Apparatus, system and method for providing a signal to request goods and/or services

• US 20080103915A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lauren Cilman
• Original Assignee: Lauren Cilman
• Inventors: Maruszak, Marie
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An apparatus, a system and a method for displaying a visual signal that requests a good and/or service are provided. The system and the method have a communication device having a screen to display a signal that requests the good and/or the service. The signal may be, for example, a logo, a text, a picture, a color, and/or a shape. The signal may describe, characterize or otherwise relate to the good and/or the service requested by a user. Further, the communication device may access, connect to and/or be in communication with a database storing the signal. The communication device may input information into the database relating to a user of the communication device. The communication device may design, modify and/or transmit the visual using a server and/or a network. The communication device may have a memory for storing and/or accessing the signal. The screen of the communication device may emit the signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting a signal wherein the signal is transmitted by a user to request a good or a service wherein the good or the service is provided by a merchant wherein the user requests the good or the service by the transmission of the signal, the apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores a plurality of signals wherein each of the plurality of signals is associated with a corresponding the good or the service provided by the merchant; and

an input means connected to the memory wherein the user accesses the signal stored in the memory via the input means; and

a screen for displaying the signal wherein the signal is identifiable with the good or the service wherein the signal is a visual characteristic of the good or the service and further wherein the screen transmits the signal to the merchant to provide the good or the service to the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an information receptor connected to the memory where the information receptor transmits and receives the signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an emitting means connected to the memory wherein the emitting means for transmitting the signal from the screen.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the signal is an advertisement.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the merchant is a restaurant.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a light emitting element connected to the memory wherein the light emitting element illuminates the signal.

7. A system for transmitting a signal wherein the signal is displayed to request a good or a service provided by a merchant, the system comprising:

a communication device wherein the communication device has a screen to display the signal;

a server in communication with the communication device;

a database connected to the server wherein the database is remote with respect to the communication device and further wherein the database stores the signal; and

a network in remote communication with the server wherein the server accesses the signal and further wherein the server transfers the signal between the communication device and the database wherein the signal corresponds to the good or the service and further wherein the screen transmits the signal to the merchant to request the good or the service.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the database categorizes the signal by a type of the good or the service.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the database is searchable based on a characteristic of the good or the service.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the server stores information relating to the merchant.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the signal is a visual representation of a characteristic of the good or the service.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the signal is viewable at a location remote from the communication device.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the screen emits the visual signal to a location remote from the screen.

14. A method for transmitting a signal wherein the signal is displayed to request a good or a service provided by a first user wherein a second user requests the good or the service, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a communication device with a display means to display the signal;

accessing a server in communication with the communication device wherein the server is remote with respect to the communication device;

accessing a database in communication with the server wherein the database is remote with respect to the communication device;

storing the signal on the database wherein the signal is identifiable with the good or the service;

transferring the signal between the database and the communication device; and

transmitting the signal to the first user via the display means to request a good or a service provided by the first user wherein the good or the service is requested by the second user.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

obtaining the good or the service to the second user.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

transmitting an advertisement from the server to the communication device.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the server limits access to the database based on the identity of the second user.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the signal is a visual representation of a characteristic of the good or the service.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

inputting information into the database relating to the first user or the second user.

20. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

searching information stored in the database wherein the information relates to the first user or the second user.