Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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Atty. Docket No. RHM/20
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PLAYING A PUBLICATION-BASED GAME OF
CHANCE THROUGH THE INTERNET
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to games of chance. More
particularly, the present invention relates a printed publication contest
incorporating electronic communication with lthe contest promoter.
Background of the Invention
Publications generate revenue from some combination of
contributions, subscriptions, and paid advertisements. Increasing circulation
generally enhances each of these sources of revenue, as well as reduces the
costs to publish through economies of scale.
Many publications rely on adverltisements incorporated into the
publication. Consequently, a publisher of a publication typically needs to
attract potential advertisers with a significant number of potentially
interested
consumers reachable through the publication. Often, the publisher generally
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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has to provide the publication at a nominal price or free to a recipient
consumer in order to attain this significant number of interested consumers.
However, merely distributing a large number of publications is often an
insufficient basis for attracting advertisers. Publications with advertising
are
generally distributed at little or no monetary cost to the recipient, and thus
may not be valued by the recipient. TherE;fore, advertisers benefit from
features that attract the recipient to review advertisements in the
publication
rather than immediately discarding or ignoring the publication.
Publishers have long known to include games and contests in
their publications to increase consumer interest and readership. For example,
contests such as including a range of winning serial numbers for a U.S.
currency bill to win a prize has been used in newspapers to increase
readership. Also, lottery numbers have been printed in newspapers for a
similar purpose. Similarly, bingo-type games h<~ve been printed in a
publication
to encourage a recipient to look at a number of advertisements in the
publication. Specifically, the recipient matched certain indicia included in
various advertisements with the bingo-type matrix that contained the winning
indicia. Publishers have also included a potentially winning number on a
mailing label on a copy of a printed publication with directions to locate a
winning number somewhere in the copy of the printed publication. Thus, the
recipient is encouraged to review at least a portion of the copy of the
printed
publication.
Known promotions of printed publications, such as games and
contests, are limited because printed publications are a one-way, static form
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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of communication. Specifically, the publisher lacks feedback from recipients
of copies of the publications. Also, known promotions are a one-time
opportunity to engage the interest of the recipient of the copy of the printed
publication. Furthermore, known promotions f<~il in encouraging non-recipients
to request a copy of the printed publication.
Even with attractive features to increase readership, a publisher
of a free publication generally lacks feedback as to the readership and
consumer interest. More particularly, the publisher lacks feedback as to the
efficacy of the features such as contests and games in promoting the
readership. Even if recipients pay for a copy of a publication, the publisher
has
difficulty attributing any increase in circulation to specific advertisements
or
features such as contests and games. Other factors such as improved
distribution rnay be responsible for fluctuation in circulation.
Advertisers have traditionally included features in their
advertisements to help gauge their efficacy. For instance, advertisements
often include coupons or similar special instructions for receiving a price
discount. Coupons provide useful feedback as to the success of
advertisements since the coupons can be traced back to the publication.
Publishers are unlikely to benefit: from the feedback inherent in
coupons. Advertisers have a disincentive to share the results from the
advertising in that the publisher may increase advertising rates if proved of
increased value. Even if a publisher could learn about coupon use, such
information is only a portion of the efficacy of an advertisement. Some
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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recipients of the advertisement would be motivated in part or in whole by
considerations other than price discounts fronn a coupon.
Generally known publications containing contests have other
disadvantages for publishers. A publisher would benefit from knowing when
a recipient played a contest even if the recipient did not win. The publisher
would then have feedback as to the number of recipients who have been
attracted to the contest. A problem with generally known contests in
publications is that the publisher generally only receives feedback from a
game
winner and not from others.
In addition to the lack of feedback from recipients of printed
publications, known promotions are a one-time opportunity to engage the
interest of the recipient. For example, generally only one contest time period
can be included in each publication. A recipient can review the publication
one
time to determine whether prize-winning contest indicia are included, and
thereafter discard the publication. The publisher would benefit from an
attractive feature that would encourage retaining the publication for a period
of time approximating the time value of the advertisements incorporated in the
publication.
