DELIVERING SPECIALIZED SERVICES TO USERS OF PHONES

• US 20130003955A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZipDial Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ZipDial Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd (X Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Swamy, Sanjay, WAGONER, Valerie Rozycki, PATHAK, Amiya
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1008 Calls without connection establishment for implicit information transfer or as a service trigger
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention enables users to avail specialized services using missed calls. In one embodiment, a missed call server on receiving an indication that a missed call has been placed by a user to a phone number, determines the specialized service corresponding to the phone number, and then sends a data to the service provider offering the determined service. The service provider then delivers the specialized service (sought to be availed) to the user. One of the specialized services is the delivery of content to the user. Thus, a user is enabled to access different contents by placing missed calls to the appropriate phone numbers.

Claims

1. A method of delivering specialized services to users of phones, said method comprising:

maintaining a setup data associating each of a plurality of options of a first specialized service to a corresponding one of a plurality of phone numbers;

receiving an indication that a user placed a missed call to a first phone number of said plurality of phone numbers;

determining, based on said setup data, a first option of said plurality of options corresponding to said first phone number; and

sending data specifying said first option to a first service provider offering said first specialized service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises voting for contestants, wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a plurality of contestants, said first option corresponding to a first contestant of said plurality of contestants,

wherein said first service provider identifies that said user has voted for said first contestant in response to receiving said data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said data is to be sent according to a plurality of formats corresponding to said plurality of contestants, wherein said data is to be sent according to a first format corresponding to said first contestant, said first format being contained in said plurality of formats,

wherein said sending sends said data according to said first format to said first service provider, in response to said determining that said user has placed a missed call to said first phone number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises conducting a survey, wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a first set of answers for a first question in said survey, said first option corresponding to a first answer in said first set of answers,

wherein said first service provider identifies that said user has selected said first answer for said first question in response to receiving said data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said survey includes a second question, wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a second set of answers for said second question, said first option corresponding to a second answer in said second set of answers, said method further comprising:

receiving a second indication that said user placed a second missed call to said first phone number; and

determining, by said first service provider, that said user has selected said second answer for said second question in response to the data sent after receiving said second indication,

whereby said first phone number is used to indicate both of the selection of said first answer in said first set of answers and the selection of said second answer in said second set of answers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises activation and deactivation of a payment instrument owned by said user, said method further comprising:

determining, by said first service provider in response to receiving said data, whether said payment instrument is already activated;

if said determining determines that said payment instrument is not already activated, performing, by said first service provider, activation of said payment instrument, thereby enabling said user to perform a monetary transaction with said payment instrument; and

if said determining determines that said payment instrument is already activated, performing, by said first service provider, deactivation of said payment instrument in response to said determining that said payment instrument is already activated,

whereby said user is enabled to activate and deactivate said payment instrument by placing missed calls to said first phone number.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises redemption of coupons, wherein said plurality of options corresponding to a set of coupons redeemable by said user,

wherein said determining further identifies that a first coupon corresponding to said first option is to be redeemed in response to said indication,

wherein said sending sends said first coupon as part of said data to said first service provider in response to said identifying,

wherein first service provider performs redemption of said first coupon in response to receiving said data.

2-6. -6. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13-14. -14. (canceled)

16-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A system comprising:

a first phone to enable a first user to send a first business card;

a first phone to enable a second user to send a second business card;

a missed call server operable to;

allocate a first phone number to said first business card in response to receiving said first business card from said first phone, and also a second phone number to said second business card in response to receiving said second business card from said second phone;

receive an indication that said first user has placed a missed call to said second phone number; and

send said second business card to said first phone and said first business card to said second phone in response to said indication.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said first user further sends a set of personal information to said missed call server, wherein said missed call server, in response, allocates a first set of phone numbers corresponding to said set of personal information,

said missed call server further operable to:

receive an indication that said second user has placed a missed call to a third phone number contained in said set of phone numbers;

determine that said third phone number corresponds to a third personal information contained in said set of personal information; and

send said third personal information to said second phone.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said first user further sends a set of personal information and a white list to said missed call server, wherein said white list indicates which of the users can access each of said set of personal information, wherein said missed call server, in response allocates a single phone number to said user,

said missed call server further operable to:

receive an indication that said second user has placed a missed call to said single phone number;

determine, based on said white list, whether said second user is allowed to access a fourth personal information contained in said set of personal information; and

send said fourth personal information to said second phone only if said second user is determined to have been allowed to access said fourth personal information.

22-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing an missed call server to deliver specialized services to users of phones, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said missed call server causes said missed call server to perform the actions of:

maintaining a setup data associating each of a plurality of specialized services to a corresponding one of a plurality of phone numbers, wherein said setup data further indicates a corresponding one of a plurality of service providers offering each of said plurality of specialized services;

receiving an indication that a user placed a missed call to a first phone number contained in said plurality of phone numbers;

determining, based on said setup data, a first specialized service corresponding to said first phone number and a first service provider offering said first specialized service, said first specialized service being contained in said plurality of specialized services and said first service provider being contained in said plurality of service providers;

sending a request for said first specialized service to said first service provider;

receiving, from said first service provider, a corresponding response containing a content corresponding to said first specialized service;

adding additional information to said corresponding response; and

delivering said first specialized service to said user as a response to said indication.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein said additional information is an advertisement targeted to said user.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 26, further comprising:

storing a first content corresponding to said first specialized service;

receiving a request to update said first content with a second content; and

replacing said first content with said second content in response to receiving said request,

wherein said delivering comprises sending said first content and said additional information to said user if said indication is received before said request, and sending said second content to said user otherwise.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein said request is received in response to users placing missed calls to a second phone number, wherein said first content and said second content are the number of users who placed missed calls to said second phone number respectively at a first time instance and a second time instance.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein said additional information is a first question to said user, wherein said first question has a first set of answers, each answer associated with a corresponding one of a first set of phone numbers contained in said plurality of phone numbers, further comprising:

receiving a second indication that a second missed call has been placed by said user on one of said first set of phone numbers;

determining the answer selected by said user for said first question based on said one of set of phone numbers to which said missed call was placed; and

delivering a second content and a second question to said user, as a second response to said second indication, wherein said second content is received from said first service provider and said second question is added as said additional information to said second response.

30. The machine readable medium of claim 29, wherein said first content and second content corresponds to scores of a sports match at different time instances provided by said first service provider, wherein said first question and said second questions are marketing questions in a market survey added as additional information,

whereby said user is enabled to take part in said market survey while accessing the scores of said sports match.

25. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

32. A method of validating users of a website, said method comprising:

displaying a phone number on said website;

receiving an indication that said user has placed a missed call to said phone number; and

determining that said user is a valid user if said missed call was placed from a phone number previously provided by said user to said website.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said phone number is a randomly generated phone number.