A method for restoring a lost item to a person

FIELD OF INVENION

THIS INVENTION relates to the return of lost items and particularly to a facility for restoring a lost item to a person, a carrier device and to a method for restoring a lost item to a person.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Inventor has noted that it can be difficult to identify the owner of a lost item for returning the item to the owner. The Inventor wishes to address this problem.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention provides a method for restoring a lost item to a person, which method includes: storing in an item database an identifier of the item and associated contact details of a person who has an interest in the item; receiving from a finder an item message which includes the identifier of an item with which the identifier has been associated; interrogating the item database to determine the contact details of the person based on the identifier contained in the item message; and sending automatically a notification message to the person, the message indicating that the item has been found.

In the context of this specification, the term "item" includes, in addition to its ordinary meaning, an animal (e.g. a pet) and a person (e.g. a child).

The method may include the prior step of registering the person's association with the identifier by receiving from the person a registration message including an indication of the identifier and the contact details of the person.

If the item message received from the finder is a voice message, the method may include interpreting the voice message using voice recognition technology (e.g. provided by an IVR system).

The method may include receiving an indication of a reward offered for return of the lost item.

The method may further include classifying the person into at least one category. In such case, the method may include sending a category-specific advertisement message to all the persons in one or more particular categories.

Instead, or in addition, the method may include: receiving at least part of an advertisement from an advertiser; sending an advertisement message including the advertisement to a plurality of persons; and billing an advertiser based on the number of persons to whom the advertisement is sent.

The advertisement message may include a prompt allowing the person to respond to the advertisement. The prompt may allow or encourage the person to rate a service or to provide feedback. The advertisement message may therefore include a return telephone number to which a response message, e.g. an SMS message, can be sent from the user.

The advertisement message may include details of an incentive which the person will receive for responding to the advertisement message. The incentive may be redeemable upon presentation of the advertisement message to the particular advertiser The method may include verifying the authenticity or validity of the advertisement message to ensure that, among other things, particular advertisement messages or vouchers are not reused.

The notification message may include contact details of the finder, to enable the person to contact the finder and arrange for return of the item.

The invention extends to a machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method as defined above.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a facility for restoring a lost item to a person, which facility includes: an item database which includes an identifier of the item and associated contact details of a person who has an interest in the item; a communication arrangement operable to receive from a finder an item message which includes the identifier of an item with which the identifier has been associated; and a control module operable to interrogate the item database to determine the contact details of the person based on the identifier contained in the item message; the control module further being operable to generate automatically a notification message and to send, via the messaging arrangement, the notification message to the person, the notification message indicating that the item has been found.

The item message received from the finder may be a data message, such as an SMS of a GSM network. Instead, the item message received from the finder may be a voice message, and the facility may include a voice message interpreting means (e.g. and IVR system) for interpreting the voice message using voice recognition technology.

The control module may further be operable to: receive, by means of the communication arrangement, a registration message from the person, the registration message including the identifier and the person's contact details; and populate the item database with the identifier and the associated contact details.

Similarly, a person wishing to register with the registering means and/or amend his or her record may communicate with the facility by means of data messaging or voice messaging.

The person's contact details may include the person's name and contact telephone number, preferably a mobile telephone number, and will preferably also be required to enter other details concerning the person such as a home address, an identification number and/or the person's date of birth. Optionally, the person may also be requested to specify the item with which the identifier is to be associated with. Further, the person may be requested to specify a reward which the person offers to a finder of a lost item which has been associated with the identifier. The information provided during the registration will typically be stored in the item database as a record.

The control module may be operable to amend the contact details of the person as stored in the item database in response to receipt of an amendment message. The control module may be operable to verify the identity of the person prior to amending the contact details. For example, the person may upon registration be provided with a PIN or password and the control module may require the provision by the person of the PIN or password, as the case may be, in order for the person to access and/or amend his or her record. Instead, the control module may verify the identity of a person by means of an identifying biometric measurement of the person, for example a fingerprint or thumbprint.

The item message may be one selected from the group comprising a data message and a voice message.