In addition to the lack of feedback from recipients, known
promotions fail in reaching non-recipients. In order for a consumer to obtain
a copy, a publisher must widely distribute copies of the printed publication
to
a broad mailing list of recipient addresses. In addition, or alternatively,
the
publisher may place copies at a large number of locations. These distribution
techniques are often ineffective. For example, the publisher may have
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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difficulty in keeping his mailing lists accurate since recipients may not seek
out
the publication. Also, misdirected bulk mail copies of a publication are not
returned to the publisher. This is especially true when a publisher chooses to
target his printed publication to a specific dennographic of consumers.
Moreover, some individuals rnay not receive a copy of the
publication and not know how to request a copy. In particular, some
consumers have an interest in either thE: advertisements or contests
incorporated into the publication and would bE;nefit from a convenient way to
contact the publisher.
Consequently, a significant need exists for an improved contest
that may be incorporated into publications. In particular, the improved
contest
should give the recipients an incentive to review the publication and to
provide
feedback to the publisher of the publication.
Summary of the Invention
The invention addresses these .and other problems associated
with the prior art by providing an apparatus, program product and method for
a publication-based game of chance, or contE;st, that incorporates electronic
communication as part of the contest.
In particular, electronic communication allows for easier, more
frequent and more comprehensive, feedback from recipients to the publisher.
Advantageously, incorporating electronic communication into a contest enables
a printed publication to be used in a plurality of contest time intervals to
extend the value of the printed publicaition. In addition, electronic
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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communication may be used to permit feedback from non-recipient consumers
to the publisher to broaden or target distribution of the printed publication.
Consistent with one aspect of the invention, a method promotes
a printed publication by forwarding to a recipient a copy of the printed
publication that includes potentially prize-winning indicia. Then a selected
prize winning indicia is electronically communicated to the recipient so that
the
recipient can determine whether it matches his assigned potentially prize
winning indicia in the forwarded copy. Tf ie method further includes, in
response to receiving a confirmation request message from the recipient,
confirming the match between the potentially prize-winning indicia in the copy
of the printed publication forwarded to the recipient and the selected prize-
winning indicia. If the match is confirmed, then the method concludes by
presenting a prize associated with the seleci:ed prize winning indicia to the
recipient.
Consistent with another aspect of the invention, a promotion
apparatus includes a program resident in a computer memory. The program
is configured to facilitate a promotion of the printed publication by
assigning
a potentially prize winning indicia to a copy of the printed publication, by
selecting and electronically communicating the selected prize winning indicia
to a recipient of the copy of the printed publication, and by confirming a
match
between the assigned potentially prize winning indicia and the selected prize
winning indicia in response to a confirmation request message from the
recipient.
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
Consistent with yet another aspect of the invention, a method for
promoting a printed publication includes a recipient receiving a copy of a
printed publication having assigned potentially prize-winning indicia. The
recipient receives an electronic communication to obtain a selected prize
winning indicia. Then, the recipient compares the assigned potentially prize
winning indicia in the copy of the printed publication with the selected prize
winning indicia contained in the electronic communication. In the event of a
match between the assigned potentially prize wvinning indicia and the selected
prize winning indicia, the recipient sends a confirmation request message to
a promoter of the contest.
These and other advantages and ifeatures, which characterize the
invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further
part
hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the
advantages and objectives attained through it:> use, reference should be made
to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there
are described exemplary embodiments of the invention.
Brief Descriation of the Drawings
FIGURE 1 is a block diagram of a computer network consistent
with the invention.
FIGURE 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary hardware and
software environment for a computer from the computer network of FIG. 1.
FIGURE 3 is a block diagram illustrating the electronic
communication between a promoter, publication recipient, publisher and
advertiser over the computer network of FIG. 1.
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
FIGURE 4 is a depiction of a publication bearing recipient
identifying information such as mailing address and assigned recipient code.
FIGURE 5 is a depiction of the publication of FIG. 4 bearing the
assigned indicia and other contest related information.
FIGURE 6 is a depiction of a graphical user interface used by a
recipient for electronic communication with i:he promoter via the computer
network of FIG. 1.
