System and method for providing short message targeted advertisements over a wireless communications network

• US 9,123,060 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Link, Charles M. II, Cardina, Donald M., Meadows, Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US14/275,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 4554561-4567, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/445, 455/500, 455/517, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455406-408, 705/14.1, 705/14.23, 705/14.58, 705/14.64, 340/5.39, 340/7.2, 340/7.21, 340/7.22, 340/7.23, 340/7.24, 340/7.26, 340/7.28, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for providing targeted advertisement information to consumers over a wireless communications network are provided. In one embodiment, local advertisers register to advertise on wireless communications devices that are in close proximity to the advertiser. As a consumer enters a cell site that is near the location of the advertiser, the wireless network delivers a message to the wireless device specified by the local advertiser. An acknowledgement signal is then received by the network, and the local advertiser'"'"'s account is charged for transmission of the advertisement. In a further embodiment, each of the messages is associated with one or more demographic codes, and a demographic code is selected to describe an advertisement preference of a user of a wireless communications device. Messages to be transmitted to particular wireless communications devices are selected based upon both the location information and the demographic codes associated with the messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an advertisement system comprising a processor, a request to access a profile associated with a user of a wireless communications device, the profile associated with the user comprising advertisement preferences for receiving advertisements via the wireless communications device of the user;

providing, by the processor via a user interface, a list of advertisers; and

receiving, by the processor via the user interface, a selection of an advertiser from the list of advertisers from which the user requests advertisement information be received, the selection for updating the advertisement preferences of the profile associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, via the user interface, a question associated with demographics of the user;

receiving, via the user interface, a response to the question; and

adding a demographic code to the profile associated with the user, the demographic code corresponding to the response to the question.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the demographics of the user comprise at least one of a gender of the user, an age of the user, an occupation of the user, hobbies of the user, or food preferences of the user.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a presence of the wireless communications device of the user within a location;

determining the demographic code associated with the user; and

selecting an advertisement comprising information relevant to the location to be transmitted to the wireless communications device of the user, the advertisement selected based on a demographic code of the advertisement correlating with the demographic code associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, prior to transmitting the advertisement to the wireless communications device of the user, whether the advertisement selected has been previously transmitted to the wireless communications device.

6. A method comprising:

registering, by an advertisement system comprising a processor, an advertisement with identification information of a cell site of a cellular network, the advertisement comprising a coupon;

transmitting, by the advertisement system to a wireless communications device of a user located within the cell site of the cellular network, the advertisement, wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the wireless communications device based at least in part on the advertisement being registered with the identification information of the cell site within which the wireless communications device is located; and

receiving, at the advertisement system from the wireless communications device, a response redeeming the coupon.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising notifying an advertiser associated with the advertisement of the response redeeming the coupon.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating, based on receipt of the response redeeming the coupon, a profile associated with the user comprising advertisement preferences for receiving advertisements via the wireless communications device of the user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a request to access a profile associated with the user of the wireless communications device, the profile associated with the user comprising advertisement preferences for receiving advertisements via the wireless communications device of the user;

providing, via a user interface, a list of advertisers; and

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of an advertiser from the list of advertisers from which the user requests advertisement information be received, the selection for updating the advertisement preferences of the profile associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing, via the user interface, a question associated with demographics of the user;

receiving, via the user interface, a response to the question; and

adding a demographic code to the profile associated with the user, the demographic code corresponding to the response to the question, wherein advertisements received at the wireless communications device of the user correlate to the demographic code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the demographics of the user comprise at least one of a gender of the user, an age of the user, an occupation of the user, hobbies of the user, or food preferences of the user.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the demographic code associated with the user, wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the wireless communications device further based on a demographic code of the advertisement correlating with the demographic code associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, prior to transmitting the advertisement to the wireless communications device of the user, whether the advertisement has been previously transmitted to the wireless communications device.

14. A system comprising:

a database storing a plurality of advertisements; and

a processor that performs operations comprising

registering an advertisement of the plurality of advertisements with identification information of a cell site of a cellular network,

transmitting, to a wireless communications device of a user located within the cell site of the cellular network, the advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, the advertisement comprising a coupon, wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the wireless communications device based at least in part on the advertisement being registered with the identification information of the cell site within which the wireless communications device is located, and

receiving, from the wireless communications device, a response redeeming the coupon.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise notifying an advertiser associated with the advertisement of the response redeeming the coupon.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise updating, based on receipt of the response redeeming the coupon, a profile associated with the user comprising advertisement preferences for receiving advertisements via the wireless communications device of the user.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request to access a profile associated with the user of the wireless communications device, the profile associated with the user comprising advertisement preferences for receiving advertisements via the wireless communications device of the user;

providing, via a user interface, a list of advertisers; and

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of an advertiser from the list of advertisers from which the user requests advertisement information be received, the selection for updating the advertisement preferences of the profile associated with the user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, via the user interface, a question associated with demographics of the user;

receiving, via the user interface, a response to the question; and

adding a demographic code to the profile associated with the user, the demographic code corresponding to the response to the question, wherein advertisements received at the wireless communications device of the user correlate to the demographic code.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the demographics of the user comprise at least one of a gender of the user, an age of the user, an occupation of the user, hobbies of the user, or food preferences of the user.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise determining the demographic code associated with the user;

wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the wireless communications device further based on a demographic code of the advertisement correlating with the demographic code associated with the user.