Data collection and targeted advertising systems and methods

Abstract

Embodiments of a mobile device and server system are described. The mobile devices communicate with the server system and present targeted content, such as advertisements to the mobile device users. The content is targeted based on usage statistics stored on the server system which were previously collected from the mobile device. The server receives the usage statistics collected from the mobile device, makes inferences about preferences of users by tracking application and/or content usage behaviors of the users, generates recommendations for advertisements targeted toward the users of the mobile devices based on usage statistics; and transmits the recommendations to one or more of the mobile devices for presentation to the user(s).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile telecommunications device comprising:
 a display for displaying content to a user;   one or more input devices for collecting input from the user; and   one or more processors adapted and programmed to communicate with a server system and to present targeted advertisements to the user, the advertisements being targeted based at least in part on usage statistics stored on the server system and having been previously collected from the mobile telecommunications device.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile telecommunications device is intermittently in communication with the server system, and the one or more processes are programmed to collect the usage statistics at times including when the mobile telecommunications device is not in communication with the server system. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the advertisements are targeted based upon one or more criteria chosen from the group consisting of: geographic location of the device, time of day, and demographic information of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processors are further adapted and programmed to transmit usage statistics collected from the mobile telecommunications device to the server system using SMS technology. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the usage statistics include one or more types of events selected from the group consisting of: how many times an advertisement is played, play/stop events, a user clicking on an advertisement, a user skipping forward and/or skipping back part of a content item or advertisement, a user voting for a content item, a user responding to survey associated with a content item or advertisement with certain response, a user skipping a survey entirely, a content item being presented in its entirety, and application and/or content forwarding behaviors of the users. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further adapted and programmed to communicate with a server system such that a mobile device identifier can be received from the server system, and the collected usage statistics associated with the identifier can be transmitted to the server system. 
     
     
         7 . A method for presenting targeted advertisements to a user of a mobile telecommunications device comprising:
 collecting usage statistics from the mobile telecommunications device;   transmitting the usage statistics to a server system;   receiving recommended targeted advertisements from the server system, the advertisements being recommended by the server system based at least in part on the collected usage statistics; and   presenting one or more of the recommended targeted advertisements to the user via the mobile telecommunications device.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the mobile telecommunications device is intermittently in communication with the server system, and the usage statistics are collected at times including when the mobile telecommunications device is not in communication with the server system. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the advertisements are targeted based upon one or more criteria chosen from the group consisting of: geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device, time of day, and demographic information of the user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the usage statistics are transmitted to the server system using SMS technology. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the usage statistics include one or more types of events selected from the group consisting of: how many times an advertisement is played, play/stop events, a user clicking on an advertisement, a user skipping forward and/or skipping back part of a content item or advertisement, a user voting for a content item, a user responding to a survey associated with a content item or advertisement with a certain response, a user skipping a survey entirely, a content item being presented in its entirety, and application and/or content forwarding behaviors of the users. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising receiving a mobile device identifier from the server system, wherein the usage statistics are transmitted to the server system such that the server system can associate the usage statistics with the mobile telecommunications device. 
     
     
         13 . A method for identifying a mobile telecommunications device for purposes of collecting usage statistics and recommending targeted advertising comprising:
 collecting usage statistics from the mobile telecommunications device;   receiving a mobile device identifier from the server system;   transmitting the usage statistics to a server system such that the server system can associate the usage statistics with the mobile telecommunications device; and   receiving recommended targeted advertisements from the server system, wherein the advertisements are targeted based at least in part on the transmitted usage statistics.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the mobile telecommunication device is intermittently in communication with the server system. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising signing the usage statistics with a secret key. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising negotiating with the server system relating to the transmission of the usage statistics. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising verifying that the mobile device identifier is received from a trusted source. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the mobile device identifier is acquired using three or fewer exchange steps between the mobile telecommunications device and the server system.