FIGURE 7 is a flowchart illustrating the sequence of operations
performed by the computer network of FIG. 1 to communicate with the
recipient.
FIGURE 8 is a flowchart illustrating the sequence of operations
performed by the recipient and the computer nE;twork to communicate with the
promoter.
Detailed Description
Hardware and Software Environment
Turning to the Drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts
throughout the several views, Fig. 1 illustrates a publication-based game of
chance ("contest") computer network 10 consistent with the invention. The
contest computer network 10 operates as a computing platform for providing
electronic communication services to promote a printed publication to a
plurality of consumers 12. Each consumer 12 may couple to the contest
network 10 from their consumer computer system 14 through any number of
electronic communications media, e.g., a global public network such as via the
Internet 16.
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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The contest computer network 10 includes a promoter 18 for
administering the contest, a publisher 20 for publishing the printed
publication
including a printed portion of the contest, and a plurality of advertisers 22
for
providing advertising for incorporating into the printed publication. The
promoter 18, publisher 20 and advertisers 22 may directly communicate
electronically from their respective computer systems 24, 26, and 28 to each
other. Alternatively, or in addition to direct communication, the promoter 18,
publisher 20, and advertisers 22 may couple to the contest computer network
through their respective network servers ;30, 32, 34.
10 It should be appreciated that communication electronically
between the recipient computer system 14 and the promoter computer system
24 is anticipated. However, the publisher 20 and the advertiser 22 need not
communicate electronically. For example, the publisher 20 may communicate
in person or in writing with the promoter 18 as to a range of potentially
prize-
winning indicia used in the printed publications. Also, the printed
publication
may incorporate no advertisements. If advertisements are included, the
advertiser 22 may place his advertisement with the publisher 20 also in person
or in writing. Neither the publisher 20 nor the advertiser 22 needs to
communicate electronically with a recipient 12, although advantages of such
interaction will become apparent in the discussion below.
The publisher 20 distributes copies of the printed publication in
accordance with the address information for each consumer 12 from a
recipient database 40, or "mailing list". 'T'ypically each consumer 12 is
assigned a unique code to avoid confusingly similar addresses and names of
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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consumers 12 when matching with prize-winning indicia. "Recipient" herein
refers to consumers 12 that have been included in the recipient database 40
for receiving a copy of the printed publication. "Consumers" also includes
those that may have an interest in the printed publication andlor the
electronic
communication with the contest computer sy:>tem 10, but are not included in
the recipient database 40. The promoter computer system 24 includes a
promotion database 42 for tracking the information necessary for the
publication-based game of chance, or contest:.
The promoter also facilitates the electronic communication with
consumers 12 by providing an electronic communication system 44 including
various hardware andlor software components that enable graphical, video,
audio, and/or text transmission between the promoter 18 and the consumer
12. The electronic communication system 44 may include, for example, a
hypertext mark-up language (HTML) web server resident on promoter network
server 30. Other examples include software and/or hardware configured to
transmit electronic information to a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fax
machine, a voicemail box, etc. Generally, the electronic communication
system 44 includes a portion of the contest computer network 10
electronically linking the promoter 18 to the consumer 12.
The promoter 18 may facilitate electronic confirmation of a
winning recipient of the contest by an electronic confirmation service 46 on
the promoter network server 30. Examples of electronic confirmation services
46 may be an automated receiver of telephonic confirmation messages, an
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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electronic mail ("email") receiver, and an HTML response form accessible via
the electronic communication system 44 among others.
The electronic communication system 44 may provide notification
each time requested by the consumer 12 ("pulling"). Alternatively, the
electronic communication system 44 may allow "pushing" interactive
notification by accepting requests from consumers 12 to periodically and
electronically communicate currently selected prize-winning indicia in a
notification message. For example, a consumer 12 may subscribe to receive
a notification message, including the current prize-winning indicia, in the
form
of text, graphics, audio and/or video.
It should be appreciated that the promotion database 42 and the
recipient database 40 may be the same database or be further decentralized
or otherwise structured. It should further be appreciated that the same entity
may perform two or three of the functions of promoting the contest,
publishing the printed publication and advertising in the printed publication.
