System for providing promotional materials based on item sampling event results

• US 8,756,097 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John N. Gross, Kristin Gross
• Original Assignee: John N. Gross, Kristin Gross
• Inventors: Gross, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Seye
• Application Number:
  US13/651,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20130041840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7.32, 705/7.33, 705/7.34, 705/14.44, 705/14.57, 705/14.58
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

Items—including gourmet products—are evaluated and rated by participants in a controlled event, which can be coordinated by software locally or at a dedicated website. Event data, including item scores and participant scores can be shared with vendors, merchants and other commercial entities associated with the products. Promotional incentives from such entities for the products (and related products) can then be directly targeted and provided to participants and other members of the public. The participant'"'"'s activities can also be collected and disseminated to affiliates/friends of the participants through social networking sites, personalized web pages, etc.

Claims

1. A system adapted to conduct an item sampling event for a set of items, comprising:

a computing system;

a first routine executing on the computing system for collecting at least a set of ratings for the set of items from a group of participants using one or more electronic data collection devices during the item sampling event;

a second routine executing on the computing system for calculating item sampling event data including at least item scores and participant scores;

a third routine executing on the computing system for providing at least some of said item sampling event data through a network to one or more electronic systems associated with third parties involved in one or more of the making, distributing or selling of the items;

a fourth routine for processing and sending one or both of local purchase information or other electronic feedback from such third parties to said one or more electronic data collection devices or electronic accounts for said group of participants dynamically during the item sampling event;

wherein said local purchase information and/or other electronic feedback are coupled and dynamically adjustable based on one or both of a geographical location of said one or more data collection devices or a residence address of said group of participants; and

a fifth routine for dynamically providing at least some of the item sampling event data, or metrics derived from the item sampling event data, to the group of participants during the item sampling event.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sixth routine which monitors purchases by said group of participants for said set of items from online vendors and credits an operator of the computing system with a credit based on said purchases.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a sixth routine for auto-item discovery configured such that when one of said group of participants is within an establishment, a device automatically informs the one of said group of participants whether there are desirable items in the establishment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routine is also configured for collecting at least one predictive rating for one of the set of items from one of the group of participants, the at least one predictive rating expressing a prediction of the one of the group of participants of what another of the group of participants will rate the one of the set of items.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the item sampling event has a game component.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the fifth routine is also configured for declaring a winner or winners of the game component based on the set of ratings and the at least one predictive rating.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sixth routine for correlating ratings for one of the set of items to one or more potential second items to identify a set of recommended items predicted to be of interest to one of the group of participants.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said correlating uses collaborative filtering.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said correlating uses corroborative filtering.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a seventh routine for providing local purchase information and/or other electronic feedback about said set of recommended items to the one of the group of participants, said local purchase information and/or other electronic feedback being dynamically adjustable based on one or both of a geographical location of said one or more data collection devices or a residence address of the one said group of participants.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of items comprises a set of consumable items.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of consumable items comprises a set of wines.

13. A system adapted to conduct an item sampling event for a set of items, comprising:

a computing system;

a first routine executing on the computing system for collecting at least a set of ratings for the set of items from a group of participants using one or more electronic data collection devices during the item sampling event;

a second routine executing on the computing system for calculating item sampling event data including at least item scores and participant scores;

a third routine executing on the computing system for providing at least some of said item sampling event data through a network to one or more electronic systems associated with third parties involved in one or more of the making, distributing or selling of the items;

a fourth routine for processing and sending one or both of promotional coupons or other electronic feedback from such third parties to said one or more electronic data collection devices or electronic accounts for said group of participants dynamically during the item sampling event;

wherein said promotional coupons and/or other electronic feedback are coupled and dynamically adjustable based on one or both of a geographical location of said one or more data collection devices or a residence address of said group of participants; and

a fifth routine for dynamically providing at least some of the item sampling event data, or metrics derived from the item sampling event data, to the group of participants during the item sampling event.