Systems and methods for managing content provided through a mobile carrier

• US 8,718,616 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMS AC Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SMS AC Incorporated
• Inventors: Pousti, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US13/631,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20130023251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/403, 455/403.04, 455/406, 709/225, 709/204, 709/217
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation

Abstract

A wireless network carrier can track and monitor third-party network-enabled applications (pods) that are accessed by, and billed to, users of the wireless network carrier through a mobile content platform, and to control access to such third-party network-enabled applications (pods) based on selectable criteria for the performance and user-based feedback related to each content application (pod). The network-enabled applications can also be registered with the mobile content platform through an intermediary, such as an aggregator. The network-enabled application can then be associated with the intermediary so that the intermediary receives a share of the revenue generated by the network-enabled application.

Claims

1. A method for providing a plurality of network-enabled applications to a plurality of users via a social networking site and billing the plurality of users via a plurality of communication channels managed by a respective plurality of wireless network carriers, the method comprising:

on a social network site, establishing a user area associated with each of a plurality of users and making the plurality of network enabled applications available to the plurality of users through the user area associated with each user;

determining an associated wireless network carrier of a plurality of wireless network carriers for each of the plurality of users and billing each user for access to the plurality of network enabled applications via the associated wireless network carrier;

receiving, at a platform hosting the social network, a request originating from one of the plurality of wireless network carriers for a list of network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier;

providing, by the platform, the list to the requesting wireless network carrier, the list including the name, user information, revenue information, and status of one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier;

receiving, at the platform, complaints associated with one or more of the plurality of network-enabled applications from one or more of the plurality of users; and

updating, at the platform, status information for each of at least a subset of the one or more of the plurality of network-based applications based on the complaints.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, at the platform, the number of complaints received for each of the one or more of the plurality of network-enabled applications with a pre-determined complaint threshold, and wherein the status is updated based on the comparison.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, at the platform, complaint threshold information from at least one of the plurality of wireless network carriers.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising disabling, by the platform, a network-enabled application for one of the plurality of wireless network carriers when the complaint threshold for the wireless network carrier is exceeded for the network-enabled application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes the total number of users for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes the number of activations in the current month for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes the number of de-activations for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information includes user ratings for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the revenue information includes the total revenue generated for the requesting wireless network carrier by each of the one or more network-enabled applications associated with the network managed by the requesting wireless network carrier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the revenue information includes the revenue generated in the current month for the requesting wireless network carrier by each of the one or more network-enabled applications associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the revenue information includes the total revenue generated in the previous month for the requesting wireless network carrier by each of the one or more network-enabled applications associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising for at least a subset of the plurality of network-enabled applications:

receiving, at the platform, a set of registration data corresponding to the network-enabled application from a third party provider, the set of registration data including a link to an application location for accessing the network-enabled application;

receiving, at the platform, a set of pricing structure data corresponding to the network-enabled application from the third-party provider;

updating a system database in the platform to include the set of registration data corresponding to the network-enabled application and to include the pricing structure data corresponding to the network enabled application; and

enabling the network-enabled application to be accessible to the plurality of users via a networked interface operated by the platform.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless network carriers includes a plurality of wireless network carriers and a plurality of intermediaries.

14. A method for providing a plurality of network-enabled applications to a plurality of users via a social networking site and billing the plurality of users via a plurality of communication channels managed by a respective plurality of wireless network carriers, the method comprising:

on a social network site, establishing a user area associated with each of a plurality of users and making the plurality of network enabled applications available to the plurality of users through the user area associated with each user;

determining an associated wireless network carrier of a plurality of wireless network carriers for each of the plurality of users and billing each user for access to the plurality of network enabled applications via the associated wireless network carrier;

receiving, at a platform hosting the social network, a request originating from one of the plurality of wireless network carriers for a list of network-enabled applications associated with the requesting wireless network carrier;

providing, by the platform, the list to the requesting wireless network carrier, the list including the name, user information, revenue information, and status of one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier;

receiving, at the platform, one or more requests to de-activate at least one of the plurality of network-enabled applications from one or more of the plurality of users; and

updating, at the platform, status information for the at least one network-based application based on the de-activation requests.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising comparing, at the platform, the number of de-activation requests received for the at least one network-enabled application with a pre-determined de-activation request threshold, and wherein the status information is updated based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, at the platform, de-activation request threshold information from at least one of the plurality of wireless network carriers.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising disabling, by the platform, the at least one network-enabled application for one of the plurality of wireless network carriers when the de-activation request threshold for the wireless network carrier is exceeded for the network-enabled application.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the user information includes the total number of users for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user information includes the number of activations in the current month for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the user information includes a number of complaints received for each of the one or more listed network-enabled applications being provided to users associated with the requesting wireless network carrier.