Display based marketing message control system and method

• US 5,873,068 A
• Filed: 12/13/1995
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Innovatia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New North Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Thorburn, Mark L., Bouchard, J. Marc, Drummond, Douglas B., Pond, Gerald L., Keevill, Christopher G., Beaumont, Robert M., Pomeroy, Trenton A., Doiron, Danny J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/556,981
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 340/825.3, 340/825.35, 379/90.01, 379/93.12, 705/1, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 707/104
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A marketing system for use in a public switched telephone system having stored program controlled switches connected to customer premise equipment having an Analog Display Service Interface, comprises a storage device for storing predetermined information respecting each of customer premise equipment, a device for assembling and managing messages including creating a message to be delivered to one or more of the customer premise equipment, linking each message with one or more of the customer premise equipment, scheduling the delivery of the messages at a predetermined time, and measuring the response of each customer premise equipment to messages delivered thereto.

Claims

1. A marketing system for use in a public switched telephone system having stored program control switches connected to screen based devices in customer premises, each said screen based device having means for visually displaying messages and means for sending at the option of a customer a response to a displayed message over the public switched telephone system, the marketing system comprising:

means for storing predetermined information respecting each customer;

means for assembling and managing messages including;

means for creating and storing messages to be delivered to at least some of said screen based devices; and

means for delivering the messages through the public switched telephone system to said at least some of said screen based devices;

means for identifying the at least some of said screen based devices to which messages are delivered and storing this message delivery information;

means for initiating the display of said messages on said means for visually displaying messages;

means for identifying any responses from the screen based devices to the message delivered thereto and storing this message response information; and

means for generating response measurement statistics based upon the message delivery information and the message response information.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 in which the messages are delivered to the screen based devices while they are on-hook without ringing the screen based devices.

3. A system as defined in claim 1 in which screen based devices which are unable to receive messages while on-hook are provided with a default script which initiates a request, transmission and reception of messages.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, in which said messages are delivered automatically or upon customer request.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, in which the means for delivering the messages operates at predetermined times.

6. A system as defined in claim 1, in which the screen based devices store and display the delivered messages until overwritten by new messages.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, in which said means for initiating the display of the stored messages is automatic.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, in which said means for initiating the display of the stored messages is in response to customer request.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, in which the means for identifying any responses from the screen based devices comprises means for identifying a calling telephone number associated with a particular one of the screen based devices and a called number.

10. A system as defined in claim 9, in which the means for identifying any responses from the screen based devices further comprises means for identifying an identification number associated with a respective one of the screen based devices, which in combination with the identified calling telephone number and called number identifies the message to which the customer responded.

11. A system as defined in claim 1 in which the screen based devices are compliant with an ADSI standard.

12. A system as defined in claim 11 in which the screen based devices are analog telephones with display screens.

13. A system as defined in claim 1, in which the means for sending a response to a displayed message comprises means for selecting between at least two different possible responses, one of which establishes a call from the screen based device through the public switched telephone system to a source of further information regarding the message, the other of which communicates a request for a longer message to be delivered to the screen based device for display thereon providing further information regarding the initial message.

14. A system as defined in claim 13 in which the source of further information is a sponsor of the message.

15. A system as defined in claim 13 in which the source of further information is an interactive voice system and/or an interactive screen based text system and/or an interactive video system.

16. A system according to claim 1 further comprising means for the customer to initialize said predetermined customer information, said predetermined information comprising language choice, areas of interest, shipping address, and demographics.

17. A system according to claim 16 in which all of said predetermined customer information is maintainable by said customer.

18. A system according to claim 16 in which said means for identifying the at least some of said screen based devices to which messages are delivered selects only messages relating to retailers located within the free calling area of each customer and with subject matter falling within each customer'"'"'s areas of interest information, and screens out all other messages.

19. A system according to claim 18 in which means are provided to deliver messages which were screened out by said areas of interest but still relate to retailers or service providers within the free calling area of the customer, upon customer request.

20. A system as defined in claim 1, in which the means for assembling and managing messages includes means for selecting from the total number of screen based devices a set of specific screen based devices to which a particular message is to be delivered.

