Systems and method for recommending an application from a mobile station

• US 8,812,033 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cazanas, Carlos A., Tims, Brian, Sadana, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US12/769,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20110269484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Systems and methods for recommending an application from a mobile station are shown and described. Components of the network and components in communication with the network cooperate to confirm whether a mobile station recommended to receive the application is capable of executing the application and provisioning the application for transmission to the recommended mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of recommending and downloading a mobile station application to an end-user of a mobile station, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application, through a mobile communication network from a recommending mobile station, the received recommending message comprising an application identifier associated with the recommended mobile station application and one or more mobile station identifiers of mobile stations to which to recommend the application;

responsive to receiving the mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application and for each of the one or more mobile station identifiers received in the mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application, determining whether a corresponding mobile station is capable of executing the recommended mobile station application, to identify only those mobile stations capable of executing the recommended mobile station application;

storing provisioning information with respect to the recommended mobile station application to prepare the recommended mobile station application for transmission to each of those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application;

upon completion of storing the provisioning information, transmitting a mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application through the mobile communication network to only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application;

receiving a response to the transmitted message through the mobile communication network from a responding mobile station among those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application; and

downloading the recommended mobile station application through the mobile communication network to the responding mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the recommending mobile station an indication of those mobile stations not identified as able to execute the recommended mobile station application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommended mobile station application is a Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received recommendation messaging service message is addressed to a short code that indicates that the messaging service message contains an application recommendation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the recommendation messaging service message occurs during the purchase of the mobile station application by the recommending mobile station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the recommendation messaging service message occurs after the purchase of the mobile station application by the recommending mobile station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application identifier associated with the recommended application comprises an alphanumeric string.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the alphanumeric string of the application identifier comprises a keyword.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a price for the recommended mobile station application and storing the determined price as part of the stored provisioning information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining a price for the recommended mobile station application comprises:

for each of only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application, determining at least one of a mobile station make, model, and operating system; and

determining a price for the recommended application for each mobile station identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application based on the determined one of the mobile station make, model, and operating system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more mobile station identifiers of mobile stations comprises a mobile directory number (MDN).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application and transmitted to only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application includes an identifier for a user of the recommending mobile station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein an end-user of one of only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application is notified of receipt on the one of only those mobile stations of the mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application in response to the end-user launching an application on the one of only those mobile stations.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application, determining at least one of a mobile station make, model, and operating system;

determining a price for the recommended mobile station application for each of only those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommended mobile station application based on the determined one of the mobile station make, model, and operating system; and

storing the determined price as part of the stored provisioning information.

15. A mobile communication network, comprising:

a service creation manager device that stores information related to whether a mobile station can execute a mobile station application;

a zone provisioning network device that communicates with an application server to prepare a mobile station application for transmission to a mobile station; and

a group provisioning manager network device in communication with the service creation manager and the zone provisioning network device, the group provisioning manager network device configured to perform functions comprising;

receiving a mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application, the received recommending message comprising an application identifier associated with the recommended mobile station application and one or more mobile station identifiers of mobile stations to which to recommend the mobile station application;

receiving an indication from the service creation manager device whether each of the those mobile stations identified in the recommendation messaging service message is capable of executing the recommended mobile station application;

transmitting provisioning information to the zone provisioning network device, the provisioning information used to prepare the recommended mobile station application for transmission to only those mobile stations capable of executing the recommended application;

receiving a response from the zone provisioning network device, the response indicating that the recommended mobile station application is prepared for transmission to only those mobile stations capable of executing the recommended application; and

transmitting, responsive to receiving the response, a messaging service message to only those mobile stations identified as capable of executing the recommended mobile station application, the message indicating that the mobile station application has been recommended.

16. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein:

the group provisioning manager network device is further configured to perform functions comprising receiving a response to the transmitted messaging service message from at least one of those mobile stations identified as being capable of executing the recommend application; and

the mobile communication network further comprises an application server device configured to perform functions comprising transmitting the recommended mobile station application to each mobile station that responded with a message indicating to download the recommended application.

17. The mobile communication network of claim 16, wherein the download messaging service message comprises a simple messaging service (SMS) message.

18. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the application is a BREW application.

19. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the service creation manager device, zone provisioning network device, and the group provisioning manager network device are the same device.

20. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the service creation manager device, zone provisioning network device, and the group provisioning manager network device are different devices.

21. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the application identifier associated with the recommended mobile station application comprises an alphanumeric string.

22. The mobile communication network of claim 21, wherein the alphanumeric string associated with the recommended mobile station application comprises a keyword.

23. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the group provisioning manager network device is further configured to perform functions comprising receiving pricing information for the recommended application.

24. The mobile communication network of claim 15, wherein the received mobile messaging service message recommending the mobile station application is addressed to a short code.