U.S. patent application number 14/467575 was filed with the patent office on 2014-12-11 for method and apparatus for defining, distributing, and redeeming sms and mms coupons.
The applicant listed for this patent is RMG Networks. Invention is credited to David Wanqian LIU.
Application Number | 20140365288 14/467575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38472687 |
Filed Date | 2014-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140365288 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIU; David Wanqian |
December 11, 2014 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEFINING, DISTRIBUTING, AND REDEEMING SMS
AND MMS COUPONS
Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed that allows advertisers to
define and distribute Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia
Messaging Service (MMS) coupons to consumers, and for consumers to
redeem the received coupons, where such SMS and MMS coupons are
used by businesses to promote their products and services to
consumers.
Inventors: |
LIU; David Wanqian; (San
Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
RMG Networks |
Dallas |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
38472687 |
Appl. No.: |
14/467575 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13333698 |
Dec 21, 2011 |
8818842 |
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14467575 |
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11681101 |
Mar 1, 2007 |
8086488 |
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13333698 |
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60778045 |
Mar 2, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/21 20180201; G06Q
30/0241 20130101; H04W 4/00 20130101; G06Q 30/0236 20130101; G06Q
30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0267 20130101; G06Q 30/0207 20130101; H04W
4/14 20130101; G06Q 30/0225 20130101; H04W 84/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.26 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: via a computing device, displaying an
advertisement in public media, wherein the advertisement includes a
Short Messaging Service (SMS) dialing number, a coupon code, and
advertising content that describes a product, a service, and/or a
promotion; receiving at a processing server an SMS text message
from a consumer via an SMS and/or Multimedia Messaging Service
(MMS) enabled device, wherein the SMS text message includes the
coupon code; finding in a database that is associated with the
processing server an SMS coupon message or an MMS coupon message
that matches the coupon code, wherein the SMS coupon message or the
MMS coupon message includes additional information, wherein the
additional information comprises any of a promotion code or an
authentication code; sending the matching SMS coupon message or MMS
coupon message from the processing server to the consumer via the
SMS and/or MMS enabled device; receiving an SMS coupon or an MMS
coupon corresponding to the SMS coupon message of the MMS coupon
message from the consumer at a store; receiving the additional
information from any of the consumer or the SMS coupon or the MMS
coupon; verifying the additional information; and providing the
product, service and/or promotion to the consumer based on the
verified additional information.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon code is unique.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication code comprises
a globally unique serial number.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the store comprises any of a
brick-and-mortar store or an online store.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the public media comprises any of
digital signs, televisions, billboards, newspapers, magazines,
other printed media, and Internet web pages.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content comprises
any of text, graphics, and/or audio instructions.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: tracking by the
processing server the sending of the matching SMS coupon message or
MMS coupon message.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: charging an
advertiser based on the sent matching SMS coupon message or MMS
coupon message.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: routing the received
SMS text message to the processing server based on the SMS dialing
number, when the consumer sends the SMS text message to the SMS
dialing number.
10. A system, comprising: a processing server; a database that is
associated with the processing server, wherein the database is
configured to store an advertisement and an associated Short
Messaging Service (SMS) coupon or Multimedia Messaging Service
(MMS) coupon input through a web interface by an advertiser,
wherein a coupon code and an SMS coupon message or MMS coupon
message are specified by the advertiser for the SMS coupon or the
MMS coupon; and a mechanism for displaying the advertisement in
public media, wherein the advertisement includes an SMS dialing
number, the coupon code, and advertising content that describes a
product, a service, and/or a promotion, wherein the processing
server is configured to receive an SMS text message from a consumer
via an SMS and/or MMS enabled device, wherein the SMS text message
includes the coupon code, find in the database the SMS coupon
message or MMS coupon message that matches the coupon code, wherein
the SMS coupon message or MMS coupon message includes additional
information, wherein the additional information comprises any of a
promotion code or an authentication code, and send the matching SMS
coupon message or MMS coupon message to the consumer via the SMS
and/or MMS enabled device; and wherein the system is configured to
verify an SMS coupon or MMS coupon received from the consumer
through a store, wherein the SMS coupon or MMS coupon corresponds
to the SMS coupon message or MMS coupon message, and wherein the
verification is based on the validity of the additional
information.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the database is configured to
check and ensure the uniqueness of the coupon code.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the authentication code
comprises a globally unique serial number.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the store comprises any of a
brick-and-mortar store or an online store.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the public media comprises any
of digital signs, televisions, billboards, newspapers, magazines,
other printed media, and Internet web pages.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the advertising content
comprises any of text, graphics, and/or audio instructions.