21. A system as defined in claim 20 in which the set of screen based devices to which a particular message is to be delivered is based upon said predetermined information respecting each customer.

22. A system as defined in claim 20 in which the set of screen based devices to which a particular message is to be delivered is based upon a previously stored list.

23. A system as defined in claim 20 in which screen based devices which are unable to receive messages while on-hook are provided with a default script which prompts the customer to initiate a request, transmission and reception of the messages.

24. A system as defined in claim 20 in which the set of screen based devices to which a particular message is to be delivered are all located in a toll-free calling area in relation to a retailer referred to in the message.

25. A marketing system for use in a public switched telephone system having stored program controlled switches connected to screen based devices in customer premises, each said screen based device having means for storing and displaying delivered messages until overwritten with new messages and means for sending a response at the option of a customer to a delivered message;

said system comprising;

means for storing predetermined information respecting each customer;

means for assembling and managing messages including, means for creating and storing messages to be delivered to one or more of said screen based devices;

means for selecting one or more of said screen based devices to which each said message is to be delivered based on said predetermined information;

means for delivering the messages in a non-obtrusive manner to the selected screen based devices at a predetermined time;

means for identifying the screen based devices that each message is delivered to and storing this information; and

means for identifying responses to each message from the screen based devices and storing this information; and

means for accessing the stored information, and generating response statistics based thereupon.

26. A marketing system in which messages are created and stored on a backend server comprising:

means for periodically transmitting said messages to a set of remote frontend servers;

means for generating and periodically transmitting a target list of customer screen based devices from the backend server to each frontend server for each message such that each customer screen based device on a target list for a given frontend server is within the local calling area of that server;

means for each frontend server to send out each message to its associated target list of customer screen based devices over the public switched telephone network.

27. The system of claim 26 in which said means for periodically transmitting said messages to a set of remote frontend servers only sends messages relating to stores or service providers located within the free calling area of each frontend server.

28. An interactive home shopping system for use in a public switched telephone system having stored program controlled switches connected to screen based devices in customer premises, each screen based device having a screen for displaying information and means for transmitting instructions from said screen based device through the public switched telephone system, said system comprising:

means for storing predetermined information respecting each customer, the predetermined information including shipping information;

means at each said screen based device for a customer to select connection of said screen based device to the shopping system;

means for the shopping system, in response to the customer selecting a connection, to present a set of stores or service providers to the customer upon said screen;

means for the customer via said screen based device to select and interactively browse through the stores or service providers presented;

means for the customer to order via said screen based device a product or service;

means for identifying a calling telephone number of the screen based device; and

means for retrieving on the basis of the calling telephone number the shipping information of the customer associated with the screen based device to complete the order.

29. A system as defined in claim 28 further comprising:

means for a customer via said screen based device to select or update from a list of stores or service providers a personal mall consisting of stores and service providers chosen by said customer; and

means for storing the personal mall as one of a set of service options presented to said customer.

30. A system as defined in claim 28 further comprising:

means for a customer to enter or update via the screen based device the predetermined customer information which is stored.

31. A system according to claim 28 in which only stores or service providers located within the free calling area of a customer are made available to that customer.

32. A system as defined in claim 28 further comprising means for identifying an identification number of each screen based device and wherein the means for retrieving the shipping information uses the identification number as well as the calling telephone number to retrieve the shipping information.

33. A system as defined in claim 32 wherein the system has a computer and at least one of the stores or service providers has a computer and further comprising means for transferring from the system computer to the computer of the at least one of the stores or service providers when said at least one of the stores or service providers has been selected by a customer.

34. The system according to claim 33 further comprising means for faxing completed orders from said system to said stores or service providers.

35. A system as defined in claim 28 wherein an option is presented to a customer using a store or service provider on said system to request connection to a remote help agent.

36. A system as defined in claim 35 further comprising means for identifying the customers obtaining information on a particular store or service provider, and the customers who request connection to a remote help agent.

37. A system as defined in claim 36 in which the means for identifying comprises means for identifying calling and called telephone numbers.