GB2448125A

GB2448125A - Method of making content available on a network

Info

Publication number: GB2448125A
Application number: GB0701783A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Crayton
Original assignee: INTERACTIVE TEXT Ltd
Current assignee: INTERACTIVE TEXT Ltd
Priority date: 2007-01-31
Filing date: 2007-01-31
Publication date: 2008-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-31
Also published as: GB0701783D0; GB2448125B

Abstract

Content is provided to a computer terminal by request from a telephone handset user, the request comprising an SMS message containing a keyword associated with the content being requested. The SMS message is received at an SMS gateway associated with a content provider. The gateway is adapted to determine from the SMS message both the keyword sent and the telephone number associated with the sender of the SMS message. A check is made firstly as to whether the keyword is present in a table of keywords stored in memory at the content station, each keyword in the table being associated with specific content, and secondly as to whether the sender's telephone number is present in a table of telephone numbers stored in a memory at the content station, each such stored telephone number being associated with a specific account and with an associated account access key. If the check establishes that the particular keyword and telephone number are present in the respective tables, then the content corresponding to that keyword is associated with the account. Thereafter, for at least a predetermined period of time, access is allowed to that account via the related access key and to content associated with that account, to enable such content to be viewed via a network such as the Internet from a browser-enabled computer terminal.

Description

1 2448125

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR

MAKP4G CONTENT AVAILABLE ON A NETWORK This disclosure is concerned with methods and apparatus for making content available on a network.

Many people carry a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (hereafter: "PDA"). Fewer people will carry a laptop computer. Those who carry a mobile phone or the like will usually have it permanently switched on, and so available instantly to send or receive a telephone call or to send or receive a Short Message Service (hereafter: "SMS") message. Current mobile phones are also commonly provided with an appropriate Wireless Data Protocol (hereafter: "WDP") enabling at least a rudimentary browser functionality. The Japanese i_modelM system is one such wireless data protocol. The most common, however, is the Wireless Application Protocol (hereafter: "WAP") system. Mobile phones provided with a WDP browser are designed to provide the basic services of a computer-based web browser but simplified to operate within the restrictions of a mobile phone, and, in particular, the very restricted screen size.

Precisely because of this limited screen size, users of WDP-enabled mobile phones cannot enjoy the full experience provided by a computer-based web browser.

In addition, as they will not carry a printer with them, there is limited possibility to print out or otherwise download anything of interest on a web or WDP page.

The present disclosure describes arrangements which seek to exploit the instant availability to request content capable of being provided by modern telephone handsets while at the same time providing that content with the rich experience of a conventional web browser. The term "content" as used herein will include text data, graphics including both animation and streamed or other video, and audio segments.

In general, in a first aspect, content is provided to a computer terminal by request from a telephone handset user, said request comprising an SMS message containing a keyword associated with the content being requested, the method comprising receiving said SMS message at an SMS gateway associated with a content station and adapted to determine from said SMS message both the keyword sent and the telephone number associated with the sender of the SMS message; checking firstly whether the said keyword is present in a table of keywords stored in memory at said content station, each keyword in said table being associated with specific content, and secondly whether the said telephone number is present in a table of telephone numbers stored in memory at said content station, each such stored telephone number being associated with a specific account and with an associated account access key; and, if said check establishes that said keyword and said telephone number are present in the respective tables, associating the said content corresponding to the said keyword with the said account; and thereafter, for at least a predetermined period of time, allowing access to the said account via said access key and to content associated with that account, to enable such content to be viewed via a network such as the Internet from a browser-enabled computer terminal.

In a second and alternative aspect, apparatus for providing content at the request of a telephone handset user to a computer linked to the Internet comprises: an SMS gateway coupled to a telephone network for receipt of an SMS message sent from the telephone handset of a user, and adapted firstly to identif' the telephone number associated with the telephone handset and secondly whether the SMS message includes a keyword; a server linked to the SMS gateway, to a first memory storing a plurality of keywords and a table of Uniform Resource Locators (hereafter: "URLs"), each said LIRL being associated with a said stored keyword, and to second memory storing a table of accounts, each account being associated with a specific telephone number and with an account access key; and the server including an interrogation engine adapted, upon detection of a received keyword via the SMS gateway, to interrogate the first memory to derive a URL associated with the received keyword if present in said plurality of keywords, to interrogate the second memory to derive an account associated with said telephone number, if present in said plurality of telephone numbers, and to associate said URL with said account; and the server being connected in a network and being adapted to allow access to said account from a browser-enabled computer terminal connected to said network, subject to entry to said browser of the particular account access key associated with said account to allow access to content posted on one or more web pages associated with said URL.

