Ringback Tone Patent Awarded
Nearly two years after the actual introduction of ringback tones by wireless carriers, the U.S. Patent Office has granted official patent status to patent filer Karl Seelig, CEO of Perceptive Impression, for ring back signal replacement. This final step-up from patent allowability affords Perceptive Impression full legal rights to a market projected to run close to US$3 billion in revenue over the next several years.
The Seelig patent covers replacing the ring back signal with any acoustic sound presentation. The company's goal is to create a new advertising platform utilizing short, highly effective ads the company creates. A February survey by Airwide Solutions "claims that 89% of major brands are planning to market via mobile phones by 2008, and more than 50% of brands plan to spend between 5% and 25% of their marketing budget in the medium in the next five years."
Perceptive Impression is a Los Angeles-based advertising and marketing agency. The company works with multiple firms holding granted and pending patents in ring back replacement. Perceptive Impression currently owns 60% of PromoTel and represents Texas-based Ring Plus, a company holding one of the Seelig patents. Combined, the three companies have done extensive and in-depth research contained in the ongoing patent filings."
Posted to the site on 1st June 2006