WO2001043464A1

WO2001043464A1 - Product ordering method and corresponding terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2001043464A1
Application number: PCT/CH1999/000596
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rudolf Ritter; Eric Lauper
Original assignee: Swisscom Mobile Ag
Priority date: 1999-12-09
Filing date: 1999-12-09
Publication date: 2001-06-14
Also published as: EP1236365A1; AU1502000A

Abstract

The invention relates to a product ordering method which enables a mobile subscriber to order products (1) in a mobile radio telephone network (4). According to the inventive method: the mobile subscriber sends an order message (31) containing a product identification to a server (5) in the designated mobile radio telephone network (4); the mobile subscriber is identified in said server (5); the seller (8) of said product (1) is identified in said server (5); the server (5) sends a message (52), in which product data and mobile subscriber attributes are contained, to said product seller (8); whereby the message sent by the server (5) contains supplementary marketing data, among other things, data concerning the location of said mobile subscriber.

Description

Product ordering process and corresponding end device.

The present invention relates to a method with which products and information about products can be ordered and with which the product provider can receive additional marketing information about customers.

Patent EP689368 describes a method for packaging data in SMS messages (Short Message Services) and transmitting them through a mobile radio network. With this method, not only short text messages such as "Please call home" can be transmitted between different mobile devices, but also more complex messages and programs that are automatically recognized by the receiver terminal and can trigger a specific action.

The WAP architecture (Wireless Application Protocol) describes another protocol with which the users of WAP-compatible mobile devices can access Internet, intranet and Internet-like services via various bearers such as SMS, USSD, etc.

This opens up the possibility of using mobile devices as clients in a client-server architecture in a mobile radio network. The advantage of such systems is the possibility of identifying customers with a high level of security using an identification module, for example using a SIM card (Subscriber Identification Module). For example, it was proposed in patent application WO97 / 28900 to enter order codes in a mobile device, for example to order products or services from a supplier. These order codes are standardized and contain at least a first field with which a supplier is uniquely identified and a second field with which a specific product from this supplier is specified. Additional fields can also be defined, for example to specify the type of transaction and the type of payment. The customer is reliably identified by the infrastructure in the network. The part

BfrsτÄτ.GuwGsκo ^p r_ Order codes recorded by recipients are transmitted to a clearing house in the mobile network and from there automatically assigned to the specified supplier. The selected supplier receives an order from the customer with a clear identification of this customer and the ordered product or service.

The supplier receives all orders directly from the clearing house. He therefore has no way of knowing how the mobile subscriber became aware of the product and in particular the product code.

It is an object of this invention to offer a new and improved ordering process.

Another goal is to offer an ordering process in which the providers receive detailed marketing information about orders and thus can optimize your marketing strategy.

According to the present invention, these goals are achieved in particular by the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments also emerge from the dependent claims and the description.

In particular, these goals are achieved through an ordering process in which the mobile subscriber sends an order message with a product identification to a server in the named mobile radio network. The mobile subscriber and the provider of the named product are identified in the named server, so that the server sends a message in which product details and additional mobile subscriber attributes are contained to the named product provider. The named message sent by the server contains additional marketing information, including information about the location of the named mobile subscriber.

This has the advantage that the provider can find out where the mobile subscriber is when placing the order. If If the provider carries out local or geographically targeted advertising campaigns, he can assess the success of these campaigns more precisely. He also receives valuable information about the location of his customers, which can be used to plan future advertising campaigns.

In a preferred variant, the time of the order is also linked to the order message. This enables the provider to find out at what time or in response to which shipments his customers order products from him.

In a further preferred variant, information about the channel from which the product identification was downloaded to the mobile device is also linked to the order message. This enables the product provider to find out in which media the advertising is most effective.

In a further preferred variant, an indication of the downloading time of the product identification into the mobile device is linked to the order message. This allows the efficiency of different advertising blocks that were broadcast at different times through a broadcast channel to be compared.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing. Show it:

FIG. 1, an example of a system in which the method according to the invention can be used.

Figure 2, an example of an order message.

Although this invention describes the specific case of execution in a GSM mobile radio network in several details, the person skilled in the art will understand that this method can also be used with other types of radio networks, for example with AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, TACS, PDC, HSCSD, GPRS, EDGE or UMTS mobile radio networks.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a system with which the user of a terminal 3, for example a mobile radio telephone, can order a product 1 from a large number of providers 8. Each provider 8 can distribute advertising information, in particular product identifications, through one or more channels, for example through an electronic network 2. Advertising information can be disseminated through the following channels, for example:

• As digital messages to mobile phones 3 through a cellular digital mobile radio network 2, or as e-mail to a WAP-compatible mobile device (wireless application platform).

