U.S. patent application number 11/838848 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-06 for system and method for rewards-based education.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tabula Digita, Inc.. Invention is credited to Robert L. Clegg, Ntiedo M. Etuk.
Application Number | 20080059305 11/838848 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30115849 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080059305 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Etuk; Ntiedo M. ; et
al. |
March 6, 2008 |
System and Method for Rewards-based Education
Abstract
A system and method for rewarding educational accomplishment is
disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes providing rewards
to a user, such as a child, for achievement of one or more goals
within an educational activity. The rewards are preferably credit
in a form that is widely accepted by merchants and other entities
for items, such as goods and services, that they offer. Preferably,
information associating the user and items the user purchases with
the credit is used to create a purchase history file for each
user.
Inventors: |
Etuk; Ntiedo M.; (New York,
NY) ; Clegg; Robert L.; (New York, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
P.O. BOX 1022
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55440-1022
US
|
Assignee: |
Tabula Digita, Inc.
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
30115849 |
Appl. No.: |
11/838848 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10618348 |
Jul 11, 2003 |
7257367 |
|
|
11838848 |
Aug 14, 2007 |
|
|
|
60395274 |
Jul 11, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.27 ;
705/14.73 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/06 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 20/10 20130101; G06Q 30/0218 20130101;
G06Q 30/0224 20130101; G09B 5/00 20130101; G06Q 30/0226 20130101;
G06Q 30/0277 20130101; G06Q 30/0255 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/014 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00; G06F 17/40 20060101 G06F017/40; G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00 |
Claims
1. A method for rewarding educational accomplishment, comprising:
providing an educational activity to a user; providing one or more
points to the user for achievement by the user of a goal within the
educational activity; determining a monetary value of the one or
more points; and establishing a relationship with a second party to
have the second party create and manage an account that allows the
user to apply the monetary value to purchase items from third
parties, wherein the second party: secures payment to the third
parties for the items the user purchases with the account; and
receives, from the third parties, information associating the user
with the items the user purchases.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information
regarding the user's purchasing desires.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the
information regarding the user's purchasing desires to the second
party.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is not eligible to open
a credit account.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a child.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the
second party, the information associating the user with the items
the user purchases.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising creating a purchase
history file with the information associating the user with the
items the user purchases.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving information
regarding the user's purchasing desires and adding the information
regarding the user's purchasing desires to the purchase history
file to create a preferences file.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associating the
user with the items the user purchases is used to provide targeted
advertising to the user.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party is a major
financial services company.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party provides fraud
protection to the account and the purchases of the items.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the educational activity is an
educational game.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the educational game
incorporates instruction that aids achievement on standardized
state exams.
14. A system for rewarding educational accomplishment, comprising:
an educational activity that provides points for achievement within
the educational activity, wherein the points are redeemable for
items; a first party that organizes and manages the educational
activity; a user who engages in the educational activity and
receives one or more of the points after the user achieves one or
more goals within the educational activity; and a second party that
establishes a relationship with the first party to have the second
party create and manage an account that allows the user to apply a
monetary value associated with the received one or more points to
purchase items from one or more third parties, such that the second
party is adapted to: secure payment to the one or more third
parties for the items the user purchases; and receive, from the one
or more third parties, information associating the user with the
items the user purchases.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising user purchasing
desires that are supplied by the user to the first party.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user purchasing desires may
be accessed by the second party.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the user is not eligible to
open a credit account.
18. The system of claim 14, wherein the user is a child.
19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first party is adapted to
receive, from the second party, the information associating the
user with the items the user purchases.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first party is further
adapted to create a purchase history file with the information
associating the user with the items the user purchases.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first party is further
adapted to receive information regarding the user's purchasing
desires and add the information regarding the user's purchasing
desires to the purchase history file to create a preferences
file.
22. The system of claim 14, wherein the second party is a major
financial services company.
23. The system of claim 14, wherein the second party is adapted to
provide fraud protection to the account and the purchases of the
items.
24. The system of claim 14, wherein the educational activity is an
educational game.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein the educational game
incorporates instruction that aids achievement on standardized
state exams.
26. A system for rewarding educational accomplishment, comprising:
means for providing an educational activity to a user; means for
providing one or more points to the user for achievement by the
user of a goal within the educational activity; means for
determining a monetary value of the one or more points; and means
for establishing a relationship with a second party to have the
second party create and manage an account that allows the user to
apply the monetary value to purchase items from third parties,
wherein the second party: secures payment to the third parties for
the items the user purchases with the account; and receives, from
the third parties, information associating the user with the items
the user purchases
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional
application No. 60/395,274, filed Jul. 11, 2002, entitled The
Education Rewards Collection System, which is hereby incorporated
by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Despite efforts to increase the quality of American
education, many children continue to perform poorly in school. In
fact, the U.S. Department of Education has estimated that among the
nation's 12th graders, 83 percent lack proficiency in
mathematics.
[0003] One reason for this poor performance is lack of motivation.
Many children do not exert themselves fully in classroom
assignments and homework because the benefits, such as increased
earnings and well-roundedness, will not be appreciated for
years.