The apparatus may optionally also provide content to the telephone handset if WDP-enabled. In that case, the first memory also stores a table of WDP URL's, each such WDP URL being associated with a said stored keyword, and the interrogation engine is adapted on detection of a received keyword via the SMS gateway to interrogate the first memory to derive both a URL and a WDP URL associated with the received keyword, if present in said plurality of keywords; the server being adapted automatically to transmit said WDP URL in an SMS message sent via said SMS gateway to the telephone handset enabling the user of the portable telephone handset to access said WDP URL and content associated therewith via the WDP browser associated with their telephone handset.

With such a system, and advertiser may invite a potential customer to use their telephone handset instantly to request content regarding some product, service or event, with the full content being made available for later rich viewing, downloading and printing via their computer browser, while a more rudimentary WDP version can be called up from their telephone handset in the meanwhile.

In the accompanying drawings, which are by way of example only: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system employing the teaching herein; Fig. 2 is a screenshot presented to a user via their computer browser; Fig. 3 is a screenshot showing a list of content requested by a particular user and of advertising linked to such content; Fig. 4 is a screenshot presented to a content provider (Partner) after logging in; Fig. 5 is a screenshot of that Partner's Pay-per-text statistics; and Fig. 6 is a screenshot showing keywords and bids therefore.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, let us suppose that the user of a telephone handset, here a cellular mobile telephone handset 1, sees an advertisement or announcement inviting customers to text (in other words: to send an SMS message) to a particular number to seek information about a product, service or event, and identifying a keyword to be sent. The user then sends that keyword by SMS message 2, which is picked up by an adjacent cellular telephone mast 3, and sent via telephone network 4 to a mobile network operator's SMS gateway 5 and hence to an SMS gateway 6 associated with a content station 7.

The content station includes a server 8 coupled to SMS gateway 6 via an SMS platform 9. Gateway 6 and platform 9 co-operate to identify from the received SMS firstly the keyword sent and secondly the telephone number of the telephone handset from which the SMS message was sent. Server 8 includes an interrogation engine 10 and is linked to first memory 11 which stores a table 12 of keywords and of URLs associated with those keywords, and also a table 13 of telephone numbers and of respective accounts and account access keys associated with each of those telephone numbers.

The interrogation engine 10 interrogates memory 11 to check whether the telephone number of the sender is included in the table 13 of telephone numbers. If it is not, the server may respond to handset 1 by transmitting via the telephone network 4 an SMS message identifying a WAP URL through the associated WAP page of which the user may register an account, or giving alternative information to the user of the handset as to how they may register an account. In either event, such Registration automatically adds the telephone number to said table 13 of telephone numbers with an associated account and account access key.

The interrogation engine 10 also interrogates memory 11 to check whether a particular keyword is included in the table 12 of keywords held by memory 11, and extracts the associated URL, which is sent to memory 14 and associated in said memory with the particular account associated with the user's telephone number.

The table 12 of keywords may also include WAP IJRLs associated with some or all of those keywords. Accordingly, interrogation engine 10 may also interrogate memory 11 for a WAP URL associated with the keyword concerned. This WAP URL (or a default WAP IJRL if there is no associated WAP URL linked to the keyword concerned) is advised to the user of the handset I via a return SMS message, which advises the user that they may access their account via a conventional web browser 15 on a computer 16 linked to a network such as the Internet 17 to access rich content. Meanwhile, when the user has been advised of a WAP IJRL associated with their chosen keyword, they may use a WAP browser associated with the handset 1 to access one or more WA? pages associated with that WAP URL. As the WA? IJRL will have been transmitted to the telephone handset user, they may obtain access to such WAP pages by a direct connection via the Internet or via server 8 and the user's account details stored in memory 14 using the account access key.

