Method for delivering businesses enterprises advertising via instant messaging

• US 8,762,205 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Technology Advancement, International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Technology Advancement, International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Narayanaswami, Chandrasekhar, Soroker, Danny, Paik, Young Sang, McFaddin, Herbert S., Huaulme, Francois, Lee, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Macasiano, Marilyn G
• Application Number:
  US12/016,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,350 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/14.64, 705/14.45, 705/14.49, 705/14.56, 709/206
• US Class Current: 705/14.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for advertising a business enterprise via an instant messaging (IM) environment comprising registering at least one business enterprise computing system application with an IM server and registering at least one subscriber with the IM server, wherein a subscriber logs on to the IM server via an IM client application that resides at a computing device. The method further comprises delivering subscriber characteristics comprising at least one of the geographic location of a subscriber'"'"'s computing device, the subscribers preferences, and subscriber status to the IM server, wherein the IM server utilizes the subscriber characteristics to determine the business enterprises that are relevant to subscriber, and publishing the presence status of the determined business enterprises to the subscriber'"'"'s computing device, wherein the presence status of a business enterprise is displayed to the subscriber within a contact list displayed at the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for advertising a business enterprise via an instant messaging (IM) environment, the method comprising:

registering at least one business enterprise computing system application with an IM server;

registering at least one subscriber with the IM server, wherein a subscriber initiates communication with the IM server via an IM client application that resides at a computing device, wherein messages received from the subscriber follow a particular semantic pattern including at least a particular usage of grammar, wherein the semantic pattern is exposed to the subscriber at least one of during an IM session and via a cache associated with the IM client application;

delivering subscriber characteristics comprising at least one of the geographic location of a subscriber'"'"'s computing device, the subscribers preferences, and subscriber status to the IM server, wherein the IM server utilizes the subscriber characteristics to determine the business enterprises that are relevant to subscriber;

publishing the presence status of the determined business enterprises to the subscriber'"'"'s computing device, wherein the presence status of a business enterprise and business enterprise identifiers are displayed to the subscriber within a contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device;

enacting rules that dictate types of business enterprises that may be displayed within the contact list, in addition to enacting protocols for the ranking and prioritization of business enterprises identifiers that are displayed within the contact list;

automatically populating the contact list with the business enterprise identifiers upon the registration of the business enterprise computing system; and

adding and removing the business enterprise identifiers to and from the contact list based upon a physical proximity of the subscriber'"'"'s computing device to a physical business enterprise that is associated with the business enterprise computing system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber establishing an IM session with the business enterprise computing system application by selecting a listing of the business enterprise from the displayed contact list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a business enterprise presents the subscriber with at least one business enterprise service offering.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein as a result of a subscriber'"'"'s request for business enterprise service information during an IM session the business enterprise computing system initiates a live IM session with a business enterprise computing system operator.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein as a result of a subscriber'"'"'s request for business enterprise service information during an IM session the business enterprise computing system routes the subscriber'"'"'s request to a business enterprise content specific Internet bot.

6. The method of claim 5 where enterprise information comprises one of more of hours of operation, pricing information, availability of goods, popularity or rating of goods, status of business services, detailed information pertaining to services, instructions pertaining to use of goods and services.

7. The method of claim 6 where enterprise information is customized for subscriber based on subscriber characteristics.

8. The method of claim 6 where detailed information pertaining to services includes maps showing location of business or planograms showing locations of goods.

9. The method of claim 6 where detailed information pertaining to services includes tracking information of goods ordered or shipped through the business services.

10. The method of claim 6 where status information pertaining to services includes at least one of predicted wait times, number of seats left, number of parking spots left.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the presence status of a business enterprise comprises information in regard to the availability of the business enterprise to establish an IM session with the subscriber.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the availability of a business enterprise comprises information in regard to whether the business enterprise is available or not available to initiate an IM session, the expected wait time to establish an IM session, and the subscriber'"'"'s position within a queue waiting of subscribers waiting to establish an IM session with the business enterprise.

13. The method of claim 1 where presence status includes delivering customized business enterprise advertising content from a business enterprise computing system to a subscriber'"'"'s computing device in the instance that the subscriber initiates an IM session with the business enterprise computing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein customized business enterprise advertising content comprises business enterprise advertising content that is generated as a result of analyzing subscriber IM server registration information and information gathered from the IM session.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the monitoring of an IM session with a subscriber via a IM session activity monitoring component that resides at the business enterprise computing system, wherein the IM session activity monitoring component monitors the IM session with a subscriber and stores information in regard to information and services that are requested by the subscriber within an IM session, the monitored information being utilized in conjunction with the subscriber'"'"'s IM server registration information to determine and generate custom business enterprise advertising content to deliver to the subscriber during subsequent IM sessions.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the exchange of security tokens between the IM client applications residing at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device and a business enterprise'"'"'s computing system before the business enterprise can be advertised within the contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device.

