Web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system which allows users willing to interact with online advertisements to participate in free sweepstakes with the chance to win prizes. The web-based system may display advertisements, manage sweepstakes information, and apply sweepstakes rules to information received from participants in order to determine sweepstakes results. A participant may interact with the web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system simply by visiting a hosted website. The web-based system may be designed to prompt a participant with sweepstakes information, receive participant information in response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information, retrieve sweepstakes rules from the memory, and apply the sweepstakes rules to the participant information to determine a sweepstakes result.

1 . A web-based system having a central processing unit (CPU) for executing machine instructions and a memory for storing machine instructions that are to be executed by the CPU, the machine instructions when executed by the CPU implement the following functions:
 prompting a participant with sweepstakes information;   receiving participant information in response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information;   retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory; and   applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information such that a participant entry number, based on a sequential ordering of participant information received by the system, is compared with a preset number to determine a sweepstakes result.   
     
     
         2 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the sweepstakes result comprises a losing outcome or a winning outcome. 
     
     
         3 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine instructions when executed by the CPU further implement the following function:
 awarding a prize based on the sweepstakes result.   
     
     
         4 . The web-based system of  claim 3 , wherein the prize includes a primary prize. 
     
     
         5 . The web-based system of  claim 4 , wherein the awarding function further includes awarding the primary prize to an active participant. 
     
     
         6 . The web-based system of  claim 4 , wherein the prize further includes one or more secondary prizes. 
     
     
         7 . The web-based system of  claim 6 , wherein the awarding function further includes awarding the primary prize to an active participant and awarding the one or more secondary prizes to one or more passive participants. 
     
     
         8 . The web-based system of  claim 7 , wherein the awarding function further includes awarding the one or more secondary prizes to the one or more passive participants in accordance with a participant-referral system. 
     
     
         9 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the participant information includes a unique identifier of a participant and compliance information. 
     
     
         10 . The web-based system of  claim 9 , wherein the unique identifier identifies a registered participant. 
     
     
         11 . The web-based system of  claim 9 , wherein the compliance information includes whether the participant has met sweepstakes entry requirements. 
     
     
         12 . The web-based system of  claim 11 , wherein the sweepstakes entry requirements include displaying an advertisement for a preset length of time. 
     
     
         13 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the function of prompting a participant with sweepstakes information comprises:
 displaying an advertisement with the sweepstakes information.   
     
     
         14 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine instructions when executed by the CPU further implement the following functions:
 transmitting a sweepstakes result message to the participant; and   updating a sweepstakes information database in accordance with the sweepstakes result and the participant information.   
     
     
         15 . The web-based system of  claim 14 , wherein the sweepstakes result message comprises a losing-outcome message or a winning-outcome message. 
     
     
         16 . The web-based system of  claim 1 , wherein the function of applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information comprises:
 associating participant information received by the system with the sweepstakes information;   assigning a participant entry number to the participant information in accordance with a sequential ordering of participant information received by the system; and   comparing the participant entry number with a preset number to determine a sweepstakes result.   
     
     
         17 . A web-based system having a central processing unit (CPU) for executing machine instructions and a memory for storing machine instructions that are to be executed by the CPU, the machine instructions when executed by the CPU implement the following functions:
 prompting a participant with sweepstakes information;   receiving participant information in response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information;   retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory;   applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information to determine a sweepstakes result; and   awarding a prize in accordance with the sweepstakes result, wherein a sweepstakes-entry bonus, based at least in part on the participant's prior sweepstakes entries, affects the prize.   
     
     
         18 . The web-based system of  claim 17 , wherein the function of awarding a prize in accordance with the sweepstakes result comprises:
 retrieving sweepstakes entry data from the memory, the sweepstakes entry data including a sweepstakes-entry bonus;   associating the participant with the sweepstakes-entry bonus; and   combining the sweepstakes-entry bonus with the sweepstakes result to determine a prize.   
     
     
         19 . A web-based system having a central processing unit (CPU) for executing machine instructions and a memory for storing machine instructions that are to be executed by the CPU, the machine instructions when executed by the CPU implement the following functions:
 prompting a participant with sweepstakes information;   receiving participant information in response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information;   retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory;   applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information to determine a sweepstakes result; and   awarding a primary prize to an active participant and one or more secondary prizes to one or more passive participants in accordance with a participant-referral system.   
     
     
         20 . The web-based system of  claim 19 , wherein the active participant is the participant and the participant-referral system is structured such that the one or more passive participants are selected based on referral connections of the active participant.