Electronic short messaging and advertising method and means

• US 8,600,414 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Vaananen, Mikko Kalervo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US11/979,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080064426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/417, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/458, 455/517, 455/460, 455/466, 379/98.12, 379/93.17, 705/39
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic short messaging and advertising method and means. In particular the invention relates to an electronic advertising method, where minimal initiative is required from the consumer. Some embodiments of the invention may also be applied to an electronic sales method. The invention may be applied for normal short messaging also. The electronic short messaging and advertising method comprises at least one subscriber terminal and uses the Internet and/or the telephony network. With the method in accordance with the invention the recipient can receive advertisements or other short messages with the shortest manipulation time possible. No navigation, browsing of inboxes, copying and/or pasting of telephone numbers needs to be done. The user is shown the message automatically, and he may delete it or receive further information on it with one single press of a dedicated key.

Claims

1. An electronic short messaging method for sending transmissions to at least one subscriber terminal via the Internet and/or the telephony network, comprising:

sending a first transmission to a recipient subscriber terminal for display, said first transmission defining two active alternatives;

(i) a first alternative for further action and (ii) a second alternative for deleting the transmission, wherein unless the first alternative is selected said first transmission defines automatic deletion after reception after a predefined time period; and

when the first alternative is selected, connecting the recipient subscriber to an original sender of the first transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a second transmission that includes attributes related to:

(i) user input, (ii) further actions and (iii) a state of the first transmission, wherein the second transmission is associated with the first transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the further actions includes at least one of:

(i) connecting to a telephone number, IP-address, URL, or the like directory, (ii) sending a further subscriber originated message, (iii) requesting a call, (iv) requesting a call back to the message sender, and (v) registering for further information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient subscriber terminal is one of a:

(i) PC computer, (ii) Apple Macintosh computer, (iii) PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), (iv) UMTS-, GSM-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-, or WCDMA mobile station, and (v) a device using the Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS or the Epoc operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein bits transmitted or received and connected minutes are calculated, and the calculation is done by software at the subscriber terminal, in the network, or both.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein money is charged or refunded to the recipient on the basis of bits transmitted or received, connected minutes, price or promise in the first transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission is one of a MMS-, SMS-, SMS CB-, USSD-, PDS-, WAPPush message or an email, and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-addresses and/or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission is one of a MMS-, SMS transmission, email, DTMF-tone or a FTP, TCP/IP, H323, HTTP, UDP data transfer or some other direct data transfer and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-address, ISDN-, FTP-, email-, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)-address(es) and/or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of one of the first and second alternatives is indicated by pressing a dedicated key on the subscriber terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission or some parts of the first transmission are displayed in place of a telephony network operator logo or a network cell logo.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission or some parts of the first transmission pop up on at least one display of the subscriber terminal instantly or within a defined period upon arrival to the subscriber terminal.

12. An electronic short messaging device comprising:

means for communicating, using at least one packet switched connection or telephony network connection, at least one display, and associated software configured to identify incoming transmissions and display the content or some parts of the content to the display directly or at predetermined intervals, first ones of the incoming transmissions defining two alternatives;

a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the respective first incoming transmission,

wherein unless the first alternative for further action is selected the associated software is configured to automatically delete the respective first incoming transmission, as defined in the respective first incoming transmission, after a predefined time period after reception, and

when the first alternative is selected, the associated software is further configured to connect the device to an original sender of the first ones of the incoming transmissions.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the associated software is a SIM Application Toolkit on the SIM card of the electronic short messaging device.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the device is one of a:

(i) PC computer, (ii) Apple Macintosh computer, (iii) PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), (iv) UMTS-, GSM-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-, or WCDMA mobile station, and (v) a device using the Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Windows Pocket PC, GEOS, Palm OS or the Epoc operating system.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein the first incoming transmission is one of a MMS-, SMS message or an email, and is embedded with at least one phone number, IP-address, URL-address, ISDN-, FTP-, email-, SIP-address(es), or other electronic directories to which the user is arranged to be connected by a dedicated action.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a software program, wherein the software program is configured to cause a processor to:

recognize a first transmission;

display a bioptional message in the first transmission on the terminal display, the bioptional message defining two active alternatives, a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the first transmission;

initiate proceedings in response to selection of the first alternative by a user, wherein the proceedings comprise connecting to an original sender of the first transmission; and

automatically remove the first transmission from display after reception after a predefined time period.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the software program is a SIM Application Toolkit on a SIM card of a mobile terminal, a USSD application on a network.

18. An electronic short messaging method for receiving transmissions by a recipient subscriber terminal using the Internet and/or the telephony network, comprising:

receiving a first transmission at the recipient subscriber terminal for display, said first transmission defining two active alternatives, a first alternative for further action and a second alternative for deleting the transmission; and

when the first alternative is selected, connecting the recipient subscriber to an original sender of the first transmission,

wherein, unless the first alternative is selected, said first transmission defines an automatic deletion after reception after a predefined time period.