Method of tracking and quantifying the offline advertising efficiency by providing the possibility to have a "click offline" interaction with it, using specific visual identification elements and applications installed on mobile devices. b) Technical field/ Industry

The patent could be used as a connection between:

any field/industry that needs to integrate offline environment interactions similar to online interactions (like the advertising industry) and

- the online environment - through software applications downloaded on mobile devices

with the purpose to quantify interactions (thus obtaining statistics of user metrics). The advertising industry is the field in which the current patent has a direct and immediate applicability, offering new ways to interact and, moreover, new ways to quantify the efficiency of offline advertising and offline interaction. c) State of the art

o Currently, the new generation mobile devices have:

i. The ability to identify the device geographical localization - latitude and longitude (GPS coordinates)

ii. The ability to capture and record images from the environment and overlay images from applications installed on the mobile device

o Online medium: it is currently possible to use software applications available through:

i. Play Store (for mobile devices with an Android Operating System) ii. Apple Store (or mobile devices with an IOS Operating System) iii. Websites o Internet access for mobile devices (phone, tablet or any other type of mobile terminal) is easily available and the costs associated with data traffic are on a descending trend.

Two examples of using the currently available technology in a similar way, but with a completely different purpose are the following applications available on Play Store and Apple Store:

• Snapchat - notice the way filters are applied: overlaying images on the face of the person using the device, but also the fact that the application is using anatomical clues in order to correctly position the overlaid images.

• Pokemon GO - notice the use of GPS coordinates and also overlaying images of imaginary animals over the background image recorded using the camera of the phone and shown on the display. d) The resolved issue

The issues resolved by the current patent are the lack of clear efficiency metrics in offline advertising and the lack of ways to stimulate users to interact with the offline adverts and, in return, to increase the return of investment. This lack of metrics (clear metrics, not just estimated) results in the inability to calculate the return of investment for offline advertising, which is currently only estimated.

This issue is resolved by introducing the possibility for the user to interact with the adverts and as a result introducing the ability to determine traffic/usage metrics with similar levels of accuracy as the online traffic metrics. This accuracy was not considered possible until now.

• The estimates that are currently used in determining the return of investment for offline advertising will be replaced with clear statistics of efficiency (traffic metrics) benefiting both the companies in the advertising industry and the companies that purchase advertising space.

• The key to being able to create and measure traffic metrics for offline advertising is offering customers an easy and meaningful way to interact with that offline advertising. In the online medium the concepts of "view" and "click" are used (also tied to the pay-per-click concept), but in the offline medium (street advertising, newspapers, magazines, and so on) only a concept similar to the "view" exists but it is just an estimate based on other metrics, without being able to clearly determine if the target audience actually did see the advertising and also with no possible way to interact with it like you would by clicking on a banner in the online medium.

This limitation is resolved in the current patent by offering a way to interact and record metrics resulted from this interaction, using the currently available technology.

Similar to online click which can be defined as the interaction with an element on a webpage, the "offline click" can be defined as the interaction with an element in "offline" so in the physical environment by means of a mobile device.

Therefore, the "offline click" can be defined as the following sequence of actions: the user sees the offline element on an advertisement (1), recognizes the sign that indicates the possibility to interact (2), opens the application on his mobile device and uses it to interact (3). The mobile application identifies the symbol (4), the shape of the advertising (5) and determines what the result of this interaction should be (6). The possible results of the interaction are numerous (display video advertising, mini- game, discount code for shopping, etc.), they encourage the interaction and have a clear purpose (shopping for a product or service, participating in study, etc.), but there is also a tracking component which results in offline analytics that quantify the offline advertising efficiency. These analytics could be organized and used similar to web analytics.

For reference, please check: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web analytics e) Patent presentation

In order to quantify the efficiency of an offline advertising (be it a billboard, street ad, TV ad, printed ad, etc.) it is necessary to offer the means by which a user is able to interact with it in an easy manner that could also be verified and tracked by the company that advertises. This can be achieved by using an easily recognizable symbol (like the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth symbols) or other visual element that has two functions:

- Signals the user (target audience) that there is a possibility to interact with that advertising using a mobile device

Upon scanning, offers the mobile application all the information needed to determine the type of interaction associated with that particular advertising and what is the resulting end benefit: view a video, mini-game, discount code, etc.

Using the visual clue described above, the user recognizes the possibility to interact and opens the mobile application (he may even be prompted to open it via a notification on his device). The user positions his mobile device in such a way that the mobile application is able to identify (via the camera of mobile device) the visual symbols and other needed elements and "clicks".

The result is not only a benefit for the user, but also a way to identify and quantify the interaction and save records of offline analytics (like "click" or "pay-per-click" in the online environment).

Needed technical characteristics

To be able to accomplish the offline interaction (click offline) and to track the offline analytics the following technical characteristics are needed:

- Mobile device (phone, tablet or other types of mobile terminals) with a camera and an internet connection

- The possibility to identify the GPS position (latitude and longitude) of the mobile device (optional, but could be used in order to identify the location of the advertising in the case of billboards and street ads)

- Creating a mobile application that is able to identify the symbol and other visual elements and to govern the interaction of the user, offering an intrinsic benefit (the interaction itself) and extrinsic benefits (discounts, for instance) in order to stimulate the user to interact.

