WO2005024741A1

WO2005024741A1 - Order method and system

Info

Publication number: WO2005024741A1
Application number: PCT/NO2004/000264
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bredo Swanberg; Tor Jakob NORDBØ
Original assignee: Bredo Swanberg; Nordboe Tor Jakob
Priority date: 2003-09-09
Filing date: 2004-09-07
Publication date: 2005-03-17
Also published as: NO318749B1; NO20033987D0

Abstract

The present invention generally deals with a system and a method for electronic ordering and purchasing of products. More precisely, ordering of products, where the type of product ordered is defined by the point in time the order is sent. It is then possible to order a product without any specification of the product itself.

Description

Order method and system

Introduction

The present invention generally deals with a system and a method for electronic ordering and purchasing of products. More precisely, ordering of products, where the type of product ordered is defined by the point in time the order is sent.

In the present specification, products shall also comprise services.

More specifically, the present invention describes a technical solution where the product ordered by a customer at a specific point in time , is linked with a product presented by a content provider at the same point in time. This linking of points in time initiates an order without the need of any specification of the product by the customer. Before a final order is effectuated, the customer may send a confirmation of that the initiated order is the product the customer wanted.

Prior art

Today there exist different systems for ordering and purchasing of products by using electronic devices like for instance a mobile phone or a PC.

In prior art, the product that is ordered must in one way or another be specified. When a product is to be ordered, like e.g.- from what is seen on TV or heard on radio, one may be invited to call a specific phone number, followed by ordering the product either electronically by entering different ordering codes, or by speaking directly with an operator handling the order. There are also different automated variants of this type of ordering method.

There exist different systems for ordering and purchasing of products like e.g. music heard on a radio channel. In these systems it is necessary, in one way or another, to specify the channel the music was, played on, and an indication of point in time. By purchasing only one song one may be presented with a list of songs played in the indicated time interval, and one must choose which song to be ordered. The product is therefore not ordered in real time and requires that the purchaser executes several choices and actions before the desired product is ordered. Accordingly, when buying a CD one must in one way or another specify . the CD in question. This may be in the fonn of calling a unique phone number, or that the specification is done after one has called a phone number which establish a connection with the place where the CD can be ordered.

WO 99/18518 describes, as an example, a web based interface where the music played is published, either beforehand, in real time, or afterwards. After that one may buy the music if desired, or ad comments to the music played. This is done by pointing and clicking with a suitable device on the link describing the desired song.

The purpose of the invention, as described in WO 99/18518, is to make it possible for radio stations to visualize the music repertoire for the listeners for reading and commenting;

JP 2002082674 describes a system for purchase of music, broadcasted by radio, TV and cable networks over Internet or i-mode (Japanese multimedia mobile phone system).

The premises for purchasing music is that one specifies the name of the radio station, date and time of broadcasting in the order.

The present invention describes a system where one can buy for instance music by using SMS (Short Message System/text messages) by sending an empty message while the music is played. This is contrary to the last mentioned publication where one has to specify further characteristics like radio station, date and time. This is very cumbersome when using SMS/i-mode, and the probability of failing due to spelling mistakes are big.

By using the present invention these types of problems are avoided.

By means of the system and the method, according to the present invention, it is possible to send a message to a number or an address, e.g. a four digit number, without any form of specification of the product ordered. It is the point in time the order is sent that determines which product is ordered. This makes it easier and' faster to order what one sees or hears.

Purpose and Summary of the Invention The purpose of the present invention is, as described above, to provide a system and a method for simple ordering and purchase of products, and that do not require specification of the product which is necessary when using the known systems of today.

This is made possible by linking the order made by the customer at a certain point in time with the product presented by a content provider at the same point in time. This means that it is within the time interval the content provider presents its content that the customer has to order, to be able to create a match between content and order. In this presentation content comprise all types of physical and electronic products (e.g. music, music videos, films/movies, clothes, furniture, etc). A customer is defined as a person who receives the content by a content provider and purchase the products delivered by the content provider. A content provider may be radio stations, TV stations, cinemas, concerts, festivals, fashion shows, Internet, etc.

This linking of point in time initiates an order without any specification of the product by the customer in the order. This type of ordering makes it possible to send an order via SMS to order a song he/she listens to on a radio station or a TV station. The order contains no information about what is played but has to be sent while the song is broadcasted from the radio/TV station. It is the point in time the message (SMS) is sent which links the order to the content broadcasted from the radio/TV station at the same point in time. The comparison of the points in times makes it possible to identify the product, and after that invoice and send the product to the customer, either as a physical product (CD), or through data and/or telecom networks as a digital file.

