Wireless subscriber loyalty system and method

• US 8,346,599 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redknee Inc.
• Original Assignee: Redknee Inc.
• Inventors: Sheth, Shyam, Rahim, Rubens, Hughes, Joel, Wong, Wai-see Candy, Skoczkowski, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US12/782,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0232 Frequent usage rewards other than merchandise, cash or travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing a complete architectural and procedural solution to wireless subscriber loyalty issues. A flexible promotion creation environment allows mobile phone operators to rapidly create and deploy various incentive programs and other such loyalty schemes; together with a data mining and profiling method for tracking, monitoring and analysing subscriber (or aggregate) usage information associated with given promotions. The proposed data mining and profiling method purposely incents specific subscriber behaviors by triggering a point-based reward scheme based on the dynamic screening of event records which are correlated with incented behaviors. Wherein a threshold is assigned based on usage information for a particular promotion; upon realization of which, the subscriber is, immediately notified of the reward through a plurality of means including e-mail, voice notification and by way of Short Message Service (SMS) at their wireless handset.

Claims

1. Apparatus for creating and implementing a subscriber promotional reward scheme, the apparatus comprising:

a computer-based promotion engine configured to receive data from a computer-based interface connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber;

said computer-based promotion engine further configured to transmit requests to a computer-based subscriber profile database connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based subscriber profile database configured to maintain a subscriber profile relative to said subscriber, said requests being requests for subscriber profile data stored in said subscriber profile based on a subscriber identifier;

said computer-based promotion engine further configured to receive responses to said requests;

said computer-based promotion engine further configured to transmit further requests to a computer-based promotion profile database connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based promotion profile database configured to maintain configurable promotion monitors;

said further requests being requests for promotion monitors corresponding to said events and based on said subscriber identifier and said events;

said computer-based promotion engine further configured to receive responses to said further requests; and

said computer-based promotion engine configured to update said subscriber profile data based on said promotion monitors and said subscriber profile data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said computer-based promotion engine being configured to receive standardized data from said computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber and to transform said data into said standardized data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, said computer-based promotion engine being further configured to determine if a promotion monitor threshold has been reached for said subscriber and to forward instructions to an action queue handler connectable to said computer-based promotion engine for a reward mechanism in fulfillment of a promotion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said promotional reward scheme is a subscriber loyalty program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data representing events comprises event detail record (EDR) streams.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said computer-based interface is a Service Control Point (“

SCP”

) Operations Administration Maintenance (“

DAM”

) interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data representing events comprises a provisioning request.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said interface is a promotion provisioning interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said promotion monitors are based on one or more of:

time usage by said subscriber;

usage patterns of said subscriber;

user preferences for acquisition of active data as a function of time; and

the subscriber'"'"'s preferences for the active dissemination of data as a function of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said active data is based on stock information or weather information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said subscriber'"'"'s preferences for the active dissemination of data is based on current location of said subscriber and an ability of said subscriber to utilize chat services.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said promotion monitors include one or more of:

incoming traffic characteristics;

excluded telephone numbers;

actions to perform upon condition satisfaction;

threshold values set for actions to be triggered;

actions to be performed on reaching of threshold values.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said incoming traffic characteristics is derived from an event record type.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said excluded telephone numbers include *611.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said threshold values set for actions is an aggregate value of time or an aggregate number of transactions.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said action includes sending a short message service SMS message.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, said computer-based promotion engine being further configured to receive commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and/or updating said promotion monitors from a computer-based graphical user interface connectable with said computer-based promotion engine.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said promotion profile, database is further configured to maintain a set of promotion dependency definitions respective to each promotion monitor;

said promotion dependency definitions including promotion monitor dependencies on at least one other promotional reward scheme.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer-based promotion profile database is further configured to maintain a set of global action definitions respective to each promotion monitor.

20. A method for creating and implementing a subscriber promotional reward scheme at a computer-based promotion engine, the method comprising:

providing a computer programmed to receive data from a computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber;

transmitting requests to a computer-based subscriber profile database, said computer-based subscriber profile database configured to maintain a subscriber profile relative to said subscriber, said requests being requests for subscriber profile data stored in said subscriber profile based on a subscriber identifier;

receiving responses to said requests from said computer-based subscriber profile database;

transmitting further requests to a computer-based promotion profile database, said computer-based promotion profile database co figured to maintain configurable promotion monitors;

said further requests being requests for promotion monitors corresponding to said events and based on said subscriber identifier and said events;

receiving responses to said further requests from said computer-based promotion profile database; and

updating said subscriber profile data based on said promotion monitors and said subscriber profile data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining if a promotion monitor threshold has been reached for said subscriber; and

, forwarding instructions to an action queue handler for a reward mechanism in fulfillment of a promotion.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said promotional reward scheme is a subscriber loyalty program.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said data representing events comprises event detail record (EDR) streams.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said computer-based interface is a Service Control Point (“

SCP”

) Operations Administration Maintenance (“

DAM”

) interface.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said data representing events comprises a provisioning request.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said interface is a promotion provisioning interface.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein said promotion monitors are based on one or more of:

time usage by said subscriber;

usage patterns of said subscriber;

user preferences for acquisition of active data as a function of time; and

the subscriber'"'"'s preferences for the active dissemination of data as a function of time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said active data is based on stock information or weather information.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said subscriber'"'"'s preferences for the active dissemination of data is based on current location of said subscriber and an ability of said subscriber to utilize chat services.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein said promotion monitors include one or more of:

incoming traffic characteristics;

excluded telephone numbers;

actions to perform upon condition satisfaction;

threshold values set for actions to be triggered;

actions to be performed on reaching of threshold values.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said incoming traffic characteristics is derived from an event record type.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said excluded telephone numbers include *611.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said threshold values set for actions is an aggregate value of time or an aggregate number of transactions.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said action includes sending a short message service SMS message.

35. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and/or updating said promotion monitors from a computer-based graphical user interface.

36. The method of claim 20, wherein said promotion profile database is further configured to maintain a set of promotion dependency definitions respective to each promotion monitor;

said promotion dependency definitions including promotion monitor dependencies on at least one other promotional reward scheme.

37. The method of claim 20, wherein said computer-based promotion profile database is further configured to maintain a set of global action definitions respective to each promotion monitor.

38. The method of claim 20, wherein receiving data from said computer-based interface comprises receiving standardized data from said computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber and to transform said data into said standardized data.