Patent Application
20180068349
The present invention is directed to a marketing method and a marketing system whereby a sponsor of an advertising campaign funds the production of a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies which visibly display the sponsor's advertising indicia, and which are strategically placed in dispenser assemblies installed at one or more target sites throughout a campaign territory. End users, typically consumers, are permitted to utilize a pair of the sanitary glove assemblies bearing the sponsor's advertising without cost while conducting his or her transaction at the target site, thereby preventing the transmission of contaminants to the end user from the target site and simultaneously creating a positive advertising environment for the sponsor to convey its message to end users via at least its advertising indicia on the sanitary glove assemblies.
It is well known that numerous contaminants are transferred to human beings through their day to day contact with other people, plants, animals, as well as many inanimate objects. These contaminants include bacteria, mold, and a number of viruses which are known to be responsible for the common cold and various forms of influenza, as well as more serious contaminants such as, by way of example, E. coli. Research has shown that viruses can live on the surface of inanimate objects anywhere with time periods ranging from one or two hours to upwards of one or two days.
The human rhinovirus was projected to cause over 560 million cases of the common cold in the United States alone in 2013. Cold and flu germs has shown potential survival times ranging from a few minutes to 48 hours or more on various surfaces. Further, it is well known that the common cold can lead to more serious infections, such as sinusitis, ear infections, and/or bronchitis. The virus was projected to infect over 200 million people in the United States in 2013, and the total estimated cost of the common cold in the United States in 2013 was expected to exceed 40 billion dollars.
A recent study conducted by Kimberly-Clark tested the surfaces of seven different objects in a half-dozen cities across the United States, including, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia. A total of seven different objects were tested in each city to measure levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (“ATP”). ATP is an organic molecule utilized by living cells as an energy source, and animal, plant, bacteria, yeast, mold cells produce and break down ATP in order to survive. As such, a measure of ATP provides an indication of the cleanliness of a surface, and a reading of greater than 300 represents a highly contaminated surface.
According to the results from testing performed by Kimberly-Clark, of the seven different common objects tested, over 70% of gas pump handles had an ATP reading greater than 300. Next were mail box handles at just under 70%, escalator rails, ATM buttons and parking meters/kiosk all around 40%, and cross walk and vending machine buttons at around 35%.
Thus, research has shown that gas pump handles are among the most contaminated surfaces that people commonly come into contact in their daily lives. However, it is also well known that very few people take time to wash or sanitize their hands after pumping gas, thus leading in the spread of viruses to other people either directly or through common contact with other surfaces. Research has shown that minor illnesses are readily preventable by simply breaking the chain of germ transmission.
At the present time, the primary means for addressing contamination from surfaces has been to recommend frequent hand washing, however, this has proven to be at best inconvenient, and in many cases, simply not an available option. More recently, a variety of sanitizing solutions in various forms of dispensers have become common, however, once again, consistent usage of the same is required in order to break the chain of germ transmission. Thus, as noted above, a preferred option is simply to prevent direct contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. This is accomplished through the use of various types of gloves which may be placed over a user's hand before coming into contact with a contaminated surface in order to avoid the transfer of any contaminants from the surface to the person's hands, where the contaminants can be further spread as the person goes about his or her day. Such gloves are commonly employed by doctors, dentists and other healthcare workers, and are being more commonly employed in other facets of our daily lives.
As such, it would be beneficial to society as a whole to provide a supply of sanitary gloves for people to utilize so as to avoid contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. It would be further beneficial to provide the supply of sanitary gloves to the general public without cost to the end users themselves. A further benefit may be realized by utilizing one or more surface of a sanitary glove on which to place advertising indicia, wherein the cost of providing the supply of sanitary gloves to the general public is born by the sponsor of the advertising campaign. It would further be helpful to provide a disposal assembly for discarded sanitary gloves at a target site, such that, discarded sanitary gloves can be periodically collected for disposal, or more preferably, for purposes of recycling. It would also be beneficial to society as a whole to provide a method whereby a sponsor of an advertising campaign funds the production of a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies which include the sponsor's advertising indicia and which are dispensed at target sites via a dispenser assembly which also prominently displays the sponsor's advertisement media. Yet one further benefit may be obtained by providing a user incentive in conjunction with one or more sanitary glove assembly which is provided without cost to an end user, once again, such as a consumer.
As previously stated, the present invention is directed to a marketing system implemented at one or more target sites having a contaminated user interface in a campaign territory. In one embodiment, the present marketing system comprises a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies each comprising a sanitary glove having a sponsor's advertising indicia visibly displayed thereon. In at least one embodiment, the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies distributed without charge to the end users at the one or more target sites.
In one further embodiment, the present marketing system comprises at least one dispenser assembly comprising at least one advertisement media support disposed at each of the one or more target sites proximate the contaminated user interface. In at least one embodiment, the at least one dispenser assembly dimensioned to contain said plurality of sanitary glove assemblies.
