80results about How to "Effective marketing" patented technology

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, one or more interested parties are permitted to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on user profile information and at least one received bid for a corresponding message delivery opportunity. The message delivery opportunities may be specified as combinations of two or more of a message category, a location for message delivery and a time for message delivery. For example, a given message delivery opportunity may be a category-location-time combination.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. One aspect of the invention relates to generation of user movement statistics that may be utilized to facilitate the development of targeted marketing campaigns or other types of message delivery. In this aspect, the user movement statistics are generated based on location and profile information for mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on the user movement statistics. The user movement statistics may comprise, for example, information sufficient to determine approximately how many users having particular designated characteristics are likely to be in a given location at a given time, and may be utilized to determine prices charged for delivery of messages to the mobile user devices.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, profile information is obtained for users associated with respective mobile user devices, and location and presence information is obtained for the mobile user devices. Delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on a combination of the location, presence and profile information.

Systems and methods are provided for subscribing to podcast feeds from a single location. A server-based search engine is provided that identifies podcasts located throughout a network that are available to a user's rendering device and presents the user with a user interface from which the user can search for podcasts, subscribe to an identified podcast, listen to an identified podcast, or obtain additional information related to an identified podcast.

An online database method, comprising marking a plurality of gemstones with respective identifiers; maintaining a database linking the identifiers with at least a portion of at least one of a transaction history and a subjective description of the plurality of gemstones; updating the database with an economic value based on transactions involving respective gemstones; determining normalization parameters for extracting objective parameters determinative of value for each of a plurality of gemstones from the respective subjective description of the gemstones; and predicting a market value for a respective gemstone based on the subjective description of the respective gemstone, the normalization parameters, and the transaction history of a plurality of gemstones.

The user of any one portable terminal sends a content information request including a user ID to a distribution server. In response, the distribution server distributes a stream data of content that can be used on the user's terminal. If the user of a first portable terminal intends to let a second portable terminal try out a certain content, the user sends to the distribution server the trial permission information including the user's own user ID, a content ID of the content of interest, and a digital signature. The distribution server authenticates the received information before distributing a streaming data of a trial-oriented content with the content ID and user ID attached to it as search keys. This allows the content that can be used on a given user terminal to be tried out on another user terminal without the latter user having recourse to the steps of searching for the content in question.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. One aspect of the invention relates to generation of user movement statistics that may be utilized to facilitate the development of targeted marketing campaigns or other types of message delivery. In this aspect, the user movement statistics are generated based on location and profile information for mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on the user movement statistics. The user movement statistics may comprise, for example, information sufficient to determine approximately how many users having particular designated characteristics are likely to be in a given location at a given time, and may be utilized to determine prices charged for delivery of messages to the mobile user devices.

An interactive database and real time exchange system for specialty commodity products and other products that must have their identity preserved from trade to delivery. The database includes specialty commodity products available from member producers and other information related to such products, and is accessible to system users, preferably through an interactive network system. An automated exchange director provides for real time matching of specific products in the database with corresponding bids from system users, and executes trades of accepted matches for identified units of the specific products. A delivery module is provided in communication with the exchange director, and implements delivery logistics and tracking of the identified unit between the trade and completed delivery. The system can further include a forum interactive module which allows communication between and among system users, such as through chat rooms and specific product forum pages. In one embodiment applicable specifically to agricultural specialty commodity products, the system further includes a monitor for periodically providing information to the system about the condition of the specific product in a traded identified unit during delivery. The system and process provide a central exchange which includes interactive access to all information needed for production, marketing, researching, trading, use and delivery of specialty commodity products, optimizing quality, timing and exchange price for all concerned.

A system associates different data types with a specific product using a unique identification tag that can be used in a product identification process. The system associates a unique identifier with a unique record related to an individual product, generates a unique identifier associated with an individual product, attaches a machine readable unique identification tag to the individual product, the unique identification tag being associated with the unique identifier and containing information associated with the individual product, associates the unique identifier with a unique record, stores the association and the unique record, receives a signal comprising the unique identifier and having been generated remotely by a device reading the unique identification tag, and generates, responsive to the signal, a user interface.