16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing server is
further configured to track the sent matching SMS/MMS coupon
message.
17. The system of claim 10, further comprising: a mechanism for
charging an advertiser based on the sent matching SMS/MMS coupon
message.
18. The system of claim 10, further comprising: a mechanism for
routing the received SMS text message to the processing server
based on the SMS dialing number, when the consumer sends the SMS
text message to the SMS dialing number.
19. The system of claim 10, wherein the public media comprises a
digital sign, and wherein the mechanism for displaying the
advertisement is configured to electronically transmit and display
the advertisement on the digital sign in real time.
20. A method for redeeming coupons with respect to a system having
a processing server and a database associated therewith, the method
comprising: receiving a Short Messaging Service (SMS) coupon or a
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) coupon at a store from a
consumer, wherein the SMS coupon or MMS coupon is associated with
an SMS coupon message or MMS coupon message received by the
consumer through an SMS and/or MMS enabled device, wherein the SMS
coupon message or MMS coupon message includes additional
information, wherein the additional information comprises any of a
promotion code or an authentication code, wherein the SMS coupon
message or MMS coupon message is responsive to a reception at the
processing server of an SMS text message from the consumer via the
SMS and/or MMS enabled device, wherein the SMS text message
includes a coupon code associated with an advertisement, and a
finding by the processing server through the database of the SMS
coupon message or MMS coupon message that matches the coupon code;
receiving the additional information from any of the consumer or
the SMS coupon or MMS coupon; verifying the authenticity of the SMS
coupon or MMS coupon by checking the additional information against
the database; and providing a promotion to the consumer for an
obtained product or service, based on the verification.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the coupon code is unique.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the authentication code
comprises a globally unique serial number.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the store comprises any of a
brick-and-mortar store or an online store.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the advertisement is displayed
in public media.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the public media comprises any
of digital signs, televisions, billboards, newspapers, magazines,
other printed media, and Internet web pages.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein the advertisement includes
advertising content.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the advertising content
comprises any of text, graphics, and/or audio instructions.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Application is a Continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/333,698, filed 21 Dec. 2011, which is a
Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/681,101, filed
1 Mar. 2007, which was issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,086,488 on 27 Dec.
2011, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application
No. 60/778,045, filed 2 Mar. 2006, each of which is incorporated
herein in its entirety by this reference thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The invention relates to advertising using electronic media.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus
for defining, distributing, and redeeming SMS and MMS coupons.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most
digital mobile phones, other mobile devices, e.g. a Pocket PC, or
occasionally even desktop computers, and some fixed phones, that
permits the sending of short messages between mobile phones, other
handheld devices, and even landline telephones. Text messages are
also often used to interact with automated systems, such as
ordering products and services for mobile phones, or participating
in contests.
[0006] The Short Message Service-Point to Point (SMS-PP) is defined
in GSM recommendation 03.40. GSM 03.41 defines the Short Message
Service-Cell Broadcast (SMS-CB) which allows messages, such as
advertising, public information, etc., to be broadcast to all
mobile users in a specified geographical area. Messages are sent to
a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) which provides a
store-and-forward mechanism. It attempts to send messages to their
recipients. If a recipient is not reachable, the SMSC queues the
message for later retry. Some SMSCs also provide a forward and
forget option, where transmission is tried only once. Both Mobile
Terminated (MT), for messages sent to a mobile handset, and Mobile
Originating (MO), for those that are sent from the mobile handset,
operations are supported. Message delivery is best effort, so there
are no guarantees that a message is actually delivered to its
recipient and delay or complete loss of a message is not uncommon,
particularly when sending between networks. Users may choose to
request delivery reports, which can provide positive confirmation
that the message has reached the intended recipient, but
notifications for failed deliveries are unreliable at best.
