US 7,546,254 B2 · System and method for promoting commerce, including sales agent assisted commerce, in a networked economy

Abstract

A personal communication and electronic commerce system for use by participating users and participating merchants in connection with incentive programs in the Network Economy. The system includes a cellular communication network that includes geographically spaced base stations that are linked to a fixed communication network. Users may have personal communication devices that can be used to allow a digital message generated on the personal communication devices by placing a call through one of the base stations and memory for storing a digital value corresponding to a monetary value. The personal communication device may also be used as a cellular position locator to determine one's geographic location and, if desired, to access information from a merchant information database containing information pertaining to a plurality of participating merchants located within the geographic territory covered by the cellular communication network. The merchant information may be stored on a database that is accessible by merchants so those merchants can add, delete or alter information contained in their respective listings. An incentive system is also provided for creating incentives for participating users to encourage. This computer implemented incentive program for encouraging certain participant actions includes a first reward program under which participants may earn points for certain actions and a second reward program through which the redemption rate associated with a particular participant is adjusted in response to certain participant action. The incentive program has a wide range of applications, including transportation, financial services and computer gaming.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A wireless connectivity and electronic commerce system, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID's of a plurality of participating merchants in association with information indicative of geographic location;
merchant information data associated with each of the merchant ID's, the merchant information data being accessible by merchants so that merchants can add, delete or alter information associated with their merchant ID;
a plurality of digital cellular phones, each of the digital cellular phones comprising:
a display;
audio output and input equipment to allow voice communication on a digital cellular network, a user interface for allowing an user to generate digital messages;
a transmitter and receiver for wireless connectivity so as to allow a digital message generated on the digital cellular phones to be transmitted to hardware equipped to receive such messages;
a position locator system for determining the geographic position of the digital cellular phones;
a search engine for querying the database to determine the merchant ID of all participating merchants located near a digital cellular phone and retrieving merchant information data pertaining to selected participating merchants and transmitting the information to the digital cellular phone;
and
the user interface comprising a plurality of menu options stored on the digital cellular phone so as to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant solely through a combination of a plurality of menu choices.

7 more elements

A computer implemented merchant locator system that allows users equipped with digital cellular phones to identify merchants in their vicinity, the system comprising:

a plurality of digital cellular phones, each of the digital cellular phones comprising:
a display;
audio output and input equipment to allow voice communication on a digital cellular network, a user interface for allowing an user to generate digital messages, the user interface comprising a plurality of menu options stored on the digital cellular phone so as to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant through a combination of a plurality of menu choices;
a transmitter and receiver for wireless connectivity so as to allow a digital message generated on the digital cellular phones to be transmitted to hardware equipped to receive such messages;
a position locator system for determining the geographic position of the digital cellular phones;
a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID's in association with information indicative of geographic location;
wherein the database for storing a plurality of merchant ID's in association with information indicative of geographic location is a merchant information database maintained on a common server by a system operator, each of the plurality of merchant ID's conforming to a standard and being assigned by the system operator, the database storing content uniquely associated with a plurality of different merchants in a consistent format on a single server, the content including content that can be modified only by the system operator or the merchant to which the content is uniquely associated and the system controlling access to the database such that each of the plurality of different merchants are allowed to access the common server to modify content uniquely associated with their respective merchant ID's, but prevented from modifying content uniquely associated with others of the plurality of different merchants.

4 more elements

A computer implemented merchant locator system for allowing users to identify merchants from among a plurality of merchants by location and receive information regarding the merchants, the system further allowing merchants to alter or control the content of information sent to users, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of merchant ID's and merchant information data addresses in association with information indicative of geographic location:
wherein the database for storing a plurality of merchant ID's in association with information indicative of geographic location is a merchant information database maintained on a common server by a system operator, each of the plurality of merchant ID's conforming to a standard and being assigned by the system operator, the database storing content uniquely associated with a plurality of different merchants in a consistent format on a single server, the content including content that can be modified only by the system operator or the merchant to which the content is uniquely associated and the system controlling access to the database such that each of the plurality of different merchants are allowed to access the common server to modify content uniquely associated with their respective merchant ID's, but prevented from modifying content uniquely associated with others of the plurality of different merchants;
a plurality of digital cellular phones, each of the digital cellular phones comprising:
a display;
a position locator system for determining the geographic position of the digital cellular phones;
a user interface for allowing an user to generate digital messages, the user interface comprising a plurality of menu options stored on the digital cellular phone so as to allow a user to construct a search query specifying a type of merchant through a combination of a plurality of menu choices;
a transmitter and receiver for communication with a cellular base station so as to allow digital cellular voice communication and allow a digital message generated on the digital cellular phones to be transmitted through a mobile exchange to the common server.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for promoting commerce, including sales agent assisted commerce, in a networked economy

Life of this patent

System and method for promoting commerce, including sales agent assisted commerce, in a networked economy

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19