IP Library Granted Patent US 11,295,335
Granted Patent B2
US 11,295,335 · App. 17/342,686 · Granted Apr 5, 2022

Incentivizing in-person interactions and customer engagement

Inventors: Joseph D. Wargo (Atlanta, GA); Joseph Adam Wargo (Athens, GA); Alina M. Singer (Atlanta, GA); Anatoliy A. Melamud (Johns Creek, GA); Frances Marie Wargo (Atlanta, GA)
Assignee: HELLOJO, LLC
G06Q30/0236G06K7/1417G06Q20/3276G06Q20/4015G06Q30/0208H04W4/021H04W4/029
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,295,335
App. No.
17/342,686
Granted
Apr 5, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are various approaches for incentivizing in-person interactions and customer engagement. These approaches can include obtaining, with a client device, a first indication of attendance of a user at an event. Then, the client device reports the first indication of the attendance of the user to a remote computing device. Later, the client device obtains an additional indication of the attendance of the user at the event and reports the second indication of the attendance of the user to the remote computing device. Meanwhile, the remote computing device can receive the first indication of attendance of a user at an event and the second indication of attendance of the user at the event. The remote computing device can calculate an amount of time that the user attended the event and an amount of reward points based at least in part on the amount of time that the user attended the event. The remote computing device can then award the reward points to the user account of the user.

Claims (64)

1. A system, comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor and a memory; and

machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to at least:

capture, using a camera of the computing device, an image comprising a matrix bar code encoding an identifier for an event;

identify a first time representing the time when the image is captured;

receive an audio recording captured from a microphone that is attached to or is a component of the computing device;

process the audio recording to identify an ultrasonic or subsonic signal that encodes the identifier an event being broadcast in a vicinity of the computing device;

determine that the identifier encoded in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal;

in response to a determination that the identifier in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal, generate a first indication of attendance of a user at an event, the first indication of attendance comprising the identifier of the event and the first time;

report the first indication of the attendance of the user to a remote computing device;

recapture, using the camera of the computing device, the image, the image comprising the identifier for the event;

identify a second time representing the time when the image is recaptured;

generate a second indication of the attendance of the user at the event, the second indication of the attendance comprising the identifier for the event and the second time; and

report the second indication of the attendance of the user to the remote computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that cause the computing device to obtain the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further cause the computing device to at least:

identify a current location of the computing device using geolocation functionality provided by the computing device;

identify a current time; and

wherein the first indication of attendance or the current indication of attendance comprises both the current location of the computing device and the current time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that cause the computing device to obtain the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further cause the computing device to at least:

receive an audio or a video recording captured from a microphone or a camera attached to or a component of the computing device; and

perform content recognition on the audio or the video recording to identify an event captured by the audio or the video recording.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image comprises a matrix bar code.

5. A method, comprising:

capture, using a camera of a client device, an image comprising a matrix bar code encoding an identifier for an event;

identifying, with a client device, a first time representing the time when the image is captured;

receiving, with the client device, an audio recording captured from a microphone that is attached to or is a component of the computing device;

processing, with the client device, the audio recording to identify an ultrasonic or subsonic signal that encodes the identifier an event being broadcast in a vicinity of the client device;

determining, with the client device, that the identifier encoded in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal;

in response to determining that the identifier in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal, generating, with the client device, a first indication of attendance of a user at an event, the first indication of attendance comprising the identifier of the event and the first time;

reporting, with the client device, the first indication of the attendance of the user to a remote computing device;

recapturing, using the camera of the client device, the image, the image comprising the identifier for the event;

identifying, with the client device, a second time representing the time when the image is recaptured;

generating, with the client device, a second indication of the attendance of the user at the event, the second indication of the attendance comprising the identifier for the event and the second time; and

reporting, with the client device, the second indication of the attendance of the user to the remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein obtaining the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further comprises:

identifying, with the client device, a current location of the computing device using geolocation functionality provided by the computing device;

identifying, with the client device, a current time; and

wherein the first indication of attendance or the current indication of attendance comprises both the current location of the computing device and the current time.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein obtaining the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further comprises:

creating an audio or a video recording with a microphone or a camera attached to or a component of the computing device; and

performing, with the client device, content recognition on the audio or the video recording to identify an event captured by the audio or the video recording.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the image comprises a matrix bar code.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the client device is a smartphone.

10. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a client device, cause the client device to at least:

capture, using a camera of the client device, an image comprising a matrix bar code encoding an identifier for an event;

identify a first time representing the time when the image is captured;

receive an audio recording captured from a microphone that is attached to or is a component of the client device;

process the audio recording to identify an ultrasonic or subsonic signal that encodes the identifier an event being broadcast in a vicinity of the client device;

determine that the identifier encoded in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal;

in response to a determination that the identifier in the matrix bar code matches the identifier encoded in the ultrasonic or subsonic signal, generate a first indication of attendance of a user at an event, the first indication of attendance comprising the identifier of the event and the first time;

report the first indication of the attendance of the user to a remote computing device;

recapture, using the camera of the client device, the image, the image comprising the identifier for the event;

identify a second time representing the time when the image is recaptured;

generate a second indication of the attendance of the user at the event, the second indication of the attendance comprising the identifier for the event and the second time; and

report the second indication of the attendance of the user to the remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein obtaining the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further comprises:

identifying, with the client device, a current location of the computing device using geolocation functionality provided by the computing device;

identifying, with the client device, a current time; and

wherein the first indication of attendance or the current indication of attendance comprises both the current location of the computing device and the current time.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein obtaining the first indication of attendance or the second indication of the attendance of the user at the event further comprises:

creating an audio or a video recording with a microphone or a camera attached to or a component of the computing device; and

performing, with the client device, content recognition on the audio or video recording to identify an event captured by the audio or video recording.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image comprises a matrix bar code.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the client device is a smartphone.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2021
From: WARGO, JOSEPH D.; WARGO, JOSEPH ADAM; SINGER, ALINA M.; MELAMUD, ANATOLIY A.; WARGO, FRANCES MARIE
To: HELLOJO, LLC
Reel/Frame 058056/0287 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63037978 · Jun 11, 2020
Related Publication 20210390576A1 · Dec 16, 2021