Advertisement Delivery Gateway Roaming Cost Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile telephone operators incur higher roaming charges when sending advertisements to subscribers using foreign networks, often exceeding the revenue gained from advertisers, leading to inefficient marketing campaigns.

Innovation Solution

A system that utilizes the Home Location Register (HLR) to determine a subscriber's roaming status and compares revenue from delivering advertisements with roaming charges, deciding whether to send advertisements based on this comparison to prevent or block delivery when costs outweigh benefits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If advertisements are sent to roaming subscribers, then marketing coverage is improved, but roaming charges exceed revenue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarketing coverageVSAvoidroaming charges

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by checking the subscriber's roaming status against the advertisement delivery list before actually delivering the advertisement. This pre-check prevents the harmful effect (excessive roaming charges) from occurring in the first place, while still allowing delivery to non-roaming subscribers to maintain marketing coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If advertisements are delivered to all subscribers, then marketing effectiveness is improved, but financial loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarketing effectivenessVSAvoidfinancial loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of subscribers based on their roaming status. Roaming subscribers are excluded from the advertisement delivery list, while non-roaming subscribers remain eligible. This selective approach maintains marketing effectiveness for the profitable segment while avoiding financial loss on the unprofitable segment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If HLR is used to check roaming status, then delivery accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the HLR as an intermediary component to obtain roaming status information. Rather than implementing complex roaming detection mechanisms within the advertisement delivery system, the HLR serves as a pre-existing intermediary that provides the necessary status data, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining delivery accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS7577433B2Method and system for managing delivery of communications

Publication Date: 2009.08.18 APPLE INC

AI summary

Method and system for managing delivery of communications such as advertisements to mobile telephone subscribers where delivery to roaming subscribers is prevented or blocked when the subscriber is determined to be using a roaming network and revenue derived from delivery of the advertisements to a roaming subscriber is less than the cost for delivering the advertisements to the roaming subscribers.