Computer system and method for promoting business of a merchant
Contents
1. fied by the marketing agency or another whereby the user can specify a predetermined Website of his choosing For example this may involve storage of appropriate data as a cookie with the user s computer system Because an adver tisement associated with the merchant is displayed each time or as desired the user uses the specially configured switch the merchant s business is promoted by use of the switch In such an embodiment the user wishes to have simplified access to a Website of his choosing and so will continue to use the switch and the merchant s business is promoted each time by display of the merchant s advertisement each time the switch is used It should be noted that this is different from a conventional banner advertisement dis played on a Website or a pop up advertisement launched when a user visits a Website with which the advertisement is associated which typically requires the merchant to pay the Website owner 0022 Conceptually in some embodiments the present invention allows the user to have simplified access to certain functionality as may be determined by the user or mer chant in exchange for viewing of an advertisement of the merchant each time or as desired the simplified access switch is used by the user 0023 In another embodiment upon actuation of the specially programmed switch the user is first connected to a Computer Peripheral Device CPD Website which auto matically redirects the2. Once the host computer 50 is connected to the Internet 80 the user can cause the predetermined event to occur e g by double right clicking the mouse at any time This activates the Web switch and causes the host comput er s 50 processor interface 56 66 to retrieve the pre stored Website data e g URL of the CPD Website of the merchant or a triggering signal 0055 The processor 56 receives the Website data and processes it according to the conventional methods of pro cessing Website data The processor 56 communicates the Website data to an appropriate server 82 on the Internet 80 using well known HyperText Transport Protocols HTTPs or other established protocols 0056 The processor 56 receives from the server 82 the Web page data e g HTML files corresponding to the Website data and processes and displays it on the display device 62 through the display interface 60 0057 As mentioned above once the host computer 50 is connected to the Internet 80 the user may initiate the direct Website accessing process of the present invention In the alternative the software installed in the host computer 50 may link the dial up functions of the Web browser to the occurrence of the predetermined event such that the prede termined event automatically commences the dial up pro cedures for connecting to the Internet 100 and results in the display of the Web page of the predetermined Website s on the display device 62 Accordingly t
3. click Preferably the configuration software stores appropriate data in RAM or long term storage of the host computer to cause the Web switch to act in the desired manner 0045 In one embodiment the Website data installed along with the configuration software and or be provided by a user to be stored in a cookie may include a Web address or URL of the designated Website e g CPD Website of a merchant In addition the Website data may include a user s personal data e g user s account information user s PIN shipping address etc which may be associated with access ing the CPD Website or the main Website of a merchant In this embodiment when the user actuates the Web switch namely by performing the predetermined trigger event such as a double right click of the mouse button the URL of the designated Website and the user s personal data may be processed by the host computer 50 as if the URL had been entered by the user in the Web browser user interface and transmits it to an appropriate server through the Internet or other networks The manner in which the host computer 50 processes and transmits the Web address such as the URL is well known in the art and will not be discussed in detail The host computer 50 may also transmit the user s personal data to the server if appropriate For example in some applica tions the server may need the user s personal data e g user s PIN or password before it allows the user to access the
4. designated Website In other applications the user s personal data e g shipping address may be used by the server as a substitute to the user s manual input 0046 The mouse ball located underneath the mouse 10 if the mouse 10 is of such type allows the user to maneuver the cursor on the computer monitor by moving or rolling the ball on a surface The right and left switches 14a and Nov 6 2003 14b are typically used to select items displayed on the video monitor using the cursor The scroller 16 which is optional is used to scroll down or up a page displayed on the monitor The operations of these switches 14a 14b the scroller 16 and the mouse ball are well known in the art e g see U S Pat No 5 530 455 to Gillick et al which discloses a computer having such features The disclosure of U S Pat No 5 530 455 is hereby incorporated herein by reference 0047 In accordance with other embodiments the com puter mouse 10 may include a plurality of specially pro grammed switches 12 such that multiple pre designated Websites of a single e merchant or multiple e merchants may be selectively and directly accessed by the operation of these Web switches 0048 One skilled in the art would readily understand that various other modifications to the computer system and or CPD may be possible without affecting the operation of the computer system and or CPD and that such modifications are contemplated as part of the
