Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A METHOD RELATING TO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS THAT INCLUDE
THE TRANSMISSION OF ADVERTISING MESSAGES
The present invention pertains to a method relating to
telecommunications systems in which a call connection is
setup between two subscribers and the call is billed to a
first subscriber and wherein advertisements are transmitted
during the course of the call.
Swedish Patent Nos. 9403793-4 and 9700334-7 teach a method of
forwarding and billing a telephone call wherein the telephone
of a first subscriber is connected to the telephone of a
second subscriber via a standard telephone network. The
standard telephone network may be either a fixed network or a
mobile telephone network.
According to these patent specifications, a call connection
is setup by virtue of the first subscriber dialling a
subscriber number, a prefix or the like, followed by a
subscriber number that leads to a third subscriber and then
dialling a subscriber number that leads to a second
subscriber. This procedure results in the setup of a
connection between the first and the second subscribers while
billing the third subscriber for the call between said first
and second subscribers.
The prefix or corresponding code causes the telephone network
to connect the call through the telephone network to a
network-connected computer unit associated with the third
subscriber. The prefix also causes the computer unit to
forward the call to the second subscriber via said computer
unit, so as to connect the first subscriber with the second
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subscriber. According to the aforesaid patent specifications,
the computer unit is caused to transmit advertisements at
given time intervals during the duration of the call
connection setup between the first and the second
subscribers.
For instance, a chain of hamburger restaurants or a chain of
gas stations may transmit during the course of the call
connection advertisements relating to sales offers or ongoing
marketing campaigns.
The computer unit is caused to collect advertising data from
a database in a predetermined order and to transmit these
advertisements on the ongoing call connection. Because
information relating to the respective telephone numbers of
the first and the second subscribers is found in the
database, the computer unit is able to fetch advertisements
that are local to respective areas or regions in which the
two subscribers are located. The subscribers may also be
categorised in another database, or in one and the same
database, in which a profile of each calling subscriber that
has a subscription agreement with the third subscriber is
stored, as described in Swedish Patent Specification No.
9700096-2. The computer unit can also be caused to collect
advertisements that suit the respective profiles of the
subscriber concerned and send these advertisements to said
subscriber.
In this case, the first subscriber is not billed for the call
to the second subscriber on the understanding that a company
or an organisation is able~to advertise its activities to the
first and the second subscribers.
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The object of the present invention is to enable an
advertiser to intensify promulgation of advertisements to
those subscribers that can be thought to be interested in the
goods or the services to which the advertisements refer.
This object is achieved by the present invention.
The present invention thus pertains to a method relating to
telecommunications wherein a call connection is setup between
two subscribers, wherein the call is billed to a third
subscriber, wherein the first subscriber telephone is
connected to a second subscriber telephone via a standard
telephone network, wherein the first subscriber dials a
subscriber number, preferably preceded by a prefix, that
leads to the third subscriber and then dials a subscriber
number that leads to the second subscriber, wherein the
telephone network is caused to connect the call to a
telephone network connected computer unit that forwards the
call to said second subscriber such as to connect said first
subscriber with said second subscriber, wherein the call
between the first and the second subscribers is billed to the
third subscriber, and wherein advertisements are sent on the
call connection between the first and the second subscribers,
said advertisements belonging to a company that wishes to
promote its services or products, hereinafter referred to as
the advertiser, wherein the invention is characterized by
causing at least one question to be sent to the first and/or
the second subscriber in conjunction with the advertising
message asking whether the subscribers concerned are
interested in establishing further contact with the
advertiser, wherein in the computer unit is caused to sense
any code or the like that might be entered by the subscriber
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concerned in response to such a question,; and wherein the
computer unit is caused to store at least the telephone
number of the subscriber concerned or some other subscriber
identifying information, at least when sensing a code that
indicates that further contact is desired.
The invention will now be described in more detail, partially
with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and
partly with reference to the accompanying drawing, where
Figure 1 is a block schematic illustrating an arrangement of
apparatus for carrying out the present invention.
Figure 1 illustrates an inventive arrangement for forwarding
and billing a telephone call, where a first subscriber
telephone 1 is connected to a second subscriber telephone 2
via a standard telephone network, generally designated 3.
The arrangement includes a third subscriber having a computer
unit 4 that is connected to the telephone network 3. The
computer unit 4 is adapted to sense a prefix dialled by a
first consumer and followed by a subscriber number that leads
to the third subscriber. The third subscriber may have a
local telephone exchange 5 to which the computer unit 4 is
connected. The telephone exchange S may be programmed to
connect an incoming call to the computer unit when sensing
the prefix. When sensing the prefix, the computer unit 4
functions to forward the call, via the telephone network, to
a subscriber number that the first subscriber has dialled
after said first-mentioned subscriber number and that leads
to a second subscriber, so as to establish a call connection
from the first subscriber to said second subscriber.
