Patent Application
20140358674
The present disclosure relates generally to mobile advertising displays. In particular, mobile advertising displays configured to mount to a bicycle are described.
Known mobile advertising display systems and methods are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, existing mobile advertising displays are unnecessarily large and may be designed to mount to a motor vehicle. Existing mobile advertising displays are often configured to mount to a large surface area, for example, the side of a delivery truck. However, delivery trucks and even smaller motor vehicles are restricted to limited areas, such as highways, streets, and parking garages.
In addition, conventional mobile advertising displays configured to mount to a bicycle require a separate trailer to be hitched to, and towed behind, the bicycle. Existing advertising displays configured to mount to a bicycle are bulky and inconvenient; existing displays create an un-aerodynamic profile.
The dimension and weight of conventional advertising displays further limit areas that a bicycle can access. The riders of bikes bearing advertising displays are forced to alter riding habits and routes to accommodate the inconvenient bulky trailer. Inconvenient conventional displays can lead to increased commute time, rider fatigue, and an increased likelihood of accidents due to the added weight and girth of the advertising display.
Further, existing mobile advertising displays only reach a limited audience. Existing displays may only be displayed in the limited areas that can be accessed by large motor vehicles, or bulky, inconvenient towed trailers. Pedestrian and bike traffic largely ignores motor vehicle advertising. Additionally, even when a bulky bike trailer is used, the intended audience is distracted by the cumbersome trailer and the intended message of the advertising is lost. Indeed, bike trailers are often a source of consternation, and members of the advertising displays' target audience may be less likely to consume a product or service displayed on the advertising displays after a particularly frustrating encounter with conventional advertising displays.
Moreover, existing advertising displays lack identifying indicia for advertising displayed on a specific route or bike. Potential advertisers who may desire to reach a particular audience or targeted set of commuters have limited methods of determining the particular bicycle on which they desire to display advertising. Conventional advertising displays lack an efficient identifying system, and valuable logistical information cannot be compiled and extrapolated easily.
Existing advertising displays additionally lack identifying indicia for a particular side of a vehicle that may be particularly desirable to an advertiser. Conventional mobile advertising displays typically inefficiently advertise an identical message on each advertising surface. Lack of identifying indicia specific to each advertising surface on conventional advertising displays further limits the effectiveness of existing advertising displays.
Thus, there exists a need for mobile advertising display systems and methods that improve upon and advance the design of known mobile advertising display systems and methods. Examples of new and useful mobile advertising display systems and methods relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.
The present disclosure is directed to methods for tracking a mobile advertising display configured to mount to a bicycle having one or more identifying indicia associated with the display. The methods include the steps of coupling a mounting mechanism and a display to the bicycle, operating the bicycle in a location where the display can be viewed by one or more of pedestrian, bicycle, and motorized traffic, and collecting indicia data from consumers. In some examples, the methods further include analyzing effectiveness of one or more advertising parameters based on the indicia data and adjusting advertisement based on analysis of the one or more advertising parameters. In some other examples, the methods include paying a cyclist based on the collected indicia data.
The disclosed mobile advertising displays configured to mount to a bicycle and methods of tracking mobile advertising displays will become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity, each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.
Throughout the following detailed description, examples of various mobile advertising displays configured to mount to a bicycle and methods of tracking mobile advertising displays are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.
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Coupling member 112 is configured to selectively couple mounting mechanism 110 to brace 130. In one example, as shown in
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In one example, protecting member 113 is comprised of rubber and configured in a sleeve configuration. Additional protecting members may be comprised of any suitable material capable of preventing damage to a bike frame including, but not limited to wood, plastic, metal, carbon fiber, composites, and combinations thereof. Further, protecting members may be configured in any suitable configuration capable of preventing damage to a bike frame including, but not limited to, wraps, sheets, and pressure-relieving disks.
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In one example, brace 130 is comprised of polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate is particularly effective as a brace material because it is readily deformable and resilient. Additionally or alternatively, braces may be comprised of any readily deformable and resilient material including, but not limited to, wood, plastic, plexiglass, fiberglass, metal, carbon fiber, composites, and combinations thereof.
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Additionally, display 150 is substantially rectangular in shape and displays advertising media. Advertising media includes any displayable message intended to be interpreted by an audience observing display 150. Moreover, advertising media may include audio messages and audio-visual messages depicted by visual, audio, physical or electronic means. Displays may be comprised of any shape or form that facilitates or allows freely pedaling and maneuvering a bicycle, including, but not limited to, circles, squares, triangles, and trapezoids.
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Mobile advertising display 200 additionally includes a second brace 235 selectively coupled to a second mounting mechanism 220, and a second display 255 selectively retained on second brace 235. Although mobile advertising display 200 is depicted as bilaterally mounted to frame 282, mobile advertising display 200 may also be unilaterally mounted to frame 282 to display advertising on one side of wheel 284 of bicycle 280.
