Method to personalize and enhance the value of consumer items for use in outdoor activities

• US 7,598,869 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monto H. Kumagai, Philip Miller
• Original Assignee: Monto H. Kumagai, Philip Miller
• Inventors: Miller, Philip, Kumagai, Monto H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/560,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 340/10.51, 340/10.6, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/90.1, 455/556.1, 342/357.06, 379/88.13, 709/231
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

The present invention provides a method to personalize and enhance the value of consumer items for use in outdoor activities. It utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, computers, PDAs, and cell phones to link, record, and retrieve positional, personal, and historical data. The personalization and association of an object to a unique event by the consumer will lead to enhanced value of the product. Information that is stored on cell phones, PDAs, computers, and external databases are transferred as multimedia messages. The information is cataloged and organized using the unique RFID number. The subject line of the multimedia message is the RFID tag number. Commercial items such as skis, coats, hats, shoes, shirts, pants, gloves, sun glasses, surfboards, bicycles, wetsuits, cell phones, computers, golf clubs, golf balls, fishing poles, and lures will be produced that contain RFID tags.

Claims

1. A method of recording and recalling a consumer experience, comprising:

a) associating an RFID tag to a recreational item to allow the RFID-tagged item to be associated with an event;

b) experiencing said event with the RFID-tagged recreational item;

c) recording information comprising personal and historical information associated with said event;

d) depositing the information on the RFID tag that is associated with the recreational item so that the event can be recalled from the RFID tag that is associated with the recreational item; and

e) recalling said information.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising sharing said information.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said recreational item is selected from the group consisting of:

a) a toy wherein the toy is a stuffed animal;

b) a sports item wherein the sports item is skiing, diving, or surfing equipment or hunting equipment, a surfboard, a snowboard, a ski, a fishing pole, fishing lure, a fish, a gun, a bicycle, a trophy, a wetsuit, a golf ball, or a golf club;

c) an item of clothing wherein the item of clothing is a hat, a scarf, a coat, a shirt, a sweater, a sweat shirt, a shoe, a glove, or pants;

d) a vehicle wherein the vehicle is a scooter, a car, a motorcycle, an airplane, a train, or a skateboard;

e) a gift item, a ticket, a post card, and sun glasses.