METHOD FOR MODIFYING A MESSAGE IN A SMS FORMAT BY INCLUDING A PERSONALIZED ADVERTISING CONTENT THEREIN AND A SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING THE SAME

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for modifying a message in a SMS format by including a personalized advertising content therein. The technical solution enables enterprises, mobile operators, and HUBs which send a transactional A2P SMS traffic to their end users to add personalized advertising materials, such as a text, an active URL address that forward to personalized microsites, a phone number or a short phone number etc., to an original text of the SMS message. The methods and systems provided also enable advertisers to integrate and to automatically distribute the advertising content by SMS message by means of a real-time bidding (RTB) technology based on preliminary established advertisement targeting criteria and a number of non-used characters.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a message in a SMS format by including a personalized advertising content therein, the method comprising: receiving a primary SMS message from a sender company by means of a http/https request for adding an advertising message to the primary SMS message that is addressed to an end user and that is a transactional A2P message; establishing a number of free characters in the primary SMS message and defining its coding scheme by identifying a language of its text and a size; sending a request and receiving a response by means of an API protocol to at least one of databases of an anonymized information regarding an end subscriber based on a phone number thereof; receiving the response by means of the API protocol from the at least one of the databases of the anonymized information; finding such advertising messages in a database, which have a size that is equal or less than the number of the free characters in the primary message and meet the request's entrance criteria; comparing data of the found advertising messages with data of the anonymized information regarding the end user; selecting the advertising message that meets the entrance criteria; wherein the advertising message that meets the criteria and is present in the database of advertising messages is checked and/or the database is updated by means of sending a request to a platform of advertising messages (Advertisement Exchange) that conducts a real-time advertisement bidding and adds the advertising message that meets the request's criteria to the database; defining a total number of characters in the primary message and in the selected advertising message, and modifying the primary message by adding the selected advertising message to its body; transmitting the modified primary message to a destination subscriber through an infrastructure for the SMS delivery and/or delivery channels according to those indicated in the http/https request from the sender company.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating texts of the advertising messages, mobile microsites, setting an advertisement targeting in the SMS message and reviewing statistics on the website Web UI that also comprises such components as a database (Microsite storage), which stores ready mobile microsites and a database with advertising texts (Database of texts) and that is bidirectionally coupled through a Server-side web API server protocol to a service for creating mobile micro-websites (Microsite builder).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further enables monitoring an operability, availability, and operation stability of system services by means of a Monitoring module and/or generating a statistical data regarding the received, processed, and sent SMS messages by means of a Statistics module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further forms a data regarding sending of the SMS messages with the advertising materials by means of a CDR (Call data record) module, the data is further processed by means of a Billing platform.

5. A system for modifying a message in a SMS format by including a personalized advertising content therein, the system comprising: a module (SMS filter) for receiving a primary SMS message from an external device of a sender company and analyzing parameters of the primary SMS message (DC S), which represent a size, a number of used characters, a text language, in order to define a number of free characters; a software (sending and receiving) interface for exchanging (Data partners API) http/https requests to databases of an anonymized information based on a phone number of a destination subscriber in order to define criteria of the personalized advertising content; a database (Data Base) with the advertising messages that is coupled, by an exchange protocol, to a platform of advertising messages (Advertisement Exchange) that operates according to the Real-time-bidding technology and has databases, among which it selects the advertising message that meets the criteria based on the parameters of the primary SMS message and the defined criteria of the personalized advertising content; a module for selecting a relevant advertising message (Advertisement matching) for the primary SMS message in the database with the advertising messages, according to the defined criteria of the personalized advertising content received from the databases of the anonymized information (Data Partners) or from the internal database with the advertising messages (Data Base) based on the phone number of the destination subscriber; a module (Text insertion engine) for adding the selected advertising message to the primary SMS message, creating, and checking the modified message for the total number of characters; a routing node (Router) that is coupled to the analysis module (SMS filter) and the addition module (Text insertion engine), configured to receive the SMS message from the analysis module (SMS filter) or to receive the SMS message from the addition module (Text insertion engine), and to transmit the same to an infrastructure for the SMS delivery and/or to additional channels for delivering the message to the destination subscriber in the modified form.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the platform of advertising messages (Advertisement Exchange) comprises: databases of partners (Data Partners) with an additional information regarding an end user that is used for an advertisement targeting; a database (Data storage) with an information regarding a targeting of the advertising messages, a number of characters in the message, a real-time bidding winner, a financial information, statistics; a database of mobile websites (Mobile ready website) and a database of advertising texts (Database of texts) with an information that is added to the SMS message.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the Data Partners represents databases of a traffic donor and/or databases of advertising exchange and/or third party databases of partners.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is further coupled through the Web API protocol to the website Web UI with a possibility of creating texts of the advertising messages, mobile micro-sites, setting an advertisement targeting in the SMS message, reviewing statistics, the website comprising a database being Microsite storage, which stores ready mobile microsites and a database with advertising texts (Database of texts) and that is bidirectionally coupled through a Server-side web API server protocol to a service for creating mobile micro-websites (Microsite builder).