5. merchant paying to distribute the software may launch a preferred software application specified by the merchant or user with or without display of an advertisement etc 0019 Accordingly the present invention provides sim plified e g one button access to a predetermined Website or other functionality without a specially configured CPD but rather using a user s existing computer system hardware as specially configured in accordance with the present invention For illustrative purposes the invention is dis cussed below with reference to access to a Website 0020 In one embodiment the predetermined Website is associated with and or specified by the merchant For example actuation of the Web switch may cause the user s computer system to display the merchant selected Website In such an embodiment the user is encouraged to use the switch to easily launch a Web browser and access the Web Internet and the merchant s business is promoted by display of the merchant s Website each time the switch is used It should be noted that the user may still choose a home Website within the Web browser as is well known in the art Nov 6 2003 0021 In an alternative embodiment the predetermined Website is specified by the user but an advertisement associated with the merchant is automatically displayed in conjunction with the user specified Website In such an embodiment an initial predetermined Website may be speci
6. user to another Website such as the home page of the merchant In this embodiment the CPD Website can function as a tracking site for tracking the timing and frequency of Website access by the users using the specially programmed switch The tracking information can be used in market studies and research to further improve the business of the merchant 0024 Alternatively the CPD Website can function as an advertisement server to provide advertisements to be dis played independently of the Website e g in a separate pop up window displayed by a Web browser The advertise ment is preferably smaller than and partially overlies the main Web browser window displaying the predetermined Website It should be noted that the term advertisement is used herein in a broad sense to include more than a tradi tional advertisement For example the advertisement may include any desired promotional information such as cou pons sweepstakes information tips advice or any other information desired to be distributed by the merchant Pref erably the advertisement is configured with a hyperlink so that the user may access merchant s homepage or another portion of its Website by performing a single act such as by clicking a designated icon on the CPD Website 0025 While a computer mouse is a preferred computer peripheral device of the present invention that may be used in accordance with the present invention other examples include but
7. EE ED N US 20030208404A1 ay United States 12 Patent Application Publication ao Pub No US 2003 0208404 A1 Michie 43 Pub Date Nov 6 2003 54 COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR Related U S Application Data PROMOTING BUSINESS OF A MERCHANT 60 Provisional application No 60 377 762 filed on May 3 2002 16 f ee 76 Inventor David Michie Maple Glen PA US Publication Classification F N Na gt n EE EE EN EE SYNNESTVEDT amp LECHNER LLP SE ol EE EE EE N 2600 ARAMARK TOWER 57 ABSTRACT 1101 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA PA 191072950 The method of the present invention is directed to promoting a merchant comprising providing merchant specific con figuration software for specially configuring a user s com 21 Appl No 10 427 336 puter system and or computer peripheral device such as a computer mouse or keyboard to access a website and or an advertisement by the activation of at least one switch by the 22 Filed May 1 2003 user 100 101 START 102 MARKETING AGENCY ENROLLS A MERCHANT IN A PROMOTION PROGRAM DISTRIBUTOR CONFIGURES CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE FOR MERCHANT 106 MERCHANT DISTRIBUTES CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE TO A USER FOR INSTALLATION ON A USER S COMPUTER SYSTEM 108 CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE IS INSTALLED TO SPECIALLY CONFIGURE USER S COMPUTER SYSTEM 110 UPON A PREDETERMINED TRIGGER PRESELECTED WEB PAGE 112 THE CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE CAUSES D