• On an internet site.

• As paging messages through a paging network 2 (pager).

• As an e-mail through the Internet or through another telecommunications network 2.

• As a service accompanying the radio program in a DAB radio program (e.g. DAß, DVB, FM-Swift or FM-DARC).

• As a teletext page in a teletext system 2.

• As a fax through an ISDN network or through the public telephone network 2.

• As an oral message that can be generated by a speech synthesizer.

• As an image on scoreboards or on screens. • As a letter with normal mail.

• As an advertisement in the press or on posters

• as a VRD object (Virtual Retina Display)

• etc.

The advertising sent out by the network 2 contains a provider identification A and a product identification P, which can preferably be downloaded automatically into the terminal 3 so that the mobile subscriber does not have to type them again. For this purpose, the terminal preferably contains a suitable recipient, for example a DAB or DVB receiver, a mail client, a browser, etc. However, the product identification can also be entered manually, or scanned from a display, or by recognizing an oral one Display can be entered with a speech recognition system.

The terminal 3 preferably works with an open one

Operating system, for example with EPOC (trademark of Symbian), PalmOS (trademark of 3Com) or Windows CE (trademark of Microsoft), so that third-party applications, in particular JAVA applets (trademark of SUN Microsystems), can also be executed. It contains an identification module 30, preferably an identification card, preferably a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) or WIM (Wireless Application Protocol Identification Module) chip card, which comprises data processing means that can access a memory area, not shown. The SIM card 30 is preferably a JAVA-compatible (JAVA: trademark of SUN Microsystems) chip card and can thus execute Java applets which, for example, via an air interface, for example via a mobile radio network or via a close-range interface, for example according to Bluetooth, HomeRF or IrdA can be received. The SIM card 30 can also be SIM application toolkit-capable and run applications. The mobile device 1 and the identification module 10 are both preferably compatible with the SIM Application Toolkit, which has been specified in the GSM Technical Specification 11.14. The identification module is thus preferably a “proactive” chip card that can initiate actions that are carried out by the mobile device 3. Among other things, the proactive SIM card can display texts and menu elements on the display of the mobile device 3, react to selected menu elements and / or icons, initiate a dialog with the mobile subscriber, have SMS and / or USSD messages sent, display help texts, etc.

The terminal 3 also contains location determining means 32 and time determining means 33. The location of the terminal can be determined, for example, using a triangulation method between signals from several neighboring base stations, or with a satellite location determining means, for example with a GPS receiver (Global Positioning System). The time can be determined, for example, using a quartz clock in the terminal, using GPS signals, or preferably using a time determination element in the identification module 30.

The terminal 3 can register in a mobile radio network 4 in which a server 5 (or a group of servers 5) is present. The server 5 comprises at least one user database 50, in which mobile subscriber attributes of mobile subscribers are stored in the mobile radio network 4, and a product database 51. The mobile subscriber attributes in the database 50 preferably include the address, for example the billing address and / or the delivery address of the mobile subscriber, and his order preferences, as explained later.

The user database 50 can be managed, for example, by a mobile radio network operator, who usually has a reliable mobile subscriber database from which the attributes in the user database (s) 50 are extracted can. If the service according to the invention is offered to mobile subscribers of different mobile radio networks, different user databases 50 can be used in different servers. In contrast, the product database 51 is preferably managed by the operator of the ordering service according to the invention.

Reference number 6 shows a billing center with which ordered products 1 are billed. Depending on the embodiment, the billing center can also be integrated into the server of the mobile radio network operator in which the user database 50 is located or connected to it. The billing center 6 can also be used, for example, to bill the mobile subscribers for telephone connections through the network.

9 shows an optional log file storage area in which marketing information, for example as statistics about orders from all mobile subscribers, is stored.

An anonymization module (not shown) can also be provided in order to temporarily store the marketing data of mobile subscribers and to transmit them to providers 8 separately from the mobile subscriber attributes and not linked to them.

The server 6 is connected to the providers 8 via a telecommunications network 7, for example via the public telecommunications network, via the ISDN, via a mobile radio network, via a private network, via the Internet or via normal mail. Through the network 7, the server 5 can send the order messages received by the users 3 and supplemented with the mobile subscriber attributes from the databases 50, 51 to product providers 8, for example by e-mail, by fax, by normal mail, by a delivery company, etc. The product provider can then deliver the ordered product 1 to the specified address via a schematically illustrated return channel, for example and, depending on the product 1, as an email, as a WAP, USSD or SMS message, by normal mail, by means of a

Delivery company, etc. The data transfer between the server 5 and the Providers 8 are preferably secured with TTP services (Trusted Third Party).

We will now describe the method according to the invention in more detail.

Via different media channels 2, a mobile radio subscriber with a terminal 3 can receive advertising information about products from different providers 8. If a mobile radio subscriber wants to order an advertised product using the method according to the invention, he must first prepare an order message 31 and send it to the provider-independent server 5 via the mobile radio network 4. The order notification is preferably prepared on the basis of an order program in the terminal 3, preferably on the basis of SIM toolkit functions or Java applet.

The order notification contains a provider identification A, a product identification P, parity symbol CRC, a transaction code T, an identification of the mobile subscriber, for example his IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), and additional marketing information according to the invention, for example the order time t, the mobile subscriber location x, y and / or a channel specification, for example a URL address URL.

The provider identification A and the product identification P are preferably taken automatically from the advertising information received. The parity signs can either be contained in the received advertising information or can be calculated in the terminal 3 using an error correction algorithm. The identification of the mobile subscriber is preferably taken from the personal identification module 30.

The order time t can be determined using the time determination means 33. In one variant, the remote charging time is communicated instead of or in addition to the order time, i.e. the time at which the advertising information with the product identification P was downloaded to the terminal 3. If the product identification P was transmitted, for example, as program-accompanying data in a DAB or DVB program, the transmission time of P is used in this variant, so that the provider 8 can use the remote loading time to determine from which transmission block the product identification P was downloaded.

The mobile subscriber location x, y can be determined using the location determining means 32. The channel specification URL preferably indicates through which channel, for example DAB, DVB, WWW, WAP, e-mail, scanning an advertisement, etc., the product identification P was downloaded. In addition to the channel specification, the address within the channel, for example the URL address of the website, the e-mail address of the sender of the advertising, the name of the DAB or DVB sender, a program identification, etc., is preferably added Order avoidance specified.

The mobile subscriber can also preferably enter his preferences, for example the desired type of invoice, the type of delivery, the delivery address, the quantity ordered, etc. These preference details are linked to the order message. At least certain preferences of the mobile subscriber are preferably stored in a memory area of the identification module 30 so that they do not have to be re-entered with every new order.

When the mobile subscriber uses the ordering program to order a product, the ordering message 31 is sent to the server 5 by the mobile radio network 4. The order message can consist, for example, of a large number of SMS messages, as described in the patent EP689368. In a preferred variant, however, the order notification consists of a large number of packets which are transmitted, for example, in accordance with WAP, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or TCP-IP. The order message can also be transmitted as a file in the voice channel, for example with a modem or in a UMTS network. The order notification is preferably made using the public key of the server 5 encrypted and signed with a certificate stored in the identification module 30 so that the server 5 can check the origin and authenticity of the message.

The server 5 receives the order message and first checks the signature of the mobile subscriber. If the authenticity and the origin of the message can be determined with this signature, the order message is decrypted with the private key of the server.

The server 5 can preferably check the identification of the user, for example by requesting a password, or by means of biometric parameters, for example using a speech recognition system.

In a preferred variant, the product database 51 also contains information about the available quantity of the product offered. This amount is then automatically decremented with every order.

The database 50 contains additional attributes for each identified mobile subscriber, which allow the provider to fully identify the mobile subscriber and to complete the order. For example, These additional attributes can contain the billing and delivery address of the mobile subscriber, as well as his user preferences, for example his preferred correspondence language, the desired delivery type and invoice type, etc., provided that this data is not specified in message 31.

The database 51 contains additional product information for each registered product, for example the product serial number used by the provider, which can be different from the product identification P, and an identification of the product provider 8. The additional mobile subscriber-specific attributes are combined with the additional product information and with the marketing information t, x, y, URL linked and packaged in a message 52 which is sent via the telecommunications network 7 to the identified product provider. In a variant several messages for the same provider 8 are grouped and sent to the same provider, for example hourly or daily.

The message 52 is preferably electronically signed and encrypted by the server 5 so that the provider 8 received can check its authenticity and origin. A time stamp service can also be used to ensure that the order is not rejected. A copy of the relevant elements is also preferably sent to the accounting center 6 so that the order can be charged to the mobile subscriber. Depending on mobile subscriber preferences, the ordered product 1 can preferably be billed like connections in the named mobile radio network, for example by debiting a prepaid account in the identification module 31 of the mobile subscriber or with the telephone bill.

The provider who receives an order message in this way can then deliver the ordered product 1 or the desired information via a suitable delivery channel. He can statistically evaluate the marketing information t, x, y, URL in order to plan future advertising campaigns.

