[DESCRIPTION]

[Invention Title]

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXCHANGING ADVERTISEMENT

[Technical Field]

The present invention is directed to communication of a message, particularly to

communication of a commercial message between friends or acquaintances.

[Background Art]

In general, a slew of commercial messages are provided through broadcast

media, such as television, newspaper and radio. However, advertisement through such

broadcast media suffers a problem of requiring enormous costs.

Recently, various broadcast media have been developed to lower the

advertisement cost and maximize the effectiveness of advertisement. Such media include

web pages and mobile communication terminals.

Some of the examples of advertising through the mobile communication

terminal include transmitting advertisement information of a sponsor to members who

agreed to receive commercial messages and providing remuneration or free calls to the

members who signed up for an appropriate service.

However, the conventional method of providing advertisement through the

mobile communication terminal has a problem of providing advertisement to unspecified

persons. That is, members who do not wish to purchase the product may receive an

advertisement of the product. Therefore, although a low-level effect of exposing the

advertisement or providing the information may be expected, the advertisement will

hardly be linked to substantial effects or sales, not to mention cause unpleasantness to the

members.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present

invention to provide a method and a system for communicating a commercial message

that can minimize the objection to the advertisement by inserting the advertisement in a

message communicated between friends or acquaintances.

It is another obj ect of the present invention to provide a method and a system for

communicating a commercial message that can send a message containing commercial

information designated by the sender to a receiver for a free of charge.

In another object, the present invention aims to provide a method and a system

for communicating a commercial message that can maximize the effect of advertisement

by inserting a message corresponding to the commercial information included by the

sender.

The present invention also aims to provide a method and a system for

communicating a commercial message that does not require a separate content

corresponding to commercial information to be stored in a sender's terminal because the

message inputted by the sender and the commercial information are integrated in a

message conversion server.

The present invention also aims to provide a method and a system for

communicating a commercial message that can fundamentally restrict the insertion of a

commercial message that can be objectionable to a receiver by allowing a sender to

choose a commercial message to be included in a message. Moreover, the recipient can

actively access the advertising media through the commercial message and purchase the

advertised product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for

communicating a commercial message that can apply the word-of-mouth marketing

effect of the off-line market to the on-line advertisement.

Other objects of the present invention will be apparent through the description

below.

[Technical Solution]

In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention features

a method for transmitting a commercial message and/or a recorded medium recording a

program for executing the method.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method for

transmitting a commercial message and the system and the recorded medium for

executing the method comprises the steps of: receiving message data and advertisement

property information from a sender terminal, wherein the message data comprises a

message, a sender's phone number and a recipient's phone number, and the

advertisement property information comprises at least one from a group consisting of an

advertiser ID and an advertisement ID; extracting advertisement data corresponding to

the advertisement property information; generating a commercial message, using the

message and the advertisement data; and transmitting the commercial message to a

recipient terminal corresponding to the recipient's phone number.

The step of extracting the advertisement data is characterized by extracting

advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement property information from

pre-stored advertisement data or downloading advertisement data corresponding to the

advertisement property information from an advertiser server coupled to a

communication network.

In case authorization information is further received from the sender terminal,

the step of generating the commercial message comprises the steps of: determining

whether the authorization information is valid; and generating the commercial message if

the authorization information is valid. The authorization information comprises at least

one from a group consisting of the number of possible free message transmissions and an

expiration date for sending a free message.

The advertisement data can comprise at least one, or combinations thereof, from

a group consisting of background image data, video image data, background music data

and jingle data.

The commercial message can be generated by including the message and access

address information, and the advertisement data is accessible through the access address

information.

The commercial message can be generated by further including access address

information, and a wireless Internet site for providing an additional service corresponding

to the advertisement data is accessible through the access address data.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method

for providing a message transmission program to a sender terminal from a message

conversion device or an advertiser server in a message communication system

comprising the sender terminal, the message conversion device, the advertiser server and

a recipient terminal comprises the steps of: receiving a request to provide an installation

file of the message transmission program from the sender terminal; and transmitting the

installation file through a communication network to the sender terminal. The message

transmission program installed in the sender terminal executes the steps of: displaying at

least one authorization source item on a display unit; displaying a screen to write a

message corresponding to an inputted authorization source item selection on the display

unit; and transmitting message data and advertisement property information through a

communication network to the message conversion device. The message data comprises

a message, a sender's phone number and a recipient's phone number. The message

conversion device extracts advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement

property information and combines with the message to generate a commercial message

and then transmits the commercial message to the recipient terminal, using the recipient's

phone number.