Disclosed is an Internet-based address book that enables individuals (“users”) or (“members”) to use people (“contacts”) from their address book for event planning, purchasing gifts, marketing, and anything else anyone dreams up. The system includes the following modules: an address book whose information can be utilized by any client for any purpose, a full-fledged event planner suitable for planning formal events such as weddings, a marketing module that allows people to refer products and information to people who would be interested, and a recipient transaction module that makes recipient-based transactions such as gifts and money transfer assessable and convenient. Features of the event planner include automatic generation and reprinting of invitations, placement cards, and thank-you cards with proper etiquette. Features of the marketing module includes the ability (a) to restrict the contacts that can be marketed to based on demographics, negative feedback, missing requisite information, or other reasons, (b) to reward users that market merchandise to their contacts with a discount on the merchandise itself, and (c) to bundle all the marketing sent by all users to one contact and deliver it as a single consolidated information package. Features of the recipient transactions module include the ability to (a) send one person a gift through postal mail or email, (b) send many people a gift, and (c) allow many people to purchase a single gift together.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, mobile user devices that are located within a common geographic area are identified, and location-based service information is delivered to the identified mobile user devices over a broadcast channel shared by those mobile user devices. A response to the location-based service information maybe received from at least a given one of the mobile user devices, and at least one message maybe controllably delivered to the given one of the mobile user devices based on the response to the location-based service information.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, one or more interested parties are permitted to bid on available opportunities for delivery of messages to mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on user profile information and at least one received bid for a corresponding message delivery opportunity. The message delivery opportunities may be specified as combinations of two or more of a message category, a location for message delivery and a time for message delivery. For example, a given message delivery opportunity may be a category-location-time combination.

A system for effecting introductions includes a first and second subscriber; a service provider server configured to transmit at least one of a first and second image, wherein the first image is representative of the first subscriber and the second image is representative of the second subscriber; a first establishment having a first server configured to receive the second image from the service provider server and a first video monitor configured to display the second image; and a second establishment includes a second server configured to receive the first image from the service provider server and a second video monitor configured to display the first image. The first image is displayed as a function of the first subscriber registering with the system and the second image is displayed as a function of the second subscriber registering with the system. A method for effecting introductions using the system is also disclosed.

A method for providing an incentive to an Internet user to interact with a website. The present invention includes a network capable of capturing a portion of money related to Internet commerce, and allocate said money in a manner that provides incentive to an Internet user to interact with a website. The network architecture includes a smart client configured to request services from network servers.

A system for promoting an online auction whereby an affiliate promotes said auction on behalf of the seller in exchange for an agreed-upon commission or fee paid to said affiliate by said seller upon the successful sale of the item to a buyer referred to said auction by said affiliate. The system is implemented in part by a specially formulated referral link which contains data regarding the affiliate partner, in part by computer code that is embedded on the seller's auction page(s), and in part by affiliate referral software that runs on a separate webserver.

A system and method for optimizing acquisitions simultaneously among more than one project a time. Acquisitions are assembled appropriately as independent or larger packages. Components for acquisitions are broken out of the overall project and combined with like components of other projects. Each component package is then submitted to an appropriate market for the appropriate type of procurement. After procurement, components are reassembled into their original projects and distributed back into the acquisitions. This method allows more sellers to participate in the process and, at the same time, allows buyers to reap the benefit of volume transactions in their dealings with sellers. The integrity of the acquisition is maintained.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, profile information is obtained for users associated with respective mobile user devices, and location information is obtained for the mobile user devices. At least one message is controllably delivered to a given one of the mobile user devices based on the location information and the profile information. The location information is obtained for respective ones of the mobile user devices responsive to location determinations initiated by those devices.

A data processing system is disclosed that provides an efficient market for: (1) the provision of loans and lines of credit between lenders and those seeking loans and lines of credit, and (2) the sale of loans between loan pool traders. One embodiment of the present invention comprises: receiving at a data processing system a lending criteria from each of a plurality of lenders; compiling a first set of statistics in the data processing system based on the lending criteria from each of the plurality of lenders; and outputting from the data processing system the first set of statistics to a first lender at a price that is based on a measure of fees incurred with respect to the first lender.

A system that uses an essentially stationary device to scan barcodes or the like associated with items such as retail goods and services, library books, and so on. The system further includes an interactive graphical user interface that enables consumers to obtain a wealth of information about the scanned items and items similar in kind and / or different in kind but related in purpose to the scanned items, as well as promotional events and selling opportunities associated with the scanned items. The system allows a consumer to involve social knowledge in the decision making process of borrowing or purchasing a particular item. In an instant, the consumer can get a sense of an item's benefit to him or her based on the publicly available opinions of others. The system may be used to instantly check out items, communicate with staff, function as digital signage or to locate items in a facility.

An online database method, comprising marking a plurality of gemstones with respective identifiers; maintaining a database linking the identifiers with at least a portion of at least one of a transaction history and a subjective description of the plurality of gemstones; updating the database with an economic value based on transactions involving respective gemstones; determining normalization parameters for extracting objective parameters determinative of value for each of a plurality of gemstones from the respective subjective description of the gemstones; and predicting a market value for a respective gemstone based on the subjective description of the respective gemstone, the normalization parameters, and the transaction history of a plurality of gemstones.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, particular ones of a plurality of mobile user devices associated with a wireless network are identified for which sufficient location-indicative information is available from which a general location of said devices can be inferred without performing actual location measurements for said devices. The delivery of location queries to the identified mobile user devices is prevented, such that a number of location queries required for provision of a given location-based service is reduced relative to a number of location queries which would otherwise be required without the delivery prevention.

Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, profile information is obtained for users associated with respective mobile user devices, and location information is obtained for the mobile user devices. At least one message is controllably delivered to a given one of the mobile user devices based on the location information and the profile information. The location information is obtained for respective ones of the mobile user devices responsive to location determinations initiated by those devices.

The user of any one portable terminal sends a content information request including a user ID to a distribution server. In response, the distribution server distributes a stream data of content that can be used on the user's terminal. If the user of a first portable terminal intends to let a second portable terminal try out a certain content, the user sends to the distribution server the trial permission information including the user's own user ID, a content ID of the content of interest, and a digital signature. The distribution server authenticates the received information before distributing a streaming data of a trial-oriented content with the content ID and user ID attached to it as search keys. This allows the content that can be used on a given user terminal to be tried out on another user terminal without the latter user having recourse to the steps of searching for the content in question.

A system for displaying customized mobile content to users at a venue via a user device, includes a server system in conjunction with a plurality of machine-readable codes mounted within the venue. The server system performs the following steps: providing mobile content in a database; collecting user data associated with the user; receiving a request from one of the user devices, the request being generated by scanning one of the machine-readable codes with the user device; determining the user data associated with the user who scanned the machine-readable code; selecting, based upon the user data, customized mobile content from the mobile content in the database; and providing the customized mobile content to the user device.

Methods and systems for monitoring the efficacy of a marketing campaign or project. In one embodiment, a customer database stores information about each customer of a firm or business. A number of marketing project parameters are then defined, and run against the information in the customer database to identify those customers that are likely to be interested in a marketed product. The identified customers are notified about the marketed product, preferably through a representative of the firm or business. Then, each sale of the marketed product to the identified customers is recorded. A marketing project efficacy indicator can then be determined by, for example, comparing the number of customers that were notified about the product with the number of customers that actually purchased or did not purchase the product, preferably within a given time period. Preferably, marketing efforts can then be refined based on a timely analysis of the marketing project efficacy.

A functional object imaging system using functional object data is provided. The functional object data includes: at least imaging data for imaging functional resources as functional objects in a virtual space and name identifiers allocated to the respective functional objects, and optionally, function control data for provoking or creating a function of a functional object as a subject of control and a second name identifier allocated to the object as the subject of control, the functional object data having a structure to allow a computer to judge whether a relation between a name identifier allocated to a functional object having a predetermined relation to one functional object and a second name identifier allocated to the one functional object satisfies a predetermined condition, interpret function control data on the one functional object when the relation is judged to satisfy the predetermined condition, and control either directly or indirectly imaging data on the functional object having the predetermined relation to the one functional object based on the interpretation thus made to achieve function control over the functional object having the predetermined relation to the one functional object.

Performance of a flux in a soldering process is assessed by monitoring the activity of the flux via its electrical conductance measured using a probe having interdigitated metallic traces and a temperature sensor. The measured conductance-temperature time profile provides information useful for selecting a suitable flux formulation and soldering conditions for a given application, for determining the cause of soldering process problems, and for developing improved flux formulations.

An interactive database and real time exchange system for specialty commodity products and other products that must have their identity preserved from trade to delivery. The database includes specialty commodity products available from member producers and other information related to such products, and is accessible to system users, preferably through an interactive network system. An automated exchange director provides for real time matching of specific products in the database with corresponding bids from system users, and executes trades of accepted matches for identified units of the specific products. A delivery module is provided in communication with the exchange director, and implements delivery logistics and tracking of the identified unit between the trade and completed delivery. The system can further include a forum interactive module which allows communication between and among system users, such as through chat rooms and specific product forum pages. In one embodiment applicable specifically to agricultural specialty commodity products, the system further includes a monitor for periodically providing information to the system about the condition of the specific product in a traded identified unit during delivery. The system and process provide a central exchange which includes interactive access to all information needed for production, marketing, researching, trading, use and delivery of specialty commodity products, optimizing quality, timing and exchange price for all concerned.

Embodiments extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for facilitating the formation of location-sensitive service contracts between consumers and service providers. At the request of a consumer, an auction for a service is created. The auction specifies categorical selections that describe the type of work to be performed and a geographical location at which the service is to be performed. The auction is presented to service providers based on geographical proximity of the service providers to the location at which the service is to be performed and a comparison of the categorical selections with qualification data for the service providers. Bids are received from the service providers, and a winning service provider is determined. The consumer and the winning service provider form a service contract. Subsequently, it is determine that the consumer has paid the winning service provider for performance of the service contract.