[0004] In an effort to address this problem, numerous alternatives
to the traditional classroom method of learning have emerged. One
such alternative is known as rewards-based education. These systems
reward students upon accomplishing certain educational goals. This
reinforcement is meant to motivate the students to work harder at
school-related tasks.
[0005] One such system of such a system at Barton Elementary School
in Chicago, Ill., where teachers reward students with "Barton
Bucks" for attending class, handing in homework on time, proper
uniform dress, answering test prep questions correctly, and writing
exceptional essays for class. Students may spend the Barton Bucks
they accumulate on "prizes" at a school store. However, the
students have a limited array of awards, since they can only trade
the Barton Bucks for the items the school store chooses to
offer.
[0006] One way of addressing that problem would be to negotiate
commitments from one or more merchants to accept the points in
exchange for the goods and services they offer. However, such an
arrangement still limits a participating child's point redemption
options to the items those merchants offer. Additionally, merchants
may be hesitant to agree to such an arrangement without a
sufficient guarantee that they would be reimbursed for the items
they provide.
[0007] Furthermore, that system still fails to include a mechanism
for tracking and processing information regarding the items the
children purchase with the points they earn. But this information
has potentially great value, since it provides children's purchase
histories. Such information is rarely available elsewhere, since
children are generally ineligible for opening credit card or other
credit-based accounts. The purchase histories could be used, for
example, in targeted advertising campaigns, or sold.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is directed to a system and method for
rewarding educational accomplishment. In a preferred embodiment,
the present invention comprises a first party that provides an
educational activity to a child student or other user, who
participates in the activity. When the user achieves certain goals
within the educational activity, he or she obtains points from the
first party or another party. Preferably, a monetary value of the
points is determined and managed in an account by a second party,
such as a major credit card company or other financial entity. By
employing such an arrangement, a user may purchase items, such as
goods and services, at any merchant or other entity that accepts
that company's credit for purchases. For example, if the financial
company in the present invention is Visa, Inc., a child may
purchase items with his or her account at any of the over 28
million locations that accept payment with a Visa card. This
provides significant motivation to a user to achieve educationally,
since the rewards provide short-term reinforcement that is
user-specific--the user is provided a vast array of items from
which to apply the monetary value toward purchase. Thus, the user
may apply the monetary value toward items that he or she
specifically desires.
[0009] Additionally, the second party in such an arrangement is
provided valuable information associating the user with the user's
purchases. This information provides incentive to an entity to
become the second party in the present invention. This information
may be used, for example, in targeted advertising campaigns, or
sold. The information is especially valuable where the users are
children, since children are ineligible for most credit accounts,
and thus such information is not widely available. The information
is preferably provided to the first party as well, and potentially
other entities.
[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for
rewarding educational accomplishment includes: providing an
educational activity to a user; providing one or more points to the
user for achievement by the user of a goal within the educational
activity; determining a monetary value of the one or more points;
and establishing a relationship with a second party to have the
second party create and manage an account that allows the user to
apply the monetary value to purchase items from third parties,
wherein the second party: secures payment to the third parties for
the items the user purchases with the account; and receives, from
the third parties, information associating the user with the items
the user purchases.
[0011] The method may further include receiving information
regarding the user's purchasing desires. The method may further
include providing the information regarding the user's purchasing
desires to the second party.
[0012] The method may further include receiving, from the second
party, the information associating the user with the items the user
purchases. The method may further include creating a purchase
history file with the information associating the user with the
items the user purchases. The method may further include receiving
information regarding the user's purchasing desires and adding the
information regarding the user's purchasing desires to the purchase
history file to create a preferences file.
[0013] The information associating the user with the items the user
purchases may be used to provide targeted advertising to the
user.
[0014] In another embodiment a system for rewarding educational
accomplishment includes: an educational activity that provides
points for achievement within the educational activity, wherein the
points are redeemable for items; a first party that organizes and
manages the educational activity; a user who engages in the
educational activity and receives one or more of the points after
the user achieves one or more goals within the educational
activity; and a second party that establishes a relationship with
the first party to have the second party create and manage an
account that allows the user to apply a monetary value associated
with the points to purchase items from one or more third parties,
such that the second party is adapted to: secure payment to the one
or more third parties for the items the user purchases; and
receive, from the one or more third parties, information
associating the user with the items the user purchases.
[0015] The system may further include user purchasing desires that
are supplied by the user to the first party. The user purchasing
desires may be accessed by the second party.
[0016] The first party in the system may be adapted to receive,
from the second party, the information associating the user with
the items the user purchases. The first party may further be
adapted to create a purchase history file with the information
associating the user with the items the user purchases. The first
party may be further adapted to receive information regarding the
user's purchasing desires and add the information regarding the
user's purchasing desires to the purchase history file to create a
preferences file.
[0017] In either (or both) of the above embodiments, any of the
following may be included:
[0018] The user may not be eligible to open a credit account. The
user may be a child.
[0019] The educational activity may be an educational game. The
educational game may incorporate instruction that aids achievement
on standardized state exams.