Moreover, advertisements may or may not b~e incorporated into the printed
publication.
An advantage of the contest computer network 10 that will
become apparent through the discussion herein is to make a publication-based
game of chance more attractive and entertaining for consumers 12.
Specifically, accessing selected prize-winning indicia is typically convenient
and at little or no cost to the consumer 12 via the Internet 16. Providing
confirmation of winning may be similarly convenient and at little or no cost
to
the consumer 12. Moreover, unlike contests confined to printed publications
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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without the interactive notification, the consumers 12 may be presented with
multiple contest intervals to provide more frequent opportunities to
participate.
With regard to the advertisers 22 and publisher 20, an advantage
of the contest computer network 10 is that additional opportunities are
created
for providing advertising to the consumers 12 via the electronic communication
system 44. Also, tracking of consumer 12 access to the electronic
communication system 44 provides feedback as to the readership of the
printed publication.
The electronic communication performed by the contest computer
network 10 may include various types and formats for various functions such
as messaging, notifying, scheduling, and document transmittal. The content
of the electronic communication may include audio, text and graphical
information transmitted over wires or wireless channels and converted to a
human legible form by a computer, fax machine, voice telephone mailbox,
pager, automated message to a telephone, hard-held personal assistant, an/or
e-mail system.
Fig. 2 illustrates in another way an exemplary hardware and
software environment for an apparatus 50 consistent with the invention. For
the purposes of the invention, apparatus 50 m<~y represent practically any
type
of computer, computer system or other programmable electronic device,
including the consumer computer 14, the promoter computer 24, the publisher
computer 26, the advertiser computer 28, or any of a number of computers
in the contest computer network 10 (Fig. 1 ). Each such computer may be
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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implemented as a desktop computer, a server computer, a workstation, a
portable computer, a handheld computer, an embedded controller, or another
other type of single- or multi-user computer. Apparatus 50 may be coupled
in a wired or wireless network 10 as shown in Fig. 1. Apparatus 50 will
hereinafter also be referred to as a computer, although it should be
appreciated
the term apparatus may also include other suitable programmable electronic
devices consistent with the invention.
Computer 50 typically includes at: least one processor 52 coupled
to a memory 54. Processor 52 may represent one or more processors (e.g.,
microprocessors), and memory 54 may represent the random access memory
(RAM) devices comprising the main storage of computer 50, as well as any
supplemental levels of memory, e.g., cache memories, nonvolatile or backup
memories (e.g., programmable or flash memories), read-only memories, etc.
In addition, memory 54 may be considered to include memory storage
physically located elsewhere in computer 50, e.g., any cache memory in a
processor 52, as well as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory, e.g.,
as stored on a mass storage device 56 or on another computer coupled to
computer 50 via network 62.
Computer 50 also typically receives a number of inputs and outputs for
communicating information externally. For interfacing with a user or operator,
computer 50 typically includes one or more user input devices 60 (e.g., a
keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a t:ouchpad, and/or a microphone,
among others) and a display 62 (e.g., a CRT monitor, an LCD display panel,
and/or a speaker, among others). For additional storage, computer 50 may
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also include one or more mass storage devices 60, e.g., a floppy or other
removable disk drive, a hard disk drive, a direcl: access storage device
(DASD),
an optical drive (e.g., a CD drive, a DVD drive, etc.), and/or a tape drive,
among others. Furthermore, computer 50 may include an interface with one
or more networks 62 (e.g., a LAN, a WAN, a wireless network, and/or the
Internet, among others) to permit the communication of information with other
computers coupled to the network. It should k~e appreciated that computer 50
typically includes suitable analog and/or digital interfaces between processor
52 and each of components 54-62 as is well known in the art.
Computer 50 operates under the: control of an operating system
64, and executes or otherwise relies upon various computer software
applications, components, programs, objects, modules, databases, data
structures, etc. (e.g., as represented by application 66). Moreover, various
applications, components, programs, objects, modules, etc. may also execute
on one or more processors in another computer coupled to computer 50 via
a network 62, e.g., in a distributed or client-server computing environment,
whereby the processing required to implement the functions of a computer
program may be allocated to multiple computers over a network.
