Systems and methods for merchandising new offers to mobile telephone users based on changes to the mobile telephone's components

• US 8,150,425 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soelberg, Emily Lyons, Chien, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUA, QUAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/687,313
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/412.1, 4554141-4144, 455418-420, 455/466, 717/204, 717/176, 725/62, 705/204
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A system and method for merchandizing content to wireless subscribers that have upgraded their mobile station or service is disclosed. The wireless carrier maintains a database of identifying data for content downloaded to subscribers'"'"' mobile stations. When a subscriber upgrades his or her mobile station the wireless carrier searches the database for previously downloaded content, identifies the equivalent content that is compatible with the new mobile station and provides the information of available equivalent downloads to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of periodically merchandizing content to subscribers of mobile stations in a cellular network, comprising:

receiving subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers through the mobile stations;

periodically determining which subscribers have added functionality to their respective mobile stations;

creating a first list of subscribers with mobile stations with added functionality;

determining whether the subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content;

in response to determining that any of the subscribers on the first list has previously purchased content, then identifying compatible content based on the subscriber'"'"'s previously purchased content and the added functionality of the mobile station;

creating a second list of compatible content based on the previously purchased content of each subscriber on the first list and the added functionality of the mobile station being used by each subscriber on the first list; and

communicating an offer of said compatible content to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list on a periodic basis by the cellular network;

creating a database, by a network processor, that identifies previous downloads by each of the subscribers on the first list;

creating a list of favorites based on the previous downloads; and

periodically communicating the list of favorites to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said method element of determining whether subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content comprises searching a database of purchase transactions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said method element of periodically determining which subscribers have added functionality comprises:

storing information about the functionality of each mobile station;

periodically analyzing the current state of the functionality of each mobile station; and

determining any changes to the functionality of each mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said method element of receiving subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers comprises capturing the user agent profile for each subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a database that stores data identifying the subscriber'"'"'s preferences.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a request for content from the mobile station.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for periodically instructing the offer of content to subscribers of mobile stations in a cellular network comprising computer-readable instructions to:

receive subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers through the mobile stations;

periodically determine which subscribers have added functionality to their respective mobile station;

create a first list of subscribers with mobile stations with added functionality;

determine whether the subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content;

in response to determining that any of the subscriber on the first list has previously purchased content, then identify compatible content based on the subscriber'"'"'s previously purchased content and the added functionality of the mobile station;

create a second list of compatible content based on the previously purchased content each subscriber on the first list and the added functionality of the mobile station being used by each subscriber on the first list; and

communicate an offer of said compatible content to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list on a periodic basis by the cellular network;

create a database that identifies previous downloads by each of the subscribers on the first list;

create a list of favorites based on the previous downloads; and

periodically communicate the list of favorites to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein said instructions to determine whether subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content comprise instructions to search a database of purchase transactions.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein said instructions to periodically determine which subscribers have added functionality to the mobile station comprise instructions to:

store information about the functionality of each mobile station;

periodically analyze the current state of the functionality of each mobile station; and

determine any changes to the functionality of each mobile station.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein said instructions to receive subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers comprises instructions to capture the user agent profile.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 further comprising instructions to maintain a database that stores data identifying the subscriber'"'"'s preferences.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 further comprising instructions to receive a request for content from the mobile station.

13. A system for periodically merchandizing content to subscribers of mobile stations in a cellular network comprising at least one subsystem,

the at least one subsystem comprises at least a processor that is configured to:

receive subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers through the mobile stations a mobile station;

periodically determine which subscribers have added functionality to their respective mobile station;

create a first list of subscribers with mobile stations with added functionality;

determines whether the subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content;

in response to determining that any of the subscribers on the first list has previously purchased content, identify compatible content based on the subscriber'"'"'s previously purchased content and the added functionality of the mobile station;

create a second list of compatible content based on the previously purchased content of each subscriber on the first list and the added functionality of the mobile station being used by each subscriber on the first list; and

communicate an offer of said compatible content to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list on a periodic basis by the cellular network;

create a database that identifies previous downloads by each of the subscribers on the first list;

create a list of favorites based on the previous downloads; and

periodically communicate the list of favorites to the mobile station of each subscriber on the first list.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said subsystem that determines whether subscribers on the first list have previously purchased content comprises at least one subsystem that searches a database of purchase transactions.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said subsystem that periodically determines which subscribers have added functionality comprises at least one subsystem that:

stores information about the functionality of each mobile station;

periodically analyzes the current state of functionality of each mobile station; and

determines any changes to the functionality of each mobile station.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein said subsystem that receives subscriber and mobile station information from the subscribers comprises at least one subsystem that captures the user agent profile.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising a data store for storing subscriber preference information.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a subsystem that receives a request for content from the mobile station.