System and method for receiving and responding to promotional offers using a mobile phone

• US 8,407,089 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Trively, Martin Churchill
• Primary Examiner(s): Gartland, Scott D
• Application Number:
  US10/707,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,375 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 28, 379/90.01, 379/93.03, 455/461
• US Class Current: 705/14.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method and means by which a mobile phone can participate in a promotional offer that is sponsored by an interested party is disclosed. The sponsor creates a promotional campaign and defines its parameters using promotional offer code (POC) data. The POC data is then pre-provisioned into the mobile phone. If a mobile phone user becomes aware of the promotional campaign and wishes to participate, he navigates his mobile phone menu structure to a “promotions” menu and inputs a POC that was included in the sponsor'"'"'s advertisements. The mobile phone then links the input POC to the pre-provisioned POC data. Another function in the mobile phone then constructs a promotional offer entry (POE) that conforms to the parameters set out in the pre-provisioned POC data. The POE is then transmitted to the sponsor. The sponsor reviews all valid entries and chooses one or more winners. The sponsor can then broadcast a status message to all entrants to inform them whether they won anything from the promotion.

Claims

1. A mobile phone having a software application that allows a user of the mobile phone to participate in a promotional offer, said mobile phone comprising:

a processor;

a processor readable storage medium comprising one or more code portions embodied therein, the one or more code portions causing the processor to;

load promotional offer data into the processor readable storage medium of the mobile phone, the promotional offer data comprising one or more promotional offer codes;

receive user input of a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

compare the user-inputted promotional offer code with the one or more promotional offer codes;

in response to determining one of the one or more promotional offer codes matches the user-inputted promotional offer code, construct a promotional offer entry;

using transmission information provided in the promotional offer data, determine how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted; and

initiate transmission of the promotional offer entry based on the determining how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the promotional offer data is sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the promotional offer data comprises data that is pre-provisioned in the mobile phone by a manufacturer embedding the promotional offer data into the mobile phone.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1 wherein the one or more code portions further causes the processor to:

create a message addressed to a sponsor of the promotional offer in a format described by the promotional offer data; and

include content described by the promotional offer data in the message.

5. The mobile phone of claim 4 wherein the one or more code portions further causes the processor to:

encrypt the message.

6. The mobile phone of claim 4 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry defined by the promotional offer data comprises an SMS message.

7. The mobile phone of claim 4 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry defined by the promotional offer data comprises an MMS message.

8. The mobile phone of claim 4 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry defined by the promotional offer data comprises an e-mail message.

9. A method comprising:

providing a mobile phone having a processor and computer-readable media, the computer-readable media comprising an application stored thereon;

loading promotional offer data into the computer-readable media of the mobile phone, the promotional offer data comprising one or more promotional offer codes;

receiving user input of a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

comparing, using the processor of the mobile phone and application stored on the computer-readable media, the user-inputted promotional offer code with the one or more promotional offer codes;

in response to determining one of the one or more promotional offer codes matches the user-inputted promotional offer code, constructing a promotional offer entry;

using transmission information provided in the promotional offer data, determining how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted; and

initiating transmission of the promotional offer entry from the mobile phone based on the determining how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the promotional offer data is sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the promotional offer data comprises data that is pre-provisioned in the mobile phone by a manufacturer of the mobile phone embedding the promotional offer data into the mobile phone.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein constructing a promotional offer entry comprises:

creating a message in a format described by the promotional offer data; and

including content described by the promotional offer data in the message.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein constructing a promotional offer entry further comprises encrypting the message.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry defined by the promotional offer data comprises at least one of an SMS message, an MMS message, or an email message.

21. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining, based on accessing the promotional offer data, whether a time limit associated with the user-inputted promotional offer code has expired, the promotional offer data further comprising a time limit associated with the one or more promotional offer codes, and the constructing a promotional offer entry further comprising;

in response to both determining one of the one or more promotional offer codes matches the user-inputted promotional offer code and determining the time limit associated with the user-inputted promotional offer code has not expired, constructing a promotional offer entry.

22. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

prior to initiating transmission of the promotional offer entry, attaching additional content, as specified by the promotional offer data, to the promotional offer entry, the attached content comprising a mobile phone number.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the attached content further comprises a number of minutes used by the mobile phone.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the attached content further comprises an amount of data sent or received by the mobile phone.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the attached content further comprises a number of messages sent or received by the mobile phone.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the attached content further comprises an electronic serial number.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the attached content further comprises an international mobile equipment identity model number.

15. A mobile phone enabling a user of the mobile phone to participate in a promotional offer, said mobile phone comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) module;

a user interface enabling the user of the mobile phone to input a promotional offer code into the mobile phone;

a processor;

a processor readable storage medium comprising one or more code portions embodied therein, the one or more code portions causing the processor to;

load promotional offer data into the processor readable storage medium of the mobile phone, the promotional offer data comprising one or more promotional offer codes,

compare the user-inputted promotional offer code with the one or more promotional offer codes,

in response to determining one of the one or more promotional offer codes matches the user-inputted promotional offer code, constructing a promotional offer entry,

using transmission information provided in the promotional offer data, determine how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted, and

initiate transmission of the promotional offer entry based on the determining how the promotional offer entry will be transmitted and to whom the promotional offer entry will be transmitted.

16. The mobile phone of claim 15 wherein the promotional offer data is sent to the mobile phone via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

17. The mobile phone of claim 15 wherein the promotional offer data comprises data that is pre-provisioned in the mobile phone by the manufacturer embedding the promotional offer data into the mobile phone.

18. The mobile phone of claim 15 wherein the one or more code portions further causes the processor to:

create a message addressed to a promotional sponsor in a format described by the promotional offer data; and

include content described by the promotional offer data in the message.

19. The mobile phone of claim 18 wherein the one or more code portions further causes the processor to encrypt the message.

20. The mobile phone of claim 18 wherein the format of the promotional offer entry defined by the promotional offer data comprises at least one of an SMS message, an MMS message, or an email message.