Patent Application
20080263584
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for initiating bidirectional communications, and, more particularly, to apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for initiating bidirectional communications via an advertising interface.
Modern communications systems and media are often utilized to provide advertisement information. For example, advertising information is commonly disseminated via newspaper advertisements, via targeted or mass mailings, via television commercials, via electronic mail (“email”), and/or via advertisement banners/windows on a computer display. Such advertisements can be beneficial, providing information regarding, amongst other things, product names and descriptions, price information, and information related to contacting a seller of a product and thereby aiding in determinations as to whether and where to purchase a product.
One limitation often associated with the above described advertisements is that the amount of information that may be feasibly communicated by the advertisement is limited. Whether due to spatial constraints (e.g., as in a newspaper advertisement), time constraints (e.g., as in the length of a television commercial), or some other factor, often only a small portion of the total amount of available product/service information is typically presented in an advertisement. As such, a potential consumer who is confronted with an advertisement and becomes interested in the associated product or service may be required to undertake some amount or research regarding further product/service information. This may involve considerable time and effort on the part of the consumer. Further, depending on the manner in which this information is obtained, the information may not be sufficiently tailored to the needs of the specific consumer at issue (for example, in consulting an Internet-based review of a product).
In light of the foregoing background, provided are improved apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for initiating bidirectional communications via an advertising interface. By utilizing the advertising interface to initiate bidirectional communications, embodiments may allow for efficiently obtaining information regarding advertised products or services.
In one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a communications unit configured to send and receive data and a processing unit in communication with the communications unit. The processing unit is configured to cause advertising data to be transmitted to a communications device for output as a selectable advertising interface. The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data, such as an entity associated with content of the advertising data. The contact data may be configured such that selection of the advertising interface at the communications device automatically prompts initiation of a bidirectional communications channel between the communications device and the entity. In some cases, the bidirectional communications channel may be established by the processing unit, and may at least partially be established between the apparatus and the communications device.
In one embodiment, the advertising interface may be a graphical advertising interface, selection of which at the communications device may prompt initiation of bidirectional textual communications between the communications device and the entity. The processing unit may be configured to cause at least some of the bidirectional textual communications to be displayed within the graphical advertising interface, perhaps simultaneously with at least some of the advertising data. In another embodiment, the communications unit may include communications means for sending and receiving data, and the processing unit may include processing means for causing advertising data to be transmitted to the communications device for output as a selectable advertising interface.
In another aspect, a method is provided that includes transmitting advertising data to a communications device for output as a selectable advertising interface. The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data. The contact data may be configured such that selection of the advertising interface at the communications device automatically prompts initiation of a bidirectional communications channel between the communications device and the entity associated with the advertising data. Indication of selection of the advertising interface may be received from the communications device, and initiation of a bidirectional communications channel between the communications device and the entity may be automatically prompted in response to receiving indication of selection of the advertising interface.
In yet another aspect, a computer program product is provided that includes a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein. The computer-readable program code portions include a first executable code portion for transmitting advertising data to a communications device for output as a selectable advertising interface. The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data. The contact data may be configured such that selection of the advertising interface at the communications device automatically prompts initiation of a bidirectional communications channel between the communications device and the entity associated with the advertising data.
In still another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a communications unit configured to send and receive data, the data including advertising data for output via an output device of said apparatus as a selectable advertising interface. The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data. The apparatus also includes a processing unit in communication with the communications unit. The processing unit is configured to automatically initiate a bidirectional communications channel with the entity in response to selection of the advertising interface via a user input device of the apparatus.
In a further aspect, a computer program product is provided that includes a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein. The computer-readable program code portions include a first executable code portion for receiving advertising data including contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data. The computer-readable program code portions also include a second executable code portion for outputting the advertising data as a selectable advertising interface. A third executable code portion is provided for selecting the advertising interface, and a fourth executable code portion is provided for automatically initiating a bidirectional communications channel with the entity in response to selecting the advertising interface.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Referring to
Referring to
The advertising data includes, amongst other things, data necessary to create the advertising interface. For example, the advertising data will include advertising content, such as, for example, product names, product information, and contact and/or purchasing information. The advertising data may also include data related to the formatting upon output and the intended manner of selection of the advertising interface. This set of data may include, for example, data regarding the visual display of logos, the volume of an audio output, and/or instructions for prompting and receiving an advertising interface selection. However, more specifically, the format and contents of the advertising data may depend on, amongst other factors, the manner in which the data are intended to be outputted.
Output and subsequent selection of the advertising interface may be accomplished in a variety of ways, depending on the design and capabilities of the communications device at issue. For example, where the communications device is a cellular telephone 206 including an output device, such as a display 214 and/or an audio speaker 215, and a user input device, such as a keypad 216, a microphone 217, a pointing device, and/or soft keys, the advertising interface may be outputted via display 214 as a graphical advertising interface, and selections or other input can be provided using keypad 216. Alternatively, the advertising data may be audibly outputted via the speaker 215 and selection indicated by speaking into the microphone 217. Regardless of the chosen method of output, the advertising data could be appropriately formatted to be consistent with the output method chosen as described above. In some embodiments, the advertising data may include or be accompanied by instructions executable, say, by a processing device of the cellular telephone 206 (or whichever communications device receives the advertising data) to direct the display of the advertising interface by the communications device receiving the advertising data, while in other embodiments, the advertising data may be transmitted without instructions for use, to be utilized by cellular telephone 206 already including any necessary hardware and/or software for directing the display of the advertising interface by the communications device receiving the advertising data.
