Abstract:
A method for distributing geographically and socioeconomically targeted media, advertising, and electronic coupons via non-telephony wireless methods to portable consumer electronic and communication devices, based upon the cross-registration meta data of the manufacturer product warranty information to a local digital signage network.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/927,658, filed May 3, 2007. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the provision of wireless sales offers to CE devices using non-telephony wireless transmission. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Signs are provided in retail outlets that advertise goods to be vended. As understood herein, a sign can be digital, i.e., driven by a processor, so that the advertising displayed on the sign can be easily changed. As also understood herein, sales offers, including advertising, are more effective when targeted to consumers with an understanding of the recipients&#39; demographics, socio-economic status, etc. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In one embodiment a method for providing a sales offer to a user of a consumer electronics (CE) device includes detecting that the CE device is nearby a provision unit such as a digitally enabled sign, and accessing a database using an identification of the CE device. The method also includes obtaining from the database user information correlated to the identification of the CE device and using the user information to identify at least one sales offer to be made. The method includes wirelessly transmitting the sales offer to the CE device without using a telephony system. The sign may undertake the act of detecting. 
         [0005]    In some embodiments the user information can include demographic information and/or geographic information that does not personally identify the user. The sales offer may include an advertisement and may be transmitted from the sign to the CE device using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or ultra wide band (UWB) communication or other wireless non-telephony means. In any case, a user of the CE device need only power on the device and take no further action to receive the sales offer from the provision unit once the CE device is detected near the provision unit. 
         [0006]    In another aspects a digitally-enabled sign includes a housing holding a processor and a non-telephony wireless transceiver communicating with the processor. The processor receives a signal indicating that a CE device is nearby. The signal includes a CE device ID, and the processor sends the device ID to a sales offer server with a sales offer being identified in response thereto for provision of the sales offer to the CE device through the non-telephony wireless transceiver. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, a system includes means for detecting the presence of a CE device having a device ID, and means for sending the device ID to a sales offer means correlating the device ID to at least one sales offer. Non-telephony wireless transmission means are provided and are associated with the means for detecting for transmitting the sales offer to a CE device. 
         [0008]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart showing the logic of obtaining user information; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing the logic of providing sales offers from a digitally-enabled sign to a CE device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0012]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , which includes one or more consumer electronic (CE) devices  12  (only a single CE device  12  shown for clarity). The CE device  12  may be, without limitation, a wireless telephone-enabled device, in which case it includes a wireless telephony transceiver  14  such as but not limited to a GSM or CDMA transceiver. Or, the CE device  12  may be, e.g., a laptop computer or a personal digital assistant or a digital camera or other device that is not enabled for wireless telephony. In any case, the CE device  12  includes a non-telephony wireless transceiver  16  that can be controlled by a CE device processor  18  which may access a tangible data storage medium  20  such as but not limited to disk storage or solid state storage. The non-telephony wireless transceiver  16  can be a Bluetooth transceiver, ultra wide band (UWB) transceiver, Wi-Fi transceiver, or other broadband wireless non-telephony transceiver. The processor  18  may control a visual display  22  and the components of the CE device  12  may be contained in a single portable housing and powered by one or more rechargeable batteries  24 . 
         [0013]    The CE device may be purchased from an online or physical vending facility  26 , and typically as part of the purchase process (or immediately following it), the purchaser submits warranty information back to the vending facility (or associated entity) that includes demographic information (e.g., one or more of age, sex, income), geographic information (e.g., city of residence) associated with the user, and user-identified personal preferences. Information personally identifying the user, such as the user&#39;s name or social security number, may also be provided but as disclosed further below is preferably not used to provide targeted information. The information may be stored in a database  28 . 
         [0014]    Subsequent to purchase, the purchaser (also referred to as “user”) of the CE device  12  may enter a facility including the vending facility  26  or other location with the CE device  12  in hand. The user may pass nearby a sales offer provisioning unit. In one implementation, the sales offer provisioning unit maybe a digitally enabled sign  30  that may also be regarded as a kiosk. 