The identifier may be provided on a carrier device having associating means for associating the carrier device with an item. The contact details stored on the item database may be supplied to a supplier of the carrier device. The carrier device may include instructions as to how the person can register his or her association with the identifier and how to report the finding of a lost item which has been associated with the carrier device. The carrier device may indicate that a reward is offered for the return of a lost item associated with the carrier device.

The facility may include a processor and machine-readable medium (e.g. a memory module) having stored thereon a set of instructions to direct the operation of the processor. The control module may be a conceptual module corresponding to a functional task performed by the processor. The control module need not necessarily

bθ consolidated into one facility or device, but may be distributed among a number of devices. It is to be understood that the control module may be one or more microprocessors, controllers, or any other suitable computing device, resource, hardware, software, or embedded logic.

The control module may be operable to classify the person into at least one of a plurality of potential categories. The control module may be operable to send a category-specific commercial or advertising message to the person based on the category into which the person has been classified.

The identifier may include an indication of the item with which the identifier is associated, an indication of the supplier who supplied the item and personal information relating to the person (such as residential address).

One of the categories may include the name or description of the supplier

(e.g. retail store) from which the item was supplied.

Similarly, one of the categories may provide for a class/category of the item itself (such as televisions), and the control module may be operable to send an advertisement tailored to that class of item (e.g. promoting a new model of television).

Again, if one of the categories provides for a geographic area in which the person resides (or works or is associated with) the control module may be operable to direct geographic-specific adverts to persons in that specific geographic area (e.g. there is a carnival in your area).

The advertisement may be in the form of a mobile communication message, such as an SMS message, an MMS message, a pre-recorded voice message, and/or the like. The advertisement may instead, or in addition, be in the form of another electronic message, like an e-mail.

The facility will typically be connectable to an electronic communications network. The network may include a cellular telephone network and/or the Internet. The communication arrangement may be the form of a network card or modem (e.g. a

GSM-compatiblθ modem) or a gateway to interconnect the facility with the electronic communication network.

The facility may be operable to provide a remotely accessible user interface via which authorised persons may access the facility. The user interface may be remotely accessible, for example via the Internet. A prospective advertiser (be it supplier of the item, manufacturer of the item, or third party) who wishes to send an advertisement in a particular category may access the facility via the user interface to see how many registered persons fall into that category and thereby to determine to how many persons the advertisement will be sent. The user interface may also be configured to allow receipt from the advertiser of his/her own specific advertisement (such as the wording of an SMS message). The control module may further be configured to bill the advertiser based on the number of persons to which the advertisement will be sent. Instead, or in addition, the control module may be a flat rate for a batch of advertisements sent or may use any other convenient billing scheme.

The identifier will typically be provided on a carrier device, for example a tag, label, disc, wristband, necklace, credit card-type card, or the like.

The invention extends still further to a carrier device which includes: a physical associating means for associating physically the carrier device with an item; an identifier for identifying a person associated with the identifier; and an instruction to send the identifier to a specified contact number by means of a data message.

The identifier may further identify a source which supplied the carrier device to the person. More particularly, it is envisaged that the carrier device may be supplied at a distribution point such as a retail outlet and thus that the identifier may identify the distribution point from which the carrier device was supplied. Instead or in addition, the carrier device may be supplied with a product and the identifier may thus conveniently identify the product with which the carrier device was supplied. The personal details provided during registration, or utilisation thereof, may be supplied to the supplier of the carrier device. It will be appreciated that this can provide the supplier, for example a

retailer, a manufacturer or a service provider, with valuable information concerning its customers and/or exposing the identity of previously unidentified customers. Further, it is envisaged that the provision of the person's contact details during registration can provide an address for sending marketing material. The carrier device may include advertising, for example a trade name or a logo. It will be appreciated that the use of a person's personal details for the purposes mentioned above will naturally need to be done in a manner which is in conformance with the privacy laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Conveniently, the carrier device may include instructions as to how a person can register his or her association with the identifier and how to report the finding of a lost item which has been associated with the carrier device.

The associating means may be a fastener, for associating the carrier device with the item typically in a releasably fastenable manner, for example a ring of the type which is used to carry keys.

The carrier device may indicate that a reward is offered for the return of a lost item associated with the carrier device.