8. EMBODIMENTS 0016 As used herein a merchant can be an e mer chant vendor sponsor or provider of a Website such as ISPs ASPs etc or even a merchant that does not engage in online commerce The terms merchant and e merchant are used herein interchangeably and are intended to include both for profit and non profit entities such as those that maintain an Internet presence 0017 FIG 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a method for promoting a business in accordance with the present invention Referring to FIG 1 a marketing agency US 2003 0208404 A1 30 provides the unique marketing service of the present invention to a plurality of merchants 34a 34b etc The marketing agency 30 may be any entity that provides this marketing service e g RCG International Inc located in Maple Glen Pa The merchants 34a 34b may be e business merchants having Websites e g General Electric Inc E trade Securities Inc Professional Golf Association etc as well as any other entity that sponsors Websites e g ISPs ASPs search engine providers etc or even entities that do not have Websites 0018 The marketing service of the present invention involves providing merchantspecific configuration soft ware for specially configuring a user s computer system and or computer peripheral device collectively computer system in accordance with the present invention The software is specifically con
9. ISPLAY OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR MERCHANT Nov 6 2003 Sheet 1 of4 US 2003 0208404 A1 Patent Application Publication VLE vipya w ae Jo MAAN baa UY pa or Em gt asta KON over j waa 9 mod LOY wa Dr FE age T Nga JLE ya BWANASAD i ge i g e e UE PA ce HUGE JAP NI Em a i y MOUDR U 98 ster AIMS A gt JE Suaby bu TEE aa Japndw y beh ohn eee maa te Patent Application Publication Nov 6 2003 Sheet 2 of 4 US 2003 0208404 A1 Nov 6 2003 Sheet 3 of 4 US 2003 0208404 A1 Patent Application Publication T 9 gwa gt Jaj s WY VN mwa O EE EE an NA YA he MAN OS ng SAAM SAUNAS 3537 poo N hy BYDRAE Keoidsig Patent Application Publication Nov 6 2003 Sheet 4 of 4 US 2003 0208404 A1 101 START 102 MARKETING AGENCY ENROLLS A MERCHANT IN A PROMOTION PROGRAM 104 DISTRIBUTOR CONFIGURES CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE FOR MERCHANT 106 MERCHANT DISTRIBUTES CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE TO A USER FOR INSTALLATION ON A USER S COMPUTER SYSTEM 108 CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE IS INSTALLED TO SPECIALLY CONFIGURE USER S COMPUTER SYSTEM 110 UPON A PREDETERMINED TRIGGER EVENT THE CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE INVOKES A WEB BROWSER TO DISPLAY A PRESELECTED WEB PAGE 112 THE CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE CAUSES DISPLAY OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR MERCHANT 113 END FIG
10. URE 4 US 2003 0208404 A1 COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROMOTING BUSINESS OF A MERCHANT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0001 1 Field of the Invention 0002 The present invention relates to computer systems computer peripheral devices software for controlling the operability of computer peripheral devices and business methods for promoting business More particularly the present invention relates to methods of promoting business of a merchant using a specially configured computer system 0003 2 Discussion of the Related Art 0004 As Internet technologies continue to develop and new online services become available more users are accessing the Internet Typically if a user wishes to access a particular Website or Web page via the Internet the user runs Web browser software installed on the user s computer The Web browser connects the computer to the Internet e g through a modem or a network card The user types in a Web address or URL Uniform Resource Locator of the desired Website using the keyboard or clicks on screen icons pro vided by the Web browser to select one of the stored Website addresses The Web browser processes the Website request ie the URL request and transmits it to an appropriate server e g a proxy server or an application server via the Internet The server responds to the Website request and transmits to the Web browser a Web page e g in HyperText Markup Language or HTML files correspo
11. ant s Website address information US 2003 0208404 A1 accessible via the CPD website address can be changed without disturbing the merchant s Website 0035 For example if the configuration software is spe cially configured to promote GE as a merchant and the user has installed the computer on his computer system and the specially configured software is configured to permit the user to select a preferred Website for display upon use of the Web switch and the Web switch is configured to be activated upon a double right click of a mouse button then when the user performs a double right click of his mouse button the configuration software causes his computer system to launch its Web browser retrieve the URL specified by either the merchant e g www ge com at which time GE s website is displayed or by the user www user sfavoriteWebsite com at which time GE s advertisement is displayed in conjunc tion with the user s favorite Website For example the advertisement for GE may be retrieved from ge com the marketing agency s Website or elsewhere as may be speci fied in the configuration software when it is customized for GE as a merchant These steps are shown in steps 110 and 112 of FIG 4 0036 In one embodiment the CPD Website 37a may function solely as a tracking site for the main Website 38a of the e merchant for maintaining data indicating the access frequency and times at which the main Website 38a is accessed usi