[0020] The second party may be a major financial services
company.
[0021] The second party may provide, or be adapted to provide,
fraud protection to the account and the purchases of the items.
[0022] In another embodiment, a system for rewarding educational
accomplishment includes: means for providing an educational
activity to a user; means for providing one or more points to the
user for achievement by the user of a goal within the educational
activity; means for determining a monetary value of the one or more
points; and means for establishing a relationship with a second
party to have the second party create and manage an account that
allows the user to apply the monetary value to purchase items from
third parties, wherein the second party: secures payment to the
third parties for the items the user purchases with the account;
and receives, from the third parties, information associating the
user with the items the user purchases.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The detailed description is better understood in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters
represent like elements, as follows:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system and
method for rewarding educational accomplishment, in accordance with
the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one implementation of an
embodiment such as the system and method for rewarding educational
accomplishment of FIG. 1, in accordance with the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a block diagram describing some details applicable
in one example of a system and method for rewarding educational
accomplishment such as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with the
present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 4 is a table describing some functions that some
components of an example of a system and method for rewarding
educational accomplishment may provide, in accordance with the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The present invention relates to a system and method for
rewarding educational accomplishment. In a preferred embodiment as
shown in FIG. 1, a first party 10 provides educational activity 20
to one or more users 30, who participate in the activity. First
party 10 may be, for example, a company that organizes and manages
operation of the present invention. First party 10 may be the
developer of educational activity 20, or it may work with other
entities to develop or organize educational activity 20.
Educational activity 20 may be, for example, the attending of a
museum or certain classes at a secondary school, completion and
handing in of homework, passing educational tests within the
context of a computer game, or other educational
achievement-oriented activities. Users 30 are preferably people who
are ineligible for or otherwise do not have credit accounts in
which the account providers can track their purchases. Users 30 may
be, for example, child students, who are not eligible to open
credit accounts such as major credit card accounts through major
financial services companies such as Visa or Mastercard. Children
are those people who are under 18 years of age, the earliest age in
which children qualify to open most credit accounts. Before
children reach 18 years of age, they may not be able to qualify to
open credit accounts because of age constraints on legally entering
contracts, and/or age requirements provided by the credit accounts.
In some implementations, however, users 30 may simply be people who
do not have a credit account.
[0029] When a user 30 participates in educational activity 20, he
or she is provided points for achieving certain goals within the
activity. For example, user 30 may obtain points by correctly
answering 80% of the questions on a computerized mathematical test
provided by first party 10 through the Internet. In this example,
first party 10 may determine that, based upon the difficulty and
length of the test, user 30 will receive five points. First party
10 preferably determines relative points values of the educational
activities 20 by consulting with top psychologists and other
experts in the field of education. User 30 may continue to
participate in educational activity 20 to achieve further goals,
thus obtaining more points, such as by answering 80% of the
questions on additional computerized mathematical tests. First
party 10 preferably keeps a record of the total points that user 30
accumulates.
[0030] Points may be provided to users 30 in various ways In one
implementation, users 30 are provided cards, such as credit cards,
which may be swiped at "card swipers" (such as the machinery
commonly employed at retailers to charge credit cards and debit
bank cards) or other point-of-sale devices located at, e.g., school
classrooms or museums, to record the achievement of goals within
educational activities 20. However, in other implementations, point
earning may be recorded in other ways, such as by use of a watch
with a transponder, through the establishment and maintenance of an
account of user 30 on a computerized system such as the Internet,
or by phone or U.S. mail. Preferably, the card (or other device) is
the same card used to make purchases at third parties 50, as
described below.
[0031] Once user 30 has accumulated a certain number of points, he
or she may redeem them for purchases or discounts on purchases at
third parties 50. Third parties are preferably merchants or other
businesses that sell items, such as goods and/or services, to the
public, but may be any entity from which purchases may be made.
Third parties 50 may include, for example, book stores and online
(i.e. Internet) gaming companies. Preferably, first party 10
establishes a relationship with one or more second parties 40 to
manage these transactions. A second party 40 is preferably a
business that offers and manages credit accounts and produces (or
has produced for it) accompanying credit cards that may be swiped
at "card swipers" (such as the machinery commonly employed at
retailers to charge credit cards and debit bank cards) or other
point-of-sale devices.
[0032] In an advantageous implementation, second party 40 is a
major financial services company, such as credit card company or
Mastercard or financial services company First Data Corporation,
which creates a credit account for each user 30. In this
implementation, first party 10 preferably first determines a
monetary value for the points earned by user 30, such as a value in
U.S. dollars. Various methods of determining this monetary value
may be employed, and may be standard for all points of all users,
or may be customized with respect to specific users 30.
[0033] For example, the monetary value of the points a user 30 has
earned for a particular educational activity 20 may be partially or
fully determined based upon money a money places on his or account
for that activity. For instance, a parent may place twenty dollars
on the account of his child, user 30. If the child engages in the
particular educational activity 20 and performs well enough to
receive half of the total possible points, he is provided half the
twenty dollars, or ten dollars, that may be used for purchases. The
parent may have the other ten dollars applied to other educational
activities 20, or possibly withdrawn from the account.
