MAILABLE ITEM WITH PRODUCT INFORMATION

• US 20120179519A1
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vecziedins, Karlis, Lautzenheiser, Terry L., Miles, Michael E., Bylsma, Richard B., Vance, Simon S., Morse, Harold E.
• Application Number:
  US13/344,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A method for product information retrieval with a mailable item. The method includes providing a mailable item with a communication system and memory, transferring product usage information from the product to the mailable item, and mailing the mailable item to a recipient who can retrieve and analyze the product information. Incentives can be offered to entice a user to obtain the mailable item and/or to return the mailable item.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving product information from a product comprising the steps of:

providing a mailable item having a wireless communication system and memory;

providing the product having a wireless communication system and memory, wherein the product is configured to transfer product usage information about the product to the mailable item;

receiving the mailable item, wherein the memory in the mailable item includes the product usage information from the product;

retrieving the product usage information from the memory of the mailable item with a wireless collection device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mailable item includes a software update for the product as an incentive to obtain the mailable item.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the mailable item is configured such that installation of the software update is performed simultaneously while the product usage information is received from the product.

4. The method of claim 1 includes offering an incentive to return the mailable item.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the incentive includes at least one of a coupon, promotional material, a discount, a monetary reward, admittance to an event, and a report on the status of the product.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the product is a water treatment system and the product usage information includes at least one of number of power ups, number of cartridges installed in a water treatment system, number of water flows for the product, number of days the system has been in use, total number of hours the current filter has been installed, total amount of volume of water treated through the current filter, total number of water flows through the current filter, total number of water flows with a low battery, total number of flows after the filter end of life, the maximum number of flows of water in a 24 hour period, and the maximum flow in a 24 hour period in the current filter.

7. The method of claim 1 including:

storing the product usage information in a database; and

analyzing the product usage information in the database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the mailable item is a unitary item including destination information, the wireless communication system, and the memory.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the mailable item is a multi-part item including two or more separable parts, the multi-part item includes a package with predefined destination information and a product usage information module including the wireless communication system and memory.

10. A method for retrieving product information from a product comprising the steps of:

obtaining a product having a wireless communication system and memory;

obtaining a mailable item having a wireless communication system and memory;

transferring product usage information from the memory of the product onto the mailable item wirelessly using the wireless communication system of the product and the wireless communication system of the mailable item;

storing the product usage information in memory on the mailable item.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the mailable item is a unitary item including destination information, the wireless communication system, and the memory.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the mailable item is a multi-part item including two or more separable parts, the multi-part item includes a package with predefined destination information and a product usage information module including the wireless communication system and memory.

13. The method of claim 10 including mailing the mailable item to a recipient for retrieval of the product usage information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the product wireless communication system comprises an RFID reader/writer and the mailable item wireless communication system comprises a postcard with an RFID tag.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the mailable item includes a software update for the product as an incentive to obtain the mailable item.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the mailable item is configured such that installation of the software update is performed simultaneously while the product usage information is transferred on to the mailable item.

17. The method of claim 10 includes offering an incentive to mail the mailable item to the recipient.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the incentive includes at least one of a coupon, promotional material, a discount, a monetary reward, admittance to an event, and a report on the status of the product.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the product is a water treatment system and the product usage information includes at least one of number of power ups, number of cartridges installed in a water treatment system, number of water flows for the product, number of days the system has been in use, total number of hours the current filter has been installed, total amount of volume of water treated through the current filter, total number of water flows through the current filter, total number of water flows with a low battery, total number of flows after the filter end of life, the maximum number of flows of water in a 24 hour period, and the maximum flow in a 24 hour period in the current filter.

20. A system for retrieving product information from a product comprising:

a mailable item with a wireless communication system and memory;

a product having a wireless communication system, memory, a controller, and one or more sensors for measuring product usage information, wherein the controller is programmed to wirelessly transfer the product usage information to the mailable item using the wireless communication system of the product and the wireless communication system of the mailable item; and

a collection device for collecting the product usage information from the memory of the mailable item.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the mailable item is a unitary item including destination information, the wireless communication system, and the memory.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the mailable item is a multi-part item including two or more separable parts, the multi-part item includes a package with predefined destination information and a product usage information module including the wireless communication system and memory.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the product wireless communication system comprises an RFID reader/writer and the mailable item wireless communication system comprises a postcard with an RFID tag.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the mailable item includes a software update for the product as an incentive to obtain the mailable item.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the mailable item is configured such that installation of the software update is performed simultaneously while the product usage information is transferred on to the mailable item.

26. The method of claim 20 includes offering an incentive to mail the mailable item to the recipient.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the incentive includes at least one of a coupon, promotional material, a discount, a monetary reward, admittance to an event, and a report on the status of the product.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein the product is a water treatment system and the product usage information includes at least one of number of power ups, number of cartridges installed in a water treatment system, number of water flows for the product, number of days the system has been in use, total number of hours the current filter has been installed, total amount of volume of water treated through the current filter, total number of water flows through the current filter, total number of water flows with a low battery, total number of flows after the filter end of life, the maximum number of flows of water in a 24 hour period, and the maximum flow in a 24 hour period in the current filter.