Mapping and quality control system and method for the distribution of flyers, circulars and the like

• US 20070129954A1
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alex Media Services Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alex Media Services Inc.
• Inventors: Dessureault, Benoit
• Application Number:
  US11/291,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129954A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

A mapping and quality control system and method for the distribution of flyers, circulars and other such hardcopy media is disclosed. For example, a Web based system for displaying location-specific market data for an area in view of targeting a delivery of hardcopy media via a carrier in the area is comprised of at least one database, comprising the market data and a number of distribution zones, a data processor for mapping the market data and the distribution zones on a map and, a communicatively linked Web server and client for displaying the map via a client output device. Further, an exemplary system for use in providing a mapped quality control of objects delivered at locations along a distribution route comprises a portable positioning device for acquiring a QC position of at least one object delivery location, a data processor adapted to assign a positive delivery status marker thereto and, an output device for displaying the marker on a map of an area encompassing the distribution route. Methods and computer readable programs for implementing such systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a mapped quality control of objects delivered at locations along a distribution route, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a QC position of at least one object delivery location using a portable positioning device;

assigning a positive delivery status marker to said QC position; and

displaying said marker on a map of an area encompassing the distribution route.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising repeating said steps for plural object delivery locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said acquiring step is executed via a computerized data entry terminal communicatively linked to said positioning device.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising the step after said acquiring step of storing said QC position via said terminal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said portable positioning device and said terminal are operatively incorporated into a GPS device, said acquiring step comprising acquiring said QC position via said GPS device.

6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising the step after said acquiring step of storing said QC position in said GPS device via a waypoint stored therein.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said waypoint comprises a label stored therewith, said label identifying information related to said location, the method further comprising the step of providing access to said information via said map.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said label identifies at least one of a delivery status at said location, an object delivered at said location, geographic data associated with said location, a civic address at said location, demographic data associated with said location and, GPS data associated with said QC position.

9. The method of claim 1, the method for providing a mapped quality control of objects delivered along plural distribution routes, said displaying step comprising displaying said marker on a map of an area encompassing the distribution routes.

10. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of

storing said QC position in a computer storage device accessible to a Web server;

and

providing a Web client access to said QC position via said Web server;

wherein said displaying step comprises displaying said map via said Web client.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are selected from a group consisting of circulars, flyers, advertisements and hardcopy marketing media.

12. The method of claim 1, the method for providing the mapped quality control of delivered objects to a sponsor sponsoring the delivery, wherein the objects are delivered to targeted consumers as a means for advertising to said consumers, the mapped quality control providing the sponsor a visual assessment of a number of said consumers having access to the objects.

13. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of tracking positions along the distribution route in a vicinity of said location;

assigning a tracking marker to at least one of said tracking positions; and

displaying said tracking marker on said map.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said portable positioning device comprises a GPS device, said tracking positions being acquired via said GPS device and stored in a tracking log thereof.

15. A system for use in providing a mapped quality control of objects delivered at locations along a distribution route, the system comprising:

a portable positioning device for acquiring a QC position of at least one object delivery location;

a data processor, having communicative access to said QC position, adapted to assign a positive delivery status marker thereto; and

an output device for displaying said marker on a map of an area encompassing the distribution route.

16. The system of claim 15, the system further comprising a data entry terminal communicatively linked to said portable positioning, said QC position being acquired via said data entry terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said data entry terminal and said positioning device are operatively incorporated into a GPS device, said QC position being acquired via said GPS device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said QC position is acquired via a GPS waypoint stored on said GPS device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said GPS waypoint comprises a label stored therewith identifying information related to said location and wherein said processor, having communicative access to said information, is adapted to associate said information with said marker to provide access thereto via said map.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said label identifies at least one of a delivery status at said location, an object delivered at said location, geographic data associated with said location, a civic address at said location, demographic data associated with said location, and GPS data associated with said QC position.