9. The system of claim 5 further comprising a Monitoring module for monitoring an operability, availability, and operation stability of the system services and/or a Statistics module for generating a statistical data regarding the received, processed, and sent SMS messages.

10. The system of claim 5 further comprising a module for forming data (CDR, call data record) regarding sending of the SMS messages with the advertising materials, the data is processed by means of a Billing platform.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0088] An exemplary embodiment of the method and system, according to the group of inventions, is illustrated by the drawings, which show the following:

[0089] FIG. 1 illustrates elements of system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein.

[0090] FIG. 2 illustrates elements of the system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which implies receiving the aggregated A2P SMS traffic from HUBs and, upon addition of the advertising message to the initial SMS message, delivering the modified SMS message to the end user through the infrastructure for delivery of SMS messages.

[0091] FIG. 3 illustrates elements of the system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which implies receiving the aggregated A2P SMS traffic from HUBs and, upon addition of the advertising message to the initial SMS message, returning the modified SMS message to the HUB that delivers it to the end user.

[0092] FIG. 4 illustrates elements of the system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which utilizes the addition of the advertising message to the SMS message according to the request from the companies and/or mobile operators and/or HUBs through the API, afterwards, the modified message is returned back to the companies and/or mobile operators and/or HUBs.

[0093] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the method for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein.

[0094] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the method for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, wherein sending of the messages is performed through additional channels (other than SMS).

MAIN DESIGNATIONS

[0095] 1—Enterprise, MNO—the sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) [0096] 2—Load balancing—the system for balancing a load of the incoming SMS traffic [0097] 3—Buffer storage—the system for SMS distribution [0098] 4—SMS filter DCS—the module for analyzing the incoming SMS message [0099] 5—Router—the node for routing the SMS messages [0100] 6—Data partners API—a software (sending and receiving) interface for exchanging http/https requests to the databases of the anonymized information [0101] 7—Web UI API—the API protocol for transmitting data through the http requests between the Web UI and the system [0102] 8—Data base—the database with the advertising messages [0103] 9—Text insertion engine—the module for adding the selected advertising message to the initial SMS message [0104] 10—Advertisement matching—the module for selecting relevant advertising messages for the original SMS messages [0105] 11—Monitoring—the module for monitoring operability, availability, and stability of operation of the system services [0106] 12—Statistics—the module for generating statistics data regarding the received, processed, and sent SMS messages [0107] 13—SMS Platform—the platform for delivering SMS messages [0108] 14—the end user [0109] 15—Advertisement Exchange—the platform of advertising messages that operates according to the RTB technology [0110] 16—Mobile ready websites—the database of mobile web sites [0111] 17—Data Partners—the database of partners [0112] 18—Database of texts—the database of advertising texts [0113] 19—Data storage—the database with the information about targeting of the advertising messages, the number of characters in the message, winner of the real-time bidding, information of the financial nature, statistics etc. [0114] 20, 20′—Server-side web API—server protocols [0115] 21—Web UI—the web site [0116] 22—Web API—the web protocol [0117] 23—Microsite storage—the database of ready mobile microsites [0118] 24—Database of texts—the database with texts of the advertising messages [0119] 25—Microsite builder—the service for creating mobile microsites [0120] 26—Billing—a technical connection to the platform for processing CRDs data for issuing invoices to the advertisers and companies [0121] 27—Reporting—a technical connection to the on-line platform for forming and displaying reports and statistics of the operation of the system services [0122] 28—Monitoring—a technical connection to the system for monitoring, informing, tracking the operability, availability, and stability of the operation of the system services [0123] 29—HUB/Aggregator—the company that sends the traffic from other clients in transit. [0124] 30—Open API—the opened API protocol

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0125] The group of inventions is implemented in several embodiments according to the examples mentioned below.

Example 1

[0126] The system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which comprises the interconnected elements and implemented according to the scheme in FIG. 1:

