SYTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMICALLY SENDING ALERTS TO USERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

The present disclosure relates generally to render alerts to customer, and in particular, to a system and method for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network by dynamically selecting an alert format and channel of delivery.

BACKGROUND:

With the great progress on every front of telecommunications, many new types of uses of these technologies emerge. One thrust of evolution involves delivering alert or notification to the customers. Merchants may be interested to send the notifications or advertisements or alerts to the customers, particularly, merchants need a mechanism to create long lasting impact on end users with best possible marketing alert notifications. On the other hand, operators may be interested in monetizing unutilized spare capacity of network channels. Thus, operators can generate new revenue stream by enabling merchants to utilize the spare capacity of network channels and charging for it.

Presently, alerts are delivered in a specific format on a specific channel, where the format and channel are predefined. Thus, if the network resources of the predefined channel are not available at a certain point of time then the operator has to wait for the resources to be free to deliver the alerts. So, this approach cannot take advantage if there is an opportunity to render better format on a different channel and thereby creating a poor impact on the users.

SUMMARY:

The present technique overcomes the limitation mentioned above by dynamically selecting alert formats and channel of delivery based on the current available bandwidth offered by a cell tower servicing the current user.

According to the present embodiment, a method for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network is disclosed. The method includes uploading the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer. Thereafter, spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer is identified. Further, at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats are selected based on the spare capacity of the one or more channels. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection step further includes determining available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof. Finally, the alert is sent to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

In an additional embodiment, a system for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network is disclosed. The system includes a alert uploading module, a spare capacity identification module, a channel of delivery and alert format selection module and a alert sending module. The alert uploading module is configured to upload the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer. The spare capacity identification module is configured to identify spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer. The channel of delivery and alert format selection module is configured to select at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity of the one or more channels. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection step further includes determining available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof. Finally, the alert sending module is configured to send the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

In another embodiment, a computer readable storage medium for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network is disclosed. The computer readable storage medium which is not a signal stores computer executable instructions for uploading the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer, identifying spare capacity of
one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer, selecting at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity and sending the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

DRAWINGS:

Various embodiments of the invention will, hereinafter, be described in conjunction with the appended drawings. There is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to such blocks or objects, or to any particular technology. Instead these simplified diagrams are presented by way of illustration to aid in the understanding of the logical functionality of one or more aspects of the
instant disclosure and is not presented by way of limitation.

FIG.l is a computer architecture diagram illustrating a computing system capable of
implementing the embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart, illustrating a method for sending an alert to at least one customer through
communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED

DESCRIPTION:

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network. This involves uploading the alert content in different formats into an operator's system to send the same to customers. Then, the spare capacity of delivery channels is identified which are available to send the alert to the customer. Thereafter, the at least one delivery channel among the all identified channels and best suitable alert format for that delivery channel is selected based on the spare capacity of the channel, available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof. Finally, the alert is sent to the customer in the selected format through the selected delivery channel.

FIG.l illustrates a generalized example of a suitable computing environment 100 in which all embodiments, techniques, and technologies of this invention may be implemented. The computing environment 100 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope of use or functionality of the technology, as the technology may be implemented in diverse general-purpose or special-purpose computing environments. For example, the disclosed technology may be implemented using a computing device (e.g., a server, desktop, laptop, hand-held device, mobile device, PDA, etc.) comprising a processing unit, memory, and storage storing computer-executable instructions implementing the service level management technologies described herein. The disclosed technology may also be implemented with other computer system configurations, including hand held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, a collection of client/server systems, and the like.