If the ordered product 1 can be digitized, it can be transmitted via an electronic channel, for example as an e-mail or via FTP services via the Internet or as an SMS or USSD via the mobile radio network 4. In this way, for example, user software, musical data, for example encoded in MP3 format, video data, for example encoded in an MPEG format, etc., from which a photo of the cover was transmitted. In addition, the provider 8 can preferably check whether the terminal can receive the format of the electronic data and whether there is still enough storage space. For example, JINI functions can be used for this test. However, the method according to the invention can also be used to order products 1 which can only be delivered by post or by a delivery company.

The variant described so far has the disadvantage that it can only be used with terminals 3 which have been modified by being equipped with location-determining means and / or time-determining means. In a variant of the invention, not shown, this disadvantage is avoided by determining the location of the mobile subscriber and / or the order time from the infrastructure in the mobile radio network 4, for example from the server 5 or from means connected to this server 5. The marketing details t and / or x, y are then linked to the other order details in the order message 52 only in the server 5.

The variant described so far also has the disadvantage that personal mobile subscriber data is sent to the provider 8, including the subscriber location. In many countries, such data must be treated confidentially due to the data protection law and may not be communicated without the consent of the mobile subscriber. This disadvantage is preferably avoided in that the providers 8 are only provided with statistics about marketing data received from all mobile subscribers. For example, each provider only receives statistics on the geographical and temporal distribution of the ordering mobile subscribers and / or on the most used medium channels, without being able to find out when a particular mobile subscriber is located where. These statistics are either transmitted periodically to the providers, for example as e-mail, or are stored in a memory area 9 at the server 5, for example as an Internet page, where they can be consulted at any time, for example after entering a password.

Claims

Expectations

1. Ordering procedure with which a mobile subscriber can order products (1) in a mobile radio network (4), in which: the mobile subscriber sends an order message (31) with a product identification to a server (5) in the named mobile network (4), the mobile subscriber is identified in the named server (5), the provider (8) of the named product (1) is identified in the named server (5), the server (5) receives a message (52) in which product details and mobile subscriber attributes are contained, to which sends named product provider (8), characterized in that the said message (52) sent by the server (5) contains additional marketing information, including information about the location of the named mobile subscriber.

2. Ordering method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named mobile subscriber attributes are determined from a database (50) in the named server.

3. Ordering method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the named location information is determined in the terminal (3) of the named mobile subscriber.

4. Ordering method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named location information is determined with a satellite location determining means in the terminal (3) of the named mobile subscriber.

5. Ordering method according to claim 3, characterized in that the specified location information is determined on the basis of signals from a plurality of base stations in the terminal (3) of the named mobile subscriber.

6. The ordering process according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the specified location information is determined in a server (5) in the named mobile radio network (4).

7. Order process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the named marketing information also contains information about the order time.

8. Ordering method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said product identification (P) is downloaded via an electronic channel (2) into said mobile device (3).

9. Ordering method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named product identification (P) is downloaded via the Internet into the named mobile device (3).

10. The ordering process according to claim 8, characterized in that the named product identification with WAP is downloaded to the named mobile device (3).

1 1. Ordering method according to claim 8, characterized in that the named product identification (P) is downloaded to the named mobile device (3) as data accompanying the DAB program.

12. The ordering method according to claim 8, characterized in that the named product identification (P) is downloaded to the named mobile device (3) as data accompanying the DVB program.

13. Ordering method according to claim 8, characterized in that said product identification (P) is optically scanned and then downloaded to said mobile device (3).

14. Ordering process according to one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the named marketing information is the information about the channel from which the product identification was loaded.

15. Ordering process according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named marketing information contains a URL address (URL).

16. Ordering process according to one of claims 14 to 15, characterized in that the named marketing details also contain the download time of the named product identification (P) into the named terminal.

17. The ordering process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the named order message is electronically signed by the named mobile subscriber.

18. Ordering method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the named location information is transmitted to the providers separately from the mobile subscriber attributes.

19. The ordering method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named location information is stored in a storage area (9) accessible by the named provider (8).

20. The ordering process according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named location information is summarized as statistics.

21. Ordering process according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the named statistics about location information are stored as a WEB page, which can be consulted by the authorized provider via the Internet.

22. Terminal (3) which can be used in a mobile radio network (4), comprising:

Location determining means (32) for determining the location of the terminal, an identification module in which a mobile subscriber identification is stored, an order program for sending order messages with an indication of the named location and with a mobile subscriber identification to a server in the named mobile radio network.