Proximal advertising using hand-held communication devices

• US 20060089876A1
• Filed: 10/21/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Osirus Acquisitions FL LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Boys, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,324,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.360
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A system for commercial promotion has a first computerized appliance enabled for data reception on a close-proximity wireless local area network (LAN) having a limited effective range, and for providing received data in a human-understandable form to a user of the first appliance, and a second computerized appliance enabled for data transmission on the close-proximity wireless LAN and having access to a data repository storing promotional material. The first and the second computerized appliances establish a connection on the wireless LAN by virtue of proximity within the limited effective range, the second appliance transmits promotional material to the first appliance in response to the connection, and the first appliance renders the promotional material in human-understandable form for the user in response to receiving the promotional material.

Claims

1. A system for commercial promotion, comprising:

a first computerized appliance enabled for data reception on a close-proximity wireless local area network (LAN) having a limited effective range, and for providing received data in a human-understandable form to a user of the first appliance; and

a second computerized appliance enabled for data transmission on the close-proximity wireless LAN and having access to a data repository storing promotional material;

wherein the first and the second computerized appliances establish a connection on the wireless LAN by virtue of proximity within the limited effective range, the second appliance transmits promotional material to the first appliance in response to the connection, and the first appliance renders the promotional material in human-understandable form for the user in response to receiving the promotional material.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and the second computerized appliances are one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a pager device, each enabled for the wireless LAN connection and activity.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the provision of received data in human-understandable form is through audio output.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the provision of received data in human-understandable form is through display on a digital display of the first appliance.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the user of the first appliance is a potential consumer, the second appliance is at a business premise, and the promotional material advertises or otherwise promotes a product or service of the business.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the promotional material includes a discount for purchase of the product or service.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the promotional material includes a coupon redeemable by the business for a product or service.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the coupon is date and time stamped and bears an authorization mechanism retrievable at the business for verification.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the second appliance is Internet-capable, and retrieves promotional material from a service provider remote from the business and having an Internet-connected server.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the service provider has a profile for the user of the first appliance as a subscriber, and the second appliance connects with the first appliance only if the user of the first appliance is a subscriber.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the second appliance is Internet-capable, and retrieves promotional material from a service provider remote from the business and having an Internet-connected server, and the service provider also provides a service for subscribers to trade with the coupons.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the service provider also does accounting and billing for trades in coupons.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the user of the first appliance is a potential consumer, the second appliance is carried by a vendor person with a product or service to vend, and the promotional material advertises or otherwise promotes the product or service of the vendor person.

14. A method for commercial promotion, comprising:

(a) establishing a connection on a wireless local area network (LAN) having a limited effective range between a first computerized appliance enabled for data reception on the LAN and a second computerized appliance enabled for data transmission on the LAN, the connection in response to the two appliances coming within the effective range;

(b) transmitting promotional material from the second appliance to the first appliance in response to the connection; and

(c) rendering the promotional material in human-understandable form by the first appliance for a user of the first appliance.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first and the second computerized appliances are one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a pager device, each enabled for the wireless LAN connection and activity.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the provision of received data in human-understandable form is through audio output.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the provision of received data in human-understandable form is through display on a digital display of the first appliance.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the user of the first appliance is a potential consumer, the second appliance is at a business premise, and the promotional material advertises or otherwise promotes a product or service of the business.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the promotional material includes a discount for purchase of the product or service.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the promotional material includes a coupon redeemable by the business for a product or service.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the coupon is date and time stamped and bears an authorization mechanism retrievable at the business for verification.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the second appliance is Internet-capable, and retrieves promotional material from a service provider remote from the business and having an Internet-connected server.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the service provider has a profile for the user of the first appliance as a subscriber, and the second appliance connects with the first appliance only if the user of the first appliance is a subscriber.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the second appliance is Internet-capable, and retrieves promotional material from a service provider remote from the business and having an Internet-connected server, and the service provider also provides a service for subscribers to trade with the coupons.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the service provider also does accounting and billing for trades in coupons.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the user of the first appliance is a potential consumer, the second appliance is carried by a vendor person with a product or service to vend, and the promotional material advertises or otherwise promotes the product or service of the vendor person.