With reference to FIG. 1, the computing environment 100 includes at least one central processing unit 102 and memory 104. The central processing unit 102 executes computer-executable instructions. In a multi-processing system, multiple processing units execute computer-executable instructions to increase processing power and as such, multiple processors can be running simultaneously. The memory 104 may be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, RAM), non¬volatile memory (e.g., ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two. The memory 104 stores software 116 that can implement the technologies described herein. A computing environment may have additional features. For example, the computing environment 100 includes storage 108, one or more input devices 110, one or more output devices 112, and one or more communication connections 114. An interconnection mechanism (not shown) such as a bus, a controller, or a network, interconnects the components of the computing environment 100. Typically, operating system software (not shown) provides an operating environment for other software executing in the computing environment 100, and coordinates activities of the components of the computing environment 100.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart, illustrating a method for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The alerts are uploaded in different formats into the system managed by an operator, as in step 202. The alerts are uploaded by one or more merchants. In an alternate embodiment, merchant and operator can be same entity. The examples of different alert formats may include, but are not limited to text, audio, video, webpage or combination thereof. The alert is triggered by the operator's system based on various parameters. The example of various parameters may include but are not limited to customer, merchant or system's identified preferences on location, profile, time and so on. For sending the alert to the customer the current serving cell tower of the customer is identified by the operator's system. After that, the available channels of the serving cell tower and their spare capacity to deliver the alert are identified by the operator's system, as in step 204. The examples of various channels may include but are not limited to short messaging services (SMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), voice, data channels or combination thereof. The examples of various data channels may include but not limited to general packet radio service (GPRS), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and so on. The at least one available channel is selected by the operator's system, as in step 206. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one available channel is the best available channel. The at least one available channel is selected based on the available bandwidth, quality of service (QoS), security, authorization to access the channel, billing rates, customer profile, customer preference, merchant preference, operator preference, location, time or combination thereof. The customer profile is defined either by merchant or operator or both. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the advertiser or merchant may subside the access even if the customer has not availed a data service. The best alert format that can be delivered through the selected channel is identified, as in step 206. For example, a customer services by a cell tower which is busy on data or circuit switched channel, i.e. handling large amount of data or circuit switched call, can deliver text message on a SMS channel; on the other hand, a customer services by a cell tower which is handling low data traffic can deliver video alert on data channel. The above mentioned examples are provided only for understanding purpose and do not intent to limit the scope of the disclosure. Finally, the alert in the selected format is sent to the customer on the selected channel by the operator's system, as in step 208. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a alert uploading module (302), a spare capacity identification module (304), a channel of delivery and alert format selection module (306) and a alert sending module (308).

The alert uploading module (302) is configured to upload the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer. The alerts are uploaded by one or more merchants. In an alternate embodiment, merchant and operator can be same entity. The examples of different alert formats may include, but are not limited to text, audio, video, webpage or combination thereof. The spare capacity identification module (304) is configured to identify spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer. The examples of various channels may include but are not limited to short messaging services (SMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), voice, data channels or combination thereof. The examples of various data channels may include but not limited to general packet radio service (GPRS), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and so on. The channel of delivery and alert format selection module (306) is configured to select at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity and a predefined profile of the at least one customer. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one available channel is the best available channel.

The at least one available channel is selected based on the available bandwidth, quality of service (QoS), security, authorization to access the channel, billing rates, customer profile or combination thereof. The customer profile is defined either by merchant or operator or both. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the advertiser or merchant may subside the access even if the customer has not availed a data service. The alert sending module (308) is configured to send the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

The above mentioned description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of the requirement for obtaining a patent. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments, and some features of the present invention may be used without the corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

CLAIMS:

We claim,

1. A computer implemented method for sending an alert to at least one customer through
communication network comprising: uploading, by a processor, the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer; identifying, by the processor, spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer; selecting, by the processor, at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity of the one or more channels; and sending, by the processor, the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more formats comprise text, audio, video, webpage or combination thereof.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the at least one of the one or more channels further includes determining available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alert is uploaded by a merchant into the system of an operator.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the merchant and/or the operator define the customer profile.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one channel of delivery comprises message services, short message services (SMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), voice, data channels or combination thereof.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one available channel comprises best available channel.

8. A system for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network comprising: a processor in operable communication with a processor readable storage medium, the processor readable storage medium containing one or more programming instructions whereby the processor is configured to implement: a alert uploading module configured to upload the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer; a spare capacity identification module configured to identify spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer; a channel of delivery and alert format selection module configured to select at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity of the one or more channels; and a alert sending module configured to send the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more formats comprise text, audio, video, webpage or combination thereof.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one of the one or more channels is selected based on available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the alert is uploaded by a merchant into the system of an operator.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the merchant and the operator define the customer profile.

13. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one channel of delivery comprises message services, unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), voice, data channels or combination thereof.

14. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one available channel comprises best available channel.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for sending an alert to at least one customer through communication network comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform steps comprising: uploading the alert in one or more formats into a system for sending to the at least one customer; identifying spare capacity of one or more channels available to send the alert to the at least one customer; selecting at least one of the one or more channels and at least one of the one or more alert formats based on the spare capacity of the one or more channels; and sending the alert to the at least one customer in the at least one of the one or more formats through the at least one selected channel of delivery.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the one or more formats comprise text, audio, video, webpage or combination thereof.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one of the one or more channels is selected based on available bandwidth, quality of service, authorization to access the at least one channel, billing rates, user preference, merchant preference, operator preference, customer profile, location, time or combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one channel of delivery comprises messaging services, unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), voice, data channels or combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one available channel comprises best available channel.