Another preferred embodiment of the present invention features a recorded

medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable in a sender terminal to

perform a method for transmitting a commercial message. The program is readable in the

sender terminal, and the program executes the steps of: displaying at least one

authorization source item on a display unit, once an entry command to a commercial

message writing mode is inputted; receiving a selection command for an authorization

source item; displaying on the display unit a screen to write a message corresponding to

an inputted authorization source item selection; and transmitting message data and

advertisement property information through a communication network to the message

conversion device. The message data comprises a message, a sender's phone number and

a recipient's phone number, and the advertisement property information comprises at

least one from a group consisting of an advertiser ID and an advertisement ID

corresponding to the authorization source item. The message conversion device extracts

advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement property information and

combines with the message to generate a commercial message and then transmits the

commercial message to the recipient terminal, using the recipient's phone number.

The step of displaying the authorization source item on the display unit can

comprise the steps of: determining whether authorization information corresponding to

each authorization source item is expired; and extracting an authorization source item

corresponding to unexpired authorization information and displaying the authorization

source item on the display unit. The authorization information comprises at least one

from a group consisting of the number of possible free message transmissions and an

expiration date for sending a free message.

The advertisement property information can comprise at least one from a group

consisting of an advertiser ID and an advertisement ID.

In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention

features a commercial message transmission device.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the message

conversion device for transmitting advertisement information to a user terminal can

comprise: means for receiving message data and advertisement property information

from a sender terminal, wherein the message data comprises a message, a sender' s phone

number and a recipient's phone number, and the advertisement property information

comprises at least one from a group consisting of an advertiser ID and an advertisement

ID; means for extracting advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement property

information; means for generating a commercial message, using the message and the

advertisement data; and means for transmitting the commercial message to a recipient

terminal corresponding to the recipient's phone number.

[Description of Drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an overall system for performing a method for

communicating a commercial message in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the

present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a sender's terminal in accordance with a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a message conversion device in accordance

with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for sending a free text message in

accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates user interface screens showing the steps of sending a free text

message in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the steps of sending a commercial message in

accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates examples of displayed commercial messages in accordance

with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Mode for Invention]

The above objects, features and advantages will become more apparent through

the below description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Since there can be a variety of permutations and embodiments of the present

invention, certain embodiments will be illustrated and described with reference to the

accompanying drawings. This, however, is by no means to restrict the present invention

to certain embodiments, and shall be construed as including all permutations, equivalents

and substitutes covered by the spirit and scope of the present invention. Throughout the

drawings, similar elements are given similar reference numerals. Throughout the

description of the present invention, when describing a certain technology is determined

to evade the point of the present invention, the pertinent detailed description will be

omitted.

Terms such as "first" and "second" can be used in describing various elements,

but the above elements shall not be restricted to the above terms. The above terms are

used only to distinguish one element from the other. For instance, the first element can be

named the second element, and vice versa, without departing the scope of claims of the

present invention. The term "and/or" shall include the combination of a plurality of listed

items or any of the plurality of listed items.

When one element is described as being "connected" or "accessed" to another

element, it shall be construed as being connected or accessed to the other element directly

but also as possibly having another element in between. On the other hand, if one element

is described as being "directly connected" or "directly accessed" to another element, it

shall be construed that there is no other element in between.

The terms used in the description are intended to describe certain embodiments

only, and shall by no means restrict the present invention. Unless clearly used otherwise,

expressions in the singular number include a plural meaning. In the present description,

an expression such as "comprising" or "consisting of is intended to designate a

characteristic, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a part or combinations thereof,

and shall not be construed to preclude any presence or possibility of one or more other

characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms, including technical terms and scientific

terms, used herein have the same meaning as how they are generally understood by those

of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Any term that is defined in a

general dictionary shall be construed to have the same meaning in the context of the

relevant art, and, unless otherwise defined explicitly, shall not be interpreted to have an

idealistic or excessively formalistic meaning.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described in detail with reference to

the accompanying drawings. Identical or corresponding elements will be given the same

reference numerals, regardless of the figure number, and any redundant description of the

identical or corresponding elements will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall structure of a system for

performing the method for communicating a commercial message in accordance with a

preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the

structure of a sender's terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present

invention; and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of a message conversion

device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the commercial message communication system in

accordance with the present invention can comprise a sender terminal 110, a message

conversion device 115, an advertiser server 120 and a recipient terminal 125.

