System and method for attracting shoppers to sales outlets

A method for attracting shoppers to sales outlets comprising the steps of:

• a first transmitting step of transmitting electronic signals conveying a task-setting message from a central location to shoppers' remote locations, said message soliciting a prediction of the outcome of a future event;
• receiving said task-setting message at shoppers' remote locations;
• presenting said task-setting message at shoppers' remote locations;
• entering of a predication by a shopper at a remote location;
• a second transmitting step of transmitting electronic signals from a central location inhibiting the entering of a prediction or a modification of a prediction entered by a shopper;
• a third transmitting step of transmitting electronic signals conveying said event to shoppers' remote locations;
• receiving said event-conveying signals at shoppers' remote locations;
• presenting said event at shoppers' remote locations;
• formulating outcome criteria defining a prize-winning prediction, including a basis for scoring a prize-winning prediction;
• a fourth transmitting step of transmitting electronic signals conveying said outcome criteria from a central location to shoppers' remote locations;
• comparing shoppers' predictions with said outcome criteria;
• identifying a shopper's prize-winning prediction meeting said outcome criteria;
• scoring a prize-winning prediction in accordance with said scoring basis;
• compiling at a central location information relative to products available to prize-winning shoppers at a sales outlet;
• a fifth transmitting step of transmitting electronic signals conveying said product information from a central location to shoppers' remote locations;
• receiving said product information at shoppers' remote locations;
• presenting said product information at shoppers' remote locations;
• selecting of a product by individual ones of said prize-winning shoppers from said available products;
• generating a hard copy record bearing an indication of a scored prize and of a selected product, said prize being available to a prize-winning shopper upon purchase of said selected product at a sales outlet;
• and
• dispensing said record to a prize-winning shopper at said shopper's remote location.

A method for use in a question and answer game, wherein a question and an answer criteria formulated by a host are transmitted from a central location to plurality of respondent stations for entering a respondent's answer and for comparing an entered answer with the answer criteria, the method comprising the steps of:

• designating areas of interest to a respondent;
• formulating by the host, for each of said areas of interest, a set of data including a plurality of questions and a plurality of accompanying answer criteria, each of said answer criteria defining at least one acceptable answer to a question of said plurality of questions and including a period of time allowed for entering an answer;
• for each of said areas of interest, transmitting the set of data as electronic signals from the central station to respondents at remote respondent stations;
• storing said answer criteria in a memory at each of said respondent stations;
• at a respondent station, selecting an area of interest;
• at a respondent station, entering an answer by a respondent to a question;
• at a respondent station, evaluating a respondent's answer by comparing said answer entered within said allowed period of time with accompanying answer criteria, said comparing being done by comparing means coupled to said memory;
• and
• wherein said evaluating includes a step of identifying an acceptable answer.

A method for use in a question and answer game, wherein a question and an answer criteria formulated by a host are transmitted from a central location to a plurality of respondent stations for entering a respondent's answer and for comparing an entered answer with the answer criteria, the method comprising the steps of:

• designating areas of interest to a respondent;
• formulating the host, for each of said areas of interest, a set of data including a plurality of questions and a plurality of accompanying answer criteria, each of said answer criteria defining at least one acceptable answer to a question of said plurality of questions;
• for each of said areas of interest, transmitting the set of data as electronic signals from the central station to respondents at remote respondent stations;
• storing said answer criteria in a memory at each of said respondent stations;
• at a respondent station, selecting an area of interest;
• at a respondent station, entering an answer by a respondent to a question;
• at a respondent station, evaluating a respondent's answer by comprising said answer with accompanying answer criteria, said comparing being done by comparing means coupled to said memory;
• and
• wherein said evaluating includes a step of identifying an acceptable answer.