System of providing information to a telephony subscriber

• US 8,041,341 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Single Touch Interactive Incorporated (SITO Mobile, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Single Touch Interactive Incorporated (SITO Mobile, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stathis, Kristi L., Malackowski, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Justin
• Application Number:
  US12/871,154
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/411, 455/414.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/412.1, 455/415
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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

An information fulfillment system provides information to a caller having a wireless communication device. Upon manual or automatic input of access codes to the wireless communication device, the caller'"'"'s identity and the input access code are verified. Thereafter, the call is connected through the wireless network to the system messaging or fulfillment center for automatic or live-operator delivery of the requested information. Automatic verification, connection, and billing modification processes are provided for implementation of the system and method.

Claims

1. A system for providing information to a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the system comprising:

a wireless switch to;

receive a communication from the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the communication comprising a specialized access code, wherein the specialized access code has fewer characters than an ordinary telephone number and comprises a non-alphabetic/non-numeric character as a first character, and wherein the communication further includes information regarding a customer including both customer identification and information beyond customer identification; and

determine a route for directing the communication based upon the specialized access code; and

a fulfillment center to;

receive the communication via the route;

identify relevant information as a function, at least in part, of the customer identification and information beyond customer identification and further as designated by the specialized access code; and

deliver the relevant information to the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information regarding the customer comprises a customer geographic location.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication comprises speech from the customer, and wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to:

automatically recognize the speech; and

automatically take a customer information-providing action as a function, at least in part, of the recognized speech.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the relevant information comprises downloadable information.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the downloadable information comprises data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the data comprises audio information.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the fulfillment center generates the data for display on the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

8. A system for providing information to a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the system comprising:

a wireless switch to;

receive a communication from the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the communication comprising an access code, wherein the access code has a fewer number of characters than an ordinary telephone number and wherein the communication comprises, at least in part, information regarding a customer, the information regarding the customer including customer identification and information beyond customer identification; and

determine a route for directing the communication based upon the access code; and

a fulfillment center to;

receive the communication via the route;

identify targeted information for the communication based at least in part upon the customer identification, the information beyond customer identification, and the access code; and

transmit the targeted information to the customer through the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the information regarding the customer comprises a customer geographic location.

10. A system for providing information through a wireless telecommunication network to a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the system comprising:

a wireless switch to;

receive a communication from the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the communication comprising a specialized access code, wherein the specialized access code has a fewer number of characters than an ordinary telephone number and comprising a non-alphabetic/non-numeric character as a first character, and wherein the communication comprises, at least in part, information regarding a customer, including both customer identification and information other than customer identification; and

determine a route for directing the communication based upon the specialized access code; and

a fulfillment center to;

receive the communication via the route;

identify relevant information, the relevant information being determined as a function, at least in part, of the customer identification, information other than customer identification, and the specialized access code; and

deliver the relevant information to the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the route routes the communication to the fulfillment center only through the wireless telecommunication network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the wireless telecommunication network operates on a platform compatible with at least one member of a group of technologies consisting of:

GSM;

DMA;

CDMA; and

PCS.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information by accessing stored information and providing at least a portion of the stored information to the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the specialized access code comprises indicia of at least one of the fulfillment center having the route and the relevant information.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless switch is further configured to verify a right to access the fulfillment center.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the wireless switch verifies the right to access the fulfillment center by verifying the customer.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the wireless switch verifies the customer using an identification that corresponds to the customer.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the wireless switch verifies the right to access the fulfillment center by requesting a required code after determining the route for directing the communication.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the wireless switch further determines billing procedures for the communication when the access is verified.

20. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information to automatically prompt the customer to select other information via the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to receive at least one customer entered information source code in response to the prompting.

22. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information to establish communication between the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device and a live system operator.

23. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information by transmitting voice and data.

24. The system of claim 10 wherein the relevant information delivered by the fulfillment center comprises a video message.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the video message is delivered for display at the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

26. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information by transmitting data to the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

27. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information by downloading information that corresponds to the specialized access code to the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein downloading information comprises downloading data.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein downloading information further comprises downloading audio information.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the data downloaded is displayable on the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

31. The system of claim 10 wherein the relevant information delivered by the fulfillment center comprises financial data.

32. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information to, at least in part, facilitate at least one of:

a consumer transaction;

a financial transaction; and

a promotional exchange.

33. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to deliver the relevant information in visual form through the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information in visual form to be viewed by the customer at a subsequent time.

35. The system of claim 10 wherein the relevant information delivered by the fulfillment center comprises coupon information.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the coupon information enables the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device to print a coupon when the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device is operatively connected to a printing device.

37. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information to enable generating printed matter via the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.

38. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless switch is further configured to modify billing procedures in response to the specialized access code.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device is roaming.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information free of charge to the customer when the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device is roaming.

41. The system of claim 10 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the relevant information free of charge to the customer.

42. The system of claim 10 wherein the wireless switch is further configured to determine based on the specialized access code that the customer is not to be charged for air time for the communication.

43. The system of claim 10 wherein the delivered relevant information relates to a provider of products or services and wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to generate a record of airtime or other charges associated with delivering the relevant information to the customer.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein:

the provider is a third party provider; and

the record comprises a billing record generated by the fulfillment center according to an established billing arrangement with the third party provider.

45. A system for providing service to a customer comprising:

a fulfillment center comprising a computer to;

receive a communication from a telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, the communication comprising a specialized access code and information regarding the customer, the specialized access code having a fewer number of characters than an ordinary telephone number and comprising at least one non-alphabetic/non-numeric character, and the information regarding the customer including a customer identifier and at least one of an advertiser identifier or a product identifier; and

deliver at least one service to the customer based at least in part on the specialized access code and the information regarding the customer including the customer identifier and the at least one of the advertiser identifier or the product identifier.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the fulfillment center delivers the at least one service to facilitate at least one of:

a consumer transaction;

a financial transaction; and

a promotional exchange.

47. The system of claim 45 wherein delivering the at least one service comprises at least one of:

connecting the customer to a live system operator;

transmitting voice and data;

transmitting a video message;

automatic downloading of data to the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device;

transmitting information as corresponds to the specialized access code to the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device;

transmitting data;

transmitting audio information;

transmitting financial data;

providing coupon information;

generating printed matter via the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device; and

providing information in visual form to be viewed by the customer at a subsequent time.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein at least a portion of the video message is delivered for display.

49. The system of claim 47 wherein the coupon information is provided to enable the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device to print a coupon.

50. The system of claim 45 wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to modify billing procedures when the specialized access code is used.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device is a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device, and the fulfillment center delivers the at least one service free of charge to the customer when the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device is roaming.

52. The system of claim 50 wherein the fulfillment center is configured to deliver the at least one service free of charge to the customer.

53. The system of claim 45 wherein the fulfillment center is configured to deliver the at least one service free of charge to the customer.

54. The system of claim 45 wherein the fulfillment center is further configured to determine based on the specialized access code that the customer is not to be charged for air time for delivery of the at least one service.

55. The system of claim 45 wherein the specialized access code comprises indicia of at least one of the fulfillment center and the at least one service to be delivered from the at least one fulfillment center.

56. The system of claim 45 wherein delivering the at least one service to the customer comprises transmitting data to the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.