The carrier device need not necessarily be separate or distinct from the item with which it is associated. The carrier device may be integral with the item, for example being pre-printed on the item in a similar fashion to barcodes.

The carrier device may be used in combination, or as part of, an insurance product. More particularly, when insuring in article, an insurer may require or encourage a user to attach the carrier device to the article. Thus, the method and facility as defined above, may also find application in conjunction with, or as part of, an insurance product. By use of the carrier device, insurance claims for lost items may be reduced and/or insurance premiums may be reduced. Naturally, the method, facility and carrier device may find application in non-insurance related products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a facility, in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, for restoring a lost item to a person;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a carrier device, in accordance with the invention, for use with the facility of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a block diagram of a facility, in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, for restoring a lost item to a person;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a carrier device for use with the facility of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic view of a flow diagram of a method in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 6 is a schematic view of a flow diagram of a method in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a facility, in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, for returning a lost item to a person is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The facility 10 includes a computer server 1 1 operatively connected to a memory module hosting an item database 12.

The computer server 1 1 further includes a communication arrangement 14 including a gateway 14 (e.g. a WAP gateway) which serves to interconnect the computer server 1 1 with a telecommunications network 26 including a cellular telephone network. A plurality of cellular telephones 28a, 28b, 28c are connectable to the facility 10 via the network 26.

The communication arrangement further includes a connection to the Internet (forming part of the telecommunications network 26) via which the facility 10 is connectable to a plurality of personal computers 30a, 30b.

The computer server 1 1 also includes a processor 16 which embodies a control module 18. It is to be appreciated that the control module 18 is a conceptual module which corresponds to a function performed by the processor 16. To this end, the computer server may include a machine-readable medium (not illustrated) having

stored thereon a set of instructions which, when executed, directs the operation of the processor 16, and hence of the computer server 1 1 .

In Figure 2, a carrier device, in accordance with the invention, for use with the facility 10, is generally designated by reference numeral 40. The carrier device 40 is a tag which comprises a label 42 which is attached at an end thereof to a physical associating means in the form of a ring 44 of the type which is used in key rings, the ring 44 being releasably fastenable to keys and other similar items. On a face 46 of the label 42, the following message is provided:

"To activate / If found

SMS itag aab 000 512 aaa

To 36107"

The sequence "itag aab 000 512 aaa" is an identifier, the use of which is described below. On the opposite face (not shown) of the label 42, a website address for the facility 10 is provided.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a facility, in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, for restoring a lost item to a person, is generally designated by reference numeral 100 (Figure 3) and a carrier device, for use with the facility 100, is generally designated by reference numeral 140. Unless otherwise indicated, like features to those of Figures 1 and 2 are designated by like reference numerals.

The facility 100 includes a voice message interpreting means in the form of an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system 134 for interpreting voice messages received from the telephones 28a, 28b, 28c.

The carrier device 140 includes on its face 46 the following message:

"To activate / If found CALL

086 333 4444 and quote: itag aab 000 512 aaa"

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, in use, the carrier device 40 is supplied to a user (not shown) at a retail outlet or supplier, the carrier device 40 being provided in a product purchased by the user, in this instance the product being a box of cereal (not shown). The six digit portion "000 512" of the identifier is a unique number which is for identifying a user. The portion "aaa" of the identifier identifies the product with which the carrier device 40 was provided, in this case ABC Cornflakes 50Og. The portion "aab" of the identifier identifies the distribution point or retail outlet (not shown) at which the product and the carrier device 40 were supplied, in this case XYZ Stores (Sandton Branch). The first four characters of the identifier (i.e. the portion "itag") identifies the carrier device administrator (not shown) who supplies the carrier device 40 to the manufacturer and who administers the registration of users with the facility 10 as described below. More particularly, in terms of a prior arrangement between the administrator and the manufacturer, a plurality of carrier devices 40 are supplied by the administrator to the manufacturer, each carrier device 40 having an identifier with a unique user-identifying six digit portion. In terms of the arrangement, all carrier devices 40 with identifiers in which the last three characters are "aaa" and in which the first three characters are "aab" will be provided by the manufacturer with ABC Cornflakes 50Og products which are supplied by the manufacturer to XYZ Stores (Sandton branch).

