Abstract:
A system and method for providing sponsored content to a user of an electronic device in conjunction with the execution of an event. When an event on an electronic device is initiated, a set of sponsor preferences are checked for information regarding the event. A set of sponsored content based upon the sponsor preferences are obtained, and the sponsored content is transmitted to the user in conjunction with the execution of the event.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to events occurring in mobile terminals and other electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobile terminals into which various events may be executed by a user of a terminal or generated by a system associated with the terminal.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A wide variety of people send and receive messages in mobile communication networks on a regular basis. For example, in a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a short message service is widely used. The short message service permits mobile subscribers to send text messages having a maximum length of 160 characters to another mobile subscriber. In this service, the sender of the short message usually pays for the transmission of the message via a short message service center to the receiver.  
         [0003]     Currently, many events in such a terminal are set by the user. For example, meeting reminders, placed phone calls, alarms, to-do items, etc. are all set by the user. Other events are raised by the system. These events include received calls, received messages, etc. Currently, however, there is no mechanism that provides additional information along with these events.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention provides a system and method for providing advertising and/or sponsored events in a terminal. The present invention involves the addition of extra information to events when they are raised, such as whenever a user receives a phone call or a text message, when an alarm is raised, when a user creates or modifies a calendar event or contact, or the creation or modification of other events. The advertisement can be customized to specifically relate to the event that has been raised, and the sponsor of the advertisement can be charged for the event instead of the user.  
         [0005]     The present invention provides for a number of improvements over conventional systems. Unlike conventional systems, the present invention permits the intelligent matching of an event with a sponsor or advertisement, as well as the intelligent matching of an event along with context and preferences. This permits a user&#39;s experience to be enriched by having relevant sponsorship information directly related to the event being performed or received transmitted to the user. The advertisements that a user receives can be suitable for the situation involved, and the user is also capable of receiving a benefit, in the form of free services and air time, from the advertiser. In the case of the advertiser or sponsor, there are also a number of advantages. The advertiser or sponsor, under the present invention, has the ability to tailor its advertisements based upon the context of the user and the application being used. The advertiser is also capable of personalizing event-based advertisements, which could help to encourage a user to opt-in for the designated offerings.  
         [0006]     These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings described below. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is an overview diagram of a system within which the present invention may be implemented;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a mobile telephone that can be used in the implementation of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a is a schematic representation of the telephone circuitry of the mobile telephone of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a representation of the system architecture for the implementation of one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing the process of obtaining and displaying an advertisement according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a visualization of an advertisement being displayed in conjunction with the receipt of a message;  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a visualization of an advertisement being displayed in conjunction with the placement of a telephone call;  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a visualization of an advertisement being displayed in conjunction with the display of an upcoming appointment; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is a visualization of an advertisement being displayed in conjunction with the display of an individual&#39;s “to do” list. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     The present invention is directed to a system and method for intelligently providing sponsored events and/or advertisements to electronic devices in conjunction with other events.  FIG. 1  shows a system  10  in which the present invention can be utilized, comprising multiple communication devices that can communicate through a network. The system  10  may comprise any combination of wired or wireless networks including, but not limited to, a mobile telephone network, a wireless Local Area Network (LAN), a Bluetooth personal area network, an Ethernet LAN, a token ring LAN, a wide area network, the Internet, etc. The system  10  may include both wired and wireless communication devices.  
         [0017]     For exemplification, the system  10  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a mobile telephone network  11  and the Internet  28 . Connectivity to the Internet  28  may include, but is not limited to, long range wireless connections, short range wireless connections, and various wired connections including, but not limited to, telephone lines, cable lines, power lines, and the like.  
         [0018]     The exemplary communication devices of the system  10  may include, but are not limited to, a mobile telephone  12 , a combination PDA and mobile telephone  14 , a PDA  16 , an integrated messaging device (IMD)  18 , a desktop computer  20 , and a notebook computer  22 . The communication devices may be stationary or mobile as when carried by an individual who is moving. The communication devices may also be located in a mode of transportation including, but not limited to, an automobile, a truck, a taxi, a bus, a boat, an airplane, a bicycle, a motorcycle, etc. Some or all of the communication devices may send and receive calls and messages and communicate with service providers through a wireless connection  25  to a base station  24 . The base station  24  may be connected to a network server  26  that allows communication between the mobile telephone network  11  and the Internet  28 . The system  10  may include additional communication devices and communication devices of different types.  