The sender terminal 110 and the recipient terminal 125 are devices that can

communicate a message (e.g. a multimedia message or a text message) through a

communication network. Mobile communication terminals and personal digital assistants

(PDA) are some examples of these terminals, and all other digital processing apparatuses

that can perform the same functions can be also included without restriction.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sender terminal 110 can comprise an antenna unit 210, a

wireless circuit unit 215, an audio processing unit 220, a calling/receiving unit 225, a

display unit 230, an input unit 235, a message management unit 240, a module

management unit 245 and a storage unit 250.

It is evident that some elements (e.g. the message management unit 240 and the

module management unit 245) of the illustrated sender terminal 110 can be embodied in a

form of a software program. In case the elements are embodied in the form of a software

program, the software program can be executed through the selection of a function button

(e.g. an Internet access button) or a menu item (e.g. message send).

The antenna unit 210 transmits a transmission signal (e.g. a message

transmission request, a voice signal of a user, a phone call request and a wireless Internet

access request), received from the wireless circuit unit 215, to a mobile communication

service system (not shown), and receives a wireless signal (e.g. a software program for

installing a free message transmission module, a message reception request, a voice

signal of another user, etc.) from the mobile communication service system and delivers

the wireless signal to the wireless circuit unit 215. The software program, which can be

received through the antenna unit 210, can be transmitted from the message conversion

device 115 or the advertiser server 120 through a communication network.

The wireless circuit unit 215 receives a voice signal and a message (which can

include message data and advertisement data) from the mobile communication service

system through the antenna unit 210 and delivers to a control unit 255. The wireless

circuit unit 225 can also deliver data, received through the antenna unit 210, to the

calling/receiving unit 225 or the display unit 230 through the control of the control unit

255. Moreover, the wireless circuit unit 215 can also deliver a phone call request and a

message, inputted through the input unit 235, to the antenna unit 210.

The audio processing unit 220 processes a voice inputted by the user of the

sender terminal 110 through the calling/receiving unit 225 and delivers the voice to the

control unit 255. The audio processing unit 220 can also process the voice signal,

received through the antenna unit 210, and output as an analog voice through the

calling/receiving unit 225. Moreover, the audio processing unit 220 can process the

received message and deliver to the calling/receiving unit 225, in case the message

contains audio data such as background music and a jingle.

The calling/receiving unit 225 can comprise a calling unit (e.g. a microphone)

and a receiving unit (e.g. a speaker) for outputting a voice signal or audio data. The

calling unit is means for receiving the voice of a user of the sender terminal 110 or audio

data, and the receiving unit is means for outputting a voice signal of another user received

from the mobile communication service system through the antenna unit 210, a

transmission sound corresponding to the selection of a key button disposed in the input

unit 235 and the audio data included in a message.

The display unit 230 displays the operation status, time information, message

draft status and received messages of the sender terminal 110. The display unit 230 can be,

for example, an LCD screen.

The input unit 235 can comprise a touch screen or at least one key button. The

key input unit 235 can carry out a role of delivering an instruction of the user to the

control unit 255.

The message management unit 240 manages a message, communicated through

a communication unit, stored in the storage unit 250.

The module management unit 245 manages a message transmission module for

transmitting a free message to the recipient terminal 125.

Specifically, the module management unit 245 can manage the advertiser, who

authorized the transmission of a free message, or advertisement list (hereinafter

"authorization source"), authorization information per each authorization source and

advertisement property information to be transmitted along when transmitting message

data (e.g. a message content, sender number and recipient number). Here, the

authorization information per each authorization source can comprise, for example, the

number of free message transmission and/or an expiration date. The expiration date can

be for placing a restriction such that the authorization to send a free message is valid

although the number of remain transmission is not 0 (zero). The advertisement property

information can comprise, for example, an advertiser ID and an advertisement ID. The

advertisement ID can comprise at least one from a group consisting of a background

image ID, a background music ID, a video ID and a jingle ID.

