System and method for instant deals in a mobile communication network

• US 9,230,260 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Williams, David Lothele, Chandran, Rohan Koduvayur Krishnan, Chong, Kelvin Voon-Kit, Mandyam, Srinivas A., Vedati, Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Matthew L
• Application Number:
  US13/310,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to transmit deals, promotions and other manner of advertisements and offers to users of mobile devices that are relevant to the users'"'"' current location and intent. Users'"'"' current intent includes actions the user is likely to take in the near future, such as, for example, purchase a specific product or service. Users'"'"' probable intent is inferred from activities performed by users on their mobile devices such as, for example, user queries relating to products and services. Businesses set up offers that are directed to specific geospatial locations and specific user intent. When a user enters a geospatial location associated with an offer and manifests intent associated with the offer, the offer is transmitted to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an offer displayer application to a registered user, the offer displayer application for a mobile communication device associated with the registered user;

processing a first transmission received over a network by a server system of a mobile advertising service provider, the first transmission comprising location data indicative of a device geospatial location for the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, wherein the device geospatial location comprises an automatically-gathered location based at least in part on communication of one or more wireless communication components of the mobile communication device and a global positioning system receiver of the mobile communication device, the server system comprising one or more advertising servers and one or more mobile advertising databases that store user preferences specified for the registered user, the server system;

processing a set of one or more transmissions of data broadcast from the mobile communication device and received over the network by the server system, the data broadcast from the mobile communication device relating to actions of the registered user that correspond to user input via one or more applications on the mobile communication device and corresponding transmissions sent by the mobile communication device, the processing comprising parsing textual data to relate parsed textual data to a probable intent of the registered user, the textual data corresponding to at least a portion of the data broadcast;

generating an offer notification to the mobile communication device associated with the registered use, by the server system, specifying an offer from a business entity, such that the offer relates to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user, wherein the generating the offer notification comprises;

processing a query transmission received, over the network by the server system from a second device associated with the business entity, a query comprising query criteria and storing the query criteria in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases of the server system, the query criteria comprising a query geospatial location and a query intent, the query intent indicating one or more future actions with respect to a product and/or a service;

matching, by the server system, the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user to the query geospatial location and the query intent, wherein the probable intent is determined to correspond to the one or more future actions with respect to the product and/or the service;

in response to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user matching the query geospatial location and the query intent, transmitting to the second device associated with the business entity, over the network by the server system, an indication that the registered user matches the query criteria;

processing an offer transmission received, over the network by the server system from the second device associated with the business entity, the offer transmission comprising offer details specifying the offer from the business entity in response to the indication;

filtering, by the server system, the offer using user preferences associated with the registered user and stored in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases, such that where the offer matches the user preferences, the offer notification is transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, and where the offer does not match the user preferences, the offer notification is not transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user; and

consequent to determining that the offer matches the user preferences, transmitting the offer notification, over the network by the server system, to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, the network comprising a wireless communication channel, and the offer notification causing the offer displayer application installed on the mobile communication device to open and to display on the mobile communication device media content comprising one or more visual elements corresponding to offer details specifying the offer to the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is detected to be in a geospatial area specified by the offer details.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data broadcast comprises a user query entered by the registered user, using the mobile communication device, into an online service providing query facilities.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the textual data comprises keywords of the user query.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the online service is an Internet search service.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the online service is an online directory service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data broadcast is a message sent by the registered user to a second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data broadcast comprises a list of user interests created by the registered user using the mobile communication device via a user interface provided by the mobile communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer is of a type selected from the group consisting of:

a coupon, a private offering, a limited-time sale, and an Easter Egg.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer details comprise an offer start date and time and an end date and time, such that where a current time associated with the mobile communication device does not fall between the offer start date and time and end date and time, the offer notification is not transmitted to the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences comprise at least one of:

a range of times, interests of the registered user, online activities of the registered user, and/or keywords specified by the registered user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, over the network, a plurality of transmissions corresponding to a plurality offers from a plurality of business entities, each respective offer of the plurality of offers comprising respective offer details and respective offer matching criteria, the respective offer matching criteria comprising a respective offer geospatial location and a respective offer intent; and

storing, by the server system, records of the plurality of offers, such that each respective record of each respective offer of the plurality of offers is associated with a respective one of the plurality of business entities from which the respective offer was received; and

matching, by the server system, the probable intent of the registered user and the device geospatial location to the respective offer matching criteria of one offer of the plurality of offers; and

transmitting, over the network, the respective offer details of the one offer of the plurality of offers to the mobile communication device;

wherein the one offer of the plurality of offers is different from the offer received from the business entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein for at least the one offer of the plurality of offers, the respective offer geospatial location comprises a point.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein for at least the one offer of the plurality of offers, the respective offer geospatial location comprises a bounded geometrical figure.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein for at least the one offer of the plurality of offers, the respective offer matching criteria additionally comprises user demographics.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein for at least the one offer of the plurality of offers, the respective offer matching criteria additionally comprises user interests.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the query criteria additionally comprises user demographics.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication that the registered user matches the query criteria corresponds to a count of users that match the query criteria.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining, by the server system, at least some of the user preferences at least partially based on user profile data and/or data relating to online activities of the registered user.