The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data. The contact data may be included with the advertising data in a variety of ways, such as being incorporated into the advertising data, being appended to the advertising data, being included as part of the metadata associated with the advertising data, or being transmitted generally in conjunction with the advertising data. The entity associated with the advertising data may be, for example, the entity represented by the content of the advertising data. For instance, if the advertising data represents products sold by XYZ Company, XYZ Company (or perhaps a distributor thereof) might be the entity associated with the advertising data, and contact data for XYZ Company may be provided as part of the advertising data. Alternatively, the entity associated with the advertising data could be an entity responsible for the compilation of the data, such as an advertising firm, a network provider, an Internet Technologies specialist, etc. Throughout the specification, the entity associated with advertising data will be referred to as the “advertising entity,” although it should be understood that this entity may or may not be associated with the content of the advertising data, but may only be associated more generally with the advertising data.
The contact data may be configured such that, when the associated advertising interface is outputted at cellular telephone 206 (or whichever communications device is being utilized), selection of the advertising interface (e.g., via pointing device in response to a graphical advertising interface or via a microphone in response to an audible advertising interface, as described earlier) automatically prompts initiation of a bidirectional communications channel between the cellular telephone 206 and the advertising entity. For example, selection of the advertising interface may initiate a voice call or an instant messaging session between the cellular telephone 206 and the voice portal or instant messaging portal, respectively, of a computer 208 operated by the advertising entity. Along these lines, the advertising data may include or be accompanied by instructions executable by a processing device of the cellular telephone 206 for initiating the bidirectional communications channel, or may be utilized by cellular telephone 206 inherently equipped with such functionality.
As used herein, the term “bidirectional communications channel” should be understood to refer to a communications link that allows for the near-simultaneous transfer of data in two directions, with each party to the communication being capable of both requesting and providing information. Simple examples of bidirectional communications channels include the voice channel associated with a voice call and the bidirectional textual communications channel associated with an instant messaging session. The communications facilitated by a bidirectional communications channel may be contrasted by a server-client relationship, in which only one side spontaneously requests information (a server may request, for example, identification or authorization information, but such requests are usually in response to a prior request from a client). The communications facilitated by a bidirectional communications channel may also be contrasted, for example, by communications that occur through the exchange of a series of electronic mail messages, in which involve a series of unidirectional communications channels rather than a bidirectional communications channel.
In some cases, processing unit 212 may be configured to establish, in response to selection of the advertising interface at the communications device, the bidirectional communications channel between the cellular telephone 206 and the advertising entity. For example, server 204 may receive indication of the selection of the advertising interface and may initiate communications with computer 208 of the advertising entity, possibly via the network 202, on behalf of the cellular telephone 206. The ensuing communications channel would be established partially between server 204 and cellular telephone 206 and partially between server 204 and computer 208. In these cases, cellular telephone 206 may simply act as a terminal of server 204. In other cases, cellular telephone 206 and computer 208 may communicate independently of server 204, again possibly via network 202. In still other cases, the bidirectional communications channel could be established directly between server 204 and cellular telephone 206, as in the case where server 204 is operated by the advertising entity.
Referring to
Operation begins at Block 420 with the transmission of advertising data (represented by the arrows labeled 1a and 1b of
At Block 426, reception of the indication of selection of the graphical advertising interface may prompt initiation of a bidirectional communications channel, in the present case a bidirectional communications channel supporting bidirectional textual communications. For example, server 304 may contact second communications device 308 regarding a desire by first communications device to initiate bidirectional textual communications (represented by arrows 3a and 3b), may receive a reply indicating a willingness by second communications device 308 to enter into communications (represented by arrows 4a and 4b), and may notify first communications device 306 of such willingness (represented by arrows 5a and 5b). Messages can then be exchanged between cellular telephone 306 and computer 308 at Block 428. The bidirectional textual communications channel may be established in several ways. For example, the channel may be established through server 304, such that communications from cellular telephone 306 to computer 308, and vice versa, are routed via server 304 (represented by arrows 6a, 6b, and 6c of
Referring to
Communications unit 510 may receive advertising data that may be output via output device 514 as a selectable advertising interface, for example, as a selectable graphical advertising interface. The advertising data may be received, for example, from server 504, which may be an advertisement server, and may be stored in memory 513. The advertising data may include contact data for contacting an entity associated with the advertising data (i.e., an “advertising entity”). Processing unit 512 may be configured to automatically initiate a bidirectional communications channel, for example, a channel supporting bidirectional textual communications, with the advertising entity in response to selection of the advertising interface via user input device 516. Processing unit 512 may also govern and/or control the output of the selectable advertising interface via output device 514, as well as the process of selecting the interface. Instructions executable by processing unit 512 in carrying out some or all of the above functions may also be stored in memory 513.
As discussed above, a processing unit, either associated with a communications device or located elsewhere (for example, in a server remote from the communications device), may facilitate output of an advertising interface at the communications device and, in some cases, trigger initiation of a bidirectional communications channel in response to selection thereof. In one embodiment, the advertising interface may be a graphical advertising interface, and the communications may be textual communications. Regardless of the location of the processing unit responsible for providing the advertising interface and/or establishing the bidirectional communications channel, the processing unit may cause at least some of the bidirectional textual communications to be displayed within the graphical advertising interface. In some embodiments, the bidirectional textual communications may be displayed within the graphical advertising interface simultaneously with at least some of said advertising data.
For example, referring to
As described above and as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be configured as a system, an apparatus, or a method. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may be comprised of various means including entirely of hardware, entirely of software, or any combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied in the storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatuses (i.e., systems) and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, can be implemented by various means including computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create a means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readable instructions for implementing the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