- Making the application available (pre-installed on the mobile devices or downloadable from Play Store, Apple Store, websites etc.)

- Installing and using the application (if not pre-installed)

- A way to store, analyze and display the offline data in a similar fashion with the web analytics in online (view, click, pay-per-click, etc.)

The method to determine the parameters of the interaction may be different depending on the communication medium being used: for billboards and other street ads the GPS coordinates may be useful tools to use, but these elements are of no immediate interest when the advertising you interact with is displayed on a cereal box; in this case identifying the cereal box may give other clues for the interaction; like the fact that the time available for the user to interact is different compared to a street ad for instance, where it may be limited due to waiting for a green light or waiting for public transportation.

Due to these differences, the patent group is composed by patents being differentiated by the medium used for communication:

1) Interaction with billboards and other street ads

Identifying the advertising that allows an interaction is an important element of this patent; this is done by using the following elements (separate or together):

- GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude)

- Identifying a triggering element; this can be:

- A symbol/visual element that triggers the action; easy to recognize - could be similar to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth symbols

- The logo of the company that advertises

- Other visual clues: extra elements (logo in a circle) or even the color used

- Identifying the shape and format of the advertising (steps 5 and 6)

The purpose of the above details is to determine the type and flow of the interaction, for instance:

1. Display a "Play" button in order to start the video advertising on the mobile device; on the screen the video is overlapping the image of the billboard or street ad

2. Display a "Play Game" button in order to launch a mini-game, that may be shown as overlapping the image of the billboard or street ad depending on the mechanics of the game

3. "Offer discount" interaction - this may add additional logic to the mobile application in order to prevent repeated actions/redeems intended or not. This logic is already used in other advertising areas in online.

4. Any other interactions that involves attracting the user and has as one of its direct or indirect purposes quantifying offline interactions.

The offline analytics (view, click, pay-per-click, etc.) will be recorded and saved in a cloud computing solution (for reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud computinfi ) similar to the way web analytics are (for reference: see Google Analytics).

2) Interaction with elements/ads in magazines or any other type of printed ad or ads that are displayed on a monitor/ TV, projector etc.

In order to enable an interaction with elements/advertising in magazines or any other type of printed ad or ads that are displayed on a monitor/ TV, projector etc., identifying the symbol/ visual elements that signal and allow the interaction is paramount for this patent. The same elements (separate or together) are used as for the street ads with the notable exception of the GPS coordinates (not useful in this case) and additional clues to identify the exact type of advertising (magazine, flyer, cereal box, etc.).

The user interaction is stimulated in a similar way with street ads interaction, but identifying the exact type of advertising has implications in the amount of time the user is able to interact with it. f) Presenting the advantages compared with the state of the art

The main advantage is providing the possibility to have an "offline click" interaction with an offline advertising resulting in tracking and quantifying the interaction and dismantle the current accepted norm that it is not possible for the offline advertising to have the same level of interaction as the online advertising, nor that it can be tracked as such.

So we introduce the concept of offline click, similar to the click in online.

In online the "click" concept is linked to Pay-Per-Click (used acronyms are PPC or CPC - cost per click). According to Wikipedia "Pay-per-click (PPC), also known as cost per click (CPC), is an internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, in which an advertiser pays a publisher (typically a website owner or a network of websites) when the ad is clicked." (Reference: https://en.wikipedia.orR/wiki/Pav-per-click )

In a similar fashion, the method of quantifying the offline interaction of the user (the method which is subject of this patent application) will allow the possibility to track user actions in relation with an offline advertising and in turn, the possibility to quantify the return of investment in offline and also to introduce a Pay-per-offline-Click system like the online one described above.

This will result in a big shift in offline advertising perception and market by making available clear statistics, not just "educated guesses" of the impact of offline advertising. It will allow marketing specialists to have a precise Marketing Plan and clear return of investments for offline advertising, as they have for the online advertising.

The method and advantages are comparable with the Google AdWords system (http.7/www.google.ro/adwords/benefits/) in online advertising, but including the offline specificity.

In conclusion the advantages are:

- Quantifying the efficiency of offline advertising (not just estimates or educated guesses), with cascading advantages in Marketing Plans for promoting a company or a product/service.

Making offline advertising more interesting for the end users by offering an interaction or other benefit (which in turn makes it more interesting for the companies that want to advertise)

- Offering a better data and tooling for companies in the advertising market which offer offline advertising, in order to attract and keep paying companies by offering a way to calculate (not estimate) the return of investment for offline advertising. Unified model of distribution and quantification of marketing budget for online and offline, simplifying the Marketing plan, making it more precise and allowing an easy comparison between the two channels of advertising, which facilitates informed marketing decisions based on clear figures, not on estimates, as is currently the case. g) Short presentation of the elements in the drawings

The drawing exemplifies the manner in which the user interacts with the offline advertising by using his mobile device to "click offline".

The elements in the drawing are:

(1) The billboard

(2) Symbol on the billboard to help identify the advertising

(3) Mobile device

(4) Symbol identified by the mobile device

(5) The form/format identified by the mobile device (checkered area) h) Detailed presentation of at least one way of executing the patent

The current patent application is based on the method of tracking and quantifying the offline advertising efficiency by providing the possibility to have a "click offline" interaction with it; the mobile application that needs to be created to facilitate the interaction (detailed below) could be done using many different programming languages, using different algorithms to identify users, or different presentation images, but all will use the described method and will, in the end, provide statistics similar to web analytics.

An example of interaction with a billboard would be:

1. The user installs the mobile application on his/her device (if it is not pre-installed) and sets up a Google account to uniquely identify him/her (may need to be also in conjunction with a mobile number)

2. The user sees a billboard that has the symbol indicating that interaction is possible

3. The user opens the application (or is prompted to by a notification) and points the camera of the mobile device towards the billboard

4. The application scans the image to find the distinctive visual elements (like the symbol for interactivity, company logo or brand) but also the form/format of the advertising

5. The application, using the collected data, identifies the action related to that advertising and displays a "Play" button (collected data in this case could be: identifying the advertiser by the "Coca-Cola" logo, and by the color of the logo identifying that the expected action for that advertising is to play a video or maybe play a mini-game)

6. The user clicks on "Play", the application loads and plays the video advertising. It may be even a combo: a video encouraging the user to play a mini-game.

7. The user accepts to play a game and his action results in loading a mini-game and at the end the user may win a discount (for instance: the user throws a basketball in a ring or a coin in a Coca-Cola bottle, etc.)

8. All through the interactions described above the application records tracking data to be saved in cloud and later used for analytics.

The above-described interaction is a complex interaction that results in multiple statistics. A simple interaction could be just scanning the image which results in: uniquely identifying the advertising by GPS coordinates and the triggering image, without even having to go to the next step. Taking the above example, the user just pointing his device at the image, without clicking on the "Play" button, is a valid interaction.

Other examples of interaction:

- Directing the user towards a nearby store including the GPS coordinates (for instance the nearby McDonald's is creating street ads and the action related to the advertising is to show directions to their nearest restaurant)

- Suggesting different cereal flavors to somebody interacting with a cereal box

The software application needed to interact and record data

As detailed above, the method described has to use a mobile application developed in a manner that makes possible interactions like the examples above, or any other interaction that encourages the user to "click offline".

A software application is a needed part of the method that is the subject of the current patent application. A software application is a variation of the application described in this patent application and implicitly part of it - even if it is "re-created" or "copied" using another programing language or a different technical or visual design - if it includes one or more of the following elements:

- The application identifies elements of the offline environment needed to quantify the offline interaction in a similar way with the online interaction for the purpose of the interaction itself or for marketing/advertising purposes.

- If necessary, the application will uniquely identify the user by creating an account or linking to an existing account (based on a Google account, Facebook account or any type of account that uniquely identifies users) in order to support the offline interaction, benefits and/or analytics.

- The application governs the interaction logic: based on elements identified in offline (visuals, logo, GPS coordinates or any other identifying elements) it determines the expected interaction for the currently scanned advertising (from a simple video play overlapped on a cereal box, participating in a contest or offering a mini-game with a publicly displayed leaderboard)

- The application may also govern the way and logic related to offline interaction by limiting abusive interaction, similar to click fraud in online (see reference to click fraud https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Click fraud)

- The application will record and send data to a server (or in cloud) in order to offer analytics of offline interaction.

Note: there are already applications available that do not uniquely identify an advertising or the user, and are designed for magazines or catalogs with a purpose related to their specific industry (like the IKEA catalog that uses the environment - the room in which the user is in - in order to overlap furniture), but the scope is not to incite user offline interaction in order to quantify it for marketing/advertising purposes, nor does it use the method described in the current patent in order to resolve the problem of lack of data in offline advertising. i) Indicating, unless it is obviously clear from the detailed presentation in accordance with subparagraph h) or from the nature of the invention, of the manner in which the invention is susceptible of industrial application

This patent group is susceptible of application at a global level, industry level and company level. See examples of these below. Global level: The patent can be used by the global advertisers - Google, Bing, Facebook; the offline tracking and interaction method could be easily integrated with their current publicity tracking models, with minor to medium adjustments offering an universal marketing solution (online and offline merged together in one clear and detailed view).

Industry level: Advertising agencies could adopt this new method of tracking interaction in order to offer quantifiable results for their clients (similar to online advertising models). Developing their own application and tracking would give them an edge and big push in a market that is currently stagnating - offline advertising.

Company level: Even if global advertisers may take some time to adopt the method, big companies in need of advertising - Coca-Cola, Nivea, Starbucks - will be able to use this patent in order to reach out and encourage communication and interaction with their customers even in offline. They will be able to create custom applications that include tracking and interaction in their own offline advertising, spotting and reacting to their logo only and developing just the interaction that suits their industry or brand.