17. A non-transitory, machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a server system, cause the server system to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing an offer displayer application to a registered user, the offer displayer application for a mobile communication device associated with the registered user;

processing a first transmission received over a network, the first transmission comprising location data indicative of a device geospatial location for the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, wherein the device geospatial location comprises an automatically-gathered location based at least in part on communication of one or more wireless communication components of the mobile communication device and a global positioning system receiver of the mobile communication device, the server system comprising one or more advertising servers and one or more mobile advertising databases that store user preferences specified for the registered user, the server system;

processing a set of one or more transmissions of data broadcast from the mobile communication device and received over the network, the data broadcast from the mobile communication device relating to actions of the registered user that correspond to user input via one or more applications on the mobile communication device and corresponding transmissions sent by the mobile communication device, the processing comprising parsing textual data to relate parsed textual data to a probable intent of the registered user, the textual data corresponding to at least a portion of the data broadcast;

generating an offer notification to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user specifying an offer from a business entity, such that the offer relates to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user, wherein the generating the offer notification comprises;

processing a query transmission received, over the network from a second device associated with the business entity, a query comprising query criteria and storing the query criteria in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases of the server system, the query criteria comprising a query geospatial location and a query intent, the query intent indicating one or more future actions with respect to a product and/or a service;

matching the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user to the query geospatial location and the query intent, wherein the probable intent is determined to correspond to the one or more future actions with respect to the product and/or the service;

in response to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user matching the query geospatial location and the query intent, transmitting to the second device associated with the business entity, over the network, an indication that the registered user matches the query criteria;

processing an offer transmission received, over the network from the second device associated with the business entity, the offer transmission comprising offer details specifying the offer from the business entity in response to the indication;

filtering, by the server system, the offer using user preferences associated with the registered user and stored in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases, such that where the offer matches the user preferences, the offer notification is transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, and where the offer notification does not match the user preferences, the offer is not transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user; and

consequent to determining that the offer matches the user preferences, transmitting the offer notification, over the network, to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, the network comprising a wireless communication channel, and the offer notification causing the offer displayer application installed on the mobile communication device to open and to display on the mobile communication device media content comprising one or more visual elements corresponding to offer details specifying the offer to the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is detected to be in a geospatial area specified by the offer details.

18. A server system comprising:

one or more servers, comprising one or more processors and memory, coupled to one or more network interfaces configured to facilitate access to a network, and one or more non-transitory storage media to retain instructions, the server system to execute the instructions to;

provide an offer displayer application to a registered user, the offer displayer application for a mobile communication device associated with the registered user;

process a first transmission comprising location data indicative of a device geospatial location for the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, wherein the device geospatial location comprises an automatically-gathered location based at least in part on communication of one or more wireless communication components of the mobile communication device and a global positioning system receiver of the mobile communication device, the server system comprising one or more advertising servers and one or more mobile advertising databases that store user preferences specified for the registered user, the server system;

processing a set of one or more transmissions of data broadcast from the mobile communication device, the data broadcast from the mobile communication device relating to actions of the registered user that correspond to user input via one or more applications on the mobile communication device and corresponding transmissions sent by the mobile communication device, the processing comprising parsing textual data to relate parsed textual data to a probable intent of the registered user, the textual data corresponding to at least a portion of the data broadcast;

generating an offer notification to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, the offer notification specifying an offer from a business entity, such that the offer relates to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user, wherein the generating the offer notification comprises;

processing a query transmission received, over the network from a second device associated with the business entity, a query comprising query criteria and storing the query criteria in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases of the server system, the query criteria comprising a query geospatial location and a query intent, the query intent indicating one or more future actions with respect to a product and/or a service;

matching the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user to the query geospatial location and the query intent, wherein the probable intent is determined to correspond to the one or more future actions with respect to the product and/or the service;

in response to the device geospatial location and the probable intent of the registered user matching the query geospatial location and the query intent, transmitting to the second device associated with the business entity, over the network, an indication that the registered user matches the query criteria;

processing an offer transmission received, over the network from the second device associated with the business entity, the offer transmission comprising offer details specifying the offer from the business entity in response to the indication;

filter the offer using user preferences associated with the registered user, such that where the offer matches the user preferences, the offer is transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the user and stored in at least one database of the one or more mobile advertising databases, and where the offer notification does not match the user preferences, the offer notification is not transmitted to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user; and

consequent to determining that the offer matches the user preferences, transmitting the offer notification, over the network, to the mobile communication device associated with the registered user, the network comprising a wireless communication channel, and the offer notification causing the offer displayer application installed on the mobile communication device to open and to display on the mobile communication device media content comprising one or more visual elements corresponding to offer details specifying the offer to the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is detected to be in a geospatial area specified by the offer details.