12. are not limited to keyboards keypads styluses touch sensitive screens etc 0026 A method of promoting business is now described according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS 1 and 4 The marketing agency 30 enters US 2003 0208404 A1 into an agreement with each merchant 34a 34b that is interested in receiving the marketing service offered by the marketing agency 30 In other words the marketing agency enrolls a merchant in a promotion program as shown at step 102 of FIG 4 0027 In accordance with the agreement the marketing agency 30 instructs a distributor 32 to produce merchant specific configuration software for specially configuring a computer system computer peripheral device e g a com puter mouse for the merchant 34a 34h For example if a merchant 34a such as General Electric Inc GE agrees to receive the marketing service of the marketing agency 30 the marketing agency 30 instructs the distributor program mer 32 to produce configuration software to specially con figure a user s computer system such that a trigger event is associated with at least one predetermined Web address This is shown at step 104 of FIG 4 0028 For example the trigger event may be a double click of the right button of a mouse double right click for a right handed user for a left handed user it could be configured as a double left click Functionality is typically assigned to a double clic
13. d out via a traditional Website More specifically a user is provided with an access code e g by providing the user with a credit card like card or a gift card by e mailing a code by mailing a code etc A Website is maintained e g by the merchant where the user is prompted to provide the code After entering the code the user is prompted to specify a URL of a Website of the user s choosing e g user sfavoritewebsite com This causes the user s Web browser to be directed to the Website provided via a redirect from the merchant s Website every time the user types in or tries to go to the URL user s favorite website com an advertisement for the merchant s Website appears as a pop up banner etc with specials coupons winning num bers etc In this manner every time the user goes to his preferred Website the merchant s advertisement pop up and is displayed concurrently with the user s favorite Website This promotes the business of the merchant 0040 Optionally the user s membership expires after a given period of time For example the card with the access code could be given as a gift that is good for a limited period of time Users take advantage of it because of the offers in the merchant s advertisements such as sweepstakes entries specials coupons winning numbers bonus points savings clubs etc The concept is similar to giving a gift of a lottery ticket After expiration of the initial time period the u
14. ecipient These devices are typically distributed at the merchant s expense 0010 Applicant has recognized that there may be unde sirable expense associated with distribution of such CPD s and or compatibility difficulties associated with some com puter systems Accordingly what is needed is a method of promoting business that eliminates the need for distribution of a specially configured computer peripheral device and associated expenses 0011 Applicant has further recognized that it may be desirable to allow a user to specify a Website that the user wishes to access in a simplified manner Accordingly what is needed is a specially configured computer system and or software for specially configured hardware of a conventional computer system that allows a user to specify a Website while still allowing for promotion of a merchant s business e g the merchant paying to enable the specially configured computer system BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0012 FIG 1 is a block diagram for illustrating business methods in accordance with the present invention 0013 FIG 2 is a pictorial representation of a computer mouse in accordance with the present invention 0014 FIG 3 is a block diagram of a specially configured computer system in accordance with the present invention 0015 FIG 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary business method in accordance with the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
15. figured for each merchant 34a 34b Any computer system may be used preferably a computer system already owned by the user thereby elimi nating the costs of manufacturing and distributing specially configured CPD s and or any compatibility difficulties that may be associated with such CPD s Additionally connec tivity problems e g via PS 2 USB or other ports is avoided because the software is hardware independent it merely causes monitoring of a user s computer system and assigns functionality to a predetermined trigger event such as assigning launching of a Web browser and or display of a Web page and or advertisement upon occurrence of the trigger event such as a double click of a right mouse button or any other unique act to which functionality is not already assigned For example this can be implemented with a software hook as is well known in the art After the computer system is specially configured in accordance with the present invention e g by installing software in accor dance with the present invention the computer system provides functionality of at least one specially programmed switch Upon activation of the switch by a user predeter mined functionality is provided For example activation of the switch may automatically connect the user to a prede termined Website connect the user to a predetermined Website and cause display of an advertisement e g in a browser Window such as an advertisement of a