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The telephone network 3 is also adapted to bill the cost of
the call between the first and the second subscribers to the
subscription of the third subscriber, when sensing said
prefix. In this regard, either the full cost of the call may
5 be billed to the third subscriber, or a part of the cost may
be billed to the third subscriber and the remainder of the
cost billed to the calling subscriber. Ideally, the prefix is
sensed in a telephone exchange in a telephone station 6
belonging to the telephone network for billing purposes.
Advertisements are sent simultaneously to the first and the
second subscribers on the subscriber call connection at
different time intervals.
In this regard, the computer unit 4 is connected to a
database 7 that contains advertising messages.
The database 7, or another database, contains a number of
advertising messages in the form of recordings on data media.
These advertising messages are ideally categorised in an
appropriate order. For instance, the messages may be
categorised in accordance with age, sex, income and housing
district of respective subscribers.
In accordance with the present invention, at least one
question is sent to the first and/or the second subscriber in
respect of the advertising message, asking whether or not the
subscribers concerned desire further contact with the
advertiser, i.e. the company whose products or services are
advertised. When the subscriber or subscribers concerned
enter a code or the like in response to this question, the
computer unit 4 is caused to sense the code. The computer
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unit is caused to at least store the telephone .number of the
subscriber concerned or some other subscriber identification
information, at least when the computer unit senses a code
that indicates that further contact is desired.
According to one embodiment, the code is a code entered on
the button pad of the subscriber's telephone. For instance,
the subscriber will press one on his keypad when the answer
to the question is Yes, and two when the answer is No.
According to another method, the code is a voice message
given by the subscriber, a so-called voice response. The
subscriber will then, for instance, answer Yes or No to the
aforesaid question. In this regard, the computer unit is
programmed to analyze the voice message and convert it to a
digitalized signal.
Thus, when advertisements are transmitted whilst two
subscribers are in conversation, the advertiser is able to
ask the subscribers concerned whether they wish to establish
further contact with the advertiser, for instance by the
advertiser making contact with the subscriber by telephone or
by sending information material to the subscriber.
For instance, when the advertiser is a travel agency
advertising cheap holidays in the Mediterranean area, the
actual advertisement can be terminated with the following
messages: If you would like to receive our catalogue, press 1
on your telephone keypad. If you would like us to contact you
by telephone, press 2 on your telephone keypad.
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Naturally, the advertising messages sent to the two
conversing subscribers may be different. Moreover, the
advertising messages may be adapted to the subscriber
concerned, as described in Swedish Patent Specification No.
9700096-2, wherewith the computer unit is coupled to a
database that contains information concerning different
subscribers.
After sensing the code and the telephone number of the
subscriber concerned, the computer unit is caused to disclose
at least the telephone number to the advertiser. This can be
effected by sending via the telephone network those telephone
numbers which have expressed an interest in. establishing
further contact with the advertiser.
However, the computer unit may send further information in
addition to the telephone number, for instance. When the
database contains subscriber information, this information
can be sent to the advertiser. When the database of the
computer unit includes information relating to the addresses
of different subscribers, the computer unit may, instead,
produce a list of names and addresses and send this list to
the advertiser.
The aforesaid further contact with the advertiser may, for
instance, consist in the advertiser sending advertisement
material to the subscriber concerned, or a personal visit
from a representative of the advertising compan~r. This latter
approach may, for instance, be applicable with regard to
advertisements from insurance companies concerning insurance
policies.
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It may also be the case that the subscriber concerned wishes
to be contacted by telephone. In this case, the advertiser is
able to call the subscriber after having been informed by the
computer unit of those subscribers who desire telephone
contact.
According to one preferred embodiment, in the case of a
subscriber who desires telephone contact, the computer unit
is caused to setup a call connection between the subscriber
and the advertiser at the end of an ongoing call.
It will be obvious from the aforegoing, that the object of
the invention is achieved with the present invention.
The aforesaid prefix may be the subscriber number of the
third subscriber or some other number or a code that includes
the star symbol or the square symbol. Both subscriber number
and prefix may be numerical or alphanumerical or contain only
letters.
The invention shall therefore not be considered to be limited
to the aforedescribed exemplifying embodiments thereof, since
variations can be made within the scope of the following
Claims.
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