[0007] Transmission of the short messages between SMSC and phone
can be done through different protocols, such as SS7 within the
standard GSM MAP framework or TCP/IP within the same standard.
Messages are sent with the additional MAP operation
forward_short_message, whose payload length is limited by the
constraints of the signaling protocol to precisely 140 bytes (140
bytes=140*8 bits=1120 bits). In practice, this translates to either
160 7-bit characters, 140 8-bit characters, or 70 16-bit
characters. Characters in languages such as Arabic, Chinese,
Korean, Japanese or Slavic languages, e.g. Russian, must be encoded
using the 16-bit UCS-2 character encoding (see Unicode). Routing
data and other metadata is additional to the payload size.
[0008] Larger content, known as long SMS or concatenated SMS, can
be sent segmented over multiple messages, in which case each
message starts with a user data header (UDH) containing
segmentation information. Because UDH is inside the payload, the
number of characters per segment is lower: 153 for 7-bit encoding,
134 for 8-bit encoding and 67 for 16-bit encoding. The receiving
phone is then responsible for reassembling the message and
presenting it to the user as one long message. While the standard
theoretically permits up to 255 segments, six to eight segment
messages are the practical maximum, and long messages are billed as
equivalent to multiple SMS messages.
[0009] Short messages can also be used to send binary content such
as ring tones or logos, as well as OTA programming or configuration
data. Such uses are a vendor-specific extension of the GSM
specification and there are multiple competing standards.
[0010] The SMS specification has defined a way for an external
Terminal Equipment, such as a PC or Pocket PC, to control the SMS
functions of a mobile phone. The connection between the Terminal
Equipment and the mobile phone can be realized with a serial cable,
a Bluetooth link, an infrared link, etc. The interface protocol is
based on AT commands. Common AT commands include AT+CMGS (send
message), AT+CMSS (send message from storage), AT+CMGL (list
messages) and AT+CMGR (read message).
[0011] Some service providers offer the ability to send messages to
land line telephones regardless of their capability of receiving
text messages by automatically phoning the recipient and reading
the message aloud using a speech synthesizer along with the number
of the sender.
[0012] Today, SMS is also used for machine to machine
communication. For instance, there is an LED display machine
controlled by SMS, and some vehicle tracking companies, such as
ESITrack, use SMS for their data transport or telemetry needs. SMS
usage for these purposes are slowly being superseded by GPRS
services due to their lower overall costs
[0013] The Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is the evolution of
Short Message Service (SMS). With MMS, a mobile device is no longer
confined to text-only messages. It can send and receive multimedia
messages such as graphics, video and audio clips, and so on. It has
been designed to work with mobile packet data services such as GPRS
and 1x/EVDO.
[0014] There are two modes of delivery in MMS, i.e. immediate or
deferred:
[0015] Immediate delivery: When the MMS client on the mobile phone
receives the MMS notification, it then immediately, without user
intervention or knowledge, retrieves the MMS message from the
Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MMSC) that sent the
notification. After retrieval, the subscriber is alerted to the
presence of a newly arrived MMS message.
[0016] Deferred delivery: The MMS client alerts the subscriber that
an MMS message is available, and allows the subscriber to choose if
and when to retrieve the MMS message.
[0017] As with the MMS submission, the MMS retrieval request,
whether immediate or deferred, occurs with an HTTP request. The
MMSC responds by transmitting the MMS message in an HTTP response
to the MMS client, after which the subscriber is finally alerted
that the MMS message is available.
