Method of advertising using mobile communications

• US 9,432,830 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lahtiranta, Atte, Hamalainen, Jari P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/468,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20080057915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,654 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method is constructed to provide financing of mobile communications by sponsors in return for permitting the dissemination of advertisements before, during, or after a particular call. The system includes a location server through which communication channels can be established, mobile communication terminals inter connected for communication over the communication channels established by the location server, a sponsor server having a memory in which is stored advertisements, and an application module resident on the sponsor server, mobile communication terminal, or location server to control a communication from one of the mobile communication terminals to another of the mobile communication terminals to, at the request of a user of the mobile communication terminal, place advertisements from the sponsor server into the communication and charge the cost of the communication to the sponsor server.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

in response to a request from a mobile communication terminal, initiate a communication from the mobile communication terminal to another mobile communication terminal;

receive from the mobile communication terminal a selection of a sponsor financed communication application available at the apparatus to control said communication;

establish said communication using said sponsor financed communication application by transmitting one or more signaling messages, at least one of the signaling messages including one or more advertisements, wherein the one or more advertisements are unrelated to the another mobile communication terminal;

insert presentation of one or more of the advertisements at said mobile communication terminal, the another mobile communication terminal, or a combination thereof when said communication between the mobile communication terminal and the another mobile communication terminal is in progress; and

charge the cost of said communication to a provider of said sponsor financed communication application.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sponsor financed communication application is provided by a communications service provider, telecommunications operator, or internet service provider and executed on a subscription or call by call basis.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is within a location server or a sponsor server.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the location server is a mobile communication network server and the communication is a call using mobile communication protocols.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the location server is an Internet server and the communication is a call using presence based protocols.

6. A method comprising:

initiating a communication by a mobile communication terminal to another mobile communication terminal by receiving a user selection of a sponsor financed communication application available to control said communication;

establishing said communication using said sponsor financed communication application by transmitting one or more signaling messages, at least one of the signaling messages including one or more advertisements, wherein the one or more advertisements are unrelated to the another mobile communication terminal;

inserting presentation of one or more of the advertisements at said mobile communication terminal, the another mobile communication terminal, or a combination thereof when said communication between the mobile communication terminal and the another mobile communication terminal is in progress; and

charging the cost of said communication to a provider of said sponsor financed communication application.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said communication is established through a mobile communication network server using mobile communication protocols, or through an Internet server using presence based protocols.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the presentation of the one or more of the advertisements is triggered as part of said communication based upon a subscription for a term to automatically display the advertisements.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the sponsor financed communication application may be downloaded to the mobile communications terminal for execution thereon.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sponsor financed communication application is resident on a location server or a sponsor server for access by said mobile communication terminal for execution of said sponsor financed communication application on said location server or said sponsor server.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the presentation of the one or more of the advertisements is triggered by at least one of an off-line message, a calendar notification, an alarm and user-initiated advertisement browsing.

30. The method according to claim 6, wherein additional one or more of the advertisements are presented during a communication signaling process and before said communication is established.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the additional one or more of the advertisements are presented in parallel with a communication establishing menu.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the one or more of the advertisements display a name, logo or identifier of the sponsor.

33. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

before establishing said communication, causing, at least in part, displaying of options of one or more forms, content, lengths, placements, or a combination thereof, of the one or more advertisements as offered by the selected sponsored financed communication application.

34. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

notifying the another mobile communication terminal the sponsor of an incoming call or message, before establishing said communication.

35. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

downloading one or more sponsored financed communication applications at the mobile communication terminal, before receiving a user selection of a sponsor financed communication application.

36. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mobile communication terminals transmit in-between voice data, visual data, or a combination thereof, when the communication is in progress.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

initiating a communication to a mobile communication terminal by receiving a user selection of a sponsor financed communication application available to control said communication;

establishing said communication using said sponsor financed communication application by transmitting one or more signaling messages, at least one of the signaling messages including one or more advertisements, wherein the one or more advertisements are unrelated to the mobile communication terminal;

inserting presentation of one or more of the advertisements at the apparatus, the mobile communication terminal, or a combination thereof when said communication between the apparatus and the mobile communication terminal is in progress; and

charging the cost of said communication to a provider of said sponsor financed communication application.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein when the sponsor financed communication application is available to be downloaded, the apparatus is caused to further perform:

accessing a location server or a sponsor server to download the sponsor financed communication application.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the sponsor financed communication application is resident on a location server or a sponsor server, and the apparatus is caused to further perform:

accessing and executing said sponsor financed communication application thereon.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the triggering event includes at least one of an off-line message, a calendar notification, an alarm and user-initiated advertisement browsing.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the communication is using mobile communication protocols or presence based protocols.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the one or more of the advertisements is triggered as part of said communication based upon a subscription for a term to automatically display the advertisements.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is caused to further perform:

sending an acknowledgement to a sponsor server upon completion of the additional advertisement presentation and causing the sponsor server to award a communication credit to the user at a predetermined rate.

19. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

initiate a communication to a mobile communication terminal by receiving a user selection of a sponsor financed communication application available to control said communication;

establish said communication using said sponsor financed communication application by transmitting one or more signaling messages, at least one of the signaling messages including one or more advertisements, wherein the one or more advertisements are unrelated to the mobile communication terminal;

insert presentation of one or more of the advertisements at the apparatus, the mobile communication terminal, or a combination thereof when said communication between the apparatus and the mobile communication terminal is in progress; and

charge the cost of said communication to a provider of said sponsor financed communication application.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein additional advertisements are downloaded from a sponsor server, and

wherein the apparatus is further caused to send an acknowledgement to the sponsor server upon completion of the additional advertisement presentation and to cause the sponsor server to award a communication credit to the user at a predetermined rate.

21. A user interface comprising:

a display;

a memory for storing an application module; and

a control unit connected to the memory and display, the control unit being configured to;

initiate a communication from a mobile communication terminal comprising the user interface to another mobile communication terminal, by receiving a user selection of a sponsor financed communication application available to control said communication;

establish said communication using said sponsor financed communication application by transmitting one or more signaling messages, at least one of the signaling messages including one or more advertisements, wherein the one or more advertisements are unrelated to the another mobile communication terminal;

insert presentation of one or more of the advertisements at the apparatus, said mobile communication terminal, or a combination thereof when said communication between the apparatus and the mobile communication terminal is in progress; and

charge the cost of said communication to a provider of said sponsor financed communication application.

22. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the control unit is further configured to present the advertisements in a notification of a communication initiated by or received in the mobile communication device.

23. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the one or more of the advertisements is triggered as part of said communication based upon a subscription for a term to automatically display the advertisements.

24. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the triggering event includes at least one of an off-line message, a calendar notification, an alarm and user-initiated advertisement browsing.

25. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the control unit is further configured to present, on the display, a selection of advertisements when a communication is initiated in the mobile communication device.

26. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the control unit is further configured to present, on the display, options for setting the form, content, length and placement of the advertisements within the communication.

27. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the control unit is configured to present the advertisements in a same window where a communication notification is shown.

28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein a number shown in the same window where the communication notification is shown is associated with the advertisements.

29. The user interface of claim 21, further comprising:

a software module including a sponsor advertising package, the software module being configured to enable insertion of selected advertisements before, during or after a communication is made in the mobile communication device;

wherein the control unit is further configured to provide visual data stored in the mobile communication device and execute software included in the software module, and provides a space on the display for indicating a sponsor name, logo, and/or identifier associated with the visual data.