Delivering specialized services to users of phones

• US 9,025,748 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZipDial Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ZipDial Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd (X Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Swamy, Sanjay, Pathak, Amiya, Wagoner, Valerie Rozycki
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US13/615,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20130003955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/142.01, 379/142.03, 379/142.09, 379/142.1, 379/142.14, 37914216-14218
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1008 Calls without connection establishment for implicit information transfer or as a service trigger
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention enables users to avail specialized services using missed calls. In one embodiment, a missed call server on receiving an indication that a missed call has been placed by a user to a phone number, determines the specialized service corresponding to the phone number, and then sends a data to the service provider offering the determined service. The service provider then delivers the specialized service (sought to be availed) to the user. One of the specialized services is the delivery of content to the user. Thus, a user is enabled to access different contents by placing missed calls to the appropriate phone numbers.

Claims

1. A method of delivering specialized services to users of phones by a missed call server, said method comprising:

maintaining a setup data related to a plurality of specialized services, each specialized service of said plurality of specialized services having a corresponding plurality of options, said setup data associating each of said corresponding plurality of options to a corresponding phone number,

wherein a first specialized service of said plurality of specialized services having a first plurality of options, wherein said setup data associates each of said first plurality of options to a corresponding one of a first plurality of phone numbers, said setup data also indicating that said first specialized service is offered by a first service provider;

receiving a first missed call and a second missed call, wherein said first missed call is from a first user to a first phone number of said first plurality of phone numbers, and said second missed call is from a second user to a second phone number of said first plurality of phone numbers;

determining, based on said setup data, a first option of said first plurality of options corresponds to said first phone number, and that a second option of said first plurality of options corresponds to said second phone number; and

sending data specifying said first option and said second option to said first service provider in view of said setup data indicating that said first service provider is offering said first specialized service with said first option and said second option,

said missed call server containing a processor and a memory, said processor executing instructions stored in said memory to perform at least one of said maintaining, said receiving, said determining and said sending.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said service provider requires receipt of data as a short message service (SMS), wherein said missed call server sends said data indicating that said first user selected said first option in the form of said SMS to said first service provider, in response to receipt of said first missed call.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first specialized service comprises voting for contestants, wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a plurality of contestants, said first option corresponding to a first contestant of said plurality of contestants,

wherein said first service provider identifies that said first user has voted for said first contestant in response to receiving said data in the form of said SMS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises conducting a survey, wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a first set of answers for a first question in said survey, said first option corresponding to a first answer in said first set of answers,

wherein said first service provider identifies that said first user has selected said first answer for said first question in response to receiving said data indicating that said first missed call to said first phone number has been received from said first user by said missed call server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said survey includes a second question following said first question, said first service provider sending said second question to said user after receiving said data indicating that said first missed call is received from said user,

wherein said plurality of options corresponds to a second set of answers for said second question, said first option corresponding to a second answer in said second set of answers, said method further comprising:

receiving a third missed call to said first phone number; and

determining, by said first service provider, that said user has selected said second answer for said second question in response to receiving of said third missed call following said first missed call,

whereby said first phone number is used to indicate both of the selection of said first answer in said first set of answers and the selection of said second answer in said second set of answers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises activation and deactivation of a payment instrument owned by said user, said method further comprising:

determining, by said first service provider in response to receiving said data, whether said payment instrument is already activated;

if said determining determines that said payment instrument is not already activated, performing, by said first service provider, activation of said payment instrument, thereby enabling said user to perform a monetary transaction with said payment instrument; and

if said determining determines that said payment instrument is already activated, performing, by said first service provider, deactivation of said payment instrument in response to said determining that said payment instrument is already activated,

whereby said user is enabled to activate and deactivate said payment instrument by placing missed calls to said first phone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first specialized service comprises redemption of coupons, wherein said plurality of options corresponding to a set of coupons redeemable by said user,

wherein said determining further identifies that a first coupon corresponding to said first option is to be redeemed in response to said indication,

wherein said sending sends said first coupon as part of said data to said first service provider in response to said identifying,

wherein first service provider performs redemption of said first coupon in response to receiving said data.

8. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing a missed call server to deliver specialized services to users of phones, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said missed call server causes said missed call server to perform the actions of:

maintaining a setup data associating each of a plurality of specialized services to a corresponding one of a plurality of phone numbers in a data store, wherein said setup data further indicates a corresponding one of a plurality of service providers offering each of said plurality of specialized services;

receiving an indication that a user placed a missed call to a first phone number contained in said plurality of phone numbers;

determining, based on said setup data, a first specialized service corresponding to said first phone number and a first service provider offering said first specialized service, said first specialized service being contained in said plurality of specialized services and said first service provider being contained in said plurality of service providers;

sending a request for said first specialized service to said first service provider;

receiving, from said first service provider, a corresponding response containing a content corresponding to said first specialized service;

adding additional information to said corresponding response; and

delivering said content with said additional information to said user as a response to said indication.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein said additional information is an advertisement targeted to said user.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

storing a first content corresponding to said first specialized service;

receiving a request to update said first content with a second content; and

replacing said first content with said second content in response to receiving said request,

wherein said delivering comprises sending said first content and said additional information to said user if said indication is received before said request, and sending said second content to said user otherwise.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein said request is received in response to users placing missed calls to a second phone number, wherein said first content and said second content are the number of users who placed missed calls to said second phone number respectively at a first time instance and a second time instance.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein said additional information is a first question to said user, wherein said first question has a first set of answers, each answer associated with a corresponding one of a first set of phone numbers contained in said plurality of phone numbers, further comprising:

receiving a second indication that a second missed call has been placed by said user on one of said first set of phone numbers;

determining the answer selected by said user for said first question based on said one of set of phone numbers to which said missed call was placed; and

delivering a second content and a second question to said user, as a second response to said second indication, wherein said second content is received from said first service provider and said second question is added as said additional information to said second response.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein said first content and second content corresponds to scores of a sports match at different time instances provided by said first service provider, wherein said first question and said second question are marketing questions in a market survey added as additional information,

whereby said user is enabled to take part in said market survey while accessing the scores of said sports match.

14. A method of validating users of a website by a missed call server, said method comprising:

displaying a phone number to a user on said website, wherein said phone number is a randomly generated phone number;

receiving a validating phone number from said user on said website, and associating said phone number with said validating phone number of said user;

receiving an indication that said user has placed a missed call to said phone number; and

determining that said user is a valid user if said missed call was placed from the validating phone number previously provided by said user to said website,

said missed call server containing a processor and a memory, said processor executing instructions stored in said memory to perform at least one of said displaying, said receiving, and said determining.