Promotional event tracking system

• US 7,797,191 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• 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): Jasmin; Lynda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Uber; Nathan C
• Application Number:
  US11/059,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• 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 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• 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 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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 and tracking 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. Event data is provided to the parties involved in the demonstration such as a product manufacturer or service provider, the event coordinator, a staffing agency, the event operator, and a retail store. The event data includes, for example, items purchased for demonstration using the card, items purchased by customers during the demonstrations, and time information.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the participation of event operators working remotely at promotional events, the method comprising:

providing a promotional event request interface accessible to an event requester over a network, said promotional event request interface comprising one or more selection tools configured to allow the event requester to provide order information for a promotional event;

receiving via the promotional event request interface, the order information for the promotional event, the order information comprising one or more requested locations for the promotional event, one or more requested times for the promotional event, and one or more requested products or services for the promotional event;

enrolling one or more event operators to work on the promotional event, the enrolling comprising storing, in a computer readable medium, an association between the promotional event and one or more event cards that uniquely identify the one or more event operators;

using the one or more event cards with one or more card readers to purchase one or more items for the promotional event, wherein one or more start times are generated when the one or more event cards are used with the one or more card readers to purchase the one or more items for the promotional event;

comparing the one or more start times to the one or more requested times using one or more computer processors in communication with the computer readable medium to determine participation information for the one or more event operators; and

providing a promotional event tracking interface over the network, the promotional event tracking interface displaying the participation information for the one or more event operators enrolled for the promotional event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional event tracking interface is accessible to the event requester.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

adjusting a rate at which the event requester pays for the promotional event based at least in part on the comparison of the one or more start times to the one or more requested times; and

displaying the adjusted rate on the promotional event tracking interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the order information to a card administration system;

providing the one or more event cards to the one or more event operators; and

instructing the one or more event operators to activate the one or more event cards by contacting the card administration system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the one or more event operators to use the one or more event cards to purchase the one or more items for conducting the promotional event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the one or more event operators to use the one or more event cards to record a starting time and an ending time of the promotional event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the enrolling further comprises assigning an agency to staff the promotional event by notifying the agency of the promotional event through a promotional event coordinating interface accessible over the network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing instructions for executing the promotional event to the agency through the promotional event coordinating interface.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving the identities of the one or more event operators from the agency through the promotional event coordinating interface.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the promotional event tracking interface is accessible to the agency, and the method further comprises:

providing the participation information to the agency through the promotional event tracking interface;

providing financial information to the agency through the promotional event tracking interface, wherein the financial information includes a first rate at which the agency is paid for the promotional event; and

receiving a request from the agency through the promotional event tracking interface to change the first rate to a second rate, wherein the second rate is based at least in part on the participation information provided to the agency.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing event information to a promotional event coordinating interface accessible to the one or more event operators through the network, wherein the event information is selected from the group comprising instructions for executing the promotional event, store report forms, and payment information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying product information on the promotional event tracking interface, wherein the product information comprises an amount of product distributed as free samples during the promotional event and an amount of the product sold during the promotional event.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the product information to an amount of the product sold prior to the promotional event to determine a percentage lift in sales of the product; and

displaying the percentage lift on the promotional event tracking interface.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

adjusting a rate at which the event requester pays for the promotional event based at least in part on the percentage lift; and

displaying the adjusted rate on the promotional event tracking interface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving report data from the one or more event operators; and

in response to receiving the report data, changing a status of the promotional event from a pending status to a completed status.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the report data is received through a voice recognition unit.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the data generated by use of the one or more event cards comprises one or more actual locations where the one or more event cards are read by the one or more card-readers, and wherein the participation information is generated at least in part by comparing the one or more actual locations where the one or more event cards are read to the one or more requested locations for the promotional event.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a list of authorized items for the promotional event based at least in part on the one or more requested products or services, wherein the data generated by use of the one or more event cards comprises one or more actual products purchased using the one or more event cards; and

generating and storing purchase information for the one or more event operators, the purchase information generated at least in part by comparing the actual products purchased using the one or more event cards to the list of authorized items for the promotional event, wherein the promotional event tracking interface displays the purchase information for the one or more event operators enrolled for the promotional event.