16. he user can easily and conveniently access the designated Website 0058 In accordance with another embodiment the con cept of utilizing the preprogrammed Web switch es may be applied to other computer peripheral devices such as a keypad a keyboard a touch pad a stylus etc Different command keys or buttons may be provided for different computer peripheral devices depending on the application and the Website accessible by the peripheral devices 0059 In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention the system may be configured so that the customer is directly connected to the main Website of the e merchant without the redirecting process offered by the CPD Website of the merchant 0060 In accordance with other embodiments the system can be configured such that the user can register their personal information at the CPD Website Upon installation of the merchant specific peripheral device of the present invention and or actuating a pre programmed switch on the device connected to the PC the user may be able to enter user information e g name address phone number etc which may be subsequently transmitted to the CPD Website or any other designated registration site for registering user information The merchant can use the registered user infor mation to develop user specific tracking data for tracking Nov 6 2003 Web access by each user and to provide more individualized and personal service to the use
17. her the current customer 36 is a winner may be displayed on the Web page of the CPD Website 37a immediately after the customer 36 actuates the Website switch on the peripheral device or may be delivered via other means e g email The server asso ciated with the CPD Website 37a may also keep a count of number of times the CPD Website 37a was accessed by customers using the peripheral devices of the present inven tion If desired an icon button may be provided on the page of the CPD Website 37a which upon clicking connects the customer 36 automatically to the page of the main Website 38a Nov 6 2003 0038 The embodiment described above allows for pro motion of a merchant s business by specially configuring a user s existing computer system hardware to create a spe cially configured computer system having a specially con figured switch allowing direct access to a predetermined Website or providing other desired functionality e g at the press of a button and therefore allows for promotion of business e g by causing an associated display of an adver tisement for the merchant at minimal cost e g primarily at the cost of distribution of the software It should be noted that this cost is particularly low when the software is distributed via Web download or e mail 0039 In another embodiment configuration software is not required to be installed on the user s computer system Rather promotion of the business is carrie
18. installation of the configuration software 0053 The host computer 50 may include a data port 52 a peripheral device interface 54 a processor 56 a memory 58 such as RAM or ROM a display interface 60 a display device 62 such as a monitor a communications link 64 for connecting to the Internet 80 or other networks and addi tional peripheral device interfaces 66 e g for a keyboard a scanner an optical pen etc all operatively connected Although not illustrated for the sake of clarity the host computer 50 may include other components typically found in a computer such as a keyboard a CD driver etc and can be in any type of computer well known in the art e g a desktop a laptop a workstation etc 0054 The operation of the host computer 50 in connec tion with according to one embodiment of the present US 2003 0208404 A1 invention is as follows Initially the computer mouse 10 is connected to the user s host computer 50 and is operational The user is then provided with computer software which must be installed in the host computer 50 to activate the functionality of the present invention This software enables the host computer 50 to recognize and process a predeter mined trigger event e g a double right click and provides the Website data for storage and use upon occurrence of the predetermined trigger event Without the installation of such software the mouse 10 may merely function as a conven tional mouse
19. invention 0049 FIG 3 shows a block diagram of a specially configured computer system including a traditional com puter mouse 10 coupled to the host computer 50 in accor dance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention The computer mouse 10 can be plugged into the host computer 50 as shown in FIG 3 or be coupled to it wirelessly 0050 The host computer 50 is connected to a commu nications network such as the Internet 80 extranets intra nets etc Through the Internet 80 or other network the host computer 50 can access any of servers 82 on the Internet 80 The servers 82 can be maintained by e merchants ISPs ASPs or other sponsors of Websites 0051 The motion sensor 20 of the mouse 10 detects a position of the mouse ball if present as is well known in the art The processor interface 22 processes signals from the switches 14a 14b the scroller 16 and the motion sensor 20 and the data port 24 transmits the processed signals from the processor interface 22 to the host computer 50 through the connector 18 or wireless connection The data port 24 and the processor interface 22 may also receive and process signals from the host computer 50 as needed 0052 The predetermined Website data can be pre pro grammed in a number of different ways For instance the predetermined Website data may be non alterably stored in a memory 58 of the host computer 50 accessible by the processor interface 56 66 e g upon
