SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROMOTING COMMERCE, INCLUDING SALES AGENT ASSISTED COMMERCE, IN A NETWORKED ECONOMY

• US 20090222358A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael Bednarek
• Original Assignee: Michael Bednarek
• Inventors: BEDNAREK, MICHAEL D.
• Application Number:
  US12/437,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A personal communication and electronic commerce system for use by participating users and participating merchants in connection with incentive programs in the Network Economy. The system includes a cellular communication network that includes geographically spaced base stations that are linked to a fixed communication network. Users may have personal communication devices that can be used to allow a digital message generated on the personal communication devices by placing a call through one of the base stations and memory for storing a digital value corresponding to a monetary value. The personal communication device may also be used as a cellular position locator to determine one'"'"'s geographic location and, if desired, to access information from a merchant information database containing information pertaining to a plurality of participating merchants located within the geographic territory covered by the cellular communication network. The merchant information may be stored on a database that is accessible by merchants so those merchants can add, delete or alter information contained in their respective listings. An incentive system is also provided for creating incentives for participating users to encourage. This computer implemented incentive program for encouraging certain participant actions includes a first reward program under which participants may earn points for certain actions and a second reward program through which the redemption rate associated with a particular participant is adjusted in response to certain participant action. The incentive program has a wide range of applications, including transportation, financial services and computer gaming.

Claims

1. A wireless connectivity and electronic commerce system, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s in association with data provided by the merchant;

merchant provided data associated with each of the merchant ID'"'"'s, the merchant provided data being accessible by merchants so that merchants can add, delete or alter information associated with their merchant ID;

a plurality of digital wireless communication devices, each of the digital wireless communication devices comprising;

a touch selection display;

audio output and input equipment to allow voice communication on a digital network, a touch selection user interface for allowing an user to generate digital messages;

a transmitter and receiver for wireless connectivity so as to allow a digital message generated on the digital wireless communication devices to be transmitted to hardware equipped to receive such messages;

a search engine for querying the database to determine the merchant ID of all participating merchants that satisfy a user query and retrieving merchant provided data pertaining to selected participating merchants and transmitting the information to the digital wireless communication device; and

the user interface comprising a plurality of touch selection menu options stored on the digital wireless communication device so as to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant through a combination of a plurality of menu choices;

the user interface further comprising a plurality of touch selection menu options to allow a user to download merchant specific content through a combination of touch selection menu choices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s in association with the merchant provided database maintained on a common server by a system operator, each of the plurality of merchant ID conforming to a standard and being assigned by the system operator, the database storing content uniquely associated with a plurality of different merchants in a consistent format on a single server, the content including content that can be modified only by the system operator or the merchant to which the content is uniquely associated and the system controlling access to the database such that each of the plurality of different merchants are allowed to access the common server to modify content uniquely associated with their respective merchant ID'"'"'s, but prevented from modifying content uniquely associated with others of the plurality of different merchants.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital wireless communication devices comprise and a transmitter and receiver for communication with a cellular base station so as to allow digital cellular voice communication and allow a digital message generated on the digital wireless communication devices to be transmitted through a mobile exchange.

4. A computer implemented merchant content distribution system that allows users equipped with digital wireless communication devices to search for and obtain digital content provided by merchants, the system comprising:

a plurality of digital wireless communication devices, each of the digital wireless communication devices comprising;

a display;

audio output and input equipment to allow voice communication on a digital network, a touch selection user interface for allowing an user to generate search queries, the user interface comprising a plurality of touch selection options to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant content through a combination of a plurality of touch selection menu choices;

a transmitter and receiver for wireless connectivity so as to allow a digital message generated on the digital wireless communication devices to be transmitted to hardware equipped to receive such messages;

a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s in association with merchant data;

wherein the database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s in association with merchant data is a database maintained on a common server by a system operator, each of the plurality of merchant ID conforming to a standard and being approved by the system operator, the database storing content uniquely associated with a plurality of different merchants in a consistent format on a single server, the content including content provided by the respective merchant to which the content is uniquely associated and the system controlling access to the database such that each of the plurality of different merchants are allowed to access the common server to modify content uniquely associated with their respective merchant ID'"'"'s, but prevented from modifying content uniquely associated with others of the plurality of different merchants.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital wireless communication devices comprise a transmitter and receiver for communication with a cellular base station so as to allow digital cellular voice communication and allow a digital message generated on the digital wireless communication devices to be transmitted through a mobile exchange.

6. A computer implemented merchant content distribution system for allowing users to identify merchant data of interest within a database containing data provided by a plurality of merchants, the system further allowing allow merchants to alter or control the content of information sent to users, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s and merchant provided data in association with a description of the type of data;

wherein the database for storing a plurality of merchant ID'"'"'s in association with a description of the type of data is a merchant provided data database maintained on a common server by a system operator, each of the plurality of merchant ID conforming to a standard and being assigned by the system operator, the database storing content uniquely associated with a plurality of different merchants in a consistent format on a single server, the content including content provided by the merchant to which the content is uniquely associated and the system controlling access to the database such that each of the plurality of different merchants are allowed to provide content on the common server that is uniquely associated with their respective merchant ID'"'"'s, but prevented from modifying content uniquely associated with others of the plurality of different merchants.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of digital wireless communication devices, each of the digital wireless communication devices comprising:

a display;

a position locator system for determining the geographic position of the digital wireless communication devices;

a user interface for allowing an user to generate digital messages, the user interface comprising a plurality of menu options stored on the digital wireless communication device so as to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant through a combination of a plurality of menu choices;

a transmitter and receiver for communication with a cellular base station so as to allow digital cellular voice communication and allow a digital message generated on the digital wireless communication devices to be transmitted through a mobile exchange to the common server.