When transmitting the message data inputted through the input unit 235, the

module management unit 245 can transmit to the message conversion device 115 the

authorization information on the authorization source corresponding to the message data.

In case the authorization is expired (e.g. the number of free message

transmission is used up, or the expiration date has past), the module management unit 245

can automatically delete the item displaying the authorization source. Although an

independent message transmission module (i.e. a message transmission module installed

by an independent software program) can be prepared for each authorization source, it is

preferable for the purpose of management and operation that every authorization source

is listed in one message transmission module.

The storage unit 250 stores the operating system for the terminal, the free

message transmission module installed by a software program and user data (e.g. the

address book and communicated messages). The storage unit 250 can comprise at least

one from a group consisting of, for example, a flash memory, a RAM and a ROM. The

flash memory can store the real time operating system and call processing software, and

the variables for these programs can be read from the RAM. The flash memory has a fast

processing speed and is a non- volatile memory. Thus, when the software of a mobile

communication terminal 100 is upgraded, the new software can be stored in the flash

memory. The ROM can be an EFPROM, storing non-volatile memory, and can perform

input and output operations through the control of the control unit 155. The ROM can

store an NAM (Number Assignment Module) parameter and other storage data (e.g. a

telephone number, name and text message), which can be semi-permanently used.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the message conversion unit 115 extract advertisement

data, using the advertisement property information received from the sender terminal 110,

and then combines the message data and the advertisement data (e.g. the message is

displayed on the advertisement image, or the background music is linked) and transmits

to the recipient terminal 125.

The message conversion device 115 can receive message data from the sender

terminal 110 through the mobile communication service system (that is, a system for

providing a mobile communication service; for example, SKT and KTF in the case of the

Republic of Korea), and transmit the received message data and advertisement data to the

recipient terminal 125 through the mobile communication service system. The message

conversion device 115 can be a wireless Internet service device included in a mobile

communication service system or coupled through a communication network.

Referring to FIG. 3, the message conversion device 115 can comprise a

communication unit 310, a module management unit 315, an authorization management

unit 320, an advertisement data management unit 325, a storage unit 330 and a message

conversion unit.

The communication unit 310 receives message data and advertisement property

information from the sender terminal 110 through a communication network, and

transmits message data and advertisement data to the recipient terminal 125 through a

communication network. The message data and advertisement data transmitted to the

recipient terminal 125 can be converted to a predetermined format for the communication

of a commercial message.

Moreover, the communication unit 310 can transmit a software program (i.e. a

software program for installing a free message transmission module), extracted by the

module management unit 315 in accordance with a software program download request

from the sender terminal 110, to the sender terminal 110. The communication unit 310

can further receive authorization information (e.g. the number of free message

transmission and/or expiration date) from the sender terminal 110.

The module management unit 310 extracts the software program (i.e. a software

program for installing a free message transmission module) stored in the storage unit 330

and makes the program transmitted to the sender terminal 110 by the communication unit

310. Moreover, the module management unit 315 can manage the version information of

the software program (e.g. a software program installed in the sender terminal 110 or

stored in the storage unit 330).

The authorization management unit 320 determines whether the message data

can be transmitted through the free message transmission service, using the authorization

information received from the sender terminal 110. It is evident that whether the free

message transmission service can be used can be also managed by the module

management unit 245 in the sender terminal 110. In case the authorization is expired (e.g.

the number of free message transmission is used up, or the expiration date has been past),

the module management unit 245 installed in the sender terminal 110 can automatically

delete the item displaying the authorization source.

The advertisement data management unit 325 manages advertisement data (e.g.

a background image, a video image, background music and a jingle) received from the

advertiser server 120 stored in the storage unit 330. Moreover, the advertisement data

management unit 325 extracts advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement

property information (e.g. an advertiser ID and an advertisement ID) and delivers the

advertisement data to the message conversion unit 335. In case the advertisement data is

not stored in the storage unit 330, the advertisement data management unit 325 can access

a corresponding advertiser server 120 to receive the advertisement data.

The storage unit 330 can store the operating system, operating data,

advertisement data, software program and authorization information for each

authorization source of the message conversion device 115.

