Merchant-specific computer peripheral device and method of promoting business
First Claim
1. A method of promoting a merchant, the method comprising the step of:
- providing a plurality of merchant-specific computer peripheral devices to the merchant for distribution to users, wherein each of the devices includes at least one pre-programmed switch for accessing automatically at least one predetermined site associated with the merchant on a communications network, and further includes merchant-specific information fixedly provided on each of the devices for viewing by a user, and wherein the merchant-specific information is associated with the merchant and is not associated with a manufacturer of the devices.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer peripheral device, such as a mouse, and a method of promoting a merchant using the computer peripheral device. A marketing service is provided to a plurality of merchants who are interested in promoting business. The marketing service involves providing “merchant-specific” computer peripheral devices to preselected recipients or directly to the merchant. The devices are configured specifically for each merchant in that Website information associated with the merchant or a Website access triggering signal is programmed into the computer peripheral devices. The company logo, Web address or other merchant-specific information is also provided on a surface of the computer peripheral device. These merchant-specific devices are distributed to the preselected recipients, e.g., current or potential customers or vendors of the merchant. The recipients can access automatically one or more Websites of the merchant by merely actuating the Web switch on the device.
33 Citations
56 Claims
-
1. A method of promoting a merchant, the method comprising the step of:
-
providing a plurality of merchant-specific computer peripheral devices to the merchant for distribution to users, wherein each of the devices includes at least one pre-programmed switch for accessing automatically at least one predetermined site associated with the merchant on a communications network, and further includes merchant-specific information fixedly provided on each of the devices for viewing by a user, and wherein the merchant-specific information is associated with the merchant and is not associated with a manufacturer of the devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of promoting a merchant, the method comprising the step of:
-
providing at least one merchant-specific computer peripheral device associated with a merchant to a user, wherein the device includes at least one pre-programmed switch for accessing automatically at least one predetermined site associated with the merchant on a communications network, and merchant-specific information fixedly provided on the device for viewing by the user, and wherein the merchant-specific information is associated with the merchant and is not associated with a manufacturer of the device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A merchant-specific computer peripheral device for promoting a merchant, the device comprising:
-
data pre-programmed in the device;
a switch for automatically accessing a predetermined site associated with the merchant by means of the data; and
an interface, coupled to the switch, for communicating the data to a computer, wherein the device further includes means for fixedly displaying merchant-specific information for viewing by a user, and wherein the merchant-specific information is associated with the predetermined site and is not associated with a manufacturer of the device. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
-
-
51. A computer program product embodied on computer readable media readable by a computer, the product comprising:
-
computer-readable program code means for configuring the computer to access automatically at least one predetermined site of a merchant in response to a predetermined signal, wherein the predetermined signal is transmitted to the computer from a merchant-specific computer peripheral device in response to an actuation of a switch on the device, wherein the predetermined site is associated with the merchant and is not associated with a manufacturer of the computer program product. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
-
Specification