20. is a keyboard
21. isplay a selected advertisement in a separate window This information may be carried by the configuration software and stored on the user s computer system when the configuration software is installed In this manner the user may select the Web page of his choosing but not the advertisement Rather the adver tisement is selected by the sponsor merchant distributor of the software who is paying for distribution of the software The ability of the user to customize the software to allow him easy access via the predetermined event to the Website of his choosing encourages the user to continue using the software and as a result the user will continue viewing the merchant s advertisements and the merchant s business will thereby be promoted 0032 Additionally redirect technology may be used to drive Web traffic to the merchant s marketing agency s or another s Website for traffic and or tracking purposes 0033 The marketing agency 30 distributor 32 or mer chant 34a 34b or any entity designated by the merchant 34a 34b then delivers the merchant specific configuration software to intended recipients e g current or potential customers 36 e g either at no cost or for a fee Each customer 36 installs the merchant specific computer soft ware on his or her computer system e g a personal com puter PC For example the distribution and installation may be performed via a Web download as is known in the art This is sho
22. k of the right button of a mouse only when the mouse is configured for use by a left handed user at which time the right mouse button functions as a left mouse button of a mouse configured for use by a right handed user However a typical operating system such as a Microsoft operating system is preconfigured to recognize a double right click although functionality is not assigned for such an event Accordingly this software may be imple mented to use a double right click as the trigger event in a straightforward manner as will be appreciated to those skilled in the art Alternatively for example a single or double click of a middle button of a three button mouse could be used For example the software may use a hook to provide such functionality 0029 It should be noted however that another mouse button itself such as a scroll wheel button or mouse button sequence may be used as the trigger event Alternatively keyboard keystroke combinations e g Ctrl W or typing a Web address into a Web browser may also function as the trigger event 0030 The software is preconfigured to direct a Web browser to a predetermined Website upon occurrence of the trigger event For example if General Electric Inc agrees to enroll in a promotion program in accordance with the present invention and distribute software configured by the marketing agency distributor and or the merchant itself e g via e mail Web download making of com
23. nding to the requested Website The Web browser receives the Web page and displays it on the user s computer s video monitor whereby the user has accessed the desired Website 0005 The above described conventional process of accessing a Website however is inconvenient to the user because the user must often either type in the URL which often is lengthy and difficult to remember or click on multiple icons to select one of the stored URLs From the perspective of electronic business merchants hereinafter e merchants the burdensome conventional process hin ders potential customers from accessing the e merchants Websites which can result in a significant loss of profit for the e merchants 0006 Thus there is a need for a system and method that overcomes the problems involved with the conventional method of accessing Websites Further a need exists for a system and business method that simplifies accessing of e merchant Websites and or displays advertisements for such e merchants and thereby promotes the business of merchants and or conducting of online transactions through the e merchants Websites 0007 U S application Ser No 09 742 026 filed Dec 21 2000 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference which is commonly assigned herewith discloses a specially configured computer peripheral device CPD such as a computer mouse and a method of pro moting the business of emercha
