Revenue generating system and associated methods

• US 7,722,454 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Debra R. Hatch, Kenneth R. Thompson
• Original Assignee: Debra R. Hatch, Kenneth R. Thompson
• Inventors: Hatch, Debra R., Thompson, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US11/115,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20060246967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 16- 17, 463/20, 463 25- 42, 705/30, 705/14, 221/211, 340/933, 713/181, 380/251, 235/379
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system for generating revenue includes a fee collection station. The fee collection station may include a controller and a fee receiver in communication with the controller for receiving a predetermined fee from a plurality of users. The fee receiver may also receive a predetermined participation fee from the plurality of users that selectively participate in a game. The fee collection station may also comprise an indicator in communication with the controller and adjacent to the fee receiver for indicating to participating users one of a winning indication or a losing indication. The participating users that receive the winning indication may receive a predetermined reward.

Claims

1. A system for generating revenue comprising:

at least one tollbooth;

a controller adjacent to said at least one tollbooth;

a game processor in communication with said controller comprising;

an identification assignment device for assigning at least one identifier, selected from a plurality of identifiers, to each of a plurality of users that selectively indicate a desire to participate in a game, the plurality of users selectively indicating a desire to participate in the game being defined as participating users; and

an identification selector in communication with said identification assignment device for selecting at least one of the assigned identifiers, each selected identifier being defined as a winning identifier, the remaining unselected identifiers being defined as losing identifiers, the participating users associated with the winning identifiers being defined as a winning users, and the participating users associated with the losing identifiers being defined as losing users; and

at least one reward-dispensing member in communication with said controller for dispensing a predetermined reward to each of the winning users;

wherein each of the at least one tollbooth comprises;

a fee receiver in communication with said controller for receiving a predetermined toll from every user that passes through the tollbooth, and for receiving a predetermined game participation fee from each of the participating users; and

an indicator in communication with said controller and adjacent to said fee receiver for indicating to the participating users at least one of a winning indication and a losing indication, wherein winning users are provided with the winning indication and losing users are provided with the losing indication.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the participating users selectively indicate their desire to participate in the game by providing to the fee receiver both of the predetermined toll and the predetermined game participation fee.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one reward-dispensing member is at least one reward payment station adjacent to and spaced-apart from said at least one tollbooth.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said at least one reward payment station comprises an automated reward dispenser for dispensing the predetermined reward to each one of the winning users.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein each winning user is provided a winning code;

and wherein said automated reward dispenser includes a housing, a reward dispenser controller carried by said housing, a user interface carried by said housing and in communication with the reward dispenser controller, and a winning code database in communication with the reward dispenser controller and including a plurality of winning codes so that the predetermined reward is dispensed to the winning user when the winning user inputs the winning code, and the winning code is verified as one of the plurality of winning codes in the winning code database.

6. A system according to claim 3 wherein said at least one reward payment station comprises a reward payment administrator to dispense the predetermined reward.

7. A system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one antenna in communication with said controller for receiving a predetermined signal from a transponder carried by a vehicle, wherein the transponder comprises at least one game participation button and the participating users indicate their desire to participate in the game by engaging the game participation button.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the transponder is a prepaid transponder in communication with a respective payment account of one of the respective participating users;

and wherein the predetermined toll and the predetermined game participation fee are debited from the respective payment account; and

wherein the at least one reward-dispensing member credits the respective predetermined reward to the respective payment account.

9. A system according to claim 1 further comprising an identification device adjacent said at least one tollbooth and in communication with said at least one reward-dispensing member for identifying each of the winning users, said at least one reward-dispensing member being in communication with an identification database having an address for each of the winning users so that the predetermined reward may be mailed to each of the winning users.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein said game processor further comprises an identification selector in communication with said identification assignment device for selecting at least one of the assigned identifiers, each of the selected identifiers being defined as a winning identifier, said indicator providing the winning indication responsive to selection of the winning identifier by said identification selector.

10. A system for generating revenue comprising:

at least one tollbooth comprising a controller, a fee receiver in communication with the controller for receiving a predetermined toll from a plurality of users and a predetermined game participation fee from a plurality of participating users that selectively indicate their desire to participate in a game, and an indicator in communication with the controller and adjacent to the fee receiver for indicating to the participating users at least one of a winning indication a losing indication, the participating users receiving the winning indication being defined as winning users;

a game processor in communication with the indicator and the controller and adjacent to said at least one tollbooth; and

at least one reward payment station adjacent to and spaced-apart from said at least one tollbooth for dispensing a predetermined reward to each of the winning user;

wherein said game processor comprises an identification assignment device for assigning at least one identifier selected from a plurality of identifiers to each participating user.