In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments
of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a
specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of
instructions will be referred to herein as computer programs, or simply
programs. The computer programs typically comprise one or more instructions
that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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computer, and that, when read and executed by one or more processors in a
computer, cause that computer to perform the steps necessary to execute
steps or elements embodying the various aspects of the invention. Moreover,
while the invention has and hereinafter will be described in the context of
fully
functioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being
distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention
applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used
to actually carry out the distribution. Example:; of signal bearing media
include
but are not limited to recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile
memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, magnetic
tape, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM=s, DVD=s, etc.), among others, and
transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.
In addition, various programs described hereinafter may be
identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a
specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that
any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any
specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the exemplary
environments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are not intended to limit the
present
invention. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that other
alternative
hardware and/or software environments may be used without departing from
the scope of the invention.
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Publication-Based Game of Chance Through the Internet
The various aspects of the invention will now be described in
greater detail in connection with the promotion of a printed publication 70 by
an Internet game of chance. In particular, Fig. 3 illustrates in greater
detail the
electronic communication (i.e., flow of information) between a publication
recipient 12, promoter 18, publisher 20, and advertiser 22 as part of the
publication-based game of chance through the Internet 16.
Before a contest is publicized, contest rules are established for
an upcoming edition of a printed publication 70. The contest rules are
generally textual for human understanding. The contest rules are then
transformed into a prize indicia schema, whereby aspects of contest rules
are translated into parameters that may be automated (e.g., time intervals
for the contest and range of potentially prize-winning indicia for each
contest interval). An example of potentially prize-winning indicia in
accordance with the prize indicia schema may be all possible combinations
of alphanumeric symbols of 9 digits in length. The recipient database 42 is
updated with the prize indicia schema. More particularly, the recipient
database 42 includes assigned potentially prize-winning indicia cross
referenced to each recipient 12. The publisher 20 accesses the recipient
database 42 for customizing each copy (or promotional article) of the
printed publication 70 to include the assignecl potentially prize-winning
indicia for each respective recipient 12.
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In accordance with the contest rules, the promoter 18 conveys
to the recipient 12 the electronic communic<~tion 71 including the selected
prize-winning indicia. As will be discussed in nnore detail below, the
electronic
communication system 44 may be a source of information not only for the
publication recipient 12, but also serve as an electronic communication path
for feedback to the promoter 18.
The publication recipient 12 compares the assigned potentially
prize-winning indicia in the received copy of the printed publication 70 with
the selected prize-winning indicia on the electronic communication system
44. In the event of a match, the publication irecipient 12 contacts the
promoter 18 with a confirmation request message 72, such as an email
message, filling in an HTML form accessed via the electronic
communication system 44, a telephone call, mailed letter, a personal visit to
a specified location, etc.
The promoter 18 determines whether a confirmation request
message 72 is valid by comparing the assignecl prize-winning indicia contained
in the confirmation request message 72 with the selected prize-winning indicia
or other contest data in the recipient database: 42. Depending on the contest
rules, the promoter may have further determinations, such as who was the
first to respond, whether the confirmation request message 72 was within an
allowable response period, whether the prize-~rvinning recipient 12 is
ineligible
to receive the prize, etc.
The promoter 18 may advantageously perform tracking related to
the activities of publication recipients 12 with regard to the electronic
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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communication 71. For example, a tracking routine 76 hosted on the promoter
network server 30 may match numbers of accesses to or requests for the
electronic communication system 44. Moreover, the tracking of the electronic
communication may advantageously identify specific recipients or non-recipient
consumers 12 from self-disclosed information or cross-referenced information
from the recipient database 42. Such tracking may advantageously be used by
the advertisers 22 and publishers 20 to determine the value of the
advertisements, to update distribution of the printed publication 70, to
prompt
sending prizes, and to modify future contest rules, etc.
The present invention contemplates mailing of the printed
publication 70 to residents of a selected area.. The publication would contain
a predetermined or a randomly generated number or other indicia. The indicia
could be printed on a mailing label affixed to, or incorporated into the print
content of the publication. Such indicia could comprise letters, a combination
of letters and numbers, colors, pictures, shapes and the like.
