System and method for providing advertising on a mobile device

• US 8,107,940 B1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adim8, LLC
• Original Assignee: Timothy R. Jackson
• Inventors: Jackson, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behrooz, Neda
• Application Number:
  US12/051,388
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.1, 379/114.13
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

An advertisement display system and method of advertising has an initial step of loading a graphic advertisement onto a mobile computer-readable medium of a mobile device. The graphic advertisement has a time passage indicator for indicating the passage of time. An idle-time sensor determines an idle-time period in which updated application information cannot be presented on a display of the mobile device due to data processing activity by the processor, data transfer activity, congestion or latency in the wireless network, or any other activity that occupies resources in the mobile device to prevent the updating of the display. The graphic advertisement is displayed when the mobile device is in the idle-time period, animated to indicate the passage of time, and removed once the idle-time period has ended.

Claims

1. A method of advertising via a mobile device accessing a network, the mobile device having a mobile computer-readable medium, a processor, and a display, the method comprising the steps of:

loading a graphic advertisement onto the mobile computer-readable medium of the mobile device, the graphic advertisement having a time passage indicator for indicating the passage of time;

displaying the graphic advertisement on the mobile device when the mobile device is in an idle-time period, the idle time period in which updated application information cannot be presented on the display of the mobile device due to data processing activity by the processor, data transfer activity, congestion or latency in the network, or any other activity that occupies resources in the mobile device to prevent the updating of the display;

animating the graphic advertisement so that the time passage indicator indicates the passage of time;

removing the graphic advertisement once the idle-time period has ended;

calculating a total number of displays of the graphic advertisement, and/or a total time duration in which the graphic advertisement has been displayed on the mobile device;

reporting the total number of displays and/or the total time duration to a server via the network; and

charging a fee to display the graphic advertisement based upon the total number of displays and/or the total time duration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic advertisement is animated and replaces a standard wait time indicator that is normally displayed by a host application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

associating the graphic advertisement with at least one advertisement parameter;

receiving relevant user data from the mobile device;

comparing the relevant user data with at least one advertisement parameter;

selecting the graphic advertisement for download to the mobile device based upon comparison of the relevant user data and the at least one advertisement parameter; and

downloading the graphic advertisement(s) from a server, via the communication network, into the mobile device according to an ad rotation table.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic advertisements are pre-loaded onto the mobile device each time there is a network access such that display of a selected graphic advertisement requires no interaction with the server at the time in which an idle-time period is detected.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphic advertisement includes a logo which is readily associated with a given entity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device computer receives an ad rotation table into the computer readable medium, the ad rotation table defining an order in which the graphic advertisements will be displayed such that display of a selected graphic advertisement requires no interaction with the server at the time in which an idle-time period is detected.

2. An advertisement display system for use with a mobile device utilizing a network, the mobile device having a mobile computer-readable medium, a processor, and a display, the advertisement display system comprising:

a server having a server computer-readable medium;

an advertisement database on the server computer-readable medium for storing graphic advertisements associated with advertisement parameters;

a system manager on the server computer-readable medium for receiving advertisement parameters and for selecting one or more graphic advertisement(s) based upon the advertisement parameters received, generating an ad rotation table, and transmitting the one or more graphic advertisement(s) and the ad rotation table to the mobile device;

one or more mobile device application(s) adapted to be loaded onto the mobile computer-readable medium, the mobile device application(s) having a waiting indicator that is displayed during any idle-time period in which updated application information cannot be presented on the display of the mobile device due to data processing activity by the processor, data transfer activity, congestion or latency in the network, or any other activity that occupies resources in the mobile device to prevent the complete updating of the display;

the mobile device application further having an advertisement display system for displaying the graphic advertisement received from the server on the display of the mobile device, animating the graphic advertisement to replace the standard waiting indicator in the mobile device, which indicates the passage of time, and for removing the graphic advertisement once the idle-time period has ended;

a user monitor program on the mobile computer-readable medium of the mobile device for monitoring use of the mobile device and transferring user data to a user profile database on the server computer-readable medium, wherein the user profile database associates the user data with at least one advertisement parameter; and

a fee calculation program on the server computer-readable medium for receiving display usage information from the advertisement display system and calculating a fee based on the display usage information.

8. A method of advertising via a mobile device accessing a network, the mobile device having a mobile computer-readable medium, a processor, and a display, the method comprising the steps of:

loading a graphic advertisement onto the mobile computer-readable medium of the mobile device, the graphic advertisement having a time passage indicator for indicating the passage of time;

displaying the graphic advertisement on the mobile device when the mobile device is in an idle-time period, the idle time period in which updated application information cannot be presented on the display of the mobile device due to data processing activity by the processor, data transfer activity, congestion or latency in the network, or any other activity that occupies resources in the mobile device to prevent the updating of the display;

animating the graphic advertisement so that the time passage indicator indicates the passage of time in order to replace and perform the function of a standard waiting indicator; and

removing the graphic advertisement once the idle-time period has ended.