Method for cross-promoting communications services

• US 8,315,903 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Messaging Technologies, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: J2 Global, Inc.
• Inventors: Zucker, Nehemia
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHORNESKY, ADAM B
• Application Number:
  US12/946,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20110060638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.27, 705/14.13, 705/14.23, 705/14.49, 705/14.32, 705/14.33
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0262 during computer stand-by mode

Abstract

A method to promote use of one communication service by associating it with another service and offering incentives to use the first service in return for use of the second service. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer system that provides a communication service to customers, comprising:

a fax server to receive a plurality of inbound fax pages at a telephone number of a customer and at no charge to the customer; and

a web server to indicate a credit when a number of said inbound fax pages have been received, wherein the credit enables the customer to make one or more fax transmissions, using the fax server, to send a number of outbound fax pages at a price that is less than a usual price for sending said number of outbound fax pages.

2. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

an email server to accept a request from the customer to send one or more outbound fax pages, wherein the web server is to enable the fax server to make a fax transmission to send the requested outbound fax pages pursuant to the credit.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the fax transmission requested by the customer contains more than said number of outbound fax pages enabled by the credit, being an excess number of outbound fax pages, the web server to charge the cost of transmitting the excess number of outbound fax pages to the customer at the usual price.

4. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising a database server to store the credit in a customer account maintained for the benefit of the customer.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the web server indicates the credit as enabling the customer to send said number of outbound fax pages for free.