[0127] The sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) 1 sends the transactional A2P SMS messages according to the currently known protocols, e.g., JSON, SMPP, XML, SS7 or any other one, through the system for balancing the load of the incoming SMS traffic (load balancing) 2 and the system for distributing SMS messages (Buffer storage) 3 to the module for receiving the initial SMS message and the http request for adding the advertising message from the external company device and analyzing the initial SMS message (SMS filter DCS) 4, wherein analysis of the initial message parameters occurs, which are size, number of the characters used, language of the text, in order to determine the number of free characters, that serves as a basis for determining a possibility of adding the advertising content to the initial SMS message. In case it is not possible to add the advertising content to the initial SMS message, it will be sent to the end user 14 through the platform 13 for delivering the SMS messages in the JSON, SMPP, XML or SS7 format without modifications. If the analysis indicates that it is possible to add the advertising content to the initial SMS message, it will be forwarded through the node for routing the SMS messages (Router) 5 to the software (sending and receiving) interface for exchanging (Data partners API) 6 the http/https requests to the databases of the anonymized information based on the phone number of the destination subscriber to determine the criteria of the personalized advertising content. The advertising messages, which are added to the initial SMS message, are comprised in the database with the advertising messages (Data Base) 8 associated by the server exchange protocol (Server-side web API) 20 to the platform of the advertising messages (Advertisement Exchange) 15 that operates according to the RTB technology and has databases of the mobile web sites (Mobile ready websites) 16, databases of partners (Data Partners) 17, databases of the advertising texts (Database of texts) 18, databases (Data storage) 19 with the information about targeting of the advertising messages, the number of characters in the message, winner of the real-time bidding, the information of the financial nature, statistics etc., among which, based on the parameters of the initial SMS message and the determined criteria of the personalized advertising content, the advertising message that meets the criteria is selected by means of the module for selecting the relevant advertising message (Advertisement matching) 10, afterwards, it is added to the initial SMS message by means of the module for adding the selected advertising message (Text insertion engine) 9, which also performs the additional check of the modified message for the total number of characters with consideration of the maximum acceptable DSC number of characters. If the modified message is divided into two and more, the advertising message will be removed, while the initial SMS message (with no advertisement) in the JSON, SMPP, XML or SS7 formats will be forwarded to the end user 14 through the platform for delivering the SMS messages (SMS Platform) 13. If the addition of the advertising message does not cause the division of the modified message into two or more, the modified message with the added advertisement in the JSON, SMPP, XML or SS7 formats will be forwarded from the module for adding the selected advertising message (Text insertion engine) 9 through the node for routing the SMS messages (Router) 5 and the platform for delivering the SMS messages (SMS Platform) 13 to the end user 14.

[0128] The system is further coupled via the Web API protocol 22 to the Web UI web site 21 to enable creating texts of the advertising messages, mobile microsites, setting an advertisement targeting in the SMS message, reviewing statistics that comprises a database (Microsite storage) 23, which stores ready mobile microsites, and a database with advertising texts (Database of texts) 24 and that is bidirectionally coupled through a Server-side web API server protocol 20′ to a service for creating mobile micro-websites (Microsite builder) 25.

[0129] The system further comprises the Monitoring module 11 for monitoring operability, availability, and stability of operation of services thereof, and the Statistics module 12 for generating the statistics data regarding the received, processed, and sent SMS messages that is further coupled to the module for forming data (CRD or Call Data Records) about sending of the SMS messages with the advertising materials, which are further used for issuing invoices to the advertisers and companies, which send the SMS messages, by means of processing by the Billing platform 26 and the platform for forming reports (Reporting) 27.

[0130] The system further comprises the technical connection to the systems for monitoring (28) operability, informing, availability, and stability of operation of the system services, as well as to the on-line platform (27) for forming and displaying reports and statistics on the operation of the system services, as well as to the platform for processing the CRDs data (26) for issuing invoices to the advertisers and companies.

Example 2

[0131] The system for modifying the A2P SMS message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which implies receiving the aggregated A2P SMS traffic from HUBS and, upon addition of the advertising message to the initial SMS message, delivering the modified SMS message to the end user through the infrastructure for delivery of SMS messages, which is implemented according to the scheme in FIG. 2.

[0132] The sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) 1 sends the transactional A2P SMS messages in the JSON, SMPP or SS7 formats to the HUB (HUB/Aggregator) 29, afterwards, it is received by the module for receiving the initial SMS message and the http request for adding the advertising message from the external device of the sender company and analyzing the initial SMS message (SMS filter DCS) 4. Next steps of the system implementation are identical to the steps described in the Example 1.

Example 3

[0133] The system for modifying the SMS A2P message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which implies receiving the aggregated A2P SMS traffic from HUBs and, upon addition of the advertising message to the initial SMS message, returning the modified SMS message to the HUB that delivers the same to the end user, which is implemented according to the scheme in FIG. 3.

[0134] The sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) 1 sends the transactional A2P SMS messages in the JSON, SMPP, XML or SS7 formats to the HUB (HUB/Aggregator) 29, afterwards, it is received by the module for receiving the initial SMS message and the http request for adding the advertising message from the external device of the sender company and analyzing the initial SMS message (SMS filter DCS) 4. Next steps of the system implementation are identical to the steps described in the Example 1. The difference lies in that the modified message is returned to the HUB 29 that delivers the same to the end user 14.

