Wireless subscriber loyalty system and method

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing a complete architectural and procedural solution to wireless subscriber loyalty issues. A flexible promotion creation environment allows mobile phone operators to rapidly create and deploy various incentive programs and other such loyalty schemes; together with a data mining and profiling method for tracking, monitoring and analysing subscriber (or aggregate) usage information associated with given promotions. The proposed data mining and profiling method purposely incents specific subscriber behaviors by triggering a point-based reward scheme based on the dynamic screening of event records which are correlated with incented behaviors. Wherein a threshold is assigned based on usage information for a particular promotion; upon realization of which, the subscriber is, immediately notified of the reward through a plurality of means including e-mail, voice notification and by way of Short Message Service (SMS) at their wireless handset.

I claim: 
     
         1 . Apparatus for creating and implementing a subscriber promotional reward scheme, the apparatus comprising:
 a computer including a computer-based promotion engine configured to receive data from a computer-based interface connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber;   said computer-based promotion engine further configured to transmit requests to a computer-based subscriber profile database connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based subscriber profile database configured to maintain a subscriber profile relative to said subscriber, said requests being requests for subscriber profile data stored in said subscriber profile based on a subscriber identifier;   said computer-based promotion engine further configured to receive responses to said requests;   said computer-based promotion engine further configured to transmit further requests to a computer-based promotion profile database connectable with said computer-based promotion engine, said computer-based promotion profile database configured to maintain configurable promotion monitors;   said further requests being requests for promotion monitors corresponding to said events and based on said subscriber identifier and said events;   said computer-based promotion engine further configured to receive responses to said further requests;   said computer-based promotion engine further configured to update said subscriber profile data based on said promotion monitors and said subscriber profile data; and   said computer-based promotion engine being further configured to determine if a promotion monitor threshold has been reached for said subscriber and to forward instructions to an action queue handler connectable to said computer-based promotion engine for a reward mechanism in fulfillment of a promotion, wherein said promotion monitors are based on one or more of: time usage by said subscriber; usage patterns of said subscriber; user preferences for acquisition of active data as a function of time; and the subscriber's preferences for the active dissemination of data as a function of time.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , said computer-based promotion engine being configured to receive standardized data from said computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to said subscriber and to transform said data into said standardized data. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said promotional reward scheme is a subscriber loyalty program. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said data representing events comprises event detail record (EDR) streams. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said computer-based interface is a Service Control Point (“SCP”) Operations Administration Maintenance (“DAM”) interface. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said data representing events comprises a provisioning request. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said interface is a promotion provisioning interface. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said active data is based on stock information or weather information. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said subscriber's preferences for the active dissemination of data is based on current location of said subscriber and an ability of said subscriber to utilize chat services. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , said computer-based promotion engine being further configured to receive commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and/or updating said promotion monitors from a computer-based graphical user interface connectable with said computer-based promotion engine. 
     
     
         11 . A method for creating and implementing a subscriber promotional reward scheme at a computer-based promotion engine, the method comprising:
 providing a computer programmed to receive data from a computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to a subscriber;   transmitting requests to a computer-based subscriber profile database, said computer-based subscriber profile database configured to maintain a subscriber profile relative to said subscriber, said requests being requests for subscriber profile data stored in said subscriber profile based on a subscriber identifier;   receiving responses to said requests from said computer-based subscriber profile database;   transmitting further requests to a computer-based promotion profile database, said computer-based promotion profile database configured to maintain configurable promotion monitors, said further requests being requests for promotion monitors corresponding to said events and based on said subscriber identifier and said events;   receiving responses to said further requests from said computer-based promotion profile database;   updating said subscriber profile data based on said promotion monitors and said subscriber profile data; and   determining if a promotion monitor threshold has been reached for said subscriber; and, forwarding instructions to an action queue handler for a reward mechanism in fulfillment of a promotion, wherein said promotion monitors are based on one or more of: time usage by said subscriber; usage patterns of said subscriber; user preferences for acquisition of active data as a function of time;   and the subscriber's preferences for the active dissemination of data as a function of time.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said promotional reward scheme is a subscriber loyalty program. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said data representing events comprises event detail record (EDR) streams. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said computer-based interface is a Service Control Point (“SCP”) Operations Administration Maintenance (“DAM”) interface. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said data representing events comprises a provisioning request. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said interface is a promotion provisioning interface. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said active data is based on stock information or weather information. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said subscriber's preferences for the active dissemination of data is based on current location of said subscriber and an ability of said subscriber to utilize chat services. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising: receiving commands for creating, modifying, deleting, and/or updating said promotion monitors from a computer-based graphical user interface. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein receiving data from said computer-based interface comprises receiving standardized data from said computer-based interface, said computer-based interface configured to receive said data representing events relative to said subscriber and to transform said data into said standardized data.