[0018] The essential difference between immediate and deferred
delivery is that the former hides the network latencies from the
subscriber, while the latter does not. Immediate or deferred
delivery are handset dependent modes, which means that the handset
manufacturer can provide the handset in one mode or the other or
let the user decide his preference.
[0019] With the growth of SMS and MMS services, there exists a need
to provide conventional communications metaphors, such as those
attendant with advertising, in a form suited for such media. For
example, it would be advantageous to provide an interactive element
in an SMS or MMS environment that supported promotional activities,
such as advertising and the distribution of promotional materials
such as coupons. It would be advantageous to provide a method and
apparatus that allows advertisers to define and distribute SMS and
MMS coupons to consumers, and for consumers to redeem the received
coupons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The invention comprises a method and apparatus that allows
advertisers to define and distribute Short Messaging Service (SMS)
and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) coupons to consumers, and
for consumers to redeem the received coupons. The purpose of the
SMS and MMS coupons are for businesses to promote their products
and services to consumers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an SMS coupon according to the
invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an MMS coupon according to the
invention;
[0023] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an advertisement promoting a
product with an SMS coupon according to the invention;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system for distributing SMS
and MMS coupons according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a process for redeeming SMS and
MMS coupons according to the invention;
[0026] FIG. 6 is a screen shot showing a dialog for submitting a
new SMS message or updating an existing SMS message according to
the invention; and
[0027] FIGS. 7A and 7B show an SMS enabled device sending an SMS to
request a coupon (FIG. 7A) and receiving an SMS coupon (FIG. 7B)
according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The invention comprises a method and apparatus that allows
advertisers to define and distribute Short Messaging Service (SMS)
and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) coupons to consumers, and
for consumers to redeem the received coupons. The purpose of the
SMS and MMS coupons are for businesses to promote their products
and services to consumers.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, a presently preferred embodiment of the
invention is shown which comprises an SMS coupon 100. An SMS coupon
100 comprises at least two pieces of information: a code 110 that
uniquely identifies the coupon, and a text message 120 that
describes the details of a promotion for products or services. For
example, the SMS coupon in FIG. 1 is identified by coupon code
"promotionabc," and the coupon message is "Come to store abc and
get 10% off any products before 3/1/2006."
[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, a presently preferred embodiment of the
invention is shown which comprises an MMS coupon 200. An MMS coupon
200 comprises at least two pieces of information: a code 210 that
uniquely identifies the coupon, and a multimedia message 220 that
describes the details of a promotion for products and services. For
example, the MMS coupon in FIG. 2 is identified by coupon code
"promotionxyz," and the coupon message is a picture that promotes a
sale in store xyz.
[0031] The SMS coupon message 120 and MMS coupon message 220 may
contain information in addition to description of a promotion. For
instance, a promotion code can be included in the message for an
advertiser to use later in identifying the promotion when the
coupon is presented. The coupon message may also contain an
authentication code that is used to verify the authenticity of the
coupon. One implementation of the authentication code uses a
globally unique serial number. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that other authentication schemes may be used in
connection with the invention. Upon presentation of the coupon, the
receiving party can check the serial number against a database to
ensure that the serial number is valid. The serial number can also
be checked for uniqueness to prevent unauthorized duplication.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 3, the invention comprises an
advertisement 300 that is used to publicize SMS coupons and/or MMS
coupons. Such advertisement 300 can be displayed on digital signs,
televisions, billboards, newspapers, magazines, other printed
media, and Internet Web pages. The advertisement 300 includes at
least three pieces of information:
[0033] 1) an SMS dialing number 310 that is used to retrieve a
coupon;
[0034] 2) a coupon code 320; and
[0035] 3) advertising content 330 that describes the products,
services, or/and promotions.
[0036] The SMS dialing number 310 is a predetermined code, which in
the U.S. is usually a five-digit short code. Configurations are
provided such that all messages sent to the SMS dialing number 310
are routed to a preconfigured processing server. The coupon code
320 is used to cross reference the coupon code 110 defined in an
SMS coupon 100, or the coupon code 210 defined in an MMS coupon
200.