         [0015]    The sign  30  typically includes a display  32  such as a flat panel display on which information such as advertisements can be displayed. The display  32  is controlled by a sign processor  34  which accesses a computer storage  38  that may be implemented as disk-based memory or solid state memory. The processor  34  also controls a non-telephony wireless transceiver  3   8  that can communicate with the non-telephony wireless transceiver  16  of the CE device  12 . The sign may also include a printer  39  that is controlled by the sign processor  34 , and the above components of the sign  30  may be located in a single sign housing and may be battery-powered or powered off the AC grid. 
         [0016]    The logic discussed below may be stored on, e.g., the storages  20 ,  36  for execution by the respective processors  18 ,  34 . Accordingly, the present invention may be manifested by implementation of tangible computer readable media such as the media described above. 
         [0017]    Now referring to  FIG. 2 , as mentioned above and as indicated at block  40 , the user purchases the CE device  12 . Moving to block  42 , the user provides the above-discussed user-related information, typically as part of the device registration process. This information is stored at, e.g., the database  28  as indicated by block  44 . 
         [0018]    Subsequently, as shown in  FIG. 3 , block  46 , when the user enters the proximity of the digitally enabled advertising sign  30  with the CE device  12  in hand, the sign  30  detects the device  12 . This may be undertaken by, e.g., detecting a network search signal from the non-telephony wireless transceiver  16 . The search signal maybe received by the non-telephony wireless transceiver  38  of the sign  30  and processed by the sign processor  34  to determine that the CE device  12  is near. Typically, the search signal or attendant messages precipitated by successfully discovering a wireless network contain the identification of the CE device  12 , so that the sign processor  34  can receive the device ID. Other detection methods are contemplated herein. 
         [0019]    Moving to block  48 , the sign  30  communicates, e.g., over the Internet, with the database  28  using the device ID as entering argument. The device ID is correlated to the information associated with the person who purchased the device  12 . Regardless of whether personally identifiable information is in the database  28 , it is preferred that only non-personally identifiable consumer demographic and preference information about the person who registered the CE device  12  be used. 
         [0020]    At block  50 , based upon the user&#39;s demographic and/or geographic and/or preference information, the sign processor  34  may access a database associated with the sign  30 , such as but not limited to the sign storage  36 , to correlate one or more product offers in the sign storage  36  to the CE device  12 . For instances knowing that the purchaser of the CE device  12  is a middle-aged male, the processor  34  may determine that an offer or advertisement to purchase new golf clubs should be presented on the sign display  32  and/or CE device display  22 , and this can be immediately executed at block  52 , before the user leaves the vicinity of the sign  30 . That is, the message presented on the sign display  32  can change according to the device ID of the CE device  12  that is nearby the sign  30 , and/or the sales offer can be sent to the CE device  12  via the non-telephony wireless transceivers  16 ,  38  for display of the sales offer on the display  22  of the CE device  12 . Or, a sales offer in the form of a coupon can be printed on the sign printer  39 , for retrieval thereof by the user of the CE device  12 , or the coupon can be wirelessly sent to the CE device  12  as a form of sales offer. In any case, the logic of  FIG. 3  preferably occurs automatically and transparently to the user without requiring any user action to receive notice of the offer other than to have the CE device powered on. 
         [0021]    If desired, the user can be given the choice to accept the offer by means of a prompt from the sign  30 . The user can accept the offer, which is then presented on the device  12  and/or stored in the device storage  20  for use at a future retail transaction. The data storages, signs, and transmission media can all be owned by different entities if desired. 
         [0022]    While the particular PROVISION OF WIRELESS OFFERS TO CE DEVICE USING NON-TELEPHONY WIRELESS TRANSMISSION is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims. For example, the database  28  may itself correlate the device ID to user demographics and then return an appropriate sales offer over the Internet to the sign  30  for display thereof.