Integrated household management system and method

• US 6,678,685 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Familytime.com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Familytime.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Hawkins, John, McGill, Edmund, Soderlund, Kurt, OʼBrien, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/768,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20020016734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/102, 707/104, 705/14, 705/27, 725/23, 235/380
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The invention provides an Internet-based integrated household management system. Each user or household has a unique account with the provider of the system to manage their personal data within system. The provider uses this data to make available information that is relevant to the shopping and organizational tasks. This information may include promotional offers, product information and new product announcements for consumer products and services. The data structure can display information that is relevant to a user'"'"'s specific needs, providing an efficient system of delivering highly targeted information to consumers. A directory format is included which enables users to search for specific types of information or browse available information that may have been filtered out based on the user'"'"'s data. The user can be provided with purchase information and purchase incentives based on a user'"'"'s profile and buying patterns.

Claims

1. A method for managing household activities of a user connected to a service system, comprising:

the user providing to the service system user data which include demographic user information and interactive user behavior characteristics;

the service system in response to the user data providing the user with a household management tool,

the user scheduling the household activities by using the household management tool, wherein information about the scheduled household activities is transmitted from the user to the service system,

the service system associating a scheduled household activity with an incentive and transmitting the incentive to the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the incentive is provided to the service system by a provider selected from the group consisting of retailers, manufacturers, service providers and clearing houses.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the provider is connected to the service system via the Internet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the household management tool is a scheduler or calendar.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user is connected to the service system via the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduled household activity is a meal or meal schedule.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the household management tool includes a recipe.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user comprises more than one user belonging to a common household and sharing the household management tool.