Marketing a business employing voice and speech recognition technology

• US 20040193425A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher B. Tomes
• Original Assignee: Christopher B. Tomes
• Inventors: Tomes, Christopher B.
• Application Number:
  US10/712,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193425A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

Devices, apparatuses, systems, methods and the like for marketing, promoting and/or advertising a business or product are provided. The present invention combines applications such as screen savers, desktop assistants and instruction with voice verification technology in a readily installable and operable computer form. The voice interactive applications include visual imagery to attract a user/customer(s) to activate and interact with the application. Once activated, the application prompts the consumer user for voice input. The voice input, once authenticated, can then be processed to interact with a product character to perform tasks such as connecting the consumer user to a web-site associated with the advertised business via a hyperlink. Interaction with the product character in a variety of voice interactive applications provides the consumer user with ready and easy access to further product information, product purchasing capabilities, business contact information, updates on promotional products, and/or the like to facilitate the marketing, promoting and/or advertising of the business.

Claims

1. A method of providing a multi-media interactive promotional experience, said method comprising:

creating a visual component associated with a concept, product or service being promoted;

providing a computer application having voice and speech recognition capabilities for animating said visual component so that said visual component is responsive to verbal input; and

installing said application on a user device adapted to display said interactive visual component and receive verbal input from said user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual component is selected from the group consisting of a product character, an animated trademark, a corporate logo, a product representation and a product spokesman character.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer application includes a screen saver.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes providing a hyperlink to a web-site in response to said verbal input.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes performing tasks in a computer operating environment in response to verbal input by the visual component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a computer.

7. An audio-visual interactive promotion comprising:

a visual component associated with a concept, product or service being promoted;

a software application having voice and speech recognition capabilities for animating said visual component so that said visual component is responsive to verbal input; and

a user device adapted to display said interactive visual component and to receive said verbal input from said user.

8. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the visual component is selected from the group consisting of a product character, an animated trademark, a corporate logo, a product representation and a product spokesman character.

9. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the response to verbal input by the visual component includes providing a hyperlink to a web-site.

10. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the response to verbal input by the visual component includes performing at least one software-related task for each recognized voice command of the user.

11. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the voice interactive application includes promotional instruction.

12. The promotion of claim 11, wherein the promotional instruction includes an educational lesson.

13. The promotion of claim 11, wherein the promotional instruction includes product information.

14. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the software application includes a screen saver.

15. The promotion of claim 7, wherein the user device is a computer.

16. A method of promoting a concept, product or business, said method comprising:

recording a first voice input from a consumer user;

storing features of said first voice input;

receiving a second voice input from a consumer user;

determining if said second voice input is the same as the first voice input;

activating a voice interactive application if said second voice input is the same as the first voice input, wherein said voice interactive application is based on a theme promoting said concept, product or business;

displaying to the consumer user a visual component, wherein said visual component is associated with the promoted concept, product, or business, and wherein said visual component is adapted to interact with a recognized voice command of the consumer user; and

performing at least one predetermined task associated with the recognized voice command of the consumer user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the voice interactive application includes a screen saver.

18. The method of claim 16, which includes instructing the consumer user through the visual component, wherein the visual component is selected from the group consisting of a product character, an animated trademark, a corporate logo, a product representation and a product spokesman character.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein instructing the consumer user includes providing a voice interactive educational lesson.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein instructing the consumer user includes providing voice interactive product information.

21. The method of claim 16, which includes customizing the voice interactive application to a consumer user.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, which includes updating the voice interactive application.

23. A method for business promotion, comprising the steps of:

providing a device adapted to operate a voice interactive application wherein the device is capable of prompting, receiving and processing voice input;

receiving a voice command into the device; and

activating the voice interactive application, wherein the voice interactive application is adapted to include interaction with a consumer user through a visual component.

24. The method of business promotion of claim 23, wherein the product character of said voice interactive application performs at least one task associated with a recognized voice command.

25. The method of business promotion of claim 23, wherein the voice interactive application for business promotion includes instructing the consumer user through the product character.

26. The method of business promotion of claim 25, wherein instructing the consumer user includes providing a voice interactive educational lesson.

27. The method of business promotion of claim 25, wherein instructing the consumer user includes providing voice interactive product information.

28. The method of business promotion of claim 23, wherein the voice interactive application for business promotion includes a screen saver.

29. The method of business promotion of claim 23, which includes customizing the voice interactive application to the consumer user.

30. The method of business promotion of claim 23, which includes updating the voice interactive application.

31. A computer program product on a media that is stored on a device adapted to operate a voice interactive screen saver for business promotion, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable code means for storing data representing the voice interactive screen saver;

computer readable code means for executing a plurality of commands to activate the voice interactive screen saver; and

computer readable code means for running the voice interactive screen saver.

32. An apparatus for business promotion comprising a device adapted to operate a voice interactive screen saver.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the apparatus is employed within a system for business promotion.

34. A method for business promotion, comprising the steps of:

providing a device adapted to operate a voice interactive screen saver wherein the device is capable of prompting, receiving and processing voice input;

inputting a voice command into the device; and

activating the voice interactive screen saver.