System, method, and computer program for providing an advertising based incentive to a user

• US 8,930,249 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gelbaum, Eitan, Michie, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Chia Yi
• Application Number:
  US12/116,091
• Time in Patent Office: 2,436 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program are included for providing an advertising based incentive to a user. In use, at least one advertisement is communicated to a device of a user based on a preference level of the user. Further, an incentive associated with the preference level is provided to the user in response to the communication of the at least one advertisement.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a preference level in response to a user selecting a save option, the selection of the preference level received from the user through a portal of an advertisement platform;

storing the selected preference level in a subscriber profile of the user, the subscriber profile of the user stored in an allowance table;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, the preferred type of advertising indicating at least one of short message service, multimedia messaging service, and banner advertisements;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

identifying an opportunity to communicate at least one advertisement to a device of the user, the opportunity including a message in transit to the device via the advertisement platform;

identifying the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table in response to identifying the opportunity to communicate the at least one advertisement;

determining a preference level of the subscriber profile of the user based on the subscriber profile including the selected preference level, the preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, and the predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

embedding the at least one advertisement in the message and communicating the at least one advertisement to the device of the user, based on the determined preference level of the subscriber profile of the user;

determining that a number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets a threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user;

providing an incentive associated with the selected preference level to the user in response to the communication of the at least one advertisement and the determination that the number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets the threshold;

determining that a current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user; and

notifying the user that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold in response to the determination that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold, the notification including an option to the user to update the selected preference level of the user to a new preference level indicating a preference for more advertisements.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the device of the user includes a mobile device.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein communicating the at least one advertisement to the device of the user includes displaying the at least one advertisement on the device of the user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein a plurality of advertisements are communicated to the device of the user over a period of time.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the user utilizes a graphical user interface to update the preference level.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein a sliding scale on the graphical user interface is utilized to update the preference level.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each of a plurality of locations on the sliding scale is associated with a different preference level.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein each different preference level is associated with a different incentive.

9. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface displays the incentive in response to the updating of the preference level.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the incentive is predetermined for the preference level.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes a service.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes a discount.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the incentive is mapped to the preference level in a table.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the preference level of the user is associated with a predetermined period of time, such that the number of advertisements communicated to the device of the user within the predetermined period of time is within the preference level of the user.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the opportunity further includes a determination that a predetermined period of time has elapsed since a previous presentation of an advertisement to the user.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the opportunity further includes a state of the device of the user in which the device is utilized for accessing a webpage.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the opportunity further includes a state of the device of the user in which the device is not being used for communication purposes.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes a credit applied to a bill for a service utilized by the user, the bill generated during a billing cycle in which it is determined that the number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets the threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 1, further including aggregating the selected preference level of the user with a plurality of selected preference levels of a plurality of other users by generating a summary of a predetermined number of subscribers associated with each selected preference level, and transmitting the aggregated selected preference levels.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a selection of a preference level in response to a user selecting a save option, the selection of the preference level received from the user through a portal of an advertisement platform;

storing the selected preference level in a subscriber profile of the user, the subscriber profile of the user stored in an allowance table;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, the preferred type of advertising indicating at least one of short message service, multimedia messaging service, and banner advertisements;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

identifying an opportunity to communicate at least one advertisement to a device of the user, the opportunity including a message in transit to the device via the advertisement platform;

identifying the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table in response to identifying the opportunity to communicate the at least one advertisement;

determining a preference level of the subscriber profile of the user based on the subscriber profile including the selected preference level, the preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, and the predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

embedding the at least one advertisement in the message and communicating the at least one advertisement to the device of the user, based on the determined preference level of the subscriber profile of the user;

determining that a number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets a threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user;

providing an incentive associated with the selected preference level to the user in response to the communication of the at least one advertisement and the determination that the number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets the threshold;

determining that a current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user; and

notifying the user that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold in response to the determination that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold, the notification including an option to the user to update the selected preference level of the user to a new preference level indicating a preference for more advertisements.

21. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor for;

receiving a selection of a preference level in response to a user selecting a save option, the selection of the preference level received from the user through a portal of an advertisement platform;

storing the selected preference level in a subscriber profile of the user, the subscriber profile of the user stored in an allowance table;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, the preferred type of advertising indicating at least one of short message service, multimedia messaging service, and banner advertisements;

storing, in the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table, a predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

identifying an opportunity to communicate at least one advertisement to a device of the user, the opportunity including a message in transit to the device via the advertisement platform;

identifying the subscriber profile of the user in the allowance table in response to identifying the opportunity to communicate the at least one advertisement;

determining a preference level of the subscriber profile of the user based on the subscriber profile including the selected preference level, the preferred type of advertising to be received by the user, and the predetermined time period during which the preferred type of advertising is not to be received by the user;

embedding the at least one advertisement in the message and communicating the at least one advertisement to the device of the user, based on the determined preference level of the subscriber profile of the user;

determining that a number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets a threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user;

providing an incentive associated with the selected preference level to the user in response to the communication of the at least one advertisement and the determination that the number of advertisements previously presented to the user meets the threshold;

determining that a current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold number of advertisements indicated by the selected preference level of the user; and

notifying the user that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold in response to the determination that the current number of advertisements previously presented to the user exceeds the threshold, the notification including an option to the user to update the selected preference level of the user to a new preference level indicating a preference for more advertisements.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is coupled to memory via a bus.