Abstract:
An interactive multimedia, two-way notification system and method transforms a notification message into a dynamic marketing channel. When a notification message is triggered, an external application provides promotional text that is personalized to the intended recipient of the notification message. The promotional text is added to the notification message, which is then forwarded to the recipient. If the recipient replies to the notification message, an interactive two-way messaging session is established between the recipient and the external application.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a notification system and method, and in particular to an interactive multimedia, two-way notification system and method.  
           [0003]    2. Background and Related Art  
           [0004]    A conventional approach to alerting a subscriber that a voice mail message has been stored in the subscriber&#39;s voice mail box is by the voice mail system sending a Short Message Service (SMS) message notifying the subscriber. The concept of sending voice mail notification messages to a subscriber has been extended to include other services. For example, receipt of a facsimile or e-mail message could trigger a notification message.  
           [0005]    SMS provides the ability to send and receive text messages to and from mobile telephones and other devices. SMS was originally created as part of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). Indeed, developers initially viewed SMS as a tool for voice mail notification, although other uses, such as person-to-person messaging, have arisen.  
           [0006]    Mobile Originated—Mobile Terminated (MO-MT) services involve an SMS message sent from one subscriber to another subscriber or to an application. For example, Mobile Originated messages include SMS messages sent from a subscriber&#39;s mobile phone to another mobile phone, an e-mail address, or the Internet. Likewise, Mobile Terminated messages include SMS messages received by a subscriber&#39;s mobile phone from another mobile phone, an e-mail account, or the Internet.  
           [0007]    These MO-MT messages are sent/received in a proactive manner by the subscribers, supporting interactive two-way communication. Thus, unlike a notification message, wherein the subscriber plays a passive role, MO-MT messages provide a mechanism wherein the subscriber can actively participate in the messaging, e.g., by sending a reply message.  
           [0008]    However, as discussed below, there is an unmet need for a notification system that provides for the interactivity offered by an MO-MT session.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    It is therefore a feature of the present invention to realize an interactive notification system and method.  
           [0010]    Another feature of the present invention is to expand notification messages to include additional information/content, for example, promotional information.  
           [0011]    Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide additional content to a subscriber, wherein the additional content is personalized to the subscriber.  
           [0012]    Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly (menu-driven) interactive communication session triggered by a notification event.  
           [0013]    The present invention improves upon conventional passive notification messages, by allowing additional information and content to be appended to a notification message. Through the use of subscriber profile information, this additional information can be personalized to a particular subscriber. For example, an advertisement tailored to the subscriber&#39;s interests could be appended to a notification message of the subscriber. Furthermore, the subscriber can respond to the expanded notification message by using a simple menu-driven interface. Based on the subscriber&#39;s response, an active two-way messaging session can be established between the subscriber and an application, so that additional related information and content can be provided to the subscriber. Thus, for example, the subscriber could respond to the aforementioned advertisement and receive additional information and content relating to the advertised product or service.  
           [0014]    The present invention offers numerous advantages over conventional passive notification messages. For example, the present invention provides a non-intrusive vehicle for promoting services and content, allowing operators to append promotional text and multimedia content to notification messages. Because notification messages are generally welcomed by their recipients, the expanded notification messages are less likely to be viewed as intrusive, “spam”, etc. Thus, the present invention is a tool for increasing operator revenues and average revenue per user, while reducing the customer conversion rate (“churn”), through its non-intrusive promotion of services, as well as for encouraging usage of existing and new services.  
           [0015]    Furthermore, the present invention allows the proffered services and content to be tailored to a subscriber&#39;s particular interests, language of choice, etc.  
           [0016]    Even further, the present invention can be implemented without modifying the subscriber&#39;s hardware, e.g. mobile telephone, or the notification triggering hardware, e.g. voice mail system.  
           [0017]    Further still, the interactive, menu-driven component of the present invention allows for subscribers to navigate easily through the interactive menus, choose a link, and connect to the desired service and/or receive the proffered content. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    The above and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following more detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is an illustrative example of a system according to one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is an illustrative example of a user interaction in response to a notification message.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is an illustration of the general flow of operation for a method of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    In the following detailed description of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which is shown, by way of illustration, embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.  
         [0023]    Depicted in FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the interactive notification system, in which a notification message is triggered by receipt of a voice mail message. A voice mail (VM) system  100  allows voice mail messages to be created and stored for later retrieval by a subscriber. Upon receipt of a new voice mail message, the VM system  100  generates a notification message. As a non-limiting example, the notification message is sent as an SMS message.  
         [0024]    The notification message is then conveyed to a short message service center (SMSC)  102 . The SMSC would normally store and forward the notification message to the subscriber&#39;s handset  112  using the mobile network  108 . However, the present invention determines whether the intended recipient of the notification message is a subscriber to the interactive notification service.  