12. A system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one reward payment station comprises an automated reward dispenser for dispensing the predetermined reward to each one of the winning users.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein each winning user is provided a winning code;

and wherein said automated reward dispenser includes a housing, a reward dispenser controller carried by said housing, a user interface carried by said housing and in communication with the reward dispenser controller, and a winning code database in communication with the reward dispenser controller and including a plurality of winning codes so that the predetermined reward is dispensed to the winning user when the winning user inputs the winning code, and the winning code is verified as one of the plurality of winning codes in the winning code database.

14. A system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one reward payment station comprises a reward payment administrator to dispense the predetermined reward.

15. A system for generating revenue comprising:

at least one tollbooth, a controller adjacent to the at least one tollbooth, a fee receiver in communication with the controller for receiving a predetermined toll from every user and a predetermined game participation fee from a plurality of participating users that selectively indicate a desire to participate in a game, and an indicator in communication with the controller and adjacent to the fee receiver for indicating to the participating users at least one of a winning indication and a losing indication, the participating users receiving the winning indication being defined as winning users;

a game processor in communication with the controller and adjacent to the at least one tollbooth;

at least one reward-dispensing member in communication with the controller for dispensing a predetermined reward to each of the winning users; and

at least one antenna in communication with the controller for receiving a predetermined signal from a transponder carried by a vehicle, wherein the transponder comprises at least one game participation button and the participating users indicate a desire to participate in the game by engaging the game participation button;

wherein said game processor comprises an identification assignment device for assigning at least one identifier selected from a plurality of identifiers to each participating user.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein said game processor further comprises an identification selector in communication with said identification assignment device for selecting at least one of the assigned identifiers, each of the selected identifiers being defined as a winning identifier, the indicator providing the winning indication responsive to selection of the winning identifier by said identification selector.

17. A system according to claim 15 wherein the transponder is a prepaid transponder in communication with a respective payment account of one of the respective participating users;

and wherein the predetermined toll and the predetermined game participation fee are debited from the respective payment account; and

wherein the at least one reward-dispensing member credits the respective predetermined reward to the respective payment account.

18. A method for generating revenue using a revenue generating system comprising at least one tollbooth, a controller adjacent to the at least one tollbooth, a game processor in communication with the controller, and at least one reward-dispensing member in communication with the controller, each of the at least one tollbooth comprising a fee receiver in communication with the controller and an indicator in communication with the controller and adjacent to the fee receiver, the game processor comprising an identification assignment device and an identification selector in communication with the identification assignment device, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of:

collecting a predetermined toll from every user and a predetermined game participation fee from a plurality of participating users to allow the plurality of participating users to selectively participate in a game;

assigning at least one identifier, selected from a plurality of identifiers, to each participating user;

selecting at least one of the assigned identifiers, each of the selected identifiers being defined as a winning identifier, the remaining unselected identifiers being defined as losing identifiers, the participating users associated with the winning identifiers being defined as winning users, and the participating users associated with the losing identifiers being defined as losing users;

indicating to the participating users at least one of a winning indication and a losing indication, wherein winning users are provided with the winning indication and losing users are provided with the losing indication; and

distributing a predetermined reward to each of the winning users.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the at least one reward-dispensing member is at least one reward payment station adjacent to and spaced-apart from the at least one tollbooth.

20. A method according to claim 19 further comprising providing a winning code to each one of the winning users;

and wherein the reward payment station comprises a reward dispenser including a user interface, and a winning code database including a plurality of winning codes in communication therewith so that the predetermined reward is dispensed to the winning user when the winning user inputs the winning code, and the winning code is verified as one of the plurality of winning codes in the winning code database.

21. A method according to claim 19 wherein the reward payment station comprises a reward payment administrator that dispenses the predetermined reward.

22. A method according to claim 18 wherein the revenue generating system further comprises an identification device adjacent to the at least one tollbooth, the method further comprising the machine-implemented steps of identifying each of the winning users, and communicating with an identification database having an address for each of the winning users so that the predetermined reward may be mailed to each of the winning users.