The present marketing system, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, also comprises a sponsor's advertising media displayed in the at least one advertisement media support. In yet one further embodiment, a sponsor's advertising media has at least one interactive advertising element thereon.
In at least one other embodiment, the present marketing system further comprises a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies including a sponsor's advertising indicia supplied to the one or more target sites without cost to the proprietors of the target sites.
The present invention also comprises a marketing method implemented at a plurality of target sites. At least one embodiment of the marketing method comprises: staging at least one dispenser assembly comprising a sponsor's advertisement media at the one or more target sites proximate the contaminated user interface; providing a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising a sponsor's advertising indicia for distribution from the at least one dispenser assembly without cost to the proprietor of the target site; incorporating an interactive advertising element onto the sponsor's advertisement media; distributing the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia without charge for use by end users at the one or more target sites.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.
For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
As previously stated, the present invention comprises an innovative marketing system, generally shown as at 10 throughout the figures, and equally innovative marketing method, generally as shown as 100, 200 throughout the figures, each of which is described in more detail below.
A marketing system 10 in accordance with the present invention is presented schematically in
Although the marketing system 10 as illustrated in
Looking again to the illustrative embodiment of the marketing system 10 in
As stated above, a marketing system 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises at least one sanitary glove assembly 20, and, in at least one further embodiment, a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies 20. Each sanitary glove assembly comprises a sanitary glove 22 such as is shown in the illustrative embodiment of
A sanitary glove 22 in accordance with the present invention may be inexpensively manufactured from polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, latex, etc., or any equivalent material of construction which provides the advantages of ease of manufacture and printability with minimal expense and/or is capable of being recycled in order to offset the cost of production of additional sanitary glove assemblies 20 in accordance with the marketing system 10 of the present invention.
As also shown in
In addition to or in conjunction with the advertising indicia 24 which is disposed along at least a portion of the surface of the sanitary glove 22, a sanitary glove assembly 20 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention further comprises a user incentive 25 which may be in the form of a refund, rebate, discount, etc., which the end user may redeem on his or her next purchase of the product, service and/or cause associated with the campaign sponsor's goals.
In at least one embodiment, and as shown best in the illustrative embodiment
In yet one further embodiment, a user incentive 25 may be associated with products or services of a target site, while the advertising indicia 24 on the surface of the sanitary glove assembly 20 itself corresponds to a campaign sponsor, or vice versa.
In addition to a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies 20, a marketing system 10 in accordance with the present invention further comprises a dispenser assembly 30, such as is shown, once again, in the illustrative embodiment of
As also shown via the illustrative embodiment of
In accordance with at least one further embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
Further, the sensor/transmitter assembly 33′ transmits data regarding the stock of sanitary glove assemblies 20 to a remote monitoring center (not shown), wherein data is compiled for the campaign sponsor's use. For example, in at least one embodiment, the sensor/transmitter assembly 33′ transmits a signal each time a sanitary glove assembly 20 is removed from a corresponding dispenser assembly 20, thereby allowing the campaign sponsor to obtain essentially real time data regarding the number and location in which its campaign message is being conveyed to end user's. As will be appreciated, this data may be obtained and/or compiled on a less frequent basis, for example, daily, weekly, monthly, or even quarterly, depending on any particular campaign sponsor's wants or needs. In another embodiment, the sensor/transmitter assembly 33′ transmits a signal to a remote monitoring center to indicate it is in need of servicing, for example, to replenish a stock of sanitary glove assemblies 20, and in one further embodiment, the sensor/transmitter assembly 33′ transmits a signal to an on-site monitor (not shown) so that the servicing may be accomplished by on-site personnel, for example, gasoline station employees.
More in particular, an interactive advertisement element 50 in accordance with the present invention requires some action on the part of the end user to complete delivery of a sponsor communication to the end user. As one example, and as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
As another example, and as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
In at least one embodiment, while not explicitly illustrated in
Looking again to
As further illustrated in
Further, and as shown best in
In at least one embodiment, and as shown in
As stated above, the present invention is further directed to a marketing method, such as is generally depicted as at 100 in
In at least one embodiment, the present marketing method 100 comprises funding at least one advertising campaign by a sponsor 110. Funding at least one advertising campaign by a sponsor 110, in one embodiment of the present invention, includes a campaign sponsor paying for the production of a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia and a corresponding plurality of replaceable advertisement media depicting the campaign sponsor's message. In at least one further embodiment, funding at least one advertising campaign by a sponsor 110 may further comprise paying for the production of a plurality of dispenser assemblies and/or paying for a plurality of disposal assemblies. Further the campaign sponsor may pay the cost of installing the dispenser assemblies, supplied with a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies, and disposal assemblies at one or more target sites throughout a campaign territory. As such, in accordance with this embodiment, end users are provided sanitary glove assemblies without cost to them or without cost to the proprietors of the target sites, such that the end user can prevent contact with one or more contaminated interfaces present at the target site.
