Method and system for managing a short message service aggregation platform and providing advertising content to mobile communication devices

• US 8,175,624 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vibes Media LLC
• Original Assignee: Phi-Cam, LLC
• Inventors: Philbin, John J., Deuskar, Rohan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US11/531,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20080064421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• 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 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A management system for managing a short message service (SMS) aggregation platform and providing advertising content to mobile communication device customers is provided. The management system comprises a carrier connection interface, a messaging application program interface (API), user and sponsor databases, and logic. The carrier connection interface is configured to receive a mobile originated (MO) communication from at least one short message service center (SMSC). The API is configured to receive a MO communication from the carrier connection interface. The user database communicates with the messaging API and includes opt-in destination addresses defining an opt-in user list. The sponsor database also communicates with the messaging API. The sponsor database includes at least one sponsor account. At least one opt-in destination address in the opt-in user list and at least one sponsor communication is associated with each of the at least one sponsor accounts. The logic is configured to compare the destination address of the MO communication with the opt-in destination addresses in the opt-in user list. A mobile terminated (MT) communication, comprising at least one sponsor communication, is generated and transmitted when the destination address of the mobile originated communication matches a destination address in the opt-in user list.

Claims

1. A management system for managing a short message service aggregation platform and providing advertising content to mobile communication device customers, the system comprising:

a short message service center carrier connection interface configured to receive a mobile originated communication comprising a text message from at least one short message service center;

a messaging application program interface configured to receive a mobile originated communication from the carrier connection interface;

a user database coupled to the messaging application program interface, the user database comprising a plurality of opt-in destination addresses defining an opt-in user list;

a sponsor database coupled to the messaging application program interface, the sponsor database comprising at least one sponsor account, at least one opt-in destination address in the opt-in user list and at least one sponsor communication being associated with each of the at least one sponsor accounts; and

,

logic coupled to the user database and the sponsor database, the logic further being configured to compare the destination address of the mobile originated communication with the opt-in destination addresses in the opt-in user list, a mobile terminated communication is generated and transmitted when the destination address of the mobile originated communication matches a destination address in the opt-in user list, the mobile terminated communication comprising at least one sponsor communication comprising an advertisement attached thereto for eliciting a response from a recipient of the mobile terminated communication, said advertisement being selected based, at least in part, on the content and length of the mobile originated communication.

2. The management system of claim 1, further comprising a records database communicably coupled to the logic, the records database being configured to track messaging statistics associated with a mobile terminated communication, a sponsor communication and billing information corresponding to a sponsor account.

3. The management system of claim 1, further comprising a sponsor interface, the sponsor interface being configured to receive sponsor account data, the sponsor account data comprising at least a sponsor communication and a destination address in the opt-in user list.

4. The management system of claim 1, wherein a credit is generated and applied to with a sponsor account, the credit being generated based on at least one response to sponsor communication associated with a mobile transmitted communication.

5. The management system of claim 1, wherein a credit is generated and applied to at least one of a sender address account and an opt-in destination address account, the credit being generated based on at least one response to sponsor communication associated with a mobile terminated communication.

6. The management system of claim 1, wherein the messaging application program interface is further configured to extract at least one of a message content, message length and the destination address from the mobile originated communication.

7. The management system of claim 1, wherein the sponsor communication is selected from one of a plurality of sponsor communications.

8. The management system of claim 7, wherein the sponsor communication is selected from one of the plurality of sponsor communications based on at least the length of the mobile originated communication.

9. The management system of claim 7, wherein the sponsor communication is one of a text message, a video stream, an image file and an audio stream.

10. The management system of claim 1, wherein the logic is embodied in a computer readable storage medium adapted to control a computer.

11. A management system for managing a short message service aggregation platform and providing advertising content to mobile communication device customers, the system comprising:

a first server configured to receive a text message from a first mobile communication device, the text message including a destination address associated with a second mobile communication device, the first server comprising logic for transmitting the text message to a second server, the second server including logic for communicating with a user database and a sponsor database, the user database comprising a plurality of opt-in destination addresses defining an opt-in user list, the sponsor database comprising at least one sponsor account, at least one opt-in destination address in the opt-in user list and at least one sponsor communication being associated with each of the at least one sponsor accounts;

logic for comparing the destination address of a text message with the opt-in destination addresses in the opt-in user list;

logic for generating a mobile terminated communication by appending a sponsor communication to the text message when the destination address of the text message matches a destination address in the opt-in user list, said sponsor communication comprising an advertisement for eliciting a response from a recipient of the mobile terminated communication, said advertisement being selected based, at least in part, on the content and length of the mobile originated communication; and

,

logic for transmitting the mobile terminated communication to one of either the first server and a mobile communication device associated with the destination address.

12. The management system of claim 11, wherein the logic in the second server is embodied in a computer readable storage medium adapted to control a computer.

13. A method for providing advertising content to mobile communication device customers, the method comprising:

receiving a text message communication;

providing for searching a user database and a sponsor database, the user database comprising a plurality of opt-in destination addresses defining an opt-in user list the sponsor database comprising at least one sponsor account, at least one opt-in destination address in the opt-in user list and at least one sponsor communication being associated with each of the at least one sponsor accounts;

providing for comparing the destination address of the a text message with the opt-in destination addresses in the opt-in user list;

providing for generating a mobile terminated communication by appending a sponsor communication to the text message when the destination address of the a text message matches a destination address in the opt-in user list, said sponsor communication comprising an advertisement for eliciting a response from a recipient of the mobile terminated communication, said advertisement being selected based, at least in part, on the content and length of the mobile originated communication; and

,

transmitting the mobile terminated communication, the mobile terminated communication comprising the mobile originated communication and the sponsor communication.