The aforesaid WA? URL functionality is optional, and, even when provided for, not all keywords may have WA? IJRLs as well as URLs associated with them. In any event, as noted above, the IJRL associated with the keyword will be associated in memory 14 with the particular user's account. The web pages to which that IJRL points may be stored on memory in the database associated with server 8, or may be stored on external servers only linked to server 8 over a network such as Internet 17.

At some later time, which may be for a limited period only, a user may call up the requested content on their own computer 16 in a very straightforward fashion, as explained below with reference to Figs. 2 to 6, which show typical screen shots on a personal computer. The user first navigates using their web browser to the website of the business running this service, namely the website identified by the URL associated with server 8 (in this example: at iviewz.com). Having logged in, typically by entering their e-mail address and a password, the two together comprising the particular user's account access key, the user is presented with the screen shown in Fig. 2. The Trademarks iViewz and the "stick-man logo" shown on this and other screen shots are Trademarks of Interactive Text Ltd. Clicking on a "Menu" button 18 brings up a short menu with "My List", "My Details" (which allows the user to change the registration details or password for their account), and "Logout" buttons.

"My List" brings up the screen shown in Fig. 3 with a list of content requested, here consisting of just one item 19, in this example relating to Manchester City Football Club. It will be noted that content is identified in plain text rather than by its URL as such. Also included are one or more advertisements, here a single advertisement 20 personalised for the particular user, Andrew. Server 8 may store advertisements, either directly, or by way of TJRLs pointing to an external server, and advertisers may pay for their advertisements to be added to a user's list when a particular keyword-associated URL, or keyword-associated IJRLs of a selected class are associated with that user's account. For example a football club related URL might trigger an advertisement relating to football pool betting.

It will readily be appreciated, that the system here disclosed enables a mobile telephone user who sees an invitation to do so to instantly request content, that content being made available in a rich experience form through a browser-enabled computer to which that user may have access at a later time convenient to them.

Meanwhile a WAP-adapted version of the same content (or a trailer or "teaser" for that content) may be made available to the handset user, if their handset is WAP enabled, via a WAP URL advised to them by SMS message. As with the richer webpages available by Internet connection to the user's PC 16, a number of the abbreviated WAP-adapted versions may remain available to the user for a predetermined period of time.

Providers of content, here termed "Partners" log into the system in a similar manner, and are presented with a menu shown in Fig. 4. They may pay for their content being available by one or both of a Pay-per- Text basis, with a payment for each SMS message sent to server 8 with their keyword, and a Pay-per-Click basis, with payment for each time their content is viewed, as a user, having requested content once, may look at it a number of times. Selecting the "Pay Per Text" button 21 allows a Partner, via successive screens, to check their Pay-per-Text Account and to top it up, for example through a PayPal or credit card payment Selecting the "PPT Statistics" button 22 presents data (See Fig. 5) relating to the number of texts over a selected period and the cost charged against the Partner's Pay-per-Text account.

Selecting the "Pay Per Click" button 23 similarly allows a Partner to check their Pay-per-Click Account and to top it up, while selecting the "PPC Statistics" button 24 may provide user statistics for each of the Partner's keywords.

In a variation, the system may allow for competitive bids for keywords, since some, such as those identifying a particular product (say, windows) may be in demand. In this case, selecting the "Pay Per Click" button 23 may produce a list 25 of all of the particular Partner's keywords for which a particular Partner has bid with the prices 26 per click bid by that Partner and the highest competitive bids 27 by other Partners foT those same keywords, all as shown in Fig. 6. This is achieved by keeping a table in memory linked to server 8 comprising each bid for a particular keyword and the Partner account associated with each such bid. When presented with the screen of Fig. 6, the Partner may select a particular keyword, taking them to a further screen on which they may enter their bid or increased bid and the LTRL to be associated with that keyword if the Partner is successful. Only the Partner with the highest bid for a particular keyword will have their tJRL associated with it. In the example of Fig. 6, the particular Partner has been outbidden for each of their keywords, including windows, and so none of their URLs will be selected. The system may provide an automatic alert by e-mail or SMS message to a Partner who has been outbidden for a keyword that up to then was associated with their URL.