Having purchased the product, the person/user registers with the facility 10 by sending an SMS message containing the identifier provided on the carrier device 40 by means of the person's telephone 28a to the facility 10 via the network 26. The control module 18 causes the facility 10 to send back an SMS message to the telephone 28a requesting the user's name, contact cellular telephone number, physical residential address, postal address with the relevant area code and identification number or date of birth. In the SMS the user is also provided with the option of specifying the item with which the identifier is to be associated and of specifying a reward which the user offers to a finder of a lost item which has been associated with the identifier.

The control module 18 checks to see whether or not the contact cellular telephone number which the person has provided is already associated with another person in the item database 12. If the number is associated with another person, the facility 10 sends a further SMS requesting the user to provide another cellular telephone number. The control module 18 also verifies that the area code which has been provided by the user in the postal address is the correct area code for the address provided, and, if not, the area code is corrected.

Referring now also the Figure 5, reference numeral 180 generally indicates a method for restoring a lost item to a person, in accordance with the invention.

The information provided during the registration, including the identifier, will typically be stored, at block 182, in the item database 12 as a record 12.1 , 12.2. After registration by the user, the user's personal details are provided, in return for a fee, to XYZ Stores (Sandton branch) and to the manufacturer whose product is identified in the identifier.

Upon registration by the user, a PIN is allocated to the user and an SMS message is sent to the user's telephone 28a containing the PIN. The SMS message will also indicate that if the user forgets the PIN, the user can obtain another PIN by sending an SMS message with the word "FORGOT" to the telephone number 36107. The user can, from time to time, review and/or amend his or her record 12.1 , 12.2 in the item database 12 by sending an amendment message in the form of an SMS message containing the PIN to the facility 10 from a telephone having a number which corresponds with the contact telephone number which has been provided by the user as described above. The control module 18 verifies that the PIN which has been provided by the user corresponds with that which has been allocated to a registered user who has provided a contact telephone number which corresponds with the number of the cellular telephone from which the SMS message has been received. If the PIN corresponds, the control module 18 enables the user to amend his or her record. If the PIN does not correspond, an SMS message is sent to the user stating that the PIN is incorrect.

Instead, the user can review and/or amend his or her record by means of the user's personal computer 30a by accessing a website of the facility 10 via the Internet 26, in which case the user will be required to provide his or her PIN and contact telephone number, for verification of the identity of the user. If the user forgets his or her PIN, the user can obtain another PIN from the facility 10 by sending an SMS message to the telephone number 36107 with the word "FORGOT" from a telephone having a number which corresponds with the contact telephone number which has been provided by the user as described above.

The user attaches the carrier device 40 to a chosen item by means of the ring 44, in this example the chosen item being a set of keys (not shown). If the item is lost by the user, a person who finds the item and the attached carrier device 40 sends, in accordance with the instructions on the face 46, an item message in the form of an SMS message containing the identifier from the finder's telephone 28b to the telephone number 36107 of the facility 10, the SMS message being received, at block 184, by the control module 18 via the communication arrangement 14 of the facility 10. In response to the receipt of the SMS message, the control module 18 interrogates, at block 186, the item database 12 thereby automatically to compare the identifier contained in the message with the identifiers in the item database 12. If the control module 18 does not find a match, the facility 10 sends an SMS message to the telephone 28b stating that either the owner of the item has not registered with the facility or the identifier which has been provided by the finder is incorrect. If the control module 18 finds a match, an SMS message is sent to the finder's telephone 28b requesting the finder to provide his or her name. If the user has registered a reward with the facility 10, the SMS message to the finder will also indicate that a reward has been registered by the inclusion of the words "Reward Applies". The finder sends an SMS message back to the facility 10 with his or her name and upon receipt by the control module 18 of the finder's name, the control module 18 automatically generates and sends, at block 188, a notification message to the user, the notification message being an SMS message which is sent to the telephone number which the user has registered as his or her contact telephone number. The SMS message informs the user that the item has been found and that the finder can be contacted at a specified telephone number, being the telephone number from which the SMS message from the finder was received, and provides the name of the finder. If the user has registered a reward, the SMS will also indicate that the finder

