Apparatus, system and method for device activation

• US 10,524,118 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2019
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicharge, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omnicharge, Inc.
• Inventors: Gray, Gavin, Souiade, Jennie, Bozzi, Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Kiet M
• Application Number:
  US16/416,967
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 455558, 455411, 4554563, 4554144, 709224, 709217, 709203, 709229, 705 261, 705306
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

A method to engage an individual with digital content to activate a device to deliver a service. The device is configured to operate in at least one state in which the device is configured to provide the service. The method includes: wirelessly receiving, with the device operating in a first state that prevents a delivery of the service, a request from a requestor to activate the device to provide the service; offering the requestor an opportunity to place the device in a second state following their engagement with the digital content, the device configured to provide the service when in the second state; if the requestor chooses to engage with the digital content, wirelessly communicating digital content for engagement by the requestor; and changing the state of the device to the second state to allow the device to be used to provide the service following a completion of the engagement.

Claims

1. A method to engage an individual with digital content to activate a device configured to provide a service, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, with the device in a first state that prevents the service from being provided, a request from a requestor to place the device in a second state to provide the service;

offering the requestor an opportunity to place the device in a second state following their assent to engage with the digital content, the device configured to provide the service when in the second state;

when the requestor chooses to engage with the digital content to receive the service, wirelessly signaling the device to activate a change from the first state to the second state;

when the requestor chooses to pay to receive the service rather than receive the digital content, requesting a form of payment be received from the individual and if the form of payment is approved, wirelessly signaling the device to activate a change from the first state to the second state; and

maintaining the device in the first state to prevent the service from being provided if both the requestor does not engage with the digital content and the form of payment is not received and approved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the service as an upgrade relative to a free-service provided by the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestor possesses a client device at a first location that is proximate to the device configured to provide the service, and wherein the method further comprises:

providing remote resources including the digital content at a second location that is geographically remote from the first location;

wirelessly communicating an identification code to the remote resources, the identification code identifying the device configured to provide the service; and

selecting, by the remote resources, the digital content, at least in part, based on the identification code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of selecting further comprises selecting, by the remote resources, the digital content based, at least in part, on goods or services available for purchase at the first location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of selecting further comprises:

selecting, by the remote resources, the digital content based, at least in part, on at least one piece of demographic information concerning the requestor; and

selecting the at least one piece of demographic information from at least one of an age of the requestor, a gender of the requestor, a prior purchase of goods or services made by the requestor and a known interest of the requestor.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

verifying, by the remote resources, a completion of the engagement with the digital content; and

wirelessly communicating a device activation signal from the remote resources to the device configured to provide the service via the client device following a completion of the engagement.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising wirelessly communicating a status message from the client device to the remote resources, the status message indicating whether the device was successfully activated.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving, by the remote resources, information concerning at least one interest or habit of the requestor,

wherein the act of selecting further comprises selecting, by the remote resources, the digital content based, at least in part, on the at least one interest or habit.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining, by the remote resources, the first location based on at least one of a location associated with the device configured to provide the services as identified by the identification code and geolocation information provided by the client device.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting, by the client device, the device configured to provide the service and the identification code when the client device is located proximate the device configured to provide the service.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising establishing a user input received by the client device during a display of the digital content on the client device as a completion of the engagement.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting the user input from at least one of a touch input, a voice input, a visual input, a cursor input and a movement of the client device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, for display to the requestor, the digital content from at least one of an image and a video; and

including an identification of a brand in the digital content, the brand selected based on at least one of a location of the device configured to provide the service and at least one piece of demographic information concerning the requestor.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the requestor agrees to engage with the digital content, wirelessly communicating digital content for engagement by the requestor; and

changing the state of the device to place the device in the second state to allow the device to provide the service following a completion of the requestor'"'"'s engagement with the digital content.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an engagement with the digital content via an activity detected by a client device in possession of the requestor; and

communicating a confirmation of the engagement with the digital content from the client device to the device that provides the service.

16. A method of delivering digital content to a client device in possession of an individual, the method comprising:

configuring a device that provides a service for a plurality of operating states including a first state that allows a delivery of a first service but not a second service by the device that provides a service and a second state that allows the delivery of the second service by the device that provides the service, the second service providing an upgrade relative to the first service;

offering the individual an opportunity to place the device that provides the service in the second state following engagement with the digital content via the client device;

when the digital content is engaged with via the client device, wirelessly communicating to the device that provides the service an authorization to change an operating state of the device from the first state to the second state;

signaling the device to activate the change from the first state to the second state; and

identifying the engagement with the digital content via a virtual activity detected by the client device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising identifying the engagement with the digital content by detecting, with the client device, at least one of:

a touch-input to a touch screen included in the client device;

a voice input received by a microphone included in the client device;

a cursor input received by a graphical user interface included in the client device;

a movement of the client device detected by an inertial sensing system included in the client device; and

a gesture captured by a camera included in the client device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising communicating a confirmation of an engagement with the digital content from the client device to the device that provides the service.