Rewarding users for accessing third party internet content

• US 20110099078A1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Di-Walkor III Services LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Nemes, Richard Michael, Lotvin, Mikhail
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0218 based on score
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/18 Book-keeping or economics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

The computer apparatus and methods of the preferred embodiment uses computer technology in a unique way to motivate children to devote more time to educational and cultural enrichment. In the preferred embodiment, educational material is provided at a child'"'"'s local computer under control of a central computer system connected to it over a computer network. On completing a particular educational task, the child is rewarded with a certain number of points. Points that the child accumulates are stored centrally, and at least some of the points can be redeemed towards the purchase of goods and services offered through the system of the preferred embodiment by its commercial participants. The purchasing transactions are also administered by the central computer. Parents, preferably, use the system to support their children'"'"'s purchasing activity financially and to select content available for presentation to the child. In other embodiments, the disclosed apparatus and methods can be used for purposes unrelated to education of children, and distribution of functionality between the central and local computers may be different, including wholly local implementations.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A method for determining viewing preferences, comprising:

providing a first user with access to third party content;

receiving viewing preferences and advertisement preferences from a second user, the viewing preferences including categories of content viewable by the first user and the advertisement preferences including categories of advertising viewable by the first user;

presenting a content selection from the third party content to the first user based on the viewing preferences specified by the second user; and

presenting an advertisement to the first user based on the content selection and the advertisement preferences.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the content selection and the advertisement are presented concurrently.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

providing financing from the second user to the first user in response to presenting the advertisement.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

providing the first user access to content in response to receiving funds from the first user.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first user based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the second user.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

storing the reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content to the first user.

35. A system for facilitating a purchase, comprising:

means for providing a first user with access to third party content;

means for receiving viewing preferences and advertisement preferences from a second user, the viewing preferences including categories of content viewable by the first user and the advertisement preferences including categories of advertising viewable by the first user;

means for presenting a content selection from the third party content to the first user based on the viewing preferences specified by the second user; and

means for presenting an advertisement to the first user based on the content selection and the advertisement preferences.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for presenting the content selection and the advertisement concurrently.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

means for providing financing from the second user to the first user in response to presenting the advertisement.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for providing the first user access to content in response to receiving funds from the first user.

39. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

means for presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first user based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the second user.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising:

means for storing the reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content to the first user.

41. An article of manufacture including a tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that in response to execution by a computing device cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

providing a first user with access to third party content;

receiving viewing preferences and advertisement preferences from a second user, the viewing preferences including categories of content viewable by the first user and the advertisement preferences including categories of advertising viewable by the first user;

presenting a content selection from the third party content to the first user based on the viewing preferences specified by the second user; and

presenting an advertisement to the first user based on the content selection and the advertisement preferences.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 41 wherein the content selection and the advertisement are presented concurrently.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing financing from the second user to the first user in response to presenting the advertisement.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 43, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the first user access to content in response to receiving funds from the first user.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting reward data associated with the content selection to the first user based on the viewing preferences and the advertisement preferences specified by the second user.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing reward data associated with the content selection in response to presenting the content to the first user.