To the greatest extent, this way of ordering can be used for all types of media and events. Examples may be radio, analogue TV, digital interactive TV, data and telecomm networks, streaming on Internet, concerts, movie, fashion shows, etc.

Different devices may be used for the ordering process itself by the customer. Examples are mobile phone, PDA, pager, interactive TV, PC, etc.

The purpose of the present invention is obtained with a system and a method as described in the enclosed claims.

Detailed Description and Preferred Embodiment

The invention will in the following be described in detail with reference to the figures, where:

Figure 1 shows the flow chart related to a time based trade transaction, and Figure 2 shows a module diagram of all the modules which is part of a time based trade.

When referring to the figures, an example describing sale of music is used. This is not meant to limit the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the process flow in an ordering system according to the invention. A content provider 100 presents his content over a network 200 which may be digital or analogue. As soon as the content is presented by the content provider, the relevant information about the content will be transferred to a content list 150. This content list 150 contains point in time for start/end of the presentation of a product 800, 900, possibly who and what is presented. The content list 150 is thereafter transferred to a content list module in a time based trade system, TBTrade 700. It may be an electronic product 800, like data that can be transferred through a network, or a physical product 900 which may be delivered by physical transport. In the present specification products also comprise services. A user receives the product presented by means of a receiver unit 300. A receiver unit 300 is the unit the customer 400 has,. which receives content from a content provider 100, for instance radio, TV, PC mobile phone, PDA, etc. The receiver unit is not meant to be limited to a technical unit, but shall be understood as the means ■ making a potential customer aware of which product that is presented. If a person attends a fashion show it is the fashion show itself which shall be understood as the receiver unit 300, as long as it is on the fashion show the product is presented. The user catches an interest in what he hears to or sees, and wishes to buy the product. The user, which now becomes a customer, use the order unit 500 and sends an empty SMS message to the content provider's ordering number/ address. The order unit may be a mobile phone, PDA, pager, radio, TV, PC, etc (i.e. units which can send messages either via SMS, MMS, IM, e-mail, or other messaging systems). The ordering number may for instance be a phone number, an IM (Instant Messaging) address, an e-mail address, etc. The message from the customer is transmitted through a telecomm/data network 600 to a communication module in TBTrade 700 with information about the point in time the message was sent and by whom. Even if the message is empty, the identity of the sender will be available, as is the case when sending for. instance an SMS or an e-mail. The communication module in TBTrade 700 receives the message and analyse the message. The message is converted to a record containing the point in time the message was sent and the identity of the customer. The communication module sends this order record to the time link module which is a part of TBTrade 700. The communication module and the time link module will be described in more details below with reference to Figure 2. The time link module receives the order record from the communication module and compares the point in time the message was sent with the point in time when the content from the content provider was presented by comparing the information in the content list. The points in time are compared, and the product listed in the content list that matches the point in time in the order record is extracted. The record in the content list and the order record are merged and becomes a formal order record. The formal order record will then contain point in time for ordering, the identity of the customer and who and what was presented, in other words the product the customer wants. After this initiation of an order, TBTrade 700 may send a request for confirmation of the order to the customer 400. The customer 400 may then accept or reject the order. If the order is accepted the product will be sent to the customer 400, either physically or electronically, depending of the type of product ordered.

If the electronic message is not sent right away, for instance due to congestion in the telecomm-/data networks 250, the time stamp of the electronic message may be different than the point in time the customer sent the-electronic message. In that case may the order be related to another product than the one the customer wanted. By asking for an acceptance of the order this will be avoided.

Figure 2 shows a module diagram of all the elements which is part of a time based trade. The figure shows in more detail which modules that may be part of the system in a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

The figure shows four main modules. One module for the telecomm-/data network supplier 250 which is the connection between a customer 400 and a content provider, one module comprising the time based trade system TBTrade 700, a larger module including TBTrade 700 and TBTradeOrder 750 containing order module, product register, etc. The last module is the part of the system that deals with the handling of the orders.