17. A computer program product that includes a non-transitory computer readable medium useable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to advertise a business enterprise via an instant messaging (IM) environment, by:

registering at least one business enterprise computing system application with an IM server;

registering at least one subscriber with the IM server, wherein a subscriber initiates communication with the IM server via an IM client application that resides at a computing device, wherein messages received from the subscriber follow a particular semantic pattern including at least a particular usage of grammar, wherein the semantic pattern is exposed to the subscriber at least one of during an IM session and via a cache associated with the IM client application;

delivering subscriber characteristics comprising at least one of the geographic location of a subscriber'"'"'s computing device, the subscribers preferences, and subscriber status to the IM server, wherein the IM server utilizes the subscriber characteristics to determine the business enterprises that are relevant to subscriber;

publishing the presence status of the determined business enterprises to a subscriber'"'"'s computing device, wherein the presence status of a business enterprise and business enterprise identifiers are displayed to the subscriber within a contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device;

enacting rules that dictate types of business enterprises that may be displayed within the contact list, in addition to enacting protocols for the ranking and prioritization of business enterprises identifiers that are displayed within the contact list;

automatically populating the contact list with the business enterprise identifiers upon the registration of the business enterprise computing system; and

adding and removing the business enterprise identifiers to and from the contact list based upon a physical proximity of the subscriber'"'"'s computing device to a physical business enterprise that is associated with the business enterprise computing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a business enterprise presents a subscriber with at least one business enterprise service offering.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 where presence status includes delivering customized business enterprise advertising content from a business enterprise computing system to a subscriber'"'"'s computing device in the instance that the subscriber initiates an IM session with the business enterprise computing system.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein customized business enterprise advertising content comprises business enterprise advertising content that is generated as a result of analyzing subscriber IM server registration information and information gathered from the IM session.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising the monitoring of an IM session with a subscriber via a IM session activity monitoring component that resides at the business enterprise computing system, wherein the IM session activity monitoring component monitors the IM session with a subscriber and stores information in regard to information and services that are requested by the subscriber within an IM session, the monitored information being utilized in conjunction with the subscriber'"'"'s IM server registration information to determine and generate custom business enterprise advertising content to deliver to the subscriber during subsequent IM sessions.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising the exchange of security tokens between the IM client applications residing at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device and a business enterprise'"'"'s computing system before the business enterprise can be advertised within the contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device.

23. A computer program product that includes a non-transitory computer readable medium useable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive business enterprise advertisements via an instant messaging (IM) environment, by:

delivering subscriber and subscriber computing device information to an IM server, wherein a subscriber logs on to the IM server via an IM client application that resides at a computing device, wherein messages received from the subscriber follow a particular semantic pattern including at least a particular usage of grammar, wherein the semantic pattern is exposed to the subscriber at least one of during an IM session and via a cache associated with the IM client application;

delivering subscriber characteristics comprising at least one of the geographic location of a subscriber'"'"'s computing device, the subscribers preferences, and subscriber status to the IM server, wherein the IM server utilizes the subscriber characteristics to determine the business enterprises that are relevant to subscriber;

receiving published the presence status information associated with the determined business enterprises to the subscriber'"'"'s computing device, wherein the presence status of a business enterprise is displayed to the subscriber within a contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device;

enacting rules that dictate types of business enterprises that may be displayed within the contact list, in addition to enacting protocols for the ranking and prioritization of business enterprises identifiers that are displayed within the contact list;

automatically populating the contact list with the business enterprise identifiers upon the registration of the business enterprise computing system; and

adding and removing the business enterprise identifiers to and from the contact list based upon a physical proximity of the subscriber'"'"'s computing device to a physical business enterprise that is associated with the business enterprise computing system.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising a subscriber establishing an IM session with the business enterprise computing system application by selecting a listing of the business enterprise from the displayed contact list.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising the exchange of security tokens between the IM client applications residing at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device and a business enterprise'"'"'s computing system before the business enterprise can be advertised within the contact list displayed at the subscriber'"'"'s computing device.