[0034] Funding from outside sources may also add to the monetary
value of an account. For example, first party 10 or another party
managing the present invention may sell advertising space on
marketing or other material. Funding may also be received in the
form of government grants or from other sources. The funding from
outside sources may be allocated among all the educational
activities 20 and/or their associated goals, and thus all points
awarded to all users. Thus, for example, the user 30 may earn
twenty points during a certain period that 2000 total points are
awarded to all users, or one percent of the total points awarded.
If 1000 dollars is received by first party 10 from outside sources
during this period, first party 10 may allocate this money among
all points earned, thus allocating one percent, or ten dollars, to
the account of user 30. If user 30 has already earned ten dollars
for these points based upon money placed into his or her account by
a parent, user 30 will now have twenty dollars in the account
usable for purchase. Thus, the twenty points earned will have a
total value of twenty dollars, or one dollar per point. In other
embodiments, the monetary value of each point may be predetermined,
and the number of points awarded in educational activities 20
adjusted based upon the money available for the accounts.
[0035] In one example, a user 30 may earn twenty-five points by
completing five goals (at five points per goal) within an
educational activity 20. First party 10 determines the monetary
value of each point, forty cents in this example (which may apply
to all points earned by all users 30), then multiplies that value
by the twenty-five points earned, to arrive at ten dollars worth of
points. First party 10 sends this information to second party 40,
which updates the account of that user 30 to reflect an additional
ten dollars worth of credit. Preferably, second party 40 manages
this account like a stored value card. Stored value accounts are
accounts in which only money already funded into the account by the
accountholder may be applied to purchases. Examples of stored value
accounts are prepaid card accounts and debit accounts with banks.
The operation of stored value card accounts are known in the art,
and are incorporated herein by reference.
[0036] Thus, for example, if Mastercard were second party 40, user
30 would now have an additional ten dollars in his or her account
to be spent at any of the over 28 million locations worldwide that
accept Mastercard's credit, and in any way (e.g. through the
Internet, phone, or by swiping a Mastercard-aligned card through a
card swiper) the credit may be spent. However, other ways of
operating such an account, consistent with the present invention,
may also be employed.
[0037] Employing a major financial services company as second party
40 in the present invention facilitates increased motivation of
users of the system to improve their level of education. As noted
above, major financial services companies typically have
relationships with millions of merchants. It is these relationships
that allow the present invention to offer a virtually limitless
array of incentives for the user. The nearly universal acceptance
of the points (in the form of a monetary value, as described above)
allows users to freely pursue and choose rewards that they most
desire. For example, a child user 30 who loves music will have
great incentive to achieve goals within an educational activity 20,
since the determined monetary value of the points the child earns
from that achievement may be applied toward the purchase of compact
discs of his or her favorite artists at a Tower Records store.
[0038] An implementation including a major financial services
company as second party 40 provides another significant advantage,
since first party 10 (or another party managing operation of the
present invention) need not establish relationships with any third
parties 50, such as merchants or other entities, before users 30
can purchase items from them. Third parties 50 need only accept the
credit of second party 40. Major financial services companies are
particularly advantageous as second parties 40, since they secure
the payment of the credit they provide via, e.g., fraud protection
and payment guarantees, and so third parties 50 regularly accept
the credit. For example, major financial services companies, such
as credit card companies Visa and Mastercard, offer enough security
that they will have the amounts they provide credit for paid off
(e.g. by them or a bank), that merchants and other third parties 50
almost universally accepted their credit. In a more specific
example, credit cards and debit cards aligned with Mastercard offer
liability protection for unauthorized transactions as well as
guarantees of credit reimbursement, and are accepted for purchases
at over 28 million locations. Additionally, major financial
services companies are so prominent in the industry that merchants
or other businesses risk losing business by not accepting the
credit for transactions. Thus, where second party 40 is Mastercard,
every one of the over 28 million merchants that accept Mastercard's
credit will accept user 30's points in their determined dollar
value in user 30's Mastercard-aligned account, and need not even
realize they are acting as a third party 50 in the present
invention.
[0039] Conversely, existing educational rewards systems that
include redemption of actual points (i.e. in point form) to make
purchases are far less established, if at all. In these systems,
merchants will have to independently agree to accept points for the
items they offer before becoming part of the systems. The merchants
will have to create specific business plans for the recordation of
redeemed points and the reimbursement, by the business managing the
system, for the items they offer. Additionally, the merchants may
be hesitant to accept such "credit" from a business that may
provide little assurance that it will not fail and thus default on
promises of payment of the credit.
[0040] In another implementation, second party 40 (alone or in
addition to other companies, such as Visa or Mastercard) is a
corporation, like First Data Corporation, that allows its accounts
to be controlled such that purchases can only be made with certain
merchants or other entities. For example, where user 30 is a child
who has an account (that manages the monetary value of his or her
earned points) with First Data, the account may allow his or her
parents to limit purchases made with the account to certain
merchants. Thus, for example, a parent may limit his or her child's
account so that no items may be purchased from merchants offering
items with "mature" content.
[0041] Payment to second party 40 for the credit it provides
through accounts of users 30 may be made in various ways. For
example, payment may be made via a recurring charge to parents for
their children's participation as users 30 in the present
invention, a charge to the parents based upon the number of points
their children obtain, a government grant, and/or earnings by first
party 10 from use or sale of information associating users 30 with
items users 30 purchase (this information is described further
below).
[0042] The present invention provides significant advantages to
entities to become second parties 40. By managing accounts (of
monetary values determined from points) of users 30 as described
above, second parties 40 obtain information associating each user
30 with the items, such as goods and services, that user 30
purchases using the account. This information is supplied to second
party 40 by each third party 50 from which user 30 purchased items.
This transfer of information is well known in the art of credit
account management, such as that conducted by Visa, Mastercard, and
First Data, and is incorporated herein by reference. Information
associating user 30 with the items user 30 purchases is valuable,
since it can be analyzed to determine purchasing preferences of
user 30, and to create a purchase history file for each user 30.
Information regarding the purchasing preferences is very valuable,
since it can be, for example, sold and/or used to target
advertising to a user 30 based upon his or her purchasing
preferences. For example, merchants or other entities may be
willing to purchase this information, since it may identify
potential buyers of the items they offer. Because of this value,
second parties 40 may not require payment, or provide a discount,
to create and manage accounts of users 30 in accordance with the
present invention.
[0043] In a preferred implementation, some or all users 30 are
ineligible (e.g. children) for some or all, or otherwise do not
have, other credit accounts in which the account providers track
their purchases. Ineligibility, as explained above, may be based
upon legal age barriers and/or credit account-provider preferences.
Thus, the purchase information obtained here is very rare, possibly
the only existing information of its kind for a particular child or
other user, significantly increasing its value. Thus, where the
users 30 are children, second party 40 would be able to create a
database of specific children's buying habits, or a purchase
history file, providing evidence of the types of items the children
desire and will desire in the future. The raw information
associating the user 30 with the items he or she purchases may also
be sold to other companies for purposes such as those described
above. The value of this information provides great incentive for
an entity, such as a major financial services company like Visa,
Mastercard, or First Data, to become a second party 40 in the
present invention.
[0044] Preferably, as part of the relationship between first party
10 and second party 40, second party 40 agrees to send, to first
party 10, the information associating each user 30 with the items
that user 30 purchases. First party 10 may then use or sell this
information such as described above. However, in one
implementation, first party 10 may be a company that can provide
credit account services such as those of major financial services
companies, as described above. In this case, first party 10 may
perform the functions described above of both first party 10 and
second parties 40.
[0045] In one implementation of the above embodiment, first party
10 obtains information from user 30 regarding the likes and
dislikes, or purchasing desires, of user 30. For example, first
party may provide a questionnaire to user 30, via the Internet or
U.S. mail, that asks user 30 what his or her hobbies are and what
purchases he or she has recently made. The completed questionnaire
may be collected by first party 10 and offered to second party 40
as an additional incentive to maintain a relationship with first
party 10 in the context of the present invention. The information
the questionnaire contains on user 30 may be combined with the
information regarding that user's purchases, or purchase history
file as described above, to create a more comprehensive preferences
file of user 30. Where first party 10 receives information
associating user 30 and the items user 30 purchases, as described
above, either first party 10 or second party 40 or both may create
the preferences file. The raw information may also be sold or
otherwise provided to another party to create the user preference
file. The preferences file and/or the associated raw information
will be even more comprehensive, and thus more valuable, than just
that of the purchase information of user 30, and can similarly be
sold or used for advertising purposes.
[0046] In another implementation, one or more third parties 50
establishes special relationships with first party 10, agreeing to
provide discounts on their items, in exchange for advertising their
businesses to users 30 or receiving information regarding the users
30, such as preferences files. For example, if educational activity
20 includes the computerized mathematical test provided through the
Internet as described above, an advertisement of a third party 50
may appear on the web pages user 30 accesses to take the test. If
educational activity 20 involves a public place, such as a museum,
a third party 50 may sponsor points (through discounts on items
they offer) there in exchange for the right to advertise on
location. However, other methods of advertising may also be
employed, such as providing advertisements with marketing material
of first party 10, or any other methods known in the art of
advertising, which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0047] Turning to FIG. 2, an example of the embodiment described in
FIG. 1, called the Education Rewards Collection (ERC) System, is
provided. This system is designed preferably for children,
empowering them by offering a new way to earn credit towards the
purchase of items. In this example, someone (e.g. the child, a
parent, a relative, a friend) enrolls a user 30, preferably a child
130 here, in the ERC System, proactively or after an offer to join
is sent to the child and/or parent. For example, a web site may be
created, which the child 130 or parent may access via the Internet
to create a child account with the ERC System. Alternatively, where
child 130 does not have ready access to the Internet, he or she may
enroll by U.S. mail or phone. Enrolling may require a subscription
fee, which may include a periodic fee plus future additional costs
for usage of the ERC System over a certain number of hours. This
fee preferably is used to fund purchases made by users 30 in the
context of the present invention. Other ways of funding purchases,
such as described above with respect to FIG. 1, may alternatively
or additionally be employed. ERC Point company 110 (described
below) may manage the movement of these funds, or the management
may be outsourced to a bank or other entity. Once the child is
enrolled, the child and/or parent approves the receipt of an "ERC
Card," which is a card the child can use to redeem any points, here
"ERC Points," he or she accumulates.
[0048] Preferably, the ERC Card is provided by an "ERC Card
Provider" 140, the second party 40 in this embodiment. The ERC Card
Provider 140 is preferably a business that is responsible for
producing the ERC Card and providing card swipers to "strategic
partners," or organizations such as third parties 50. The ERC Card
5 preferably functions like a credit card: it can be swiped at a
card processing facility to access the child's account (and thus
the child's accumulated points) and to deduct points ERC Points
that the child uses to purchase an item, such as a good or service,
from a third party 50. However, the ERC Card could be something
that functions equivalently to a credit card, such as a watch with
a transponder. Additionally, the ERC Card Provider 140 preferably
secures the value of the ERC Points.
[0049] Preferably, ERC Card Provider 140 is a major financial
services company, and can secure payment to third parties 50 for
the credit (associated with earned ERC Points) they provide for
purchases, such as described above with respect FIG. 1. For
example, ERC Card Provider 140 may support the ERC System with a
card processing facility (which is somewhat equivalent to, or may
be, a credit card processing facility) that facilitates fraud
protection and the storing, tracking, and redemption of earned ERC
Points. In one implementation, ERC Card Provider 140 is a major
financial services company that manages ERC Points in their
determined monetary value in a user account, such as described
above with respect to FIG. 1, including securing payment for items
purchased using the account. Thus, millions of merchants would
already be established as ERC Point "accepting" (i.e. they accept
the points as converted to Mastercard or First Data credit)
locations, whether they are aware.
[0050] In this example, a child 130 obtains ERC Points by
successfully achieving goals with educational activities 20 that
are deemed by the "ERC Point Company" 110, which is the first party
10 (or a part thereof) in this implementation, to include
educational components. ERC Point Company 110 preferably organizes
and manages operation of this example of the present invention, and
may be a company such as Tabula Digita, Inc. The activities may
include standard school-related activities such as attending class,
and/or handing in homework on time. The activities may also include
those that are "above the call of duty," such as visiting a museum
or library, watching educational television shows, or attending a
cultural play. Other educational activities 20 may include
educational games, such as those the ERC Point Company or another
party provides and which, in an entertaining way, teaches skills
necessary for passing state exams. One example is an
Adventutainment.TM. game offered by the company Tabula Digita,
Inc., as described below. Points may also be awarded for
exceptional performance in standard activities or other educational
activities the child is required or likely to engage in, such as
the taking of a test.
[0051] Points may be awarded in various ways. For example, where
children 130 are provided points for attending a class, they may
swipe their ERC Cards at a card swiper positioned in the classroom.
Points may also be awarded over the Internet, where points are
earned while engaging in an educational activity 20 online.
[0052] Preferably, the ERC Point Company 110 verifies the child's
satisfactory completion of the educational activity 20 before the
points are awarded. In this example, a child 130 signs on to the
system of the present invention by connecting with a central
database, such as a computer database which contains information
regarding children's accounts and ERC Points earned and spent, and
is accessible via the Internet. The database is preferably managed
by ERC Point Company 110, but may be outsourced instead. The child
130 signs up for the specific educational activities 20 he or she
plans to engage in. In other embodiments, the child 130 may sign on
at the school he or she attends, sign up with or without parent
approval, or have the parent sign the child up. The signing on may
also automatically provide points to the child, for example where
swiping a card at the entrance to a classroom evidences attendance
of the class inside. There, the goal of attending the class is the
entirety of educational activity 20. Alternatively, the child may
have to complete goals within educational activity 20 after signing
on. This may include completing part or all of the activity and
then answering a set of questions designed to show that the child
130 engaged in the activity and learned the material, as described
below. It may alternatively or additionally include some
verification of completion of goals within educational activity 20
by the parent or teacher. Where the child completes one or more
goals within educational activity 20 after signing on, the child
130, parent or a teacher verifies completion by signing on to the
system again and providing follow-up information, such as answers
to the set of questions. In any case, once completion of one or
more goals within educational activity 20 by the child 130 is
verified by the system, the system updates the central database to
add the earned ERC Points to the child's account.
[0053] In the example, although select strategic partners may
initially be targeted for inclusion in the present invention, any
organization 160 can apply to ERC Point Company 110, to have any
number of the activities it sponsors be deemed educational
activities 20. There are a number of ways an organization 160 can
apply for the points, and thus have an activity assigned an ERC
Point value. For example, an organization 160 may complete a
category sheet that ERC Point Company 110 sends it upon request. A
category sheet is preferably a paper outlining the different
categories the activity must be rated in to become an educational
activity 20. For example, the categories may include an amount of
reading involved or the time spent on the activity. Organization
160 completes and submits the category sheet, preferably along with
a description of the activity, to ERC Point Company 110 for
evaluation. ERC Point Company 110 then evaluates the submitted
material, calculating the total number of ERC Points, if any, the
activity or goals within the activity are worth, based on an
equation that weights the individual components, or categories,
described on the category sheet. ERC Point Company 110 also
formulates criteria for earning ERC Points. Although different ways
of earning points may be devised, in this example ERC Point Company
creates a sheet, book, or a website (e.g. new website or page
within an existing website that ERC Point Company 110 has already
created) that includes questions related to the activity. Thus,
successful completion of one or more goals within educational
activity 20 here entails answering some or all of the questions
correctly. By correctly answering the required number of questions,
the child 130 shows that he or she attended or engaged in the
activity. Thus, educational activity 20 here includes both
attending or engaging in the activity organization 160 offered and
successfully answering the associated questions. However, other
ways of successfully completing goals within educational activity
20 may also be employed, such as verification of the child's
completion by a parent or teacher, without the child having
answered post-activity questions.
[0054] An organization 160 may also apply to have a team
representing ERC Points Company 110 visit its business to assess
the point value of its activities. In this example, the team visits
organization 160 and assesses its activities. The team then submits
a report to ERC Point Company 110, recommending one or more (if
any) activities for assignment of a suggested number of ERC Points.
ERC Point Company 110 then evaluates the report and creates a
sheet, book, or website for testing a child 130 who participates in
the activities, as described above.
[0055] Advantages to an organization becoming organization 160
within the context of the present invention are significant. They
include increased traffic to the locations of their businesses,
since children 130 will want to obtain ERC Points, and the ability
to market themselves as supporters of education.
[0056] Preferably, ERC Point Company 110 determines the number of
ERC Points allotted to each goal within an educational activity 20.
ERC Point Company 110 preferably uses a proprietary effort equation
or other standard for calculating ERC Points. The proprietary
effort equation may include calculation of points based upon the
goal's individual components. Components may include, for example,
the amounts of reading involved, amount of math, amount of
intuitive reasoning, and the amount of time necessary for
completion of the goal. ERC Point Company 110 preferably develops
these components, and their relative importance, in conjunction
with top educators and psychologists, to determine the overall ERC
Point value of each goal. Thus, in the examples above, ERC Point
Company 110 would work with the educators and psychologists to
assign a certain number of ERC Points to individual components of
the goals within an activity an organization 160 submitted for
point qualification. The point value of each component would then
be summed to arrive at a total number of ERC Points for completion
of that goal along with any associated ERC Point Company-created
questions.
[0057] The standard for determining points may be further tailored
based upon developing research regarding the relative importance of
the components, or determined in other ways that meet the needs of
the present invention. For example, the calculation of ERC Points
may include the performance on and time spent to complete a goal by
a child 130 as compared to other children 130 and/or past
performances by child 130.
[0058] These point-determining criteria, including the proprietary
equation, may be applied alone or with other criteria to determine
the monetary value associated with the points. Various criteria may
thus, for example, be applied to determine monetary values of the
points based upon relative point values of goals and funds provided
from outside sources. Alternatively, monetary values may be applied
to goals within educational activities 20, and relative numbers of
points assigned to the goals based upon their relative monetary
values. The monetary value (or potential monetary value) of a point
or activity may also be tailored for each user 30, such as where a
parent funds his or her child's account, or based upon other
criteria.
[0059] Once the child 130 earns and obtains a certain number of ERC
Points, as described above, he or she may redeem them at third
parties 50. Preferably, the child 130 could purchase any item that
third party 50 offers, such as any toy from Toys"R"Us or clothing
from a department store. Alternatively, prior parent approval of a
product or product category, or spending level, may be required
before ERC Point redemption. One way of facilitating this parental
oversight is by employment of a major financial services company
such as First Data, as described above, as ERC Card Provider
140.
[0060] ERC Points may be redeemed, for example, by swiping a child
130's ERC Card at a card swiper located at a third party 40. As
with credit card swipers, swiping the ERC Card identifies the child
130 and his or her status, in this case the number of ERC Points
(preferably converted here to a dollar or other monetary value) he
or she has. Preferably, the child 130 and status are identified by
electronically accessing a database, such as the central database
described above, or an electronic database controlled by a major
financial services company as ERC Card Provider 140. If the child
130 has enough points (or money where the points are converted) to
purchase the item he or she desires, the purchase is approved,
preferably automatically by ERC Card Provider 140, and the points
(or money) are deducted from the account of the child 130.
[0061] ERC Card Provider 140 may obtain the information associating
the child 130 and the purchases of child 130 directly from the
third party 50 when a purchase is made by a child 130. As described
with respect to second party 40 in FIG. 1, such access provides
great incentive to a business to become ERC Card Provider 140 in
the context of the present invention. Additionally, ERC Card
Provider 150, by aligning itself with the ERC System, increases its
exposure to parents of children 130. This may encourage the parents
to open accounts or otherwise transact business with ERC Card
Provider 150. Preferably, an agreement has been made between ERC
Points Company 110 and ERC Card Provider 140 to have ERC Card
Provider 140 forward the information associating the child 130 and
the purchases of child 130 to ERC Points Company 110.