         [0019]     The communication devices may communicate using various transmission technologies including, but not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), e-mail, Instant Messaging Service (IMS), Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, etc. A communication device may communicate using various media including, but not limited to, radio, infrared, laser, cable connection, and the like.  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show one representative mobile telephone  12  according to one embodiment of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not intended to be limited to one particular type of mobile telephone  12  or other electronic device. The mobile telephone  12  of  FIGS. 2 and 3  includes a housing  30 , a display  32  in the form of a liquid crystal display, a keypad  34 , a microphone  36 , an ear-piece  38 , a battery  40 , an infrared port  42 , an antenna  44 , a smart card  46  in the form of a UICC according to one embodiment of the invention, a card reader  48 , radio interface circuitry  52 , coded circuitry  54 , a controller  56  and a memory  58 . Individual circuits and elements are all of a type well known in the art, for example in the Nokia range of mobile telephones.  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a representation of the system architecture for the implementation of one embodiment of the present invention. The base  100  of the system architecture shows several functions and applications that are performed by a wide variety of electronic devices. The applications include contacts  110 , a calendar  120 , themes  130 , a call management system  140 , preferences  150 , user profiles  160 , messaging systems  170 , and other applications  180 .  
         [0022]     The present invention involves the use of an event manager  200 , an ad manager  210  and an ad server  220  to add additional information to an event as it is implemented by the electronic device. In one embodiment of the invention, the ad server  220  is located remote from the electronic device, and is accessed as necessary by the ad manager  210 . As is shown in  FIG. 4 , the event manager  200  and the ad manager  210  interact with the base  100  as individual applications are executed. The system architecture also includes a set of event preferences  230  for interaction with the event manager  200  as necessary. The event preferences  230  are used to help tailor advertisements to particular events. The event preferences  230  can be default preferences set by a manufacturer, can be entered with the help of third party software, or can be directly customizable by a user. The system architecture also may include a system cache  250  for locally storing advertisements or other information.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  also discloses several “external” components to the system architecture, including systems for monitoring and controlling the service at issue, as well as payment, billing and other functions.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  shows a process through which the present invention may be implemented. At step  300 , an event is raised and implemented by the event manager  200 . This event could be in the form of a contact being accessed by a user, the sending or receiving of a telephone call, the entering of an appointment on a calendar  120 , or a variety of other actions. At step  310 , the event manager  200  determines whether the user accepts sponsorship for this particular application. This is used to determine whether an ad or other information should be conveyed to the user in conjunction with the event. This information could be in audio and/or visual form or could be some other sort of data that is provided to the device. If no sponsorship is accepted, then the event is processed normally at step  320 .  
         [0025]     If an ad or other information is to be conveyed to the user, then at step  330  the event manager  200  instructs the ad manager  210  to obtain an ad or information for use. The ad or information can be selected based upon the settings in the event preferences  230 . At step  340 , the ad manager  210  checks to see if the ad is immediately available either locally or within the system cache. If the ad or information is immediately available, then at step  350  the ad or information is retrieved for the event manager  200 . If the ad or information is not available, then at step  360  the ad manger  210  fetches the appropriate ad or information from the ad server  220 , after which the ad or information is presented to the event manager  200  for display or conveyance. At step  370 , the ad or information is conveyed as the event is being processed at step  320 . It should be noted that the ad or information can take an audio and/or a visual form. All of these steps can be implemented through the use of computer code within a computer program product or products.  
         [0026]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show displays that are implementing one embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 6 , a user is in the process of receiving a message. In this instance, the user has accepted the receipt of an advertisement, and the advertisement therefore appears for a new model of cellular telephone. At the same time, the user is able to receive the message in a normal fashion. In  FIG. 7 , a call is later made to a person listed in the user&#39;s contacts  110 . In this instance, an advertisement for a movie appears, and the advertiser pays for the phone call being placed. This provides benefits to both the user and the advertiser, as the user does not have to pay for the phone call while the advertiser is able to advertise as it sees fit in an intelligent manner based upon the event and user preferences  150 .  
         [0027]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show displays implementing other embodiments of the present invention. In  FIG. 8 , and advertisement for flowers appears in conjunction with a calendar appointment appearing on the display. In  FIG. 9 , a product advertisement appears in conjunction with a “to do” list reminder to go grocery shopping.  
         [0028]     While several embodiments have been shown and described herein, it should be understood that changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. For example, but without limitation, the present invention could be incorporated into a wide variety of electronic devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and other devices. Additionally, individual advertisements can be correlated to different events by a variety of methods and based upon a wide variety of criteria. The events may include, but are not limited to the placement of reminders; the creation and opening of “to do” lists; the sounding of a clock alarm; the taking, viewing or transmitting of a digital image, the taking, transmitting or playing of a video clip; the installation of a software application; creating, altering or viewing a user profile; changing themes on a display, converting various parameters; communicating with another device through infrared, BlueTooth or other communication systems; altering a date or location; playing games; or other events. The criteria can also be predetermined or set by the user. Various features of the invention are defined in the following Claims.