PORTABLE PROMOTIONAL CONTENT AND INTERFACE APPARATUS

• US 20120173430A1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LEO Burnett Company Incorporated (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Original Assignee: LEO Burnett Company Incorporated (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Inventors: Carnero, Giorgio, Denhart, Jay, Peters, Michael, Randi, Marco
• Application Number:
  US13/423,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173430A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation

Abstract

A portable promotional content and interface apparatus (200) comprises a housing (201) that houses a memory (203) and a control circuit (202). This memory comprises, at least in part, a hidden digital storage area (204). The memory stores encrypted digital end-user promotional content and the hidden digital storage area stores the corresponding encryption key(s). The control circuit operably couples to this memory and also to a computational-platform interface (206) (such as, but not limited to, a USB plug). So configured, the control circuit interfaces with an end user'"'"'s computational platform (301) via this computational-platform interface. Via that connection, the control circuit then serves to confirm a pre-established right for the end user to experience the stored end-user promotional content and to use the encryption key(s) to facilitate the end user experiencing that digital end-user promotional content through the end-user computational platform upon confirming that pre-established right.

Claims

1. A portable promotional content and interface apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a computational-platform interface;

a memory disposed within the housing and comprising, at least in part, a hidden digital storage area;

encrypted digital end-user promotional content stored in the memory;

at least one encryption key stored in the hidden digital storage area of the memory;

a control circuit disposed within the housing and being operably coupled to the computational-platform interface and the memory and being configured to interface with an end user'"'"'s computational platform via the computational-platform interface to;

confirm a pre-established right for the end user to experience the digital end-user promotional content;

use the at least one encryption key to facilitate the end user experiencing the digital end-user promotional content through the end-user computational platform via the computational-platform interface upon confirming the pre-established right.

2. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computational-platform interface comprises a non-wireless interface.

3. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the non-wireless interface comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) plug.

4. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pre-established right for the end user to experience the digital end-user promotional content comprises a right that is established prior to providing the end user with physical possession of the portable promotional content and interface apparatus.

5. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the portable promotional content and interface apparatus itself lacks a native ability to locally render the digital end-user promotional content perceivable to the end user.

6. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

automatically interact with a remote server via the end user'"'"'s computational-platform.

7. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically interact with the remote server using Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol without using a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

8. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically interact with the remote server, at least in part, by at least one of:

validating a right of a given end user to experience the digital end-user promotional content;

receiving from the remote server new digital end-user promotional content.

9. The portable promotional content and interface apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

automatically prevent the end user from experiencing the digital end-user promotional content as a function of time.