US 6,631,404 B1 · Method and system for conducting a contest using a network

Abstract

A method for conducting a contest using a network. A selected article of commerce is identified to a plurality of users remotely disposed at user locations on the network which bears an indicia encoding an identification code which corresponds to the selected article in accordance with an extrinsic standard. An unvalidated entry message packet is then received at a reference location which was transmitted across the network from a user location in response to scanning at the user location an indicia on an article of commerce. The indicia on the scanned article of commerce encodes an identification code which corresponds to the article in accordance with an extrinsic standard. A reference database is provided at the reference location which has a plurality of article codes and routing information for target locations on the network and associates the routing information with at least one of the article codes. The reference database is accessed and the routing information associated with the article code received and the unvalidated entry message packet retrieved. A reply message packet is created including the routing information and then transmitted across the network to the user location from which it was received. A validated entry message packet is then received at a target. It is then determined whether the validated entry message packet constitutes an accepted entry. Finally, it is determined if a user submitting an accepted entry is a winner of the contest.

Claims100

Dependent claims

A method for conducting a contest using a network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a selected article of commerce to a plurality of users remotely disposed at user locations on the network, the selected article bearing an indicia encoding an identification code corresponding to the selected article in accordance with an extrinsic standard;
receiving at a reference location an unvalidated entry message packet transmitted across the network from a user location in response to scanning at the user location an indicia on an article of commerce, the scanned indicia encoding an identification code corresponding to the article in accordance with an extrinsic standard and the unvalidated entry message packet comprising an article code derived from the scanned indicia;
accessing a reference database, the reference database having a plurality of article codes and a plurality of routing information for target locations on the network and associating each of routing information with at least one of the article codes, and retrieving therefrom the routing information associated with the article code in the unvalidated entry message packet;
creating a reply message packet including the routing information and transmitting the reply message packet across the network to the user location;
receiving at a target address a validated entry message packet transmitted across the network from the user location in response to receipt of the reply message packet, the validated entry message packet comprising user information and being routed to the target address using routing information received in the reply message packet;
determining whether the validated entry message packet constitutes an accepted entry;
and
determining if a user submitting an accepted entry is a winner of the contest.

5 more elements

A system for conducting a contest using a network, comprising:

a plurality of user computers remotely disposed at user locations on the network, each of the user computers operably connected to a scanning device for scanning indicia on articles of commerce and having a software application capable of creating unvalidated entry message packets in to scanning of the indicia;
a reference computer disposed on the network, the reference computer being operably connected to a computer database, the computer database having a plurality of article codes and a plurality of routing information for target locations on the network and associating each of routing information with at least one of the article codes;
wherein a selected article of commerce is identified to the plurality of users, the selected article beating an identifying indicia(corresponding to the selected article/manufacturer);
wherein, upon scanning of the indicia on the selected article of commerce at a user location, the user computer transmits an unvalidated entry message packet across the network to the reference computer, the unvalidated entry message packet comprising an article code derived from the scanned indicia;
wherein, upon receipt of the unvalidated entry message packet, the reference computer accesses the computer database and retrieves therefrom the routing information associated with the article code in the unvalidated entry message packet;
wherein, the reference computer creates a reply message packet including the routing information and transmits the reply message packet across the network to the user location;
wherein, upon receiving the reply message packet, the user computer may transmit a validated entry message packet across the network using the routing information to a target location for further processing to determine if the user is a winner of the contest.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for conducting a contest using a network

Life of this patent

Method and system for conducting a contest using a network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims100