Integrated household management system and method

Abstract

The invention provides an Internet-based integrated household management system. Each user or household has a unique account with the provider of the system to manage their personal data within system. The provider uses this data to make available information that is relevant to the shopping and organizational tasks. This information may include promotional offers, product information and new product announcements for consumer products and services. The data structure can display information that is relevant to a user's specific needs, providing an efficient system of delivering highly targeted information to consumers. A directory format is included which enables users to search for specific types of information or browse available information that may have been filtered out based on the user's data. The user can be provided with purchase information and purchase incentives based on a user's profile and buying patterns.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method for managing household activities of a user connected to a service system, comprising:

the user providing to the service system user data which include demographic user information and interactive user behavior characteristics;

the service system in response to the user data providing the user with a household management tool,

the user scheduling the household activities by using the household management tool, wherein information about the scheduled household activities is transmitted from the user to the service system,

the service system associating a scheduled household activity with an incentive and transmitting the incentive to the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the incentive is provided to the service system by a provider selected from the group consisting of retailers, manufacturers, service providers and clearing houses.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the provider is connected to the service system via the Internet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the household management tool is a scheduler or calendar.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user is connected to the service system via the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduled household activity is a meal or meal schedule.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the household management tool includes a recipe.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user comprises more than one user belonging to a common household and sharing the household management tool.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods and systems for managing family and household activities of subscribers, in particular for integrating such information with vendors and companies via the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of applications for organizing data and schedules are known in the art. These applications can be either stand-alone or can operate among groups of users which may be linked, for example, via an Intranet. Also known in the art are Internet-based services that provide promotional and advertising material, such as special sales, special fares or merchandise coupons, to users who may have signed up for these services or may be targeted by advertisers and retailers based on demographic user profiles. Users may also select specific areas of interest, but these services may be limited to selected topics, such as travel, cars, etc. In daily family life, however, various tasks which may be interrelated have to be performed, some of them repeatedly and at regular time intervals. Family events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, have to be monitored; there may be an interest in consolidating financial statements and shop for the best available offers based on the family resources.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide to a subscriber an integrated household management system which administers household tasks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a method for managing household activities of a user connected to a service system, in particular via the Internet. According to the method, the user provides to the service system user data which include demographic user information and interactive user behavior characteristics, whereafter the service system--in response to the user data--provides the user with a household management tool. The user schedules the household activities by using the household management tool, wherein information about the scheduled household activities is transmitted from the user to the service system. The service system associates a scheduled household activity with an incentive and transmits the incentive to the user.

Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The incentive may be provided to the service system by a provider, such as a retailer, a manufacturer, a service provider and/or a clearing house. The household management tool may include a scheduler and/or calendar and the scheduled household activity may be a meal schedule relating to recipes managed by the service system.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and, in part, be shown from the following description of the systems and methods shown herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated more fully from the following further description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 depicts schematically the structure of a system according to the invention that employs a computer network for organizing family and household activities of users;

FIG. 2 depicts in more detail the structure of a system for managing family and household activities of users;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are flow diagrams for organizing the family and household activities of users according to the invention;

FIGS. 5-11 shows the organization of active server screens for the user;

FIG. 12 shows the organization of administration screens;

FIGS. 13-19 show block diagrams of the various functional modules of the system according to the invention; and

FIG. 20 is a detailed diagram of the interrelationship of the modules of FIGS. 13-19.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

To provide an overall understanding of the invention, certain illustrative embodiments will now be described, including a system that manages family and household activities of subscribers. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the systems and methods described herein can be adapted and modified for other suitable applications and that such other additions and modifications will not depart from the scope hereof.