The message conversion unit 335 generates a commercial message, using

message data received form the sender terminal 110 and advertisement data extracted

from the advertisement data management unit 325. The commercial message can be

multimedia data in which the message content and the advertisement data are combined

(refer to FIG. 7). For example, the advertisement image can be combined as the

background image of the message, or the jingle can be made to play back when the

message is displayed on the display unit 230.

Moreover, the message conversion unit 335 can generate the advertisement

message such that the advertisement message fits the property of the recipient terminal

125. For example, if the recipient terminal 125 is determined to have a capability to

receive and output a multimedia message, the message conversion unit 335 can generate a

commercial message in the form of a multimedia message. However, if the recipient

terminal 125 is determined to be an old-style terminal, which can only receive and output

a text message, the message conversion unit 335 can insert the advertisement data in the

form of a call back URL in the message data. The property of the recipient terminal 125

may be received from, for example, the mobile communication service system. It can be

easily understood that anyone skilled in the art can further use a method similar to

recognizing the property of the recipient terminal such that the bell sound corresponding

to the number of tones the terminal can handle is provided.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the advertiser server 120 provides advertisement data

to the message conversion device 115. Of course, the advertisement data can be stored in,

for example, a CD ROM to be provided to the message conversion device 115 (or to an

administrator of the message conversion device). Moreover, the advertiser server 120 can

transmit a software program for installing a message transmission module to the sender

terminal 110 through a communication network. The advertiser pays an advertisement

fee to the administrator of the message conversion device 115 for the advertisement, and

the administrator of the message conversion device 115 pays for the text message

transmission of the sender.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the method for transmitting a free text message in

accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 illustrates

the user interface screens showing the steps of sending a free text message in accordance

with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in step 405, the sender terminal 110 gets an authorization

source selected from the sender and displays a message input window 530 (refer to FIG.

5) on the display unit 230.

The sender can access the message conversion device 115 or the advertiser

server 120 through a communication network, using the access address information

provided by the advertiser, and receive a software program for installing the authorization

source or message transmission module. The advertiser can provide the access address

information by displaying it in an area of a movie ticket or a receipt, or can send a call

back URL containing the access address information to the sender terminal 110. The

access address information can be provided in the form of, for example, a WINC (e.g.

123#45), and the sender can use the WINC number as a speed number.

By accessing the message conversion device 115 or the advertiser server 120,

using the access address information, and receiving and installing a software program, the

sender can have the message transmission module installed in the sender terminal 110, or

receive data to have the authorization source inserted in the form of a menu item in the

message transmission module.

hi case the sender wishes to send a free message, the sender can activate the

message transmission module by selecting a predetermined function button (e.g. the

multipack button) or a function item.

The steps of the sender selecting an authorization source will be described with

reference to FIG. 5. Here, it will be assumed that the multipack button is the function

button.

Once the sender selects the multipack button 503 in order to use the free message

transmission service, the display unit 230 displays a multipack screen 510. At least one

icon, each of which is a short-cut icon for executing an application, is displayed in the

multipack screen 510.

If the sender selects an icon for using the free message transmission service, an

authorization source selection screen 515 is displayed on the display unit 230. The

authorization source selection screen 515 can display at least one authorization source as

a menu item, and the authorization sources are displayed to correspond to the data or the

program installed by the sender using the access address information. The expired

authorization sources can be automatically deleted and thus not displayed.

If the sender selects "1 KartRider" (an on-line game) among the authorization

sources, a menu screen 520 corresponding to the authorization source is displayed on the

display unit 230. Menu items for writing a message and menu items for advertisement can

be displayed together in the menu screen 520. By selecting an authorization source and

writing a message, the sender can pre-recognize the advertisement to be sent to the

recipient terminal 125 so that the sender can input a message corresponding to the

advertisement to be inserted, and can select and display an advertisement that is

appropriate for the recipient. Since the sender can select an advertisement that is

appropriate for the recipient, it can have an effect of on-line word-of-mouth

advertisement.

If the sender selects "1 Write Message" among the menu items displayed on the

menu screen 520, the display unit 230 displays a screen for writing a new message. The

screen for writing a new message can comprise authorization information (e.g. first of 3

messages), a new message writing area 525 and an advertisement data selection area 530.

The advertisement data selection area 530 is for allowing the sender to select a desired

advertisement, and the sender can select one or more items among a background

advertisement image (I), a video advertisement image (A), background music (BG) and a

jingle (M), which will be inserted in the commercial message. Using the menu buttons,

the sender can have the cursor move between items in the advertisement data selection

area 530.