         [0025]    Subscriber profile information  110  is used to determine whether the intended recipient of a notification message should instead receive an interactive notification message. Non-limiting examples of the subscriber profile information  110  include denial of service information, class of service information, and information on the subscriber&#39;s preferred language. The subscriber profile information  110  can be stored, for example, within the VM system  100 , the SMSC  102 , or a separate database accessible by the system components.  
         [0026]    If the intended recipient is entitled to receive an interactive notification message, the SMSC does not forward the notification message to the subscriber&#39;s handset  112  using the mobile network  108 . Instead, the SMSC forwards the notification message to an interactive voice mail notification (IVMN) application  104 , wherein the IVMN application  104  obtains additional information personalized to the subscriber&#39;s interests. The subscriber profile information  110  may be used to obtain the additional information personalized to the subscriber&#39;s interests. For example, the subscriber profile information  110  can include information on the subscriber&#39;s age, gender, address, occupation, hobbies, interests, marital status, number of children, etc. that can be used to select and/or personalize the additional information.  
         [0027]    The IVMN application  104  can be a stand-alone component or can be integrated with the SMSC  102 , for example as a software program running in the SMSC  102 . The IVMN application  104  receives the notification message and then searches for additional information and/or content personalized to the intended recipient of the notification message. The IVMN application  104  can search, for example, an intranet or the Internet  106  and/or some other storage or database (not shown) for this additional personalized information.  
         [0028]    Upon obtaining the additional information and/or content, the IVMN application  104  converts the retrieved information, if necessary, into a format compatible with the original notification message. The IVMN application  104  then appends the additional information to the original notification message. This is feasible for SMS messages because a typical notification message requires only about 40 characters, while an SMS message can support up to 160 characters. Furthermore, the invention is applicable to any notification message having room for additional data or to which additional data can be attached. Likewise, the invention is applicable to other messaging systems as well, for example Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) messaging. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the additional information is inserted before the notification information in the notification message.  
         [0029]    Thus, the IVMN application  104  combines the original notification message and the additional personalized information, such as an advertisement, into a single SMS message. The IVMN application  104  then sends the expanded notification message to the SMSC  102 . The SMSC  102  stores and forwards the expanded notification message to the subscriber&#39;s handset  112  via the mobile network  108 .  
         [0030]    While the above illustrative embodiment was described in the context of receiving a voice mail message, other potential triggering events include a missed call, receipt of an e-mail message, and receipt of a fax.  
         [0031]    Furthermore, in the above illustrative embodiment, notification messages are shown as reaching the subscriber&#39;s handset  112  through the mobile network  108 . However, the present invention is also capable of sending notification messages through other communications networks, such as a wired network. Additionally, the notification message may be received by a subscriber device other than a mobile telephone handset, e.g. a personal digital assistant or a computer.  
         [0032]    The appended information is configurable based on a subscriber&#39;s needs as well as interests. For example, the additional information retrieved by the IVMN application  104  can vary depending on the date and time, the subscriber&#39;s geographic location, etc.  
         [0033]    The appended information can include embedded links to promotions, services, and other content, and wireless markup language (WML) extensions are supported. Furthermore, the appended information can include menu-driven prompts.  
         [0034]    For example, as shown in FIG. 2, various screenshots  200  illustrate a subscriber&#39;s interaction with an interactive notification message. First, a notification message is generated to alert the subscriber that two calls were missed. This notification message has additional information appended to it in the form of an offer to receive a ring tone. This offer reflects the subscriber&#39;s personal interests, e.g. a Madonna fan, as determined from the subscriber&#39;s profile information. The appended message is then sent to the subscriber and displayed on the subscriber&#39;s handset, as shown in box  1 , wherein the subscriber is prompted to send a “Y” in an SMS reply message in order to download the additional content, i.e. the ring tone. In box  2 , the subscriber selects the “Reply” option from the menu displayed on the handset. In box  3 , the subscriber inputs a “Y” in the reply SMS message. Upon receipt of the reply message, the ring tone application sends a reply SMS message, as shown in box  4 , containing a menu of available Madonna ring tones, as shown in box  5 . The subscriber sends a reply SMS message containing the desired menu selection. Upon receipt of the subscriber&#39;s SMS message, the ring tone application delivers the requested ring tone, as shown in box  6 .  
         [0035]    As described above, an interactive two-way messaging session can be established when the subscriber responds to an interactive notification message. Thus, an expanded notification message can ask a subscriber to send a particular response in order to access the proffered service or receive additional information and/or content. By replying to the expanded notification message, the subscriber initiates an interactive session with the pertinent service application. The interactive session can utilize “reply path” functionality so that the subscriber&#39;s response messages are automatically addressed to the proper recipient.  
         [0036]    The IVMN application  104  manages the two-way exchange of SMS messages between the subscriber and the service application. For example, the IVMN application  104  keeps track of the subscriber&#39;s menu selections and performs any protocol/data conversion necessary to translate between the SMS text messages and the network-specific/application-specific requests. In the case of requesting additional information from the Internet, for example, the IVMN application  104  translates the SMS text messages to hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests and vice versa.  
         [0037]    The IVMN application  104  can ensure that the appended information is accurate and timely, e.g., by refreshing the appended information before every attempt at delivering the notification message. This is particularly useful for time-dependent offers.  
         [0038]    The IVMN application  104  preferably also includes a session memory for storing the history of a session. The session history includes the SMS dialog conducted between the subscriber and the service provider. Thus, the session memory enables recovery of an interactive session after a system crash.  
         [0039]    Additionally, the default duration of an interactive session is preferably configurable by the operator. Active sessions are managed by the IVMN application  104 , which keeps track of the session history. As long as the subscriber continues to interact with the service, the session remains active. However, when the subscriber stops responding and there is no activity for a pre-configured time interval, the session will time-out and its history will be deleted from the session memory. Other non-limiting manners of terminating a session include successfully completing a transaction, as requested by the subscriber, and as required by a change in the subscriber&#39;s profile.  
         [0040]    If a subscriber fails to respond to an interactive notification message before the expiration of the pre-configured time interval, the ability to initiate an interactive session by responding to the interactive notification message will have lapsed. However, in this case, the system can be configured to send the subscriber a restart notification message. For example, the system can be configured to send such a restart notification message based on the operator&#39;s rules, subscriber&#39;s preferences, etc. The restart notification message offers the subscriber an additional opportunity to initiate the interactive session that had previously lapsed.  
         [0041]    The IVMN application  104  provides a user-friendly interface in the form of a textual browser menu operable on the subscriber&#39;s handset  112 . The browser menu can be enhanced as a multimedia browser to support, for example, a touch screen and speech recognition. The browser menu of the IVMN application  104  provides simple navigation tools that help subscribers browse menus and go back one page or to a homepage.  
         [0042]    Additionally, development tools can be distributed with the interactive notification system. For example, a web-based message composer makes it easy for operators to create interactive notification messages containing text and intranet/Internet links. The composer application/component includes a character counter to prevent the operator from exceeding the allowed message size. For example, once an operator has completed creating the message, the composer automatically generates the corresponding SMS message that can be appended to outgoing notification messages. Furthermore, the operator can test the functionality of the created message including, for example, how it appears displayed on a handset and how any embedded links function.  
         [0043]    Thus, the operator can create and the system can store different messages to be appended to notification messages. These different messages are dispatched to particular subscribers based on the profile information  110  of the subscribers. Furthermore, the same message can be appended to different notification messages, whether the notification messages are intended for the same subscriber or different subscribers.  
         [0044]    Depicted in FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the interactive notification method, in which a notification message is triggered in response to an event ( 300 ). As discussed above, example triggering events include a missed call or receipt of a voice mail message, an e-mail message, or a fax.  
         [0045]    Next, a determination is made as to whether the intended recipient of the notification message is a subscriber to the interactive notification service ( 302 ). This determination is made by referencing the intended recipient&#39;s profile information, which includes, for example, class of service information, denial of service information, and subscriber preference information. An example of subscriber preference information is the subscriber&#39;s preferred language.  
         [0046]    If it is determined that the recipient is not a subscriber to the interactive notification service and/or not allowed to receive interactive notification messages, then the notification message is simply routed to the subscriber. Otherwise, additional data is requested from an external source, such as an intranet, the Internet, or a database ( 304 ). This additional data can be personalized to the subscriber by using the subscriber&#39;s profile information.  
         [0047]    Once retrieved, the additional data is appended to the original notification message forming an interactive notification message ( 306 ). Thereafter, the interactive notification message is sent to the subscriber ( 308 ).  
         [0048]    The interactive notification message can invite the subscriber to respond to the message in order to access a service and/or receive additional data. If the subscriber sends a response requesting access to the service and/or transmission of additional data, a two-way messaging session is initiated between the subscriber and the external application/data source ( 310 ). The operation of  310  is indicated by dashed lines because a subscriber may elect to simply not respond to the interactive notification message.  
         [0049]    The interactive notification method can be implemented, for example, by computer software and/or hardware operating independently of the SMSC (e.g., on a server) or integrated therewith.  
         [0050]    Other modifications and variations to the invention will be apparent to those skilled and the art from the foregoing disclosure and teachings. Thus, while only certain illustrative embodiments of the invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.