Methods of coordinating products and service demonstrations

• US 7,444,305 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cynthia Cook Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mass Connections Incorporated
• Inventors: Nakken, Caroline, Cotten, Sandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jagdish N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chandler; Sara
• Application Number:
  US10/013,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,517 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9, 705/11, 705/32, 705/41, 235/377
• US Class Current: 705/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

This invention relates to the methods of coordinating product and service demonstrations. An event coordinator directs event operators to conduct a product or service demonstration event. The event coordinator provides event operators with cards, such as debit cards, credit cards, or smart cards, to purchase items needed for the demonstration. The event operator contacts a card administration system to activate the card. The card administration system verifies that the provided card ID and event ID are valid, and associates an authorized budget of the demonstration event with the card. The event operator then purchases items with the card, and conducts demonstrations.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating the staffing of a product or service demonstration, comprising:

creating records for a plurality of cards in a computer-readable medium in communication with a card administration module, the created card records comprising a card identifier and a validity state for each of the plurality of cards;

creating a record for a demonstration event in the computer-readable medium, the created event record comprising an event identifier and a validity state for the event;

receiving, using an automated device in communication with the computer-readable medium, an activation request from a candidate event operator requesting to work on the demonstration event, the activation request comprising a card identifier of a requesting card associated with the candidate event operator and an event identifier for the requested demonstration event;

retrieving, based on the activation request, records associated with the card identifier and the event identifier;

verifying, using the card administration module, the validity state of the requesting card and the requested event based on the retrieved card identifier and event identifier;

activating the requesting card in response to verifying that the validity state of the requesting card is not invalid and that the validity state of the requested event is not invalid, and updating the event record for the requested event to associate the activated card with the requested event, wherein the updating is performed by the card administration module; and

recording in the computer-readable medium time and attendance information for the event operator derived from purchasing information received from a first purchase using the activated card in a card-reading system and a later second purchase using the activated card.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a record in the computer-readable medium comprising an indicator that the demonstration event is a product demonstration event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a record in the computer-readable medium comprising an indicator that the demonstration event is a service demonstration event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, using the automated device, a second activation request from a second candidate event operator requesting to work on the demonstration event, the activation request comprising a card identifier of a second requesting card associated with the second candidate event operator and an event identifier for the requested demonstration event;

rejecting the second activation request in response to determining, using the card administration module, that the second requesting card has a blocked status.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, using the automated device, a second activation request from a second candidate event operator requesting to work on the demonstration event, the activation request comprising a card identifier of a second requesting card associated with the second candidate event operator and an event identifier for the requested demonstration event;

rejecting the second activation request in response to determining, using the card administration module, that the requested event has a closed status.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the card administration module to compare the timing of one or both of the first purchase and the second purchase with a scheduled time for the demonstration even, the scheduled time being stored in the record for the requested demonstration event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the card administration module to compare the location of one or both of the first purchase and the second purchase with a scheduled location associated with the requested demonstration event, the scheduled location being stored in the record for demonstration event.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the card administration module to compare one or more products purchased in one or both of the first purchase and the second purchase with a scheduled product associated with the requested demonstration event, the scheduled location being stored in the record for demonstration event.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the card administration module to determine a time duration between the time of the first purchase and the time of the second purchase.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the card administration module to determine a compensation amount due the event operator derived from the determined time duration.