Thus, with reference to FIG. 4, an illustrative example of a printed
publication 70 is shown bearing a customized recipient label 80 including
recipient code 82 and a recipient printed address 84. The recipient code 82
may uniquely identify the intended recipient and/or a specific copy of the
printed publication 70. The recipient code 82 may further serve as potentially
prize-winning indicia for a contest. A publication may include any number of
mass circulated or distributed printed materials, e.g., newspapers, home
shopping publications, real estate publications, magazines, total market
pieces,
targeted advertising brochures, department sitore pamphlets, or the like.
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With reference to FIG. 5, another contest inscription 86 is
illustrated that may be included for communicating contest related
information,
and may be incorporated into one or more locations within the printed
publication 70. One or more contest number's 88 serve as potentially prize-
winning indicia. Having more than one contest number 88 distinct from the
recipient identity or recipient code 82 allows for more than one opportunity
to
win. Also, more code numbers 88 allows for distributing the code numbers
88 throughout the printed publication 70 to encourage readership. In addition,
having the contest number 88 distinct from the recipient identity or recipient
code 82 allows for larger number of possible winning recipients by have the
same code number 88 on more than one printed publication 70 rather than
being limited to listing recipient code 82 on the electronic communication
system 44.
It should be appreciated that contest number 88 is illustrative of
an assigned potentially prize-winning indicia. An indicia may include any
identifying marking, including one or a combination of symbols, colors,
graphical depictions, or alphanumeric characters. Also, an identifying marking
may include other identifying treatments or additions to a printed publication
detectable by one or more senses of a reciipient. For example, an audio
message may be incorporated into the publication. Alternatively, an
identifying
marking may include a plurality of codes, any one of which alone is
potentially
prize-winning indicia.
The contest inscription 86 includes information on interacting
with the electronic communication system 44, such as a Uniform Resource
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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Locator (URL) 90 for an Internet HTML document. The contest inscription 86
advantageously includes a printed version of the rules 92.
FIG. 6 depicts an Internet browser 100 rendering an HTML-based
electronic communication 71 in the form of a vveb page 102. The recipient 12
may access the web page 102 to learn the :,elected prize indicia 104 for a
current contest interval. Advantageously, the web page 102 may include
other features, such as a confirmation of winning indicia 106, such as
information how to send a confirmation request message 72 or an on-line form
to accomplish the confirmation. Also, a request publication 108 button may
provide a convenient way for requesting a printed publication 70. In addition,
rules of the contest 1 10 may be available. Also, a link may be included for
allowing a non-recipient consumer 12 to subscribe to notification 1 12. The
consumer may provide a recipient electronic; address sufficient to route a
notification message to the recipient 12. For example, the promoter 18 may
send an email message to the recipient electronic address notifying the
recipient 12 that a new selected prize-winning indicia 104 has been posted,
or the email message may contain the new selected prize-winning indicia 104.
As another example, a notification message in the form of a digital page or
automated telephone message may be periodically sent containing the new
selected prize-winning indicia 104. As an additional example, the notification
message may be an email message with a computer file attachment (e.g.,
audio, digital text, digitized video, stored facsimile, graphic, or an HTML
document incorporating these and other forms of information).
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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The web page 102 also provides an opportunity to display
additional advertisement 1 14 or other promotional features.
To enhance the information gathering potential of the web page
102, other features rnay be included such a~~ a requirement or an option to
input recipient identifying information such as a recipient code 82. Entering
the
code 82 may be a prerequisite, for instance, to obtain the selected prize
indicia
104. As another example, the recipient 12 may be allowed and encouraged to
enter demographic information that may be stored by the promoter in the
promotion database 42. Therefore, the promoter 18 is capable of tracking
recipient interest in the publication-based game of chance, as well as
determining the characteristics of recipients 12 that are participating in the
contest.
It should be appreciated that developing a web page 102 or other
form of electronic communication 71 having i:he aforementioned content is a
routine matter for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of
the
instant disclosure.