21. The system of claim 15, the system further comprising a host system comprising said processor, said host system comprising at least one media storage device communicatively accessible to said processor, said QC position being uploaded to said media storage device from said positioning device via a communication link established therebetween.

22. The system of claim 21, the system further comprising a Web server having communicative access to said media storage device, wherein said map may be displayed via a Web client in communication with said server on a remote output device operatively linked to said client.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said map may be printed via said client.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the objects are selected from a group consisting of circulars, flyers, advertisements and hardcopy marketing media.

25. The system of claim 15, said portable positioning device further being used for acquiring a plurality of tracking positions along the distribution route in a vicinity of said location, said processor having access to said tracking positions being adapted to assign a tracking marker to at least one of said tracking positions and, said output device being adapted to display said tracking marker on said map.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said portable positioning device comprises a GPS device, said tracking positions being acquired via said GPS device and stored in a tracking log thereof.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operations of a computer system comprising a processor, a storage device and an output device, wherein the computer-readable program comprises instructions for operating the computer system to provide a mapped quality control of objects delivered at locations along a distribution route in accordance with the following:

maintaining at least one database on said storage device, said database comprising at least one QC entry comprising a QC position, each QC entry indicating a delivery of at least one of the objects at a location represented by said QC position;

assigning a positive delivery status marker to each QC entry using the processor; and

displaying each of said markers on a map of an area encompassing the distribution route via the output device.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, said QC entry further comprising information related to said location, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a logical link between said marker and said information for use as a pointer to said information in said database such that access thereto may be provided via said marker on said map.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said output device comprises an interactive display and said marker comprises an interactive marker displayed thereon, said information being accessed and displayed via said interactive marker.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said information comprises at least one of a delivery status at said location, an object delivered at said location, geographic data associated with said location, a civic address associated with said location, demographic data associated with said location, and GPS data associated with said QC position.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, the computer system further comprising a Web server, the program further comprising instructions for displaying said map via a Web client communicatively linked with said server on a remote output device operatively linked thereto.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein said output device comprises at least one of a display screen and a printer.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, the database further comprising a plurality of tracking entries each comprising a tracking position representative of an area in a vicinity of said location, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a tracking marker to at least one of said tracking entries using the processor and displaying said tracking marker on said map via the output device.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34, said tracking entries further comprising tracking information related to said tracking positions, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a logical link between said tracking marker and said tracking information for use as a pointer to said tracking information in the database such that access to said tracking information may be provided via said tracking marker on said map.

36. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operations of a Web based computer system comprising at least one processor, a storage device, a Web server and a Web client communicatively linked to the server, wherein the computer-readable program comprises instructions for operating the system to provide a mapping of location-specific market data for an area in view of targeting a delivery of hardcopy media via a carrier in the area in accordance with the following:

maintaining at least one database on said storage device, said database comprising a first series of data entries and a second series of data entries, each of said first series of entries comprising market data having a value and a location and each of said second series of entries comprising a distribution zone, said distribution zone being sized to encompass a respective carrier distribution route for the delivery;

mapping said first series of entries and said second series of entries on a map of the area, wherein said mapping of each of said first series of entries comprises generating a semaphore representative of said entry value and placing said semaphore on said map at said entry location;

providing the client access to said map via the server to be displayed thereby via a client output device.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein each of said second series of entries comprises zone information, the computer program further comprising instructions for assigning a logical link between said mapping of each said second series of entries and said zone information for use as a pointer to said zone information in said database such that access thereto may be provided via said map.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said client output device comprises at least one of a display screen and a printer.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein each distribution zone corresponds to at least one of a Canadian census dissemination area, a Canadian census enumeration area, an American census block and an American census block group.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said value of each of said first series of data entries comprises statistically clustered market data representative of a population in a specific area and said position of each of said first series of data en comprises a representative position of said specific area.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein said specific area comprises at least one of a postal code area, an area code area, a forward sortation area, a local directory unit area, a dissemination area, an enumeration area, a census block, a census block group, a community, a residential block and a municipality.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein said statistically clustered market data comprises at least one of an average spending per dwelling in said specific area, an average age of said population in said specific area, a number of homes in said specific area, an average income in said specific area, an average age of homes in said specific area.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein each specific area corresponds to one distribution zone such that only one semaphore is mapped for each distribution zone on said map.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein said statistically clustered market data is clustered using a centroid approach.

45. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein each of said first series of data entries comprises location information related to said location, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a logical link between said semaphore and said location information for use as a pointer to said location information in said database such that access thereto may be provided via said semaphore on said map.

46. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein said client output device comprises an interactive display and said semaphore comprises an interactive semaphore displayed thereon, said location information being accessed and displayed via said interactive semaphore.

47. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein said database further comprises at least one QC entry comprising a QC position, each QC entry indicating a delivery of at least one of the hardcopy media at a given delivery location represented by said QC position, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a positive delivery status marker to each said QC entry using the processor and displaying each of said markers on said map.

48. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 47, said QC entry further comprising QC information related to said given delivery location, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a logical link between said marker and said QC information for use as a pointer to said QC information in said database such that access thereto may be provided via said marker on said map.

49. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 47, the database further comprising a plurality of tracking entries each comprising a tracking position representative of an area in a vicinity of said location, the program further comprising instructions for assigning a tracking marker to at least one of said tracking entries using the processor and displaying said tracking marker on said map.

50. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the client is provided access to said map via an interactive Website maintained by the server.

51. A Web based system for displaying location-specific market data for an area in view of targeting a delivery of hardcopy media via a carrier in the area, the system comprising:

at least one database, said database comprising a first series of data entries and a second series of data entries, each of said first series of entries comprising market data having a value and a location and each of said second series of entries comprising a distribution zone, said distribution zone being sized to encompass a respective carrier distribution route for the delivery;

a data processor for mapping said first series of entries and said second series of data entries on a map of the area, wherein said mapping of each of said first series of data entries comprises generating a semaphore representative of said entry value and placing said semaphore on said map at said entry location;

a Web server for providing access to said map; and

a Web client, communicatively linked to said server, for displaying said map via a client output device.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein said client output device comprises at least one of a display screen and a printer.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein each distribution zone corresponds to at least one of a Canadian census dissemination area, a Canadian census enumeration area, an American census block and an American census block group.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein said value of each of said first series of data entries comprises statistically clustered market data representative of a population in a specific area and said position of each of said first series of data entries comprises a representative position of said specific area.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein said specific area comprises at least one of a postal code area, an area code area, a forward sortation area, a local directory unit area, a dissemination area, an enumeration area, a census block, a census block group, a community, a residential block and a municipality.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein said statistically clustered market data comprises at least one of an average spending per dwelling in said specific area, an average age of said population in said specific area, a number of homes in said specific area, an average income in said specific area, an average age of homes in said specific area.

57. The system of claim 54, wherein each specific area corresponds to one distribution zone such that only one semaphore is mapped for each distribution zone on said map.

58. The system of claim 51, wherein each of said first series of entries comprises location information related to said location, said processor, having communicative access to said location information, being adapted to associate said location information for each of said first series of entries with said semaphore to provide access thereto via said map.

59. The system of claim 51, the system further comprising a portable positioning device for acquiring a QC position of at least one hardcopy media delivery location, said processor, having communicative access to said QC position, being adapted to assign a positive delivery status marker thereto and placing said marker on said map.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein said positioning device comprises a GPS device and wherein said QC position is acquired thereby and stored thereon via a GPS waypoint communicatively transferred to said database.

61. The system of claim 59, said portable positioning device further being used for acquiring a plurality of tracking positions in a vicinity of said delivery location, said processor having access to said tracking positions being adapted to assign a tracking marker to at least one of said tracking positions and placing said tracking marker on said map.