Referring back to FIG. 4, in step 410, the sender terminal 110 determines

whether an advertisement data selection command is received from the sender. The

sender can input the advertisement data selection command by selecting an item in the

advertisement data selection area 530.

If the sender does not input an advertisement data selection command, the

process moves to step 425, and the default advertisement data configured by the

advertiser or the message conversion device 115 is used.

If the sender inputs an advertisement data selection command, the sender

terminal 110 receives, in step 415, an advertisement data list corresponding to the item

selected from the advertiser server 120 or the message conversion device 115.

Then, in step 420, the sender terminal 110 renews the advertisement property

information, using the advertisement data selection information selected by the sender.

The above steps 410-420 can be performed repeatedly.

In step 425, the sender terminal 110 receives a message and a list of recipient

numbers through the input unit 235 (refer to 530, 535 and 540 in FIG. 5). Step 425 can be

performed prior to step 410, or vice versa.

In step 430, the sender terminal 110 determines whether a message transmission

command is received through the input unit 235. If the message transmission command is

received, step 435 is performed to send the message data and the advertisement property

information to the message conversion device 115. The sender terminal 110 can further

transmit the authorization information in step 430.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the steps of sending a commercial message in

accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 illustrates

some examples of displayed commercial messages in accordance with a preferred

embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in step 605, the message conversion device 115 receives

message data (i.e. the message, the sender's phone number and the recipient's phone

number) and advertisement property information (e.g. the advertiser ID and/or the

advertisement ID) from the sender terminal 110. The message conversion device 115 can

further receive authorization information.

In step 610, the message conversion device 115 determines whether the message

transmission request from the sender terminal 110 is valid, using the received

authorization information. If the authorization information is an expired authorization

source, the sender terminal 110 can delete the authorization information or disable the

writing of a new message so that the authorization information is not sent. If the

authorization information is not received, the message conversion device 115 may not

determine whether the message transmission request is valid.

If the message transmission request is valid, in step 615, the message conversion

device 115 extracts corresponding advertisement data (e.g. image data, music and data),

using the advertisement property information.

Then, the message conversion device 115 generates a commercial message,

using the received message data and advertisement data. The advertisement image is

processed to be displayed as a background image of the message. In addition, the

advertisement music data is configured to be outputted according to the message, in step

620. Of course, the message conversion device 115 can include access address

information when generating the commercial message such that the recipient can access

the advertiser server 120 or a web page. This way, the recipient can access the advertiser

server 120, using the inserted access address information, to look up detailed information,

make a purchase, reserve a movie ticket, order a book and participate in a survey.

In step 625, the message conversion device 115 transmits the generated

commercial message (i.e. advertisement data and message data) to the recipient terminal

125 corresponding to the recipient number.

Illustrated in FIG. 7 are examples of screens displays the received commercial

message. As shown in FIG. 7, the sender can have a prior knowledge of which

advertisement is being sent to the recipient so that the sender can input a message that is

appropriate for the advertisement. For example, if a movie is being advertised, the sender

can write a review on the movie. Moreover, the commercial message can function as an

infomercial or a tool for word-of-mouth marketing.

The drawings and detailed description are only examples of the present

invention, serve only for describing the present invention and by no means limit or

restrict the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, any person of ordinary skill in

the art shall understand that a large number of permutations and other equivalent

embodiments are possible. The true scope of the present invention must be defined only

by the spirit of the appended claims.

[Industrial Applicability]

As described above, the present invention can minimize the objection to the

advertisement by inserting the advertisement in a message communicated between

friends or acquaintances.

The present invention can also send a message containing commercial

information designated by the sender to a receiver for a free of charge.

Moreover, the present invention can maximize the effect of advertisement by

inserting a message corresponding to the commercial information included by the sender.

The present invention does not require a separate content corresponding to

commercial information to be stored in a sender's terminal because the message inputted

by the sender and the commercial information are integrated in a message conversion

server.

The present invention also can fundamentally restrict the insertion of a

commercial message that can be objectionable to a receiver by allowing a sender to

choose a commercial message to be included in a message.

Furthermore, the present invention can apply the word-of-mouth marketing

effect of the off-line market to the on-line advertisement.