System and method for transferring information between a remote computing device and a central business unit

• US 8,781,508 B1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zingle, Inc. (Medallia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brytelight Enterprises
• Inventors: Blakely, John Ford
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/624,211
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 4554121-4144, 455418-420, 705/15, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Systems and methods for receiving, processing and responding to text messages are described. In one embodiment a central business unit (CBU) response system may include apparatus for receiving text messages from a message sender, storing the messages in a memory, providing a user indication of receipt of the text messages, displaying and/or printing the message contents, receiving a user input in response to the user indication, and providing a confirmation message to the message sender.

Claims

1. A method for processing electronic information at a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor of the terminal, at least a portion of a first message sent from a wireless device associated with a first user wherein the first message is an SMS message;

storing, in a receipt queue memory coupled to the processor, the first message;

actuating, in response to the receipt of the first message, an output indicator of the terminal;

receiving, in response to the output indicator, an operator input;

sending, in response to the receiving an operator input and from the terminal, second message to the wireless device;

printing, at a printer coupled to the processor and in response to the operator input, at least a portion of the first message wherein the printing further includes printing additional value-added information and wherein the additional value-added information includes at least one of a date and time stamp.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending includes extracting, by the processor, a phone number of the wireless device from the first message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said output indicator comprises an audible indicator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said output indicator comprises a visual indicator.

5. The of claim 1, wherein said operator input is received at a pushbutton.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second message is a SMS message that includes a confirmation of receipt of said first message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving, from a computing device, a programming instruction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the programming instruction alters at least one step of the method for processing electronic information.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending information to a remote server location from the terminal, wherein said information includes at least a portion of the first message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, from a wireless device associated with a first user, a first message, comprises:

receiving, from a remote server location, at least a portion of the first message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional value-added information includes a phone number of the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional value added information includes profile information linked to a phone number of the wireless device.

13. A terminal apparatus for processing electronic information, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a processing module including a processor and a memory;

a modem communicatively coupled to the processing module, said modem disposed to receive a first message sent from a wireless device of a first user and provide the first message to the processing module;

an output indicator module coupled to the processing module, said output indicator module configured to provide an output indication in response to receipt of the first message;

an input module coupled to the processing module, said input module configured to receive an input from an operator in response to the output indication;

a printer module coupled to the processing module, said printer module disposed to print, in response to receiving an indication of said input from an operator, at least a portion of the content of the first message and additional value-added information and wherein the additional value-added information includes at least one of a date and time stamp; and

a machine readable medium coupled to the processing module, said medium including instructions for execution on the processor to;

initiate providing the output indication on the output indicator module in response to receipt of the first message;

receive the input from an operator; and

generate, in response to said receiving the input from an operator, a second message, said second message generated for transmission to the first user from the terminal apparatus.

14. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first message is an SMS message, and said second message is an SMS message that includes a confirmation of receipt of said first message.

15. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein said output indicator comprises an audible indicator or a visual indicator, and said operator input is received at a pushbutton.

16. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modem is further disposed to receive a third message from a second user, said third message including one or more programming instructions for altering the instructions for execution on the processor.

17. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

an Internet connection disposed to send or receive information to or from a remote server location.

18. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein said medium further includes instructions for execution on the processor to store the first message in a receipt queue of the memory.

19. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein the additional value-added information further includes a phone number of the wireless device.

20. The terminal apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions to generate the second message include instructions to extract a phone number of the wireless device from the first message.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured for storing processor executable instructions for processing electronic information at a terminal which, when executed by a processor of the terminal, cause the processor to:

receive, from a wireless device associated with a first user, a first text message;

store the first text message in a receipt queue of a data storage element coupled to the processor;

actuate, in response to the receipt of the first message, an output indicator of the terminal;

receive, in response to the output indicator, an operator input;

initiate transmission of a second text message from the terminal to the first user; and

print, at a printer coupled to the processor and in response to the operator input, at least a portion of the first text message and additional value-added information and wherein the additional value-added information includes at least one of a date and time stamp.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further configured for storing processor executable instructions for causing the processor to:

send or receive information to or from a remote server location.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the first text message includes a pin, command word and additional information, and wherein the computer readable medium is further configured for storing additional processor executable instructions for causing the processor to alter the executable instructions based on the first text message.