Selecting the "My Billboard" button 28 (Fig. 4) takes the partner to their content if stored via server 8, and allows it to be changed via successive screens in a conventional fashion. Such content may include links to other web pages, including links to external websites, taking the user away from the system, which may suitably trigger a pop-up dialogue warning about this before transfer to the linked site takes place.

ft will readily be understood that while the specific example illustrated in Fig. 1 is of a celiphone telephone handset, such as one operating on the GSM and GPRS protocols, the system described herein can operate just as well with a satellite, rather than cell, based telephone system or with landlines, provided that the telephone handset can send SMS messages.

Claims

Claims 1. A method for providing content to a computer terminal by

request from a telephone handset user, said request comprising an SMS message containing a keyword associated with the content being requested, the method comprising the steps of: receiving said SMS message at an SMS gateway associated with a content station and adapted to determine from said SMS message both the keyword sent and the telephone number associated with the sender of the SMS message; checking firstly whether the said keyword is present in a table of keywords stored in memory at said content station, each keyword in said table being associated with specific content, and secondly whether the said telephone number is present in a table of telephone numbers stored in memory at said content station, each such stored telephone number being associated with a specific account and with an associated account access key; and, if said check establishes that said keyword and said telephone number are present in the respective tables, associating the said content corresponding to the said keyword with the said account; and thereafter, for at least a predetermined period of time, allowing access to the said account via said access key and to content associated with that account, to enable such content to be viewed via a network such as the Internet from a browser-enabled computer terminal.

*
2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein said server is additionally enabled to * .**. provide content to the telephone handset if WDP-enabled. *** * S S...

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3. A method according to Claim 2, wherein the first memory also stores s table of WDP IJRL's, each such WDP URL being associated with a said stored keyword, and the interrogation engine on detection of a received keyword via the SMS gateway *:::* interrogates the first memory to derive both a URL and a WDP URL associated with * * the received keyword, if present in said plurality of keywords; the server automatically transmitting said WDP URL in an SMS message sent via said SMS gateway to the telephone handset enabling the user of the portable telephone handset both to access said WDP URL and content associated therewith via the WDP browser associated with their telephone handset, and, at a later time convenient to them, to view, download and print content associated with said URL via their computer browser.
4. Apparatus for providing content at the request of a telephone handset user to a computer linked to the Internet, comprising: an SMS gateway coupled to a telephone network for receipt of an SMS message sent from the telephone handset of a user, and adapted firstly to identifr the telephone number associated with the telephone handset and secondly whether the SMS message includes a keyword; a server linked to the SMS gateway, to a first memory storing a plurality of keywords and a table of Uniform Resource Locators (hereafter: "URLs"), each said URL being associated with a said stored keyword, and to second memory storing a table of accounts, each account being associated with a specific telephone number and with an account access key; and the server including an interrogation engine adapted, upon detection of a received keyword via the SMS gateway, to interrogate the first memory to derive a URL associated with the received keyword if present in said plurality of keywords, to interrogate the second memory to derive an account associated with said telephone number, if present in said plurality of telephone numbers, and to associate said URL with said account; and the server being connected in a network and being adapted to allow access to said account from a browser-enabled computer terminal connected to said network, subject to entry to said browser of the particular account access key associated with said account to allow access to content posted on one or more web pages associated with said URL.
5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said server is additionally enabled to *. provide content to the telephone handset if WDP-enabled. S... * S S...

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6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the first memory also stores a table of WDP URL's, each such WDP URL being associated with a said stored keyword, and the interrogation engine is adapted on detection of a received keyword via the *: *: :* SMS gateway to interrogate the first memory to derive both a URL and a WDP URL * S * associated with the received keyword, if present in said plurality of keywords; the server being adapted automatically to transmit said WDP URL in an SMS message sent via said SMS gateway to the telephone handset enabling the user of the portable telephone handset to access said WDP URL and content associated therewith via the WDP browser associated with their telephone handset.
7. For providing content to a computer terminal by request from a telephone handset user, a method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
8. Apparatus for providing content at the request of a telephone handset user to a computer linked to the Internet, the apparatus being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings. * .* * * * * I. I... * * *.* I. *I * * * * *

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