning system and method

• US 8,059,791 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paul M. Schwartz
• Original Assignee: Paul M. Schwartz
• Inventors: Schwartz, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins; Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/419,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20060233339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 455/415, 340/309.16, 340/539.13, 701/201
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones

Abstract

A visual alert method and system permits (1) a visual alert to be provided with a call to a called party on a call termination attempt; (2) a visual alert to be provided to a calling party on a call termination attempt; and (3) the respective parties to block undesired visual alerts. Such visual alerts may comprise icons that may be navigated by a subscriber to trigger and initiate corresponding and dynamically updatable communications and communication links.

Claims

1. A visual alert system for use in a mobile telecommunications network for providing targeted mobile advertisements to network subscribers, the system comprising:

a database including (a) position information of selected subscriber wireless units operating in the network, and (b) subscriber profile information, including for each selected subscriber, subscriber preferences for receiving mobile advertisements of third parties;

a service node in communication with the database and operable to automatically generate visual alerts in real time for receipt by the selected network subscribers based on their corresponding subscriber profile and distribution criteria set by the network provider and/or one or more third party advertisers, including wireless unit position, and time of day and/or day of week; and

a processor in communication with the service node for automatically providing the visual alerts to the corresponding subscriber wireless units;

wherein the visual alerts are automatically displayable on each wireless unit as unique corresponding logos of each such third party advertiser, and wherein each visual alert may be ignored or selectively navigated by the subscriber by touching the logo or clicking on the logo with a pointing device to initiate and subsequently display a corresponding advertisement, and wherein each such advertisement is specifically targeted to the subscriber at the time of navigation based on the corresponding subscriber profile and distribution criteria wherein the distribution criteria further includes proximity to a geographic reference point of a predefined group of network subscribers and/or a predetermined number of network subscribers.

2. A visual alert system as in claim 1, wherein the corresponding logos of each third party advertiser comprise embedded hyperlinks to web pages for the corresponding targeted advertisement.

3. A visual alert system as in claim 1, wherein the advertisements comprise SMS messages.

4. A visual alert system as in claim 1, wherein the advertisements comprise MMS messages.

5. A visual alert system as in claim 1, wherein the advertisements comprise media files.

6. A visual alert system for use in a mobile telecommunications network for providing targeted mobile advertisements to network subscribers, the system comprising:

a database including (a) position information of selected subscriber wireless units operating in the network, and (b) subscriber profile information, including for each selected subscriber, identification of at least one application software program resident on the corresponding wireless unit and subscriber preferences for receiving mobile advertisements of third parties based;

a service node in communication with the database and operable to automatically generate application software program updates in real time for receipt by the selected network subscribers based on their corresponding subscriber profile and distribution criteria set by the network provider and/or one or more third party advertisers, including wireless unit position, and time of day and/or day of week; and

a processor in communication with the service node for automatically providing the application software program updates to the corresponding subscriber wireless units;

wherein the application software programs are automatically visually represented on the wireless units as corresponding icons displayed as unique logos of each such third party advertiser that may each be ignored or selectively navigated by the subscriber by touching the logo or clicking on the logo with a pointing device to initiate and subsequently display a corresponding advertisement specifically targeted to the subscriber in real time, and wherein the application software program updates include instructions that alter both the visual appearance of the corresponding logos displayed on the wireless units and the content of the advertisements received following navigation thereof by the subscriber, based on the subscriber profile and distribution criteria.