Incentive rewards and methods

Incentive rewards awarded to a recipient have a code unique to each reward. Receipt of a reward may be reported by the Internet or the intranet. Plural rewards can be connected together to form a trophy. The incentive rewards can be connected to one another by the use of magnets on the rewards.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to incentive rewards that may be given by an organization to employees, agents, customers, benefactors or honorees of, or to suppliers to, the organization. This invention also relates to methods for using the incentive rewards.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Incentive rewards in accordance with this invention are in the form of tokens or coins that can be connected to one another to form trophies. The rewards may have means indicting the value of the token and may also bear an identifying code thereon unique to the individual reward so that a reward recipient could report receipt of the reward to an organization which accumulates the rewards on behalf of reward recipients. After the reward is so reported, the recipient can use the reward in any fashion the recipient desires without the ability to report the same reward a second time.

A sample of such an incentive reward, designated10, is illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 3. Reward10has a unitary, self-supporting body11, with one face12, termed the front face herein, with indicia or words indicating the value of the reward10. In the example shown in the drawings, the reward10has a value arbitrarily designated as “200 points.” Obviously the value could be expressed in various other terms, such as monetary amounts. Optionally, the value may be expressed by color coding, as indicated by the word “Gold” printed on the front face of the reward10, which could appear with gold coloring. Other rewards (not shown) could be essentially identical to the reward10except some may have different point values and different colors.

With reference toFIG. 3, and for reasons discussed below, the back face14of the reward10may have an identifying alpha-numeric code15, herein shown as “25 HK-87 MP,” that may be unique to that particular reward10. Optionally (and obviously), the code could be entirely alpha or entirely numeric or incorporate other symbols.

Small magnets17are placed around the outer periphery of the incentive reward10. The particular incentive reward10illustrated in the drawings is generally in the form of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners and convex sides and there are three magnets17, one located adjacent each point or corner of its triangular shape. Magnets17may comprise readily available cylindrical bar magnets, each snugly received within small holes at each corner. A suitable glue (not shown) may be used to attach the magnets17to the body11.

FIG. 4illustrates that the reward10may be made from two mutually coextensive plates, a front plate18and a back plate19, that are glued together back-to-back. Both plates18and19may have recessed portions, such as that illustrated at20inFIG. 4, in which paper or plastic decals22and24are glued. Printing and coloration on the front face10and the back face12may be obtained by printing and coloring the decals22and24. The front decal22may have a transparent epoxy drop placed on it to create a slightly rubbery convex mound26on its front face. The decals22and24may be opaque and the plastic plates18and19may be transparent or translucent or opaque or partly transparent, and/or translucent and/or opaque.

In use, the recipient of a reward10may enter the code at an Internet or intranet address maintained by or for the organization that uses the rewards10as part of a reward program.

Each code may be unique so that the enterprise in charge of the reward system which uses rewards10will recognize when a particular reward10has been added to an account maintained for recipients and not permit the same reward to be used a second time to increase the size of any of the recipients' accounts. Therefore a reward10may be used for any purpose desired by the recipient after it has been reported to the bank or other organization that maintains recipients' accounts.

One use of the rewards10is illustrated inFIGS. 6,7and8, which is to use plural rewards10accumulated by a recipient to assemble various combinations that may be considered to be larger trophies.FIG. 6shows a flat, horizontal array40of rewards10connected together by their respective magnets.FIG. 8shows the same rewards10with the outer three rewards rotated to a vertical orientation so as to support the center reward10above a floor or table.

FIG. 8shows an embodiment50wherein a ferrous plate52is provided to provide better support for the rewards10due to the attraction of the magnets17to the plate52.

The rewards10may be made from various plastic materials, such as ABS molded plastic. The magnets17may be standard polarized magnets pushed into tight holes and fit without adhesive, but may be glued in place as indicated above. In order to assure that the rewards10can be magnetically connected to one anther, the outer end of one of three magnets17in a reward10may have a polarity opposite the polarity of the outer ends of the other two magnets17. The decals may be made from high gloss paper with permanent adhesive but could be made from plastic or other material.

FIG. 5shows a second embodiment of an incentive reward, designated30, in accordance with this invention, which may be identical to the reward10ofFIGS. 1-3, but is provided with two codes, one being alpha-numeric as an example, the other being a QR code represented at32. Provision of the QR code would enable the recipient of the reward32to take a photograph of the QR code32using a camera portion of a cell phone or a smart phone (not shown) and transmit the QR code by phone to a remote computer (not shown) which records the receipt of the reward32by the recipient. Bar codes (not shown) could also be used along with, or in place of, other codes associated with the incentive rewards of this invention.

Although the presently preferred embodiments of this invention has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of the invention various changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.