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a system 10 according to the invention for managing family and household activities of a subscriber. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 wherein a plurality of subscriber systems 12 connect through a network 20 to the server 14. The server 14 connects to a proprietary database 16 maintained by the server 14 and similarly connects, optionally by direct secure lines, to a plurality of service providers or merchandise vendors 18. The elements of the system 10 can include commercially available systems that have been arranged and modified to act as a system according to the invention, which allows a subscriber to carry out integrated household activities, and optionally generate records of these integrated activities. The system 10 of FIG. 1 employs the Internet to allow a subscriber at a remote client, the subscriber systems 12, to access a central server, the depicted central server 14, to login to an account maintained by that server, and to employ the services provided to that account to manage family and household activities of the subscriber.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the server 14 can present the subscriber with an HTML page 32 that acts as a user interface. This user interface can present to the subscriber a set of controls for managing family and household activities of the subscriber. For example, the user interface can provide to the subscriber a control, typically a button on a web page, that directs the system to promotional offers from selected companies, retailers, clearing houses, and so on.

Error! No table of contents entries found. Turning now the elements that compose the system 10 depicted in FIG. 1, it can be seen the system 10 includes a network based system that includes a plurality of client systems 12 that connect through a network 20, such as the Internet IP network, or any suitable network to a server system, such as the server system 14 depicted in FIG. 1. The server 14 can connect over dedicated channels, over the Internet, or by other means, such as dedicated and/or secure lines, to the vendor systems 18.

For the depicted system 10, the client systems 12 can be any suitable computer system such as a PC workstation, a Web-TV, a monitor or display installed, for example, in a kitchen area of the subscriber, a wireless communication device, or any other such device, equipped with a network client capable of accessing a network server and interacting with the server to exchange information with the server. In one embodiment, the network client is a web client, such as a web browser that can include the Netscape web browser, the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser, the Lynx web browser, or a proprietary web browser, or web client that allows the user to exchange data with a web server, and ftp server, a gopher server, or some other type of network server. As mentioned above, the client 12 and the server 14 rely on an unsecured communication path, such as the Internet, for accessing services on the remote server 18. To add security to such a communication path, the client and the server can employ a security system, such as any of the conventional security systems that have been developed to provide to the remote user a secured channel for transmitting data over the Internet. One such system is the Netscape secured socket layer (SSL) security mechanism that provides to a remote user a trusted path between a conventional web browser program and a web server. Therefore, the client systems 12, the vendor systems 18 and the server system 14 may have built in 128 bit or 40 bit SSL capability for establishing an SSL communication channel between the clients 12 and the server 14. Other security systems can be employed, such as those described in Bruce Schneir, Applied Cryptography (Addison-Wesley 1996). Alternatively, the systems may employ, at least in part, secure communication paths for transferring information between the server and the client. For purpose of illustration however, the systems described herein, including the system 10 depicted in FIG. 1 will be understood to employ a public channel, such as an Internet connection through an ISP or any suitable connection, to connect the subscriber systems 12 and the server 14.

The server 14 may be supported by a commercially available server platform such as a Sun Sparc.TM. system running a version of the Unix operating system and running a server capable of connecting with, or exchanging data with, one of the subscriber systems 12. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the server 14 includes a web server, such as the Apache web server or any suitable web server. The web server component of the server 14 acts to listen for requests from subscriber systems 12, and to in response to such a request, resolves the request to identify a filename, script, dynamically generated data that can be associated with that request and to return the identified data to the requesting subscriber system 12. The operation of the web server component of server 14 can be understood more fully from Laurie et al., Apache: The Definitive Guide, O'Reilly Press (1997). The server 14 may also include components that extend its operation to accomplish the integrated household activities described herein, and the architecture of the server 14 may vary according to the application. For example, the web server may have built in extensions, typically referred to as modules, to allow the server 14 to perform operations that facilitate the integrated household activities desired by a subscriber, or the web server may have access to a directory of executable files, each of which files may be employed for performing the operations, or parts of the operations, that implement the integrated household activities of the subscriber. Thus it will be understood that the server 14 may act as a household activities transaction server according to the invention that configures the work station hardware supporting the server 14 to act as a system according to the invention.

The server 14 may couple to a database 16 that stores information representative of a subscriber's account, including information regarding the subscribers accounts, including passwords, user accounts, user privileges and similar information. The depicted database 16 may comprise any suitable database system, including the commercially available Microsoft.RTM. Access.TM. database, and can be a local or distributed database system. The design and development of database systems suitable for use with the system 10, follow from principles known in the art, including those described in McGovern et al., A Guide To Sybase and SQL Server, Addison-Wesley (1993). The database 16 can be supported by any suitable persistent data memory, such as a hard disk drive, RAID system, tape drive system, floppy diskette, or any other suitable system. The system 10 depicted in FIG. 1 includes a database device 16 that is separate from the server station platform 14, however, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that in other embodiments the database device 16 can be integrated into the server 14.

FIG. 2 provides a functional block diagram of one server 14 for managing family and household activities of the subscriber and further depicts the data flow diagram of one example of a subscriber s use of the server 14 to perform an integrated financial transaction between the financial service providers 28 and 30. Specifically, FIG. 2 depicts a data flow diagram wherein a subscriber 12 employs a user interface 32, such as an HTML page, to provide user input to the server 14. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the server 14 manages the subscriber's account and also manages communication between the subscriber and the various companies/retailers/clearing houses in which the subscriber either has a direct interest (response by clicking through) and/or which the server administrator deems to be of interest to the subscriber based on a profile of the subscriber's integrated household activities, which can include, for example, demographic user information and interactive user behavior characteristics. Specifically, the server 14 is described as a functional block diagram that includes, among others, a web server 40 and a common gateway interface (cgi) module 42, 44 which can communicate web page content to and from a database 16 or a database of retailer 18. The web server 40 can be any suitable web server, for example, an Apache.TM. web server having access to a set of executable files stored in a directory accessible to the web server 14, such as the cgi-bin directory in module 42.

One such executable file may be a script that implements a procedure for displaying a shopping list or a script creating a recipe database, such as the depicted Active Server Pages (ASP) or the Database Tables described below. The database manager 44 may be a Perl V script, a C language program or any other suitable program for providing a process that can manage, in response to information provided by the subscriber, database entries of the subscriber.

The client PC's 12 depicted in FIG. 1 can be conventional personal computers having a CRT monitor, but may also be Web-TV's or intelligent LCD displays that can be incorporated, for example, in appliances, such as a refrigerator. The client PC's 12 may be provided with standard input/output devices (not shown), such as keyboards, mice, scanners or barcode readers, and printers. It can therefore be understood as a system that can provide a hard copy of the data results and promotional material, such as vendor coupons.

The depicted database 16 can be any suitable database system, including the commercially available Microsoft.RTM. Access.TM. database, and can be a local or distributed database system. The design and development of suitable database systems are described in McGovern et al., A Guide To Sybase and SQL Server, Addison-Wesley (1993). The database 16 can be supported by any suitable persistent data memory, such as a hard disk drive, RAID system, tape drive system, floppy diskette, or any other suitable system. The system depicted in FIG. 1 includes a database device 16 that is separate from the server platform 14, however, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that in other embodiments the database device 16 can be integrated into the system 14.

The application for organizing integrated household activities (hereinafter also referred to as the "Application") will now be described in detail. Each user has a unique account for managing the personal data within the Application. The Application uses this data to make available information that is relevant to the shopping and organizational tasks completed with the Application. This information may include promotional offers, product information and new product announcements for consumer products and services. The Application's data structure makes it possible to display information that is relevant to the user's specific needs, thus providing an efficient system of delivering highly targeted information to consumers. A directory format may be included to enable users to search for specific types of information or browse available information that may have been filtered out based on the user's data.

The information resides on the server in electronic form. It is posted and managed by the Application. Additional tools enable third parties to post and administer the information specific to their consumer products and services.

A user will have some combination of the following options to use the available information:

Participate in a sweepstakes, refund offer, or contest (in electronic or physical form).

Request a sample of a product or service (mailed in physical or electronic form).

Purchase a product or service online (typically with a discount of some kind delivered electronically).

Add a notification or reminder to the Application's calendar for some future action.

Add an item to the Application's To-Do List for some future action.

Add an item to the Application's Shopping List (printed by the user from their desktop printer).

Print a discount provided at retail (e.g. coupon) from their desktop computer (the coupon may require printing on secure, coded paper issued by the Application).

Receive an electronic credit for the future purchase of a product or service (the credit may, for example, be stored on a user's smart card).

The Application automates many of the actions required to complete the above actions. For example, integration with the user's account makes it possible to attach information to calendar events (e.g. oil change for car); address information is used to complete fulfillment forms; and discounts are automatically applied to a user's smart card when requested. User participation in these actions will be recorded within the Application's database, making it possible to deliver more relevant, targeted information over time. This data also provides a significant resource for market research.

In other words, the application allows people to quickly build lists that can be used to compare to activities, purchases, advertising, offers, all things that are involved and planning their day to day living activities. This feature becomes powerful when used in conjunction with the Internet because it can actually be found out what people are adding to recipes and to the product list. The application build an information database as the number of people increases. This becomes the heart of the integrated household management system which is easy to use and can provide useful data that can be valuable to manufacturers and advertisers because of the large database encompassing many products and ingredients.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a process 30 for integrating the family and household activities begins with the registration of a potential user/subscriber, step 31. The Application should be provided with the following information: First name, last name, login username/password for entry into system, and email address. In addition, a user can enter other information, such as address, phone number, etc.

A user account is set up, step 32, wherein a family may share a single "User" account. Each family member would be set up under that user account, but may have a different screen name, and would be able to enter his/her own information and events, with individual calendars provided for each family member, step 33. These calendars could also be displayed in a composite family calendar, checking for and eliminating potential conflicts. Unique icons and colors may indicate the individual owner of events on the family calendar, and an icon/color legend may be displayed at the bottom of calendars and/or printouts.

The calendar(s) may be stored in the server database 16 so that dated material, such as announcements, promotional material and reminders, can be centrally managed and sent to the user in a timely fashion. In one practice, the calendar will display events in daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly format.

Events may have the following attributes:

Event Name--Thumbnail description of event

Type--Call, Medical, Note, Personal, Work, Other

Dale--Date of event (if not recurring)

Start Time--Start time of event (if not an all-day event)

End Time--End time of event (if not an all-day event)

Description--Description of the event

Email Notification--Days/hours/minutes before an event to send an email reminder of event

Email List--List to receive notification

Family Member--All family members participating in the event

If an event is recurring, some additional information will be required. Recurring events can have a period defined by an end date, and can be defined as follows:

           Daily An event that occurs every day during a period (e.g. water
              neighbor's plants daily while away on vacation)
    Weekly    An event that has the same weekly pattern during a period,
              user can select day(s) of event (e.g. soccer practice)
    Monthly   An event that has the same monthly pattern during a period,
              user can select absolute day or nth of a day of the week in the
              month (e.g., playgroup the first Wednesday of each month)
    Yearly    An event with the same yearly pattern, user can select
              absolute day or nth day of the week of a month (e.g.,
              anniversaries, birthdays, etc.)

• Inventors
  McGill, Edmund; Hawkins, John; Soderlund, Kurt; O'Brien, Patrick;
• Assignee
  Familytime.com, Inc. (Westport, CT)
• Published
  Jan-13-2004
• Current US Classes:
  705/14
  705/27
  707/10
  707/102
  707/104.1
• Application #
  768182
• International Classes
  G06F 017/30; G06F 017/60
• Field of Search
  707/10 707/102 707/104 705/14 705/27 725/23 235/380
• Examiner
  Shah; Sanjiv
• Agent
  Oliver; Kevin A. Foley Hoag LLP
• US Patent References:
  5915243
  5974399
  6026370
  6075971
  6230143
  6237145
  6298330
  6321208
  6477509
  6484146
  6505773