Method and a Computer Software for On-Going Monetization of Service Usage

Abstract

A method and a computer program are described for providing a user of a communication device with credits, e.g. virtual credits, based on an on-going usage of one or more selected services, wherein the method comprising: providing the user with a list that comprises identifications of a plurality of services and possible credits associated with each respective service; enabling the user to select at least one service from among the plurality of the services whose identifications are included in that list; tracking on-going usage of the least one selected service by the user; and providing the user with virtual credits based on the tracked usage of the at least one service.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user of a communication device with credits, based on an on-going usage of one or more selected services, wherein the method comprising: providing the user with a list that comprises identifications of a plurality of services and possible credits associated with each respective service; enabling the user to select at least one service from among the plurality of the services whose identifications are included in that list; tracking on-going usage of the at least one selected service by the user; and providing the user with virtual credits based on the tracked usage of the at least one service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit is a virtual credit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-going usage of the service by the user is a member of a group the consists of: a) a period of time during which at least one software application configured to enable provisioning of the at least one service was installed at the user's communication device; b) number of times that the user was actively connected to the at least one software application configured to enable provisioning of the at least one service; and c) a combination of a) and b).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected service is a searching engine configured to provide an Internet searching service to the user, and the usage of said searching engine by the user is associated with a period of time during which the searching engine was installed and/or configured at the user communication device before it has been un-installed from said user communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of providing a correlation between a period of time during which the user was using the at least one selected service and credits to which he is entitled, based on said period of time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said correlation is not a linear correlation, and ensures that the longer the user keeps using the at least one service, the higher is the virtual credit to which he would be entitled per unit of time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of retrieving identifications of a plurality of services available and of the possible virtual credit associated with each respective service, and preparing a list that comprises the retrieved information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of forwarding one or more indications of the user's usage of the selected service, in order to evaluate an amount of the user's usage of and/or the user activity at the at least one service.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of forwarding one or more indications of the user's usage of the selected service, in order to evaluate duration of the user's usage of the at least one service and/or the aggregated period of time during which the user was actively using the at least one service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each indication is forwarded after a pre-defined period of time has lapsed from forwarding its preceding indication.

11. A computer program product encoding a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for executing a set of instructions by one or more computer processors for carrying out a method for providing a user of a communication device with credits, based on an on-going usage of one or more selected services, wherein the method comprising: providing the user with a list that comprises identifications of a plurality of services and possible credits associated with each respective service; enabling the user to select at least service from among the plurality of the services whose identifications are included in that list; tracking on-going usage of the least one selected service by the user; and providing the user with credits based on the tracked usage of the at least one service.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a system construed in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 2 exemplifies a flow chart of a method for carrying out an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Some of the specific details and values in the following detailed description refer to certain examples of the disclosure. However, this description is provided only by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the claimed method and device may be implemented by using other methods that are known in the art per se. In addition, the described embodiments comprise different steps, not all of which are required in all embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention can be summarized by referring to the appended claims.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of an exemplary operating system 10 construed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Each of the various sub-system comprised in system 10 includes a computing capability (e.g. a processor). System 10 includes the following. An application module 12, an offer wall module 13, operative to generate and display offers for the user of user device 11, an instructions' module 14, operative to generate and display instructions to user device 11, a service module 15, and an analytics module 16 which is in communication with owner 17 of the application associated with application module 12. It should be noted that the subsystems designated by 12, 13, 14, 15 can be integrally configured or alternatively connected in any suitable manner (e.g. within a single device, or on a device and a plurality of servers, etc.), and which can be hardware enabled or software enabled (or any combination thereof) to carry out functions that are required for system 10 to properly function.

[0033] Sub-system 12 (the application module) is a software program that is operative according to the present example on a mobile device. The software application itself is typically provided for upload onto user device 11 by the application owner 17. The application module may utilize a plurality of monetization venues as will be further described.

[0034] Offer wall module 13 comprises according to the present example: a software development kit (SDK) associated with application module 12; a central repository for storing a plurality of available offers (not shown in this figure); a communication means that enables exchange of information between application module 12 and the repository of offer wall module 13. The exchange of information can be done either through the SDK or directly with the repository through an application programming interface (API) that is apparent to the repository; and a computing means (e.g. a processor) configured to process available offers through an API and/or through a user interface.

[0035] Instructions module 14 is configured according to this embodiment of the present invention, to forward to user device 11 instructions for the user that relate to steps required to be taken by the user in order to start using a service on a continuing basis, in a way that will enable the system to measure and report his usage of the service.

[0036] Service module 15 is configured according to this example to enable provisioning of an on-going service to the user. The term service as used herein throughout the specification and claims is used to denote a computer software functionality or a set of computer software functionalities (such as the retrieval of specified information or the execution of a set of operations) with a purpose that different clients can reuse it, together with policies that should control its usage (based on the identity of the client requesting the service, for example). In other words, the term service as used herein may be regarded as a mechanism that enables access to one or more capabilities, where the access is provided using a prescribed interface and is exercised consistent with constraints and policies associated with the service. Preferably, a computer software (or a part thereof) that is operative for the provisioning of the service defined hereinabove, is different from a software application that is comprised within the application module that is used in the process of enabling the user to use that service.

[0037] Data (e.g. pre-defined indications) retrieved by service module 15 as a result of the usage of the service by the user, is then forwarded to analytics module 16.

[0038] Analytics module 16 comprises according to the present invention a processor configured to receive indications forwarded from service module 15; a storage configured to store the received indications, whether they are attributed to a user or to a service or to a combination of a user and a service, depending on the requirements (e.g. constrains) that are as set by the specific service in connection with the provisioning of the virtual credits to a user of that service; a processor configured to query, via an application programming interface or via a user interface, the indications received; and a forwarding means (e.g. a transceiver) configured to convey information to other sub-systems such as application module 12 and/or to the server of the application owner 17, about the received indications.

[0039] FIG. 2 exemplifies a flow chart of a method construed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. According to this example, one or more offers that include an identification of a service that may be provided to the user and the virtual credit that the user will receive upon using that service, are presented to a user (step 100). For example, the relationship between the period of time during which the user was associated with the service and the amount of virtual credit that may be gained in return.

[0040] Next, the user selects a service from among the offers presented to him, and he is instructed on how to configure his device in order to enable him to use the selected service, e.g. instructions for changing his search engine to a different one (step 110).

[0041] Then, the user carries out the actions specified in the instructions provided (e.g. changes the service provide) (step 120), and thereafter performs on-going activities associated with the selected service (step 130).

[0042] Data that relates to on-going user activities made in connection with the selected service is forwarded to an analytics module for assessing the user activities in line with the requirements set for receiving virtual credit based on an on-going usage of the selected service (step 140).

[0043] Next, the user is provided with the virtual credits that match his usage of the selected service, according the ore-defined requirements set in order to receive virtual credits based on on-going usage of the selected service (step 150).

[0044] While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, which should be considered as merely exemplary. Further modifications and extensions of the present invention may be developed, and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.