Patent Publication Number: US-8977306-B2

Title: Permission based text messaging

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/776,433, filed Feb. 25, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,630,670), which is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/242,581, filed Sep. 23, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,385,955), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/726,896, filed Mar. 23, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,046,012), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/047,155, filed Jan. 31, 2005 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,324), the disclosures of each of the above-referenced applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the communications industry it is often desirable to be able to narrowcast a message that will be received instantly by a large number of people such as potential customers or people who may need to be aware of an emergency situation. Care must be taken not to offend the potential customer or others with unwanted messages such as unsolicited product offerings. 
     Patent application 2004/0247090 discloses an alert system capable of formatting a message and sending that alert message out over a variety of platforms including text messaging to cell phones. This system uses a database of potential recipients of the message. The problem with the system is that the recipients may not want to receive the message. Even if they are potentially interested in the message, they may be confused as to why they have received the message and may delete the message because they don&#39;t know what the message is or why they are receiving it. The public at large has grown wary of unsolicited offers coming by traditional mail, phone, text message and by email. Selling of customer lists and unwanted offers and information can lead to a backlash such as the recent ‘no-call’ lists in the telemarketing industry. The so called “can-spam” law was put in place to protect consumers against unwanted text messages for example. 
     Patent application 2004/018683 discloses a system of communicating so called “Amber” alerts to a mobile work force. This system narrowcasts an alert to a closed community of company workers. While those workers may be more receptive to receiving the messages narrowcast, this system still does not suggest a solution to reaching an audience in the general public that is receptive to the information being sent. 
     As can be seen there is a need for a narrowcast communications system that will allow information to reach the public quickly and efficiently but that information must be wanted by the recipients such that there is no resentment towards the sender. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a narrowcast communications system that allows a message to be narrowcast to a receptive audience in the general public that is prepared to receive that message. However, this application is targeted at a method and system that can be called “Narrowcasting”. Unlike broadcasting, narrowcasting sends a message to a target audience of potential receivers that have given permission to have the message sent to their cell phone. The present invention further provides for a narrowcast communication system wherein a person can opt in to receive text messages narrowcast from a central location. The person can opt in, for example, by going to a participating web page and clicking on an icon to bring up an application to sign up for text messages. The application may include a variety of potential topics that the potential user may select. The user then can input into the application a cellular phone number and an email address and also select the message category they wish to receive. 
     The present invention further includes a method for narrowcasting text messages to plurality of cellular phones including the steps of receiving, over a computer network, a request to receive text messages. After the sign up request is received, an authorization code is sent to a cellular phone number received in said request and verifying the authorization code has been received. Then adding the authorized cellular phone number to a list of authorized phone numbers, and placing a text message call to at least a portion of the list of authorized phone numbers. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a flow diagram of a portion of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a screen shot of a portion of the system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a screen shot of a portion of the system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a second flow diagram of a portion of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a third flow diagram of a portion of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  shows a screen shot of the process for message creation and narrowcasting. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVICE 
     Sending text messages to cellular phones has become a common way to communicate. It is possible to narrowcast a single message to a plurality of cellular phone users. This application is targeted at a method and system that can be called “Narrowcasting”. Unlike broadcasting, narrowcasting sends a message to a target audience of potential receivers that have given permission to have the message sent to their cell phone and/or email. For the purposes of this application ‘narrowcasting’ means sending a text message and/or email to receivers who have given permission. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a flow chart of the permission process  100  of how a customer who would typically be remote from a central computer  405 , can take the option and give permission to receive text messages from the central computer  405 . The potential system user can open  110  the web page, see  FIG. 2  for a computer screen shot of the web page based application  200 . The potential user can then enter  120  personal contact information and select  125  message topics from a field of possible message topics ( 121  in  FIG. 2 ).  FIG. 2  shows a screen shot of application  200  of the application process as applied to a University sports organization where a potential user can select from a field of possible message topics  121  of sports events as an example. Once the potential user has entered  120  the message topics  121  they want and submitted  130  the application  200 , the application  200  can be submitted over a network N to a central computer  405  that includes a database  407  to store information such as a list of authorized cell phone numbers. The central computer  405  will, after a moment delay, send  140  the potential user a message M containing an authorization code  225  to their cell phone  415  for display on cell phone screen  420 . Sending  140  the authorization code  225  contained in text message M serves two purposes, it demonstrates the technology to the potential user so that they can see immediately that the system is working to ensure the user&#39;s phone is text enabled. It also provides a loop for the user to verify  150  their desire to opt in to the system by entering the authorization code  225  they receive in the text message M back into the opt-in web page, see screen shot  FIG. 3 . This can prevent unauthorized permission, for example where an unauthorized person might attempt to enroll a person who has not given permission. The unauthorized person would not only need to know the cell phone number but would also need to be in possession of the phone  415  to return the authorization code  225 .  FIG. 1  also shows that the permission process  100  can include an option for the person to unsubscribe  160  or change message preference. Thus a user can return to the permission process  100  at a later time and unsubscribe  160  from receiving the narrowcast messages M or change message topics  121 .  FIG. 2  shows that a user can unsubscribe by clicking button  139 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a screen shot of application  200  of the user intake web page as it might be displayed on a user computer  400  (see  FIG. 4 ). The application  200  covers the steps  110 ,  120 ,  125  and  130  in  FIG. 1 . The user can select  125  from a field of topic choices  121 . In this case the choices  121  are college athletic teams but could be any topic choice. The application  200  then prompts for personal information such as name  131 , timezone  132 , mobile or cellular number  133 , Carrier  134 , email  135  and zip code  136 . Once this information  121  and  131 - 136  is entered the user actually submits the information  121  and  131 - 136  using a submit button  138 . Once submitted via network N such as the Internet, the information  121  and  131 - 136  will arrive at a central computer ( 405   FIG. 4 ). The central computer  405  can then send message M containing an authorization code  225  to the cell phone  415  of the potential user. Once submitted the user computer  400  screen will change from application  200  to authorization  300  to that shown in  FIG. 3 . Later a person returning to the application  200  can unsubscribe  139  to stop receiving messages from some or all of the topics  121  initially chosen. A user can also return to application  200  later and add additional topics  121  or delete unwanted ones. 