Example 4

[0135] The system for modifying the A2P SMS message by including the personalized advertising content therein, which utilizes the addition of the advertising message to the SMS message according to the request from the companies and/or mobile operators and/or HUBs through the API, afterwards, the modified message is returned back to the companies and/or mobile operators and/or HUBs.

[0136] The sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) 1 and/or the HUB 29 sends the transactional A2P SMS messages in the JSON, SMPP, XML or SS7 formats through the opened API protocol 30 to the module for receiving the initial SMS message and the http request for adding the advertising message from the external device of the sender company and analyzing the initial SMS message (SMS filter DCS) 4. Next steps of the system implementation are identical to the steps described in the Example 1. The difference lies in that the modified message is returned through the opened API protocol 30 to the sender company (mobile communication enterprise or operator) 1 and/or to the HUB 29.

Example 5

[0137] The method for modifying the A2P SMS message by including the personalized advertising content therein according to the scheme in FIG. 5.

[0138] According to the depicted scheme, the modification of the message in the SMS format by including the personalized advertising content therein starts from the receipt of the request for adding the advertising message to the initial SMS message from the company or mobile operator. The requests may be in the format of http/https requests, XML, JSON, SMPP or SS7, afterwards the language, number of characters of the initial SMS message, which are used and free from the potential advertisement, are determined. As it is known, the standard length of text messages constitutes 160, but use of the Unicode set of characters reduces this length up to 70 characters. Furthermore, spaces and hyphens are necessary for certain characters. These screening characters take two characters (14 bits) for coding. Thus, even if 160 characters are available, the message may be divided, if it comprises one of such symbols. At this step, based on the analysis of the message, it is determined whether such message is suitable for adding the advertising content or it must be sent to the end user with no changes. f it is determined that the message may be used for addition of the advertising content, the requests for the additional anonymized information about a recipient of the targeted advertisement will be made to the Data Partners, which may be a single or several databases of a traffic donor (the one that sends messages to an end user) or the database of the Advertising Exchange that conducts a real-time advertisement bidding, or other databases of third-party companies. Afterwards, the presence of the advertising messages from the advertisers, which are suitable to be added to the message text, is checked. If the advertising message is present, the request to the database with the advertising materials will be made. Based on the request to the database with the advertising materials and the anonymized information received from the Data Partners, the corresponding advertising materials are selected. If the advertising message that may be used for addition into the initial SMS message is absent in the databases, the system will refer to the Advertisement Exchange and transmit the additional information about the end user received from the Data Partners. Based on the enriched data, the Advertisement Exchange conducts the real-time bidding (RTB) and determines the winner. Upon determination of the bidding winner, the Advertisement Exchange refers to its internal databases, which store the preliminary prepared advertising materials. The advertising materials (the advertising message text, link, long and short number etc.) are added to the initial SMS message. Afterwards, the additional checking is made as to whether the modified SMS message with the added advertising messages does not exceed the maximum acceptable number of the DCS characters for one SMS message. If the message is divided into two and more after modification, the advertising materials will be removed. In this case, the end user will receive the original SMS message with no advertisement, while the company that sends the SMS messages and the company that provides the advertising messages will be informed about the reason why the advertisement was not added. If the modified SMS message is not divided into several messages, it will be sent to the infrastructure for delivering the SMS messages for further delivery to the end user. Based on the delivered/sent SMS messages, the Call Data Records (CRD) and reports regarding the delivery of the SMS messages are generated, which are transmitted to the statistics module. The CDRs are transmitted to the system for issuing invoices.

Example 6

[0139] The method for modifying the A2P SMS message by including the personalized advertising content therein, wherein sending of the messages is performed through additional channels (other than SMS) is implemented according to the scheme in FIG. 6.

[0140] If the message was not delivered, and the company or the mobile operator that were sending the request for addition of the advertising content to the SMS message indicated that in case the SMS message is not delivered, the message must be delivered by means of other channels (PUSH, OTT (Viber, WhatsApp)), then such message will be transmitted according to the scheme in FIG. 6.

[0141] If other delivery channels, e.g., OTT (the first channel in FIG. 6), was indicated in the http/https request with the text of the SMS message, the non-delivered SMS message will be sent to the OTT channel. Therewith, the priority of the channel may be selected additionally.

[0142] If the PUSH was indicated apart from the SMS message and OTT communication channel, and the message was not delivered through the SMS message and OTT, such message will be sent to the end user in the form of the PUSH notification (the second channel in FIG. 6). Therewith, the priority of the channel may be selected additionally.

[0143] In case when the message was not delivered in any of the indicated channels (the first and the second channel), an error report will be formed and transmitted to the platform for delivering messages.

[0144] If the delivery of the message through the first or the second channels is successful, the end user will receive the modified message. Based on the delivered/sent SMS messages, the Call Data Records (CRD) and reports regarding the delivery of the SMS messages are generated, which are transmitted to the statistics module. The CDRs are transmitted to the system for issuing invoices.