Talking bouquet

• US 6,011,833 A
• Filed: 08/11/1998
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Florafax International, Inc. (Gerald Stevens, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Florafax International, Inc. (Gerald Stevens, Inc.)
• Inventors: West, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Application Number:
  US09/132,397
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22-88.26, 379/70, 379/74, 379/88.12, 705/26
• US Class Current: 379/88.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53316 Messaging centre selected by message originator

Abstract

A service enabling a sending party to arrange through use of an organization offering this service for physical delivery of a gift such as a bouquet of flowers to a receiving party, the gift being accompanied by a card which directs the receiving party to receive by telephone a recorded personalized message from the sending party.

Claims

1. A service offered by an organization having a sales agent and a delivery agent for delivering a physical gift from a sending party S to a receiving party R together with a written instruction to R providing telephone access to a recorded message from S, said service employing the following steps:

S places a first telephone call to the sales agent requesting delivery of said gift to a suitably identified R and also requesting the sales agent to arrange for S to dictate a recorded message to R;

the sales agent transfers said telephone call to a suitable recording mechanism whereby S dictates a suitable message to R;

the sales agent prepares a written card instructing R to place a second telephone call to said mechanism whereby R will orally receive the recorded message;

the sales agent instructs a delivery agent to deliver the gift and the card to R; and

R receives the gift and card and places the second telephone call to receive the message.

2. The service set forth in claim 1 wherein the recording mechanism is an interactive voice response computer.

3. The service as set forth in claim 2 wherein the sales agent assigns a number which identifies the particular delivery and arranges for the written card to bear this number as well as instructions concerning the second telephone number.

4. The service as set forth in claim 3 wherein S receives step by step instructions from the agent concerning recording of the message.

5. The service as set forth in claim 4 wherein the card contains step by step instructions for R to receive the message.

6. The service of claim 5 wherein both R and S receive a written description explaining the entire process.