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Mobile advertising display 200 additionally features a first identifier 240 selectively mounted to first brace 230, a second identifier 245 selectively mounted to second brace 235, and a stabilizer 270. Stabilizer 270 is selectively mounted to first identifier 240 and second identifier 245, and is configured to stabilize first brace 230 relative to second brace 235. Stabilizer 270 is configured to space first identifier 240 and second identifier 245 from wheel 284 to enable wheel 284 to travel freely between first identifier 240 and second identifier 245.
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First identifier 240 and second identifier 245 are configured to display identifying information 290. Identifying information 290 facilitates or allows a particular mobile advertising display 200 to be identified. In the example shown in
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Mobile advertising display 300 further includes a fourth mounting mechanism 319 vertically spaced from second mounting mechanism 320. Fourth mounting mechanism is configured to mount to the frame 382 of bicycle 380 proximate second side 323 of wheel 384 opposite first side 321.
Moreover, mobile advertising display 300 includes a first brace 330 selectively coupled to first mounting mechanism 310, and a third brace 332 selectively coupled to third mounting mechanism 318. A first display 350 is selectively retained on both first brace 330 and third brace 332.
Additionally, mobile advertising display 300 includes a second brace 335 selectively coupled to second mounting mechanism 330, and a fourth brace 337 selectively coupled to fourth mounting mechanism 319. A second display 355 is selectively retained on both second brace 335 and fourth brace 337.
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Stabilizers may additionally or alternatively be selectively mounted to one or more braces to stabilize multiple braces relative to each other and the wheel. Stabilizers may also be comprised of any suitable material including, but not limited to, wood, plastic, metal, carbon fiber, composites, and combinations thereof. Moreover, stabilizers may also be configured in any shape or configuration that spaces and stabilizes the braces relative to each other and allows the wheel to travel freely between the braces, including, but not limited to, linear, curved, triangular, and angled.
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Additionally or alternatively, any angle relative to the wheel which increases or improves the aerodynamic profile of the mobile advertising display may be used. Alternatively, an angle of zero relative to the wheel may also be used; the braces may be retained parallel to the center vertical axis of the wheel.
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At 410, indicia data is collected from consumers. In one example, as a consumer makes an online purchase, the consumer selects from a list an identifying indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing. In another example, as a consumer makes an in-person purchase, the consumer conveys to the cashier an indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing and the cashier records the purchase and the associated indicium. It will be appreciated that indicia data can be collected from consumers in any desired method that associates a purchase of a product and/or service with a specific mobile display observed by the consumer.
The consumer purchase and indicia data can then optionally be used for one or more purposes. In one example, at optional step 412 purchase and indicia data can be analyzed based on one or more advertising parameters to determine effectiveness of advertising. Further, at optional step 414, advertisement (i.e., advertisement parameters) can be adjusted based on the analysis completed in step 412. In this example, advertisement parameters can include one or more of route information, location of display on the bicycle, duration of display advertisement, indemnity of cyclist, time of day of bicycle operation, etc. In another example, at optional step 416, a cyclist can be paid based on the number of consumers that reported the indicium associated with the display that is mounted to the cyclist's bicycle.
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At 410, indicia data is collected from consumers. In one example, as a consumer makes an online purchase, the consumer selects from a list an identifying indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing. In another example, as a consumer makes an in-person purchase, the consumer conveys to the cashier an indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing and the cashier records the purchase and the associated indicium. It will be appreciated that indicia data can be collected from consumers in any desired method that associates a purchase of a product and/or service with a specific mobile display observed by the consumer.
The consumer purchase and indicia data can then optionally be used for one or more purposes. In one example, at optional step 412 purchase and indicia data can be analyzed based on one or more advertising parameters to determine effectiveness of advertising. Further, at optional step 414, advertisement (i.e., advertisement parameters) can be adjusted based on the analysis completed in step 412. In this example, advertisement parameters can include one or more of route information, location of display on the bicycle, duration of display advertisement, indemnity of cyclist, time of day of bicycle operation, etc. In another example, at optional step 416, a cyclist can be paid based on the number of consumers that reported the indicium associated with the display that is mounted to the cyclist's bicycle.
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At 512, indicia data is collected from consumers. In one example, as a consumer makes an online purchase, the consumer selects from a list an identifying indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing. In another example, as a consumer makes an in-person purchase, the consumer conveys to the cashier an indicium that he or she observed on a mobile display that advertised the product and/or service that the consumer is purchasing and the cashier records the purchase and the associated indicium. It will be appreciated that indicia data can be collected from consumers in any desired method that associates a purchase of a product and/or service with a specific mobile display observed by the consumer.
The consumer purchase and indicia data can then optionally be used for one or more purposes. In one example, at optional step 514 purchase and indicia data can be analyzed based on one or more advertising parameters to determine effectiveness of advertising. Further, at optional step 516, advertisement (i.e., advertisement parameters) can be adjusted based on the analysis completed in step 514. In this example, advertisement parameters can include one or more of route information, location of display on the bicycle, duration of display advertisement, indemnity of cyclist, time of day of bicycle operation, etc. In another example, at optional step 518, a cyclist can be paid based on the number of consumers that reported the indicium associated with the display that is mounted to the cyclist's bicycle.
The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/898,157, filed on May 20, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13898157 | May 2013 | US |
| Child | 14462970 | US |