[0062] Some of the details applicable in one example of the ERC
System is shown in FIG. 3. Some functions that ERC Point Company
110, ERC Card Provider 150, and third party 40 may provide in one
example are described in FIG. 4.
[0063] In one embodiment of the ERC System, one or more third
parties 50 establish special relationships with ERC Point Company
110, providing discounts to children 130 on the items they sell.
Thus, for example, a third party 50 may agree to provide discounts
based upon advertising its products and services to the children
130, such as described above with respect to FIG. 1, increasing
consumer awareness in specific children through a targeted
advertising campaign, especially to high spending consumers (in
terms of their individual buying power and buying power of parents
that they influenced), and/or publicly linking its business with
the ERC System, and thus, education. Additionally, other strategic
partners, such as a government, may decide that educating children
in such a system is valuable, and agree to financially supplement
the value of the ERC Points. A third party 40 may also accept a
monetary value of the points up to a certain percentage discount on
its items, or other arrangement as described above with respect to
FIG. 1.
[0064] In another embodiment of the ERC System (applicable to any
other implementations, such as those described with respect to FIG.
1), ERC Point Company 110 offers an option, possibly to the parents
of child 130, of monitoring and influencing the "well-roundedness"
of the education the child 130 is obtaining through use of the
System. For example, a child who loves mathematics and hates
reading may gravitate towards mathematics-related activities to
earn ERC Points while completely neglecting reading-related
activities. ERC Point Company 110 may provide the option of
requiring a child 130, over time, to earn more ERC Points in
reading-related activities (or other educational areas) in order to
be allowed to redeem the ERC Points. ERC Point Company 110 may also
customize the delivery of an educational activity 20 based upon the
personality of the child 130, so that the experience of the child
130 is most conducive to his or her absorption of the activity's
information. ERC Point Company 110 may facilitate brain-mapping or
other current psychological or educational models to aid in this
customization.
[0065] In one implementation of any of the embodiments above,
educational activity 20 is an educational game. Preferably, the
educational game is a computer game that is PC-compatible or
playable on a popular gaming system, such as Sony PlayStation 2. In
one implementation, the game is offered over the Internet to those
with broadband connections. Preferably, the educational game
integrates an educational subject, such as mathematics, into a
complex computerized game. For example, the educational game may
integrate math questions that are geared to aid achievement on
standardized state exams into three-dimensional gaming storyline,
interactivity, and surround sound. The math questions may be, for
example, questions that appeared previously on a standardized state
exam. The gaming element is preferably created by, or in
conjunction with, an experienced computer game designer and
manufacturer.
[0066] An example of such a game is an Adventutainment.TM. game
offered by Tabula Digita, Inc., such as Dimenxia.TM.. Dimenxia.TM.
incorporates a mathematical curriculum, for example algebra,
covering an entire year's studies into a complex game with
three-dimensional images and involved storylines. The curriculum is
preferably created in consultation with experts in the field of
education so that a user can obtain the most relevant math skills,
including those needed to excel in standardized state exams. The
game provides an interactive adventure/puzzle concerning three
college-age students caught up in a conspiracy. A user 30 attempts
to resolve the conspiracy, with clues being provided in the form of
puzzles that require use of algebra, for example, to solve. A user
30 who cannot complete the algebraic step may consult another
portion of the game which provides instruction related to that
step. User 30 may then return to the step to complete it. When a
user 30 correctly completes a certain number of algebraic steps,
and thus one or more goals, he is awarded one or more points,
depending upon the difficulty of the goal. As explained above, user
30 may then redeem the points with a third party 40.
[0067] Dimenxia.TM. also monitors the progress of each user 30 and
provides reports identifying topics mastered, as well as any
weaknesses and associated remedial recommendations. The reports may
be accessed by user 30, and preferably also the parent and teachers
of user 30.
[0068] While the foregoing description and drawings represent the
preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be
understood that various additions, modifications, and substitutions
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention as defined in the accompanying claims. In
particular, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the
present invention may be embodied in other specific applications,
methods, forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, and with
other elements, materials, and components, without departing from
the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. For
example, in one implementation of any of the embodiments above,
points may be earned for accomplishments which are not educational,
such as those involving music, sports, video gaming, or other
activities engaged in by users ineligible for, or otherwise not
having, credit cards or other credit accounts.
[0069] Although the present invention has been primarily described
within the context of educating children, it is also contemplated
that the present invention may be applied to numerous other
learning contexts such as, for example, college and graduate
schools, employee training programs, and professional and
continuing education programs. Numerous other alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the foregoing description.
[0070] It will also be appreciated that features described with
respect to one embodiment typically may be applied to another
embodiment, whether or not explicitly indicated. The various
features described may be used singly or in any combination. The
presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in
all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the
invention being indicated by the appended claims, and not limited
to the foregoing description.
* * * * *