Methods of coordinating products and service demonstrations

• US 20030229583A1
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cynthia Cook Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mass Connections Incorporated
• Inventors: Nakken, Caroline, Cotten, Sandra
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

This invention relates to the methods of coordinating product and service demonstrations. An event coordinator directs event operators to conduct a product or service demonstration event. The event coordinator provides event operators with cards, such as debit cards, credit cards, or smart cards, to purchase items needed for the demonstration. The event operator contacts a card administration system to activate the card. The card administration system verifies that the provided card ID and event ID are valid, and associates an authorized budget of the demonstration event with the card. The event operator then purchases items with the card, and conducts demonstrations.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating product or service demonstrations, comprising:

receiving a request from a vendor to organize a demonstration event;

defining the demonstration event in a card administration system;

providing cards to event operators;

instructing the event operators to activate the provided cards by contacting the card administration system;

instructing the event operators to use the activated cards to purchase items for conducting the event; and

instructing the event operators to use the purchased items to conduct the event.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the demonstration event is a product distribution event.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the demonstration event is a product promotion event.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the demonstration event is a service promotion event.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein defining the event includes defining an authorized budget of the event.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein defining the event includes defining a starting time and an ending time of the event.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein defining the event includes defining a status of the event.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein providing cards to event operators comprises providing debit cards to event operators.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein providing cards to event operators comprises providing smart cards to event operators.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein providing cards to event operators comprises providing credit cards to event operators.

11. A method of claim 1, wherein providing cards to event operators comprises receiving cards from a fund distribution service and forwarding the received cards to event operators.

12. A method of claim 1, wherein providing cards to event operators comprises providing cards to one or more agencies, the agencies forwarding the provided cards to the event operators.

13. A method of claim 1, wherein instructing the event operators to activate the provided cards comprises instructing each of the event operators to provide an identifier of each of the provided cards and an identifier of the event to the card administration system.

14. A method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the event operators to use the activated cards to record a work starting time and a work ending time.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising deactivating the cards after the completion of the demonstration event.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the event operators to deactivate the provided cards by contacting the card administration system.

17. A method of coordinating product or service demonstrations, comprising:

receiving a request from a vendor to organize a demonstration event;

defining the demonstration event in a card administration system;

providing cards to event operators;

activating the provided cards by using the card administration system;

instructing the event operators to use the activated cards to purchase items for conducting the events; and

instructing the event operators to use the purchased items to conduct the event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein defining the demonstration event comprises defining an authorized budget of the event.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein activating the provided cards comprises associating each of the provided cards with the authorized budget of the event.

22. A method of conducting a product or service demonstration event, comprising:

receiving an instruction for conducting a demonstration event;

receiving a card;

activating the card by contacting a card administration system;

using the activated card to purchase items for conducting the demonstration event; and

using the purchased items to conduct the demonstration event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving the instruction comprises receiving an instruction specifying the time of the demonstration event, the location of the event, and items to be purchased for the event.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a card comprises receiving a debit card.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a card comprises receiving a smart card.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a card comprises receiving a credit card.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a card comprises receiving a card from an event coordinator.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving a card comprises receiving a card from an agency.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein activating the card comprises:

accessing the card administration system;

entering an identifier of the card; and

entering an identifier of the demonstration event,

wherein the card administration system associates an authorized budget of the event with the card.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising using the card to record work starting time and work ending time of the event operator.

33. A method of facilitating a product or service demonstration event, comprising:

receiving instructions from an event coordinator to conduct a demonstration event;

receiving cards from the event coordinator;

assigning cards to event operators;

directing event operators to activate the assigned cards by contacting a card administration system;

directing event operators to use the activated cards to purchase items for conducting the demonstration event;

directing event operators to use the purchased items to conduct the demonstration event; and

compensating event operators for conducting the demonstration event.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

36. A method of facilitating a product or service demonstration event, comprising:

receiving instructions from an event coordinator to conduct a demonstration event;

receiving cards from the event coordinator;

activating the received cards by associating an authorized budget of the demonstration event with each of the received cards;

assigning the received cards to event operators;

directing event operators to use the activated cards to purchase items for conducting the demonstration event;

directing event operators to use the purchased items to conduct the demonstration event; and

compensating event operators for conducting the demonstration event.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein associating an authorized budget of the event with a received card comprises defining a balance amount of the received card as the authorized budget of the event.

40. A method of providing cards for conducting product or service demonstrations, comprising:

creating records for a plurality of cards, each of the created card records including a card identifier of the card and a balance of the card;

creating records for demonstration events, each of the created event records including an event identifier of the event and an authorized budget of the event;

receiving activation requests, each of the activation requests providing at least a card identifier of a requesting card and an event identifier of a requesting event;

verifying that the requesting card is valid and that the requesting event is valid; and

increasing the balance of the requesting card by the authorized budget of the requesting event.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

43. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

receiving a retail request to use one of the cards to purchase items, the retail request including at least a card identifier of the purchasing card and a total purchase amount;

granting the retail request if the total purchase amount does not exceed the balance of the purchasing card; and

decreasing the balance of the purchasing card by the total purchase amount.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the retail request includes a identification of the retail location from which the retail request originates.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the retail request includes identifications of the items to be purchased.

46. A method of providing cards for conducting product or service demonstrations, comprising:

creating records for a plurality of cards, each of the created card records including a card identifier of the card and an account balance of the card;

creating records for demonstration events, each of the created event records including an event identifier of the event and an authorized budget of the event;

receiving activation requests, each of the activation requests providing at least a card identifier of a requesting card and an event identifier of a requesting event;

verifying that the requesting card is valid and that the requesting event is valid;

associating the requesting card with the requesting event; and

defining the balance of the requesting card as the authorized budget of the requesting event.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.