Content subscription and delivery service

• US 20040140989A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Papageorge
• Original Assignee: John Papageorge
• Inventors: Papageorge, John
• Application Number:
  US10/447,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140989A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A system and method for providing content subscription and delivery to mobile electronic devices. The user subscribes to a fee-based service that provides live or prerecorded content, such as voice messages from celebrities, to the user'"'"'s mobile electronic device. In the most basic form of the system, the user pays a subscription fee, then selects an entity of interest. Content is then created by the entity of interest and delivered to the user. In a simple embodiment, a communications network is provided with a content subscription system. A data store is coupled to the communications network for storing content, such a voice messages, text messages, gaming applications or any other formatted content. An access component provides controlled access to the content stored in the data store, for example, upon receipt of a proper authorization code by a subscribed user. Once authorized, the user may select content for delivery to his digital device, such as a cellular telephone, computer or PDA.

Claims

1. A method of delivering content comprising:

engaging a user of a content subscription service;

receiving input from the user that identifies an entity from which content is desired;

generating content created by the identified entity, and

delivering the content to a recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is delivered in a format suitable for transmission by a short message service (SMS) system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated content includes data used to derive polyphonic ring tones, which are delivered to the ringer of the recipients phone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input received from the user is transmitted over a computer network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer network is the World Wide Web and the input is entered by the user at a network web site.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting a subscription fee from the user, the subscription fee corresponding to the identified entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the subscription fee is paid by entering the user'"'"'s credit card information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the subscription fee is paid by providing previously arranged account information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the previously arranged account information is payment authorization information associated with an associated internet service provider'"'"'s account.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated internet service provider'"'"'s account is the user'"'"'s account.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated internet service provider'"'"'s account is an account associated with a person responsible for the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the content subscription service is a multimedia messaging service (MMS).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the content is comprised of interactive data exchange, used for purposes of recipient entertainment, that integrates the identified entity or information associated with the identified entity therewith.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is comprised of interactive data exchange, used for purposes of recipient entertainment, that integrates the identified entity or information associated with the identified entity therewith.

15. A method of delivering content comprising:

engaging a user of a content subscription service;

receiving input from the user that identifies an entity from which content is desired;

generating content created by the identified entity; and

delivering the content to the user via MMS protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the content includes a voice message that is delivered to a user'"'"'s phone.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the voice message is composed by the identified entity.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the voice message is related to the identified entity.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the content includes a voice message that is delivered to a user'"'"'s message storage media.

20. A voice subscription service method, comprising:

selecting an entity of interest;

creating a voice message, the voice message created by the entity of interest; and

providing the voice message to a recipient.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

accepting a subscription fee from a user, the subscription fee corresponding to the entity of interest.

22. A communications network having a data store for storing content and a client device coupled to the network, wherein the improvement comprises a subscription access module coupled between the client device and the data store, wherein upon a request by the client device for selected content from the data store, if authorized by the subscription access module, the selected content is designated for transmission to the client device.

23. A communications network as in claim 22, wherein the content is formatted as an audio message.

24. A communications network as in claim 22, wherein the content is formatted as a text message.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the content is a mobile gaming application.

26. A communications network as in claim 24, wherein the content is transmitted via SMS protocol.

27. A communications network as in claim 24, wherein the content is transmitted via MMS protocol.

28. A communications network as in claim 22, wherein the selected content is designated for transmission at a selected time.

29. A content subscription system for a communications network, comprising:

a data store coupled to the network and having content stored therein, wherein access to the content is controlled by an access component; and

a client device coupled to the network;

wherein upon request by the client device for selected content, if the access component authorizes access, then the content is retrieved from the data store and transmitted to the client device.

30. The system of claim 29, further including an interpreter that translates content from one format to another format.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the interpreter translates requests by the client device.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the interpreter translates selected content for transmission.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the client device is granted access to the data store by obtaining a pre-defined subscription.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the content is a mobile gaming application.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the interpreter translates text to speech and speech to text as necessary.