24. ng the specially configured switch Thus in response to the Website request a server associated with the CPD Website 37a may return a redirect page to the customer s PC while it redirects the customer 36 to the page of the main Website 38a and increases the access count The page e g Home Page of the main Website 38a of the merchant 34a will be displayed on the PC A redirect page may provide a notice to the customer 36 that he or she is being redirected to the main Website 38a It may also provide merchant specific information e g advertising or company information which can be viewed for a short time period during which the redirect page is displayed to the customer 36 0037 In accordance with another embodiment the CPD Website 37a can function as a promotional site for the merchant 38a for displaying ads sales and other informa tion and the system may not redirect the customer 36 automatically from the CPD Website 37a to another Website 38a This will give the customer 36 an opportunity to view the information provided by the CPD Website 37a and select hyperlinks displayed thereon Promotional schemes for pro moting the use of the computer peripheral devices can be incorporated into this embodiment For instance the mer chant 36a may select randomly or according to some predetermined criteria a prize winner from the customers who access the CPD Website 37a using the computer peripheral devices The announcement whet
25. nts using the CPD As disclosed therein a marketing service is provided to a plurality of merchants that are interested in promoting their online businesses The marketing service provides specially configured merchant specific computer peripheral devices such as computer mice to preselected recipients or directly to the merchant The devices are specially config Nov 6 2003 ured for each merchant in that Website information associ ated with the merchant or a Website access triggering signal is programmed into the CPD Merchant specific informa tion such as a logo may also be provided on a surface of the CPD These merchant specific devices are typically distrib uted to the preselected recipients e g current or potential customers or vendors of the merchant 0008 Once a recipient s computer is configured to accept commands from the specially configured CPD the recipient can press at least one pre configured switch a Web switch on the CPD and be connected automatically to a Website provided or selected by the merchant without the need to type in a Website s address select icons etc 0009 In effect the Web switch of the specially config ured CPD provides the user with one button access to a Website of the merchant s choosing e g the merchant s Website The convenience of accessing the merchant s Web site s using the Web switch encourages more frequent access of the e merchant s Website s by the r
26. odifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art Such alterations modifications and improvements as are made obvious by this disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention Accordingly the foregoing description is by way of example only and not limiting The invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and equivalents thereto I claim 1 A method of promoting a merchant comprising the step of providing merchant specific configuration software for configuring a user s computer to perform a function by the activation of at least one switch by the user 2 The method of claim 1 wherein the activation of the switch connects the user to a predetermined Website 3 The method of claim 2 wherein the Website associated with the merchant 4 The method of claim 1 wherein the activation of the switch displays an advertisement associated with the mer chant 5 The method of claim 3 wherein the activation of the switch also displays an advertisement associated with the merchant 6 The method of claim 1 wherein the switch is located on a computer peripheral device 7 The method of claim 6 wherein the computer peripheral device is a computer mouse 8 The method of claim 7 wherein the switch comprises a double right click 9 The method of claim 6 wherein the computer peripheral device
27. puter media storing the software etc to promote General Electric the software may cause General Electric s Website at www ge com to be displayed upon activation of the switch e g by a double right click of the mouse In such an embodiment the Website and Website address is specified by the merchant and is fixed by the marketing agency and or distributor programmer and cannot be modified by the user 0031 Alternatively the software may be configured to permit the user to specify the URL to be associated with the trigger event as described above For example in such a case the software may be preconfigured to direct a Web browser to a registration Web page of the marketing agency where a user may specify the URL of the Website he wishes to associate with the trigger event and the Website may store Nov 6 2003 an appropriate cookie on the user s computer to cause the occurrence of the trigger event to invoke the Web browser to direct the user s Web browser to the user selected Website In such an embodiment the Website URL may be custom ized and or changed by the user However in such an embodiment it is advantageous that the software is further configured to display an advertisement e g in the form of a small window displayed by a Web browser of the mer chant s choosing For example this may involve providing a URL to the merchant s Website or server or the marketing agency s Website or server to retrieve and d