Fig. 7 depicts a procedure for a promoter 18 to promote
advertising (block 130), which may be executed on the promoter computer
system and/or a promoter network server. Promoter procedure 130 begins
with receiving prize indicia schema (block 13;Z). The contest rules, including
potentially prize-winning indicia, are thus established so that potentially
prize-
winning indicia may be assigned to each promotional article, or copy of the
printed publication 70 (block 134). The dE:velopment of the prize indicia
schema is depicted as manually performed outside of the promoter procedure
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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130. It should be appreciated that automated procedures may be developed,
as would be apparent, to repetitively produce prize indicia schema based on
predetermined constraints as to contest intervals, odds of winning, and the
number of recipients.
Then a manual event occurs where each copy of the printed
publication is distributed to the assigned recipient (block 136), typically
performed external to the promoter procedure 130. The promoter 18 then
selects the prize-winning indicia for the current contest interval in
accordance
with the contest rules (block 138), and then electronically communicates the
selected prize-winning indicia (block 140). Advantageously, the promoter
procedure 130 then tracks electronic communication (block 141 ) for purposes
such as gauging the effectiveness of the prornotion.
Then, the promoter procedure 130 waits for a confirmation
request message (block 142). If received, then a determination is made as to
whether a valid match exists between the recipient and/or assigned potentially
prize-winning indicia of the confirmation request message and the actual prize-
winning indicia (block 144). If a match exists, then the prize is awarded
(block
146). Then, a determination is made as to Nrhether the entire contest is on
going (block 148). The contest may expire to due a time limit or due to a
maximum number of responding recipients having sent confirmation request
messages, or other reasons. If the contest has expired in block 148, then the
promote advertising procedure 130 returns to block 132 for the next contest.
If the contest is ongoing in block 148, then a determination is made as to
whether a current contest interval has expirE;d (block 150). If not expired,
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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then processing returns to block 142 to continue waiting to receive
confirmation. If the contest interval has expired in block 150, then
processing
returns to block 138 to select and electronic<~Ily communicate new selected
prize-winning indicia.
Monitoring of the expiration of an entire contest or of a contest
interval also includes passing control to block 148 from block 142 if no
confirmation is received and from block 144 if a match is not found from a
confirmation request message.
FIG. 8 depicts a procedure (bloc; 160) for a recipient 12 to play
an advertising promotion. First, a recipient 12 receives a copy of a printed
publication (promotional article) (block 162) and notes the included
potentially
prize-winning indicia (block 164) in the copy. Then, the recipient 12 reviews
the electronic communication to determine whether a match exists between
the selected prize-winning indicia in the elecaronic communication and the
assigned potentially prize-winning indicia in the copy (block 166). If a match
exists in block 166, the recipient reviews the confirmation method described
or facilitated by either the printed publication or the electronic
communication
(block 168) and complies by confirming the selected prize-winning indicia to
the promoter 18 (block 170). Thereafter, procedure 160 returns to block 162
to await another copy of a new printed publication.
If no match existed in block 1 X36, then the recipient 12 may
determine whether the contest is over (block 172), and if so return to block
162 to await to receive a new promotional article and the start of a new
contest. If in block 172 the contest was not over for this recipient, then
CA 02338080 2001-02-23
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opportunities exist for the assigned potentially prize-winning indicia to be
selected in another contest interval. Thus, thE; recipient may wait for the
next
contest interval (block 174) and then return to block 166 to determine whether
the indicia match. These determinations of the contest expiration and contest
interval expiration may advantageously be facilitated by electronic
communication to the recipient from the promoter.
Various modifications may be made to the illustrated
embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, the printed publication 70 is described herein as
including advertisements. It should be appreciated that consistent with the
invention printed publications 70 without advertisements may be promoted
with the interactive contest described herein.
As another example, each printed publication may not be assigned
to a specific recipient, but rather given away in same other fashion. For
instance, the printed publication 70 may be ifree to be picked up or included
in the packaging for another product. Consequently, confirmation request
message 72 referencing the potentially prize-winning indicia assigned to a
specific copy of the printed publication may require physical confirmation
(e.g.,
presenting or mailing in the actual assigned indicia inscribed in the printed
publication).
What is claimed is:
