Booking method and system
There is disclosed herein a method and system for communicating over a telecommunications network between a service provider and one or more users, wherein the service provider can have access to multiple distinct addresses in the telecommunications network and each user is identified by an address, more specifically where a first message can be sent over at least a portion of the telecommunications network to a user's address and based on a response from the user determining the message to which the response is a reply to.
1. A network server that facilitates communications between a product or service provider and a user's mobile device having an identifier address, wherein the network server operates based on software instructions for performing a method that comprises:
preparing one or more inquiry messages pertaining to a service provided by the product or service provider;
sending the one or more inquiry messages to the user's mobile device;
receiving at least one reply message to the one or more inquiry messages from the user's mobile device by the network server at a specified reply address, wherein the reply address is an address at which replies to the inquiry are transmitted, and wherein the received reply message includes the identifier address of the user's mobile device;
storing information pertaining to the received reply message in relation to the identifier address of the user's mobile device and the specified reply address at which the reply message was received;
determining, for the received reply message, a corresponding inquiry message of the one or more inquiry messages; and
determining whether to authorize a transaction on an automated basis based on content of the received reply message using at least semantic analysis of the content in the received reply message,
wherein, prior to the sending the one or more inquiry messages to the user's mobile device, the method further comprises specifying the reply address for the one or more inquiry messages being sent to a particular user's mobile device, wherein the specified reply address for the one or more inquiry messages being sent to the particular user's mobile device is selected from a plurality of different addresses.
2. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the one or more inquiry messages include at least one choice selectable by the user, wherein the received reply message also includes a user selected choice, and wherein the determination whether to authorize the transaction on an automated basis based on content of the received reply message includes determining the choice selected by the user in the received reply message using at least semantic analysis of the content in the received reply message.
3. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the semantic analysis includes analysis of information included in the received reply message to determine whether the information is an acceptable answer to the one or more inquiry messages.
4. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the determination whether to authorize the transaction is based also on the reply address associated with the received reply message and the identifier address of the user's mobile device indicated in the received reply message.
5. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the network server analyzes at least one of a profile that the user has created himself or herself, usage history records, and the user's location to formulate communication messages with the user via the user's mobile device.
6. The network server of claim 5 , wherein the network server is configured to make decisions in an automated manner to support user decision making regarding which transactions the user wishes to authorize.
7. The network server of claim 6 , wherein the network server is configured to act as an agent of the user and negotiate with one or more service providers to initiate negotiation of a transaction without user involvement.
8. The network server of claim 7 , wherein the initiation of transaction negotiation is performed based on the user's preferences included or determined from at least one of a profile that the user has created himself or herself, usage history records, and the user's location to formulate communication messages with the user.
9. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the inquiry and reply messages are text messages.
10. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the inquiry and reply messages are Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages.
11. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the identifier address of the user's mobile device includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of the user's A-subscriber's number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.
12. The network server of claim 11 , wherein the inquiry message is a service request that identifies the user's mobile device.
13. The network server of claim 12 , wherein the inquiry message to which the received reply message corresponds is determined in an asynchronous manner, wherein the received reply message need not correspond to a most recently sent inquiry message.
14. The network server of claim 13 , wherein the determination of which of the plurality of inquiry messages sent to the user corresponds to the received reply message is based on semantic analysis of the received reply message.
15. The network server of claim 14 , wherein the determination of which of the plurality of inquiry messages sent to the user corresponds to the received reply message is also based on an identifier address for a device sending the received reply message and the reply address at which the received reply is received.
16. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the communications between the product or service provider and the user's mobile device are based upon technology in which a reply message to an inquiry message does not automatically include an explicit reference to the inquiry message.
17. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message includes analyzing the specified reply address at which the received reply message was received to determine which inquiry message included the specified reply address.
18. The network server of claim 17 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message also includes analyzing the address of the user's mobile device from which the received reply message was sent.
19. The network server of claim 1 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message includes analyzing the address of the user's mobile device from which the received reply message was sent.
20. A method for facilitating communications between a product or service provider and a user's mobile device having an identifier address using a network server, the method comprising:
preparing one or inquiry messages pertaining to a service provided by the product or service provider;
sending the one or more inquiry messages to the user's mobile device;
receiving at least one reply message to the one or more inquiry messages from the user's mobile device by the network server at a specified reply address, wherein the reply address is an address at which replies to the inquiry are transmitted, and wherein the received reply message includes the identifier address of the user's mobile device;
storing information pertaining to the received reply message in relation to the identifier address of the user's mobile device and the specified reply address at which the reply message was received;
determining, for the received reply message, a corresponding inquiry message of the one or more inquiry messages; and
determining whether to authorize a transaction on an automated basis based on content of the received reply message using at least semantic analysis of the content in the received reply message,
wherein, prior to the sending the one or more inquiry messages to the user's mobile device, the method further comprises specifying the reply address for the one or more inquiry messages being sent to a particular user's mobile device, wherein the specified reply address for the one or more inquiry messages being sent to the particular user's mobile device is selected from a plurality of different addresses.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more inquiry messages includes at least one choice selectable by the user, wherein the received reply message also includes a user selected choice, and wherein the determination whether to authorize the transaction on an automated basis based on content of the received reply message includes determining the choice selected by the user in the received reply message using at least semantic analysis of the content in the received reply message.
22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the semantic analysis includes analysis of information included in the received reply to determine whether the information is an acceptable answer to the one or more inquiry messages.
23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the determination whether to authorize the transaction is based also on the reply address associated with the received reply message and an identifier address of a user's mobile device indicated in the received reply message.
24. The method of claim 20 , wherein the network server analyzes at least one of a profile that the user has created himself or herself, usage history records, and the user's location to formulate communication messages with the user via the user's mobile device.
25. The network server of claim 5 , wherein the network server is configured to make decisions in an automated manner to support user decision making regarding which transactions the user wishes to authorize.
26. The network server of claim 25 , wherein network server is configured to act as an agent of the user and negotiate with one or more service providers to initiate negotiation of a transaction without user involvement.
27. The network server of claim 26 , wherein the initiation of transaction negotiation is performed based on the user's preferences included or determined from at least one of a profile that the user has created himself or herself, usage history records, and the user's location to formulate communication messages with the user.
28. The method of claim 20 , wherein the inquiry and reply messages are text messages.
29. The method of claim 20 , wherein the inquiry and reply messages are Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages.
30. The method of claim 20 , wherein the identifier address of the user's mobile device includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of the user's A-subscriber's number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the inquiry message is a service request that identifies the user's mobile device.
32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the inquiry message to which the received reply message corresponds is determined in an asynchronous manner, wherein the received reply message need not correspond to a most recently sent inquiry message.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the determination of which of the plurality of inquiry messages sent to the user corresponds to the received reply message is based on semantic analysis of the received reply message.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the determination of which of the plurality of inquiry messages sent to the user corresponds to the received reply message is also based on an identifier address for a device sending the received reply message and the reply address at which the received reply is received.
35. The method of claim 20 , wherein the communications between the product or service provider and the user's mobile device are based upon technology in which a reply message to an inquiry message does not automatically include an explicitly reference to the inquiry message.
36. The method of claim 20 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message includes analyzing the specified reply address at which the received reply message was received to determine which inquiry message included the specified reply address.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message also includes analyzing the address of the user's mobile device from which the received reply message was sent.
38. The method of claim 20 , wherein the determination, for the received reply message, of the corresponding inquiry message includes analyzing the address of the user's mobile device from which the received reply message was sent.