The main features of the invention are located in the module TBTrade 700. This module 700 comprises at least a content list module 710, a time link module 720, a communication module 730, all included on a server. It would be an advantage if the module TBTrade 700 also comprises an order module 740. The content list module 710 receives a content list 150 from a content provider 100 which typically is the supplier of the product or the service one wish to sell. The content list module 710 contains records with the points in time a product is presented and what type of product that was presented. The content list module 710. is connected to a time link module 720 linking the point in time the message was sent from a customer 400 with the points in times in the content list 150 from the content provider. The linking is made by comparing the point in time the message was sent form the customer 400 with the point of time the product was presented to the customer 400.

A communication module 730 is connected to the telecomm-/data networks supplier 250 through a telecomn data network 600 which may include a gateway 210. The communication module 730 will therefore be able to receive information form a customer 400, also connected to the telecomnWdata network 600, in terms of an electronic message (e.g. SMS, IM, e-mail, etc). When the electronic message is received from the customer 400 in the communication module 730, the time link module 720, which is connected to the communication module 400, will extract the point in time the message was sent from the customer 400. The identity of the customer, i.e. the sender of the message, is also extracted from the .electronic message. An ordering module 740 is connected with the time link module 720 and the communication module 730. The order module 740 receives the order from the time link module 720, and converts it to an order line by means of a customer register 790, a product register 780 and a shopping basket 770 which it may be connected to. The customer register 790 is a register containing all customers in the system. The product register 780 is a register containing all available products. The shopping basket 770 is an intermediate storage of the customer's order, while TBTrade 750 communicates with the customer 400, before the order is sent to the formal order module 760, or is rejected. The formal order module 760 may have a connection (the dotted line) with the communication module 730 when the system is configured to ask for order confirmation from the customer 400, after which the delivery 950 is carried out, and the product 800, 900 is dispatched 980.

In one configuration of the system it will not be necessary to confirm the order. In that type of configuration the connection between the formal order module 760 and the communication module 730 is not necessary.

The interaction between a formal order module 760 and TBTrade 700 is now to be explained in more details. The description is related to both Figure 1 and 2.

The order module 740 receives the order from the time link module 720 and finds the name and address of the customer 400 from a customer register 790, which eventually may comprise an external database 790. When the customer 400 is found, the order module 740 will verify if it is possible to order the product 800, 900 the customer demands. If the product 800, 900 is available, the order is put in the shopping basket 770 with status, not confirmed. It may be generated a confirmation of the order that the customer shall have. The order confirmation is sent to the communication module 730. The communication module 730 receives the order confirmation and converts it to a message. This message is sent to the customer 400 with a question of if the order is correct. The message is sent on the network 600. The customer 400 receives a confirmation from TBTrade 700 containing order information. The customer 400 may confirm the order by replying with a positive answer back to TBTrade 700. The communication module 730 receives the reply and process the confirmation from the customer. The communication module converts the message to a registration/record, and interprets this to not be an order but an answer from a customer. The result is sent to the order module 740. Then order module 740 receives the record from the communication module 730, interprets the record and looks up the corresponding order in the shopping basket 770. The order module 740 acknowledges the order in the shopping basket 770 and sends it to the formal order module 760. The formal order module 760 generates a message to the communication module 730 that the customer's product 800, 900 is ordered, and the communication module 730 sends a message to the customer 400 that the purchase is confirmed. The purchase is now completed and the formal order module 760 will send a message to the external logistic system of what the customer has ordered, and generates settlement information. The external logistic system will handle the dispatch 980 of the product, which may be an electronic 800, or physical 900, item. Below are different examples of the use of the system presented according to the invention.

The first example applies to ordering music/music ideo from a radio station or a TV station by using SMS .

A person listening to music on a radio station, or a TV station, likes the song, or music video, that is presented at the moment. She then sends an empty message, or a message containing some information (to a specific number/address), specified with for instance the code word "CD", "Single", "DVD", or a digital file format (e.g. MP3/WMA) for receiving it either on e-mail, regular mail, or have it downloaded directly to the mobile phone. The message containing information may also contain the name of the radio/TV station she listens to. The message must be sent while the song is played in order to make it possible for the receiving system to find the requested song. If one will receive it as a digital file, one has to register with an e-mail address. A CD, a CD single and a DVD is sent to the customer. Payment may for instance be performed by charging the customer's mobile account, or a prepay card.

