Methods for address book synchronization and subscription status notification

• US 8,150,867 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sivalingham, Sanjeevan, Patel, Biren
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US12/946,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20110060632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 707/762, 707/770, 707/781, 707/795, 707/807
• US Class Current: 707/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems

Abstract

The various disclosed techniques and equipment relate to synchronizing a subscriber'"'"'s address books located in a portal and in the subscriber'"'"'s mobile station, determining the subscription status of a directory number of another party with whom the subscriber intends to communicate, and/or for enabling the subscriber to make a referral to another party who might not be a qualified subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for using an entity to send a referral offer to a target directory number, comprising steps:

a) receiving a referral request for the target directory number from a sender mobile station with a sender directory number having a sender subscription status, the sender directory number being different from the target directory number;

b) determining a target subscription status based on the target directory number;

c) determining whether the target directory number is eligible for a referral offer, based at least in part upon the sender subscription status and the target subscription status;

d) upon the target directory number being eligible, generating some or all of the referral offer message content related to a carrier or offer details if not performed by the sender mobile station; and

e) sending a message with the referral offer content to a station identified by the target directory number, the identified station being different from the sender mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is in the carrier'"'"'s network and is a centralized address book database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is in the carrier'"'"'s network and is a subscription status database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is hosted by a third party on behalf of the carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the referral offer is transmitted using short message service or multimedia message service protocols.

2. A method comprising steps of:

(a) responsive to a request to send a referral offer, from a sender mobile station, to a directory number for a target station different from the sender mobile station, obtaining carrier related information to be included in the referral offer;

b) receiving a subscription status of the target directory number;

c) determining whether the target directory number is eligible for a referral offer, based at least in part upon a subscription status of the sender mobile station and the subscription status of the target directory number;

d) upon the target directory number being eligible, generating a referral offer message including the received carrier related information; and

e) sending the referral offer message to the target station using the directory number.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the target directory number is eligible for a referral offer is further based at least in part upon whether another referral offer has recently been sent to the target directory number within a predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the referral offer includes a personal message from a user of the sender mobile station.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

f) sending notification to the sender mobile station that a referral offer has been sent to the target directory number.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein:

at least the generating and sending steps are performed in the sender mobile station; and

the target station is another mobile station.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the referral offer is transmitted using short message service or multimedia message service protocols.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

g) awarding benefits to an account associated with the sender mobile station conditionally upon the target directory number accepting the referral offer.

3. A system for communicating a referral offer, comprising:

a messaging service center coupled for message communication through a mobile network; and

a subscriber status database,

wherein the system is configured to perform functions, comprising functions to;

a) receive a referral request message, identifying a target directory number, from a sender mobile station with a sender directory number having a sender subscription status, the sender directory number being different from the target directory number;

b) responsive to the referral request message, determine a target subscription status based on the target directory number and determine whether the target directory number is eligible for a referral offer, based at least in part upon the sender subscription status and the target subscription status;

c) upon the target directory number being eligible, generating a referral offer message, including carrier related information; and

d) sending the referral offer message to a target station using the directory number, the target station being different from the sender mobile station.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the function of sending sends the referral offer message from the messaging service center through the mobile network to a mobile station which is the target station.