28. rs 0061 Thus the present invention offers many advan tages For instance Internet users can easily and conve niently access predetermined Websites using the specially configured computer system of the present invention and in certain embodiments execute commands once such Websites have been accessed 0062 Moreover the present invention may be utilized as advertising and market study tools through which the adver tisers can gain competitive business edge into desired mar kets The marketing agency provides to each merchant the merchant specific configuration software wherein the Web site data associated with the merchant is pre programmed the configuration system being then distributed to potential or current customers either for free or for a fee 0063 The ease and convenience associated with operat ing a pre programmed Web switch encourages the user to access more frequently the merchant s Website s either directly or by viewing an advertisement in conjunction with a Website of the user s choosing and increases the visibility of the merchant and the likelihood of business transactions being conducted through that Website s Therefore the present invention provides convenience to Internet users as well as competitive business advantages to merchants and Website sponsors benefitting all parties involved in e com merce 0064 Having thus described a few particular embodi ments of the invention various alterations m
29. ser may pay to renew the code and continue to participate in the merchant s promotional program i e to continue to receiv ing the merchant s advertisements each time the user goes to the user specified Website In this manner the user can stay in the sweepstakes keep receiving offers etc This provides a continuing revenue stream for the marketing agency Revenue is also generated through selling of the gift cards and through merchants payments for the advertisements and or promotions 0041 Therefore the business methods of the present invention provide an effective and powerful way for mer chants to promote themselves to individuals through the merchant specific computer system configuration software and or specially configured computer systems including a user s hardware and the inventive software Furthermore the merchant specific configuration software allows a par ticular merchant to be distinguished over all other merchants due to the direct Website accessibility via the specially programmed switch as enabled by the configuration soft ware Moreover Website tracking information obtained through the CPD Website can be used in market studies and research so that the business and visibility of the e merchant can be further improved US 2003 0208404 A1 0042 FIG 2 shows a pictorial representation of a com puter mouse according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention The computer mouse of FIG 2 is an e
30. wn at steps 106 and 108 of FIG 4 Accord ingly the user s existing hardware may be used thereby reducing the likelihood of compatibility problems with CPDs and thereby eliminating the need for the marketing agency merchant to pay for and or distribute specially con figured hardware while still permitting the merchant to promote his business 0034 When the customer 36 actuates the specially pro grammed switch of his computer system assuming that the computer is loaded with an appropriate Web browser is connected to the Internet and is turned on a triggering signal is then transmitted with the computer system within the PC The specially configured software then causes a response to the triggering signal of retrieving the prestored Web address of the predetermined Website e g CPD Web site 37a from its memory and processes it as a Website request according to known techniques This Web address is either provided by the configuration software after being configured for a specific merchant or is selected by the user and stored as a cookie as described above Directing the user s Web browser to a CPD Website i e a Website address allows the merchant or another to easily change what the user will see without any change in configuration at the user s client computer system by simply changing what materials are posted or retrievable at the CPD Website address When the merchant s CPD Website address is different from the merch
31. xample of a computer peripheral device that can be used to promote e business as discussed hereinabove referring to FIG 1 0043 The computer mouse 10 shown in FIG 2 is a traditional mouse of a type well known in the art The mouse includes right and left switches 14a and 14b a scroller 16 optional a mouse ball not specifically shown located underneath the mouse 10 for moving a cursor and a con nector 18 for connecting to a host computer 50 such as a desktop a laptop etc The host computer 50 is set up with appropriate applications such as the Web browser user interface programs operating systems etc for operating the computer and connecting to and accessing the Internet or other communications networks e g intranets Addition ally in accordance with the present invention the host computer 50 is configured with configuration software according to the present invention to cause a predetermined trigger event to act as a specially programmed Web switch 0044 The specially programmed Web switch encom passes an actuating surface e g a button as well as any circuitry associated with it The Web switch is specially programmed in that the computer system allows the user to access automatically at least one designated Website of a merchant e g CPD Website 37a or CPD Website 37a and main Website 38a by activating the switch in a predeter mined manner e g to cause a trigger event such as double right
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