The second example describes ordering a product from TV using SMS. The advertiser on a TV channel has registered the time for his commercials on the TV channel in the content list in TBTrade. A person watching the commercial likes the product and will like to buy it. He sends an SMS to the TV station's access number which is displayed on the TV. The order is received in TBTrade which check the point in time the message was sent against the points in time for the commercials in the content list. As a result of this the commercial is found and the product that was advertised is recognized. The system sends an SMS back to the customer containing information about the product and asks for a confirmation of the order. He confirms and TBTrade completes the purchase.

The third example describes ordering of products from the Internet using e-mail. An Internet provider delivers video on demand to his customers. Before and after the videos he is showing trailers for other videos. The Internet provider has an order system where his customer's choice of video is logged with ordering time and title. At the same time he will know which trailers are shown before and after the video. This information is sent to the content list in TBTrade. When the customer watches the film he may order a video on DVD by sending an e-mail to the Internet provider's special e-mail address. The e-mail is empty, i.e. neither the subject field nor the body text field needs to contain any information. The point in time the message was sent is verified against the point in times of the trailers/films in the content list in TBTrade, and the identity of the user who ordered the video. When the information is found an e-mail is sent back to the customer asking for confirmation of the order. The customer confirms and the DVD is sent to the customer. It may also be possible to make the video accessible as a digital file on a server for streaming or download. A user name and password may be sent to the customer to access the file. The customer's account at the Internet provider is charged for the specified amount.

The fourth example is about ordering music from Internet using IM (Instant Messaging). A radio station is streaming all programs over the Internet in addition to the regular broadcasting network. The radio station has the possibility to receive orders from IM systems. A potential customer listens to the radio station over the Internet. She fancy a song which she will like to buy and sends an IM message to the radio station's. IM ordering address with for instance the code word "MP3"which denote the desirable digital format. TBTrade register the IM message, and verifies against the content list and chooses the song played at the point in time the IM message was sent. She is a registered customer and is registered with name, address, e-mail address, IM address, and has asked for an invoice on the ordered products. TBTrade sends an IM message back to the customer containing information about the product and the customer information and ask for a confirmation of the order. The customer confirms and TBTrade sends the MP3 file either as an attachment to an IM message, or as an attachment in an e-mail.

The last example is about ordering a product displayed on TV using interactive TV . systems. The advertiser on a TV channel has registered the time for his commercials on the TV channel in the content list in TBTrade. A person watching the commercial likes the product and will like to buy it. She uses the remote TV control to "click" on the product on the screen. The order is received in TBTrade which verifies the point in time the product was displayed against the points in time for the commercials in the content list. As a result of this the commercial is found and the product that was advertised is recognized. The system displays a new window on the screen where the customer has to confirm the order through an interactive dialog. When the order is confirmed the product is sent to the customer.

In the above text it is referred to preferred embodiments of the system and advantageous applications of the present invention. Other variations, alternatives, details and methods of use will however be within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Computer implemented method for ordering products, including services, characterized by performing the steps of:

- receiving from a content provider, a time interval representing when a product is presented to a customer;

- receiving an electronic message including an identification of the customer and a time stamp;

- comparing the time stamp of the electronic message received from the customer with the time interval the product is presented to the customer;

- effectuating ordering of the product defined in the comparing step.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the product can be presented in different settings as TV, radio, over data/ telecommunication networks, cinema, concerts, festivals and shows.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the electronic message with the identification of the customer and a time stamp contain additional information given by the customer.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized by that the additional information describes characterizing features of the product.

5. Method according to claim 3, characterized by that the additional information describes characterizing features of the presenter of the product.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized by that an effectuation of the order is performed after the customer has confirmed the order of the product, after receiving an electronic message containing at least the name of the relevant product.

7. System for ordering of products including services, comprising a server including:

- a content list module (710) for receiving and storing a content list from a content provider;

- a communication module (730) for receiving an electronic message from a customer, and where the system is characterized by that it further comprises:

- a time link module (720) connected to the content list module (710) and the communication module (730) for defining the product or the service ordered by linking the point in time that the customer sent the electronic message with the time interval that the product or service was presented for the customer.

8. System according to claim 7, characterized by that the content list module (710) at least comprises the time interval and the product presented by the content provider.

9. System according to claim 7, characterized by that the message received from a customer can be received via one or several mobile networks, telecommunication networks, computer networks and TV- and radio networks.

10. System according to claim 9, characterized by that the networks can be analog and/or digital.

11. System according to claim 7, characterized by that the server further comprises an ordering module (740) for ordering the relevant product or service.

12. System according to claim 11, characterized by that the ordering module (740) is connected to a system effectuating the order.