In one alternate embodiment, funding at least one advertising campaign by a sponsor 110 comprises a campaign sponsor paying for the production of a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia, and the cost of supplying one or more dispenser assemblies in the campaign territory with some of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies having the campaign sponsor's advertising indicia.
The present marketing method 100 further comprises producing a plurality of dispenser assemblies comprising at least one advertisement media support 120. As described above, in at least one embodiment, a campaign sponsor will fund the production of the plurality of dispenser assemblies.
In at least one further embodiment, the present marketing method 100 comprises contracting a plurality of target sites in a campaign territory on which to stage at least one of a plurality of dispenser assemblies 130. In one embodiment, contracting the plurality of target sites 130 comprises producing, installing and servicing at least one dispenser assembly at each of a plurality of target sites, and supplying and servicing each of the plurality of dispenser assemblies with a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising at least one advertising indicia selected by the campaign sponsor, at no cost to the proprietor of the target site. In one alternate embodiment, contracting a plurality of target sites on which to stage dispenser assemblies 130 comprises the proprietor of the target site contracting to pay for the production of the dispenser assemblies and the cost of installation of the same at its target site(s), while the campaign sponsor pays the cost of producing and supplying the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies to the dispenser assemblies at the target sites, once again, such that the sanitary glove assemblies are readily available at the target sites for use by end users without cost to the end users.
The present marketing method 100 further comprises producing a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia 140. Once again, in at least one embodiment, a campaign sponsor will fund the production of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia 140. In one further embodiment, the present marketing method 100 comprises incorporating at least one user incentive 142 on at least some of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies wherein, as before, the user incentive may comprise a refund, rebate, discount, etc., which the end user may redeem on his or her next purchase of the product, service and/or cause associated with the campaign sponsor's goals. In yet one further embodiment, the present marketing method 100 comprises incorporating at least one optically readable user incentive 144 on at least some of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies, and in still another embodiment, the present marketing method 100 comprises incorporating at least one detachable user incentive 146 on at least some of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies.
In one alternative embodiment, a user incentive is incorporated onto at least some of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies wherein the user incentive is directly associated with goods and/or services provided by the proprietor of the target site, e.g., snacks or drinks from a gasoline station store, such that the end user is incentivized to conduct further business while at the target site. As will be appreciated, this also serves to incentivize a proprietor of a target site to contract for staging one of more dispenser assemblies on his or her site and/or to subsidize some or all of the cost of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies dispensed therefrom.
The present marketing method 100 also comprises staging at least one dispenser assembly at each target site proximate a contaminated user interface 150. In at least one embodiment, the at least one dispenser assembly comprises the sponsor's replaceable advertisement media, and in one further embodiment, the dispenser assembly is supplied with a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia.
At the heart of the present marketing method 100 is providing a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the sponsor's advertising indicia from each dispenser assembly without charge for use by end users 160. Specifically, by providing sanitary glove assemblies to end users via dispenser assemblies which are strategically located proximate contaminated interfaces which people are accustomed to contacting on a daily basis, and providing the sanitary glove assemblies without charge, creates a positive advertising environment in which the sponsor can more effectively convey its message to a plurality of end users.
At least one embodiment of the present marketing method 100 comprises servicing one or more dispenser assemblies 162 in order to maintain a supply of a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising a sponsor's advertising indicia.
One embodiment of a marketing method 100 in accordance with the present invention comprises staging at least one disposal assembly at each target site in a campaign territory 170. Another embodiment of the present marketing method 100 further comprises collecting a plurality of discarded sanitary glove assemblies at each target site 172, transferring the plurality of discarded sanitary glove assemblies to a recycling facility 174, and/or recycling the plurality of discarded sanitary glove assemblies 176.
The marketing method 100 of the present invention further contemplates, in one embodiment, initiating a new advertising campaign for at least one dispenser assembly 180. More in particular, in at least one embodiment, initiating a new advertising campaign 180 includes replacing the replaceable advertising media with a new replaceable advertisement media 182. In addition, the present embodiment of the marketing method 100 comprises servicing one or more dispenser assemblies to maintain the supply of the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the new advertising indicia 184. In yet one further embodiment, initiating a new advertising campaign 180 includes replacing the plurality of sanitary glove assemblies with a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising the new advertising indicia 186.
As may be seen from the illustrative embodiment of
The present marketing method 200 comprises providing a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies without charge for use by end users 220. As before, in at least one embodiment, the present method 200 comprises providing a plurality of sanitary glove assemblies comprising a sponsor's advertising indicia from each dispenser assembly without charge for use by end users 220. Once again, by providing sanitary glove assemblies to end users via dispenser assemblies which are strategically located proximate contaminated interfaces which people are accustomed to contacting on a daily basis, and providing the sanitary glove assemblies without charge, creates a positive advertising environment in which the sponsor can more effectively convey its message to a plurality of end users.
In at least one embodiment, and as further shown in the illustrative embodiment of
In one further embodiment, and again as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Now that the invention has been described,
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61815903 | Apr 2013 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14260973 | Apr 2014 | US |
| Child | 15804665 | US |