[0037] FIG. 3 shows an example of an advertisement on a digital
sign. Consumers are instructed to send an SMS text message
"promotionxyz" to the dialing number "54321" to retrieve a "10% off
first time purchase" coupon. In this example, the instruction for
SMS messaging is shown as a banner on the top of the
advertisement.
[0038] Other embodiments of the invention, without limitation,
include: [0039] Showing the instruction as a call out box on other
parts of the advertisement; [0040] Embodying the instruction in the
advertisement as text or graphics; and/or [0041] Providing audio
instructions on how to retrieve the coupon using SMS messaging.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 4, the invention provides a system 400 for
distributing SMS and MMS coupons, comprising: [0043] A database 410
containing advertisements and SMS and MMS coupons; [0044] A Web
interface 420 for registering SMS and MMS coupons; [0045] An
advertisement 430 that promotes products and services and
publicizes an SMS or MMS coupon; [0046] One or more SMS or MMS
enabled devices 440 such as, for example, mobile phones and/or PDA
devices; and [0047] An SMS processing server 450.
[0048] A presently preferred embodiment of the invention functions
in the following manner:
[0049] An advertiser inputs an advertisement, along with an SMS or
MMS coupon, into the database 410 through the Web interface 420.
Each coupon is associated with an advertisement. For each SMS
coupon, an advertiser specifies a coupon code 110 and a text
message 120 for the coupon. For each MMS coupon, an advertiser
specifies a coupon code 210 and a multimedia message 220 for the
coupon. The database checks and ensures the uniqueness of the
coupon code. Once a coupon is put into the database, the advertiser
is responsible for honoring a legitimate coupon distributed to a
consumer.
[0050] An advertisement, along with an associated coupon, is chosen
from the database and is displayed in public media, an example of
which is shown in FIG. 3. In the case where the advertisement is
shown on a digital sign the advertisement, along with the coupon,
can be transmitted electronically and displayed in real time. In
the case of other printed or broadcast media, the advertisement may
be prepared in advance.
[0051] A consumer sees the advertisement on a digital sign,
television, billboard, newspaper, magazine, other printed media, or
on the Internet. Using an SMS/MMS-enabled device 440, the consumer
sends an SMS text message containing the coupon code 320 to the
dialing number 310.
[0052] The SMS text message from the consumer is routed to the SMS
processing server 450, which is preconfigured to process all
incoming messages to the SMS dialing number 310. An SMS coupon
message 120 or an MMS coupon message 220 that matches the coupon
code 320 is found in the database. The coupon message is then sent
to the SMS or MMS enabled device 440. For each coupon message that
is sent, the action is tracked by the server. The advertiser might
be charged based on the number of coupon messages that have been
sent.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 5, the invention provides a method 500 for
redeeming SMS and MMS coupons. A consumer enters a store to obtain
products or services (500). Such store can be a brick-and-mortar
store or an online store. The consumer presents an SMS or MMS
coupon to the store to obtain a promotion. The store may ask for
additional information necessary to obtain the promotion. For
example, a promotion code might be included in the coupon (510).
The store asks the consumer for the promotion code (530) and uses
it look up the details of the promotion (550). For another example,
an authentication code might be included in the coupon (520). The
store asks the consumer for the authentication code (540) and uses
it to validate the authenticity of the coupon (560). Upon
verification of the information, the store provides the promotion
to the consumer for the obtained products and services (580).
Should the coupon or the promotion be invalid, then the promotion
is not provided to the consumer (570).
[0054] FIG. 6 is a screen shot showing a dialog for submitting a
new SMS message or updating an existing SMS message according to
the invention.
[0055] FIGS. 7A and 7B show an SMS enabled device sending an SMS to
request a coupon (FIG. 7A) and receiving an SMS coupon (FIG. 7B)
according to the invention.
[0056] Although the invention is described herein with reference to
the preferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will readily
appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set
forth herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention. Accordingly, the invention should only be
limited by the Claims included below.
* * * * *