System and method for managing text advertisements to mobile subscribers

• US 7,024,211 B1
• Filed: 12/26/2001
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martin, Dannie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US10/035,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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

Abstract

A device for managing text messages sent by an advertiser to mobile subscribers. According to one embodiment, the device may include an advertiser interface module for receiving from the advertiser content of a text message and at least one criterion. In addition, the device may include a database management module in communication with the advertiser interface module for interrogating a database to determine the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion.

Claims

1. A device for managing text messages sent by an advertiser to mobile subscribers, comprising:

an advertiser interface module for receiving from the advertiser content of a text message and at least one criterion;

a database management module in communication with the advertiser interface module for interrogating a database to determine the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion; and

a cost calculator module in communication with the advertiser module for automatically calculating a cost of transmitting the text message to each of the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion in response to receiving the content and prior to the text message being sent.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a text filter module in communication with the advertiser interface module for filtering the content of the text message for predetermined character strings.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a mobile subscriber interface module in communication with the database management module.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the advertiser interface module is further for receiving from the advertiser a time at which the text message is to be transmitted to the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the text message is short message system message.

6. A method for managing text messages to be sent from an advertiser to mobile subscribers, comprising:

receiving content of a text message from the advertiser;

receiving from the advertiser at least one criterion for the mobile subscribers;

determining the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion;

in response to receiving the content of the text message, automatically calculating a cost of sending the text message to each of the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion;

providing the calculated cost to the advertiser; and

sending the text message to each of the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion upon receiving authorization to send the message from the advertiser where the authorization is based at least on the calculated cost.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving from the advertiser a time at which the text message is to sent, and wherein sending the text message includes sending the text message at the time specified by the advertiser;

filtering the text message for predetermined character strings prior to sending the text message; and

charging the advertiser for sending the text message to each of the mobile subscribers that satisfy the criterion.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising charging the mobile subscribers a reduced wireless service subscription rate for permission to send text messages from the advertiser to the mobile subscribers.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving an input from at least one mobile subscriber relative to the criterion.

10. A computer readable medium containing instructions thereon that, when executed by a computer, implement an advertiser manager platform comprising:

an advertiser interface module that provides an interface for receiving advertisement messages and at least one criterion from an advertiser; and

a database management module that interrogates a database storing subscriber information to compare the subscriber information to the at least one criterion to determine which subscribers should be sent the messages from the advertiser; and

a cost calculation module that automatically determines a cost of sending each message to the number of subscribers determined by the database management module prior to the message being sent.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser manager platform is implemented within an AIN.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser manager platform is implemented within an IP network.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser manager platform is implemented upon a network server.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one criterion is a demographic of subscribers and wherein the database management module interrogates the database storing subscriber demographic information to compare the demographic from the advertiser to the demographic information of the subscribers.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser interface module provides a web based interface for interaction with advertisers to receive the messages and the at least one criterion.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the advertiser is charged a subscription fee for access to the web based interface.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser manager platform further comprises a text filter module that filters the text of the messages.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the advertiser manager platform communicates with a short message service center to provide for delivery of the message to subscribers and to verify that delivery has occurred, and wherein the advertiser manager platform bills the advertiser for delivery of a message to a subscriber upon verification of delivery.