Purchasing a gift using a service provider network

• US 9,536,233 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Piepenbrink, David, Chow, Lee M., Gopal, Sudha, Ly, Helen
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Rob
• Application Number:
  US11/941,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,336 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system facilitates a first user providing a second user with a gift through a service provider network. A first user may provide an asset such as a ring tone for use on the second user'"'"'s mobile device. Alternatively, the first user may provide a monetary credit to the second user. Embodied systems are enabled for charging or billing an account associated with the first user and notifying the first user of a successful transaction including receipt or use of the gift. In some embodiments, a service delivery platform communicates with a unified storefront and a payment module for receiving and processing gift requests and payments. Gifts may be requested through an interface associated with the first user'"'"'s IPTV set-top box. In addition, gifts may be presented to the second user by an interface associated with the second user'"'"'s set-top box. The unified storefront allows access to gifting through mobile devices and other networked data processing systems in addition to set-top boxes.

Claims

1. A gift purchasing method comprising:

providing a network server of a multimedia provider network with a processor-executable storefront program hosting a plurality of storefront interfaces, the plurality of storefront interfaces including a mobile storefront interface accessible to a mobile device of a first user of the multimedia provider network and a set-top box storefront interface accessible to a set-top box of the first user, wherein the network server includes a processor that, when executing the storefront program, performs operations comprising;

responsive to receiving, from the mobile device, a gift request, wirelessly transmitted via a mobile telephone network, indicating a network-deliverable gift and a second user of the multimedia provider network, determining, by the network server, a type of the network-deliverable gift, wherein the type of the network-deliverable gift is selected from a multimedia gift including multimedia content and a mobile device gift;

determining, by the network server based on the type of the network-deliverable gift, a delivery network appropriate for the network-deliverable gift, wherein the delivery network is selected from the multimedia provider network and the mobile telephone network;

automatically selecting, by the network server, a network-deliverable asset corresponding to the network-deliverable gift and compatible with a device of the second user;

authorizing, by the network server, delivery of the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user via the delivery network;

notifying the second user of the network-deliverable gift; and

delivering the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user to configure the device of the second user for playback of the network-deliverable asset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving payment credentials from the first user; and

accessing a payment module with the payment credentials in response to receiving a payment associated with the network-deliverable gift.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

verifying the payment credentials of the first user; and

requesting compensation from a billing system using the payment credentials.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

notifying the first user of receiving the payment.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a unified storefront provided by the multimedia provider network receives the first request and notifies a service delivery platform of the network-deliverable gift request, wherein the method includes:

updating a billing account associated with the payment credentials.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the billing account is associated with the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the multimedia provider network includes an Internet protocol television network and wherein the multimedia content includes Internet protocol television content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving the payment credentials from a set-top box wherein the set-top box is configured to access the unified storefront using a universal resource locator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia provider network includes a co-axial cable television network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a telephone asset and the asset is a ring tone compatible with a mobile telephone of the second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a multimedia provider network asset and the asset is a video on demand content.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium, including processor executable program instructions for a storefront program hosting a plurality of storefront interfaces, the plurality of storefront interfaces including a mobile storefront interface accessible to a mobile device of a first user of a multimedia provider network, that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing a network server of a multimedia provider network with a processor-executable storefront program hosting a plurality of storefront interfaces, the plurality of storefront interfaces including a mobile storefront interface accessible to a mobile device of a first user of the multimedia provider network, wherein the network server includes a processor that, when executing the storefront program, performs operations comprising;

responsive to receiving, from the mobile device, a gift request, wirelessly transmitted via a mobile telephone network, indicating a network-deliverable gift and a second user of the multimedia provider network, determining, by the network server, a type of the network-deliverable gift, wherein the type of the network-deliverable gift is selected from a multimedia gift including multimedia content and a mobile device gift;

determining, by the network server based on the type of the network-deliverable gift, a delivery network appropriate for the network-deliverable gift, wherein the delivery network is selected from the multimedia provider network and the mobile telephone network;

automatically selecting, by the network server, a network-deliverable asset corresponding to the network-deliverable gift and compatible with a device of the second user;

authorizing, by the network server, delivery of the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user via the delivery network;

notifying the second user of the network-deliverable gift; and

delivering the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user to configure the device of the second user for playback of the network-deliverable asset.

13. The computer readable memory medium of claim 12, wherein the network-deliverable gift request indicates a particular title of a particular multimedia gift.

14. The computer readable memory medium of claim 13, wherein the network-deliverable gift request indicates a condition on content with which the asset must comply.

15. The computer readable memory medium of claim 13, wherein the operations include:

processing a request from the first user specifying characteristics of music for purchase using the network-deliverable gift.

16. An application server associated with a multimedia provider network, the application server including:

a processor;

a computer readable memory medium including processor executable instructions for a storefront program hosting a plurality of storefront interfaces, the plurality of storefront interfaces including a mobile storefront interface accessible to a mobile device of a first user of the multimedia provider network, that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

responsive to receiving, from the mobile device, a gift request, wirelessly transmitted via a mobile telephone network, indicating a network-deliverable gift and a second user of the multimedia provider network, determining, by the network server, a type of the network-deliverable gift, wherein the type of the network-deliverable gift is selected from a multimedia gift including multimedia content and a mobile device gift;

determining, by the network server based on the type of the network-deliverable gift, a delivery network appropriate for the network-deliverable gift, wherein the delivery network is selected from the multimedia provider network and the mobile telephone network;

automatically selecting, by the network server, a network-deliverable asset corresponding to the network-deliverable gift and compatible with a device of the second user;

authorizing, by the network server, delivery of the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user via the delivery network;

notifying the second user of the network-deliverable gift; and

delivering the network-deliverable asset to the device of the second user to configure the device of the second user for playback of the network-deliverable asset.

17. The application server of claim 16, wherein the operations include:

decreasing a spending limit associated with an account associated with the network-deliverable gift.

18. The application server of claim 16, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a multimedia provider network asset.

19. The application server of claim 18, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a ring tone for a mobile telephone.

20. The application server of claim 18, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a video-on-demand movie.

21. The application server of claim 18, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a pay-per-view sporting event.

22. The application server of claim 16, wherein the network-deliverable gift is a monetary credit.

23. The application server of claim 16, wherein the operations include:

sending, to the mobile device of the first user, a gift request user interface; and

receiving the network-deliverable gift request from the user interface.