has been notified of the reward. If, instead, a reward has not been registered, the SMS message will include a suggestion that the user offers the finder a reward of, for example, at least R20 (twenty South African rands). The facility 10 also sends an SMS message to the finder's telephone 28b in which the finder is informed that the discovery of the item by the finder has been reported to the user and that the user will be contacting the finder. The user then telephones the finder to arrange for the collection of the item.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, in use, the facility 100 and the carrier device 140 operate in a similar manner as the facility 10 and the carrier device 40 as described above, save that the user (not shown) and the finder (not shown) communicate with the facility 100 by calling the telephone number 086 333 4444 provided on the carrier device 140 and responding vocally to voice prompts generated by the IVR system 134.

Thus, when the user wishes to register his or her association with the carrier device 140, the user phones the telephone number provided on the carrier 140 and, in response to voice prompts generated by the voice prompt generating means 136, provides the identifier given on the carrier device 140 and his or her personal details.

Similarly, when the finder wishes to report a lost item which is associated with the carrier device 140, the finder phones the telephone number given on the carrier 140 and, in response to voice prompts generated by the IVR system 134, provides the identifier on the carrier device and his or her name. The IVR system 134 interprets the voice messages provided by the user and the finder using voice recognition technology.

The responses of the user and the finder are stored in the item database 12.

Referring now to Figure 6, reference numeral 200 generally indicates a method for sending category-specific adverts in accordance with the invention. In this example, the control module 18 of the computer server 1 1 is operable to classify the user into three categories (although it is to be appreciated that the categories could be changed as desired).

The first category is geographic location and the user is classified according to which geographic location includes their residential address (as supplied by the user himself/herself). The second category is the retail outlet (XYZ Stores, in this case) from

which the user purchased the item while the third category is the item itself or class of items.

The item database 12 includes all the information necessary to classify a user into each of the three categories. The computer server 1 1 is configured to provide a user interface so that all suppliers who supplied items which have been registered with the facility 10 can access limited user information. In particular, the server computer 1 1 provides a web page which is accessible remotely by the suppliers via the Internet 26.

The control module 18 facilitates sending of category-specific advertisements to particular users. A particular supplier (in this context further referred to as an advertiser) who wishes to send an category-specific message accesses the facility 10 via the Internet 26 and the facility 10 correspondingly receives, at block 202, an advertising request. The advertising request includes an indication of the particular category or categories of users to whom the advertisement is to be sent. In this example, the advertiser is XYZ Stores and they wish to send an advertisement to every user who has registered a product purchased from any XYZ Store. If desired, the advertiser could also direct that an advertisement be sent only to a user who purchased a particular product or type of product at all their stores or a particular store.

The control module 18 then classifies, at block 204, the users in the item database 12 to determine how many users fall into that particular category (in this case, how many users have registered an item purchased from XYZ Stores). The classification module then provides, at block 206, the advertiser with feedback regarding the proposed advertisement. For example, the feedback may indicate that there are 100 users who currently fall into that particular category and that a charge per advertisement per user is R1 (one South African rand) so that the total charge for sending the proposed category-specific advertisement to all the users in the category will be R100.

The advertiser elects, at block 208, whether or not to proceed. If the advertiser decides to proceed, he/she suppliers the advertisement. For example, the advertisement may be in SMS format, in which case the advertiser will supply a text

message of preferably 160 words or less. The facility 10 receives, at block 210, the advertisement and sends, at block 212, the advertisement to all the persons in the particular category. In this example, XYZ Stores may have chosen to advertise an upcoming sale in its branches, knowing that the targeted users have shopped at their stores before.

The control module 18 then bills, at block 214, the advertiser according to how many SMS messages were actually sent.

The above method 200 may be modified so that not only registered users are eligible to be sent adverts, but other users as well (such as the person reporting a lost item).

The Inventor believes that the invention as exemplified provides a convenient facility and method for restoring lost items to the owner. The facility and method then also allow for classification of registered users for sending category-specific messages.