       FIG. 3  shows a screen shot of the authorization web page  300 . The user will be prompted to enter the authorization code  225  that they receive on their cell phone  415  from the central computer  405 . The user can then complete the authorization process by clicking the subscribe  320  button. The authorization is then sent from the user&#39;s computer ( 400   FIG. 4 ) to the central computer  405  via the Internet. 
       FIG. 4  shows a view of the system  10  which can include a user computer  400  that allows the user to opt into the system  10  through a network N such as the Internet. A central computer  405  which contains the opt in application forms shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The central computer  405  can include a program  410  to generate and narrowcast text messages  412  to user phones  415  of people who have opted in to receive messages  412 . The system can also include a narrowcaster computer  502  where a third party narrowcaster can generate messages to be sent to authorized users and the messages can be forwarded to the central computer  405  to be transmitted. For example, a university may be a third party that wishes to narrowcast messages such as university team scores for sporting events to willing alumni. In this example, the university narrowcaster computer  502  would create a message that would be forwarded through the internet N to the central computer  405  to be transmitted to the cellular phones  415  of alumni who have expressed a willingness to receive the score messages. 
       FIG. 5  shows the narrowcast text messages process  500 , a narrowcaster might use to narrowcast text messages  412  to a number of users who have given permission to receive the text message  412 . The narrowcaster first generates  510  a message  412  to be narrowcast. The generation step  510  can include inputting characters into a text message box  602  (see  FIG. 6 ). The message  412  can be sent immediately or scheduled  520  for narrowcast at a specific time and date. The message can be scheduled  520  for recurring transmission such as daily or monthly. The narrowcaster can save  530  the message  412  for future use and transmit  540  the message. Many narrowcasters will not actually have a computer system to transmit multiple text messages or email. Rather the transmit  540  step will involve sending the message  412  over a computer network N to the central computer  405  where the phone numbers of the phones  415  authorized to receive the message  412  can be stored. 
       FIG. 6  shows a screen shot  600  containing some of the details of the narrowcast text messages process  500 . The screen  600  can include a text box  602  to compose a message  412  to be sent. The narrowcaster can select message recipients  605  that can include authorized individuals or groups of individuals who might receive a message  412 . The narrowcaster can also select the option of saving  606  a message  412  and can choose to send  608  a message  412  from screen  600 . When the narrowcaster selects send  608 , the narrowcaster&#39;s computer will contact the central computer  405  through the network N and the central computer  405  will send the generated text message  412  to the recipients  605  selected from a list of all authorized recipients  604 . The text message  412  will be sent essentially simultaneously to all cellular phones  415  on the list  605  of recipients. 
     In use, a potential user learns of the possibility of receiving one or more text messages  412  on a topic they are interested in such as scores of a sports team at their school. The potential user can be directed to a web page where the user can complete an on-line application  200  and submit the on-line application  200  via the network N such as the Internet. A central computer  405  receives the on line application  200  and can send an authorization code  225  in a text message M to the cell phone number indicted in the online application  200 . The potential user must then authorize the online application  200  by sending the authorization code  225  back over the Internet N to the central computer  405 . Authorization can occur through a separate authorization web page  300 . Although the preferred process shows a web site, it would be possible for the potential user to send a request via email, to receive the authentication code back on their cell phone and then to send a second email to verify the authorization code  225 . Either method verifies that the person asking for permission actually possesses the cell phone being authorized to receive messages  412 . 
     While the invention has been described in reference to a preferred embodiment, it is not necessarily limited to the particulars set forth. On the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications and equivalents as set forth in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.