Patent Publication Number: US-2012029989-A1

Title: Let me pay: system of sponsorship through targeted advertisement

Description:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The following description and accompanying drawings disclose various embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
         FIG. 1  illustrates the embodiment of the system components and network environment where the Ads and sponsorships are delivered to the user. 
         FIG. 2  shows the embodiment of the sponsor registration process, obtaining their budget, marketing strategy, target groups, the Ad content, and activation of the targeted advertising. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the embodiment of the user registration process, i.e., obtaining various demographic information about the user, providing them with a choice of available sponsorships, letting them request a sponsorship, providing them with an Ad carrying the sponsorship confirmation, along with fund transfer to their virtual account and letting them transfer the collected funds from the virtual account to an external account or to an e-wallet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is provided below, along with accompanying figures illustrating its characteristics. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims. It is not limited to any embodiments provided for the purpose of example. 
     The invention allows Sponsors to provide advertisements for target groups of users, along with sponsorships for their reasonable expenses. Users can request sponsorships if they meet criteria specified by Sponsors in their marketing strategies. Sponsored amounts are sent to users&#39; accounts, along with confirmation carrying Ads from Sponsors. Users can transfer the received sponsored amounts from their accounts maintained within the system to any external accounts, including but not limited to credit or prepaid bank cards, or money transfers over Internet. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the embodiment of the system components and network environment. Users ( 110 ) communicate with the system through remote, or mobile terminals ( 111 ,  112 ) connected to the Internet, telecom or other type of network. 
     Web and Application Server for Users ( 114 ), which exchanges information with Advertising &amp; Sponsorship Processing System ( 130 ), conducts the user registration process and other tasks performed by users. Web and Application Server for Users ( 114 ) provides user interfaces and applications displayed and run on remote, and mobile terminals ( 111 ,  112 ). 
     PBX/Telecom ( 115 ) and Mobile Gateway ( 116 ) communicate with users&#39; mobile terminals through a telecom network: they accept requests from users (including sponsorship requests) and provide written or multimedia information (including targeted Ads). Advertising &amp; Sponsorship Processing System ( 130 ) collects, maintains and processes the data received from Sponsors ( 120 ) and users ( 110 ), including but not limited to advertisements strategies, Ad content, catalogues of sponsorships, sponsors and users&#39; profiles and history stored in the database ( 131 ). 
     Web and Application Server for Sponsors ( 122 ) conducts the sponsor registration process, and other tasks related to providing advertising strategies, identifying target groups of users, maintaining the marketing budget, providing Ad content and receiving reports. Sponsors ( 120 ) communicate with the system through remote terminals ( 121 ) connected to the Internet network and further to Web and Application Server for Sponsors ( 122 ). 
     Accounting System ( 132 ) maintains Users and Sponsors&#39; accounts and stores the history of financial transactions in the database ( 133 ). The system ( 132 ) records sponsorship funds provided by Sponsors ( 120 ) and coordinates the sponsorship flow to users&#39; accounts. Accounting System executes money transfers from the internal users&#39; accounts to the external accounts ( 140 ). 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the embodiment of the process ( 200 ) connected with tasks performed by Sponsors. Sponsor has to register into the system ( 210 ) and provide general information about the company, the nature of business, marketing plans, billing information, and other data. Once registered, Sponsor can log into the system ( 220 ) and receive an overview of their account, funds, Ads delivered, sponsorships provided to users, or access further options ( 225 ). 
     Sponsor may edit their profile information or marketing campaign properties ( 230 ). Sponsor can generate detailed reports concerning the ongoing marketing campaign, Ads and sponsorships sent to users, target groups, budgeting, and other ( 240 ). Sponsor can set up a new marketing campaign by providing:
         The marketing budget and cost limits per day, week, month and other limits ( 250 ),   The demographic and related criteria for the target group of users ( 252 ) who would receive Ads and sponsorships, including but not limited to:
           Age   Sex   Education   Profession   Income   Location   Interests and leisure activities   Marital status/Children   Other information   
           The scope and type of sponsorships (usually of small value) from a catalogue of sponsorships ( 254 ), or chosen directly by Sponsor, containing general names or brand names and estimated values of goods and services that would benefit users and would strengthen the meaning of the Ad provided along with the sponsored amount. Sponsor indicates the frequency and time the sponsorships are available to the target group of users (including day(s) of the week, time of the day, the number of times daily, weekly, and other parameters).   The content of the Ad in text or multimedia format ( 256 ) which, mixed with a confirmation of sponsorship, will be sent to the target users to confirm the sponsorship transfer.   Any additional instructions included in the marketing campaign summary page ( 258 ). The summary page should display details of the campaign being set up, including but not limited to the given budget, target groups of users, the scope and type of sponsorships, the content of the Ad to be sent to users, and other information related to the campaign or Sponsor.       

     If the funds available on the Sponsor&#39;s account can finance the new marketing campaign ( 260 ), Sponsor can activate the campaign ( 270 ) and make it available to the users registered in the system. Sponsor can also send an invitation to individual users, either already registered, or not, to participate in the campaign ( 275 ). Sponsor can add funds ( 265 ) to continue the ongoing campaign, or to activate a new one. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the embodiment of the process ( 300 ) involving tasks performed by users. The user has to register into the system ( 310 ) and provide demographic information, including but not limited to age, sex, education, profession, income, location, interests, marital status, mobile phone number, email address, bank account number for sponsorship transfers, and other. Once registered, the user can access the system ( 320 ) and see a summary of his/her account, a list of received sponsorships, with or without Ads, a catalogue of available sponsorships, a short list of selected sponsorships of further interest for the user, and other information related to users, sponsorships or Ads. 
     After completing the registration process, the user can perform further tasks. The user can request transfer of sponsored funds collected on their internal account to an external one ( 330 ) and receive confirmation of such transfer, which may carry a targeted Ad ( 335 ). The user can edit his/her profile, refine the collected data and answer any additional questions asked by the system allowing to qualify him/her to a precisely defined target group ( 340 ). 
     The user can request a new sponsorship ( 355 ) from a short list, or from a catalogue of available sponsorships ( 350 ). Such request can be sent from a remote, or mobile terminal. It can be a type of missed call from a mobile or wired phone, phone call, SMS, MMS, email, instant message, click on web link, or other type of message sent from the user&#39;s terminal. 
     If the user&#39;s request meets the sponsorship criteria of one or more marketing campaigns, the user will receive sponsorship confirmation carrying the target Ad from the Sponsor ( 365 ) and the sponsored amount will be sent to user&#39;s internal account ( 370 ). If the user&#39;s request does not meet the sponsorship criteria of any active marketing campaign, they will receive notification, which may also carry some information on the nearest anticipated sponsorships ( 360 ). The user may be required to accept the sponsorship sent to his/her account ( 370 ) by typing an authorization code provided by the system ( 375 ). 
     For clarity purposes, the foregoing embodiments are described in some detail. However, the invention is not limited to the details provided. The disclosed embodiments are of illustrative nature. The invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents.