System and method for promoting physical activity and recruiting individuals to participate

Abstract

A system and method for promoting physical activity in children and recruiting individuals to participate in the program for physical activity. Promotion of physical activity is centered around an entertainment event such as a movie release. A variety of physical activities are related to the entertainment event to encourage and entice children to participate. Children and their parents are directed to a website where they can learn about the entertainment event and how they can participate in the physical activities as well as to recruit other children to participate. Children participate in the physical activities and then track their participation at the web site. Prizes and rewards are issued to reward the children for their participation in the activities and to keep them interested in the program. The program combines the entertainment event with online and real world experiences while keeping the children engaged in physical activities.

1 . A computerized method for promoting health activity in children, comprising:
 (a) receiving at a web server from a first computer user accessing an entertainment event web site a request to establish a first user account;   (b) assigning to said first user account a team recruiting code;   (c) receiving at said web server from a plurality of computer users requests to establish user accounts;   (d) assigning at said web server to a team said first computer user and a subset of said plurality of computer users entering said team recruiting code;   (e) prompting a computer user on said team to create a new mission;   (f) in response to said computer user responding to said prompt to create said new mission, displaying a create new mission page comprising prompts for additional mission data to be entered by said computer user;   (g) receiving at said web server from said computer user on said team mission data for said new mission defined by said computer user, said mission data comprising:
 (1) a name for said new mission entered by said computer user in response to a first input text prompt; 
 (2) a description of a health activity to be completed by computer users on said team, said description entered by said computer user in response to a second input text prompt; 
 (3) instructions for said health activity to be completed by computer users on said team, said instructions entered by said computer user in response to a third input text prompt; 
 (4) indicators for whether said new mission:
 (i) is a physical or mental activity; 
 (ii) requires teamwork; and 
 (iii) requires parental help; 
 
   (h) generating at said computer a mission page comprising said mission data for said new mission defined by said user;   (i) transmitting to said computer users on said team from said web server said page describing said new mission; and   (j) receiving at said web server from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account to indicate said computer user's completion of said health activity for said new mission.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising a mission for said team generated at said web server. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising a mission provided by a computer user of another team at said web site. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said entertainment event is a movie. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising rewarding computer users on said team by providing said computer users with access to content related to said movie. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein receiving at said web server from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account comprises receiving at said web server evidence that each computer user completed said health activity. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein evidence that each computer user completed said health activity comprises data selected from the group consisting of:
 photographic recognition data and data from a pedometer. 
 
     
     
         8 . A computerized system for promoting health activity in children, comprising:
 (a) promotional materials for an entertainment event, said promotional materials comprising an identifier for a web site;   (b) a web server in communication with a first computer user, wherein said web server:
 (1) receives from said first computer user a request to establish an account at a web site; 
 (2) assigns to said account for said first computer user a team recruiting code; 
 (3) receives from a plurality of computer users requests to establish user accounts at said web site, said requests comprising an agent code; 
 (4) compares said agent codes from said plurality of computer users to said team recruiting code to identify a subset of said plurality of computer users entering said team recruiting code; 
 (5) assigns to a team said first computer user and said subset of computer users entering said team recruiting code; 
 (6) transmits to said computer users on said team a page describing a new mission to be completed by each computer user on said team, said new mission:
 (i) comprising an identifier, a description, and instructions for a health activity to be completed by computer users on said team; 
 (ii) comprising indicators for whether said new mission is a physical or mental activity, requires teamwork, and requires parental help; and 
 (iii) defined by a computer user on said team that enters in a first input text prompt said identifier, enters in a second input text prompt said description for said health activity, enters in a third input text prompt said instructions for said health activity, and selects indicators for said new mission; and 
 
   (7) receives from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account to indicate said computer user's completion of said health activity of said new mission.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  further comprising a mission for said team generated at said web server. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  further comprising a mission provided by a computer user of another team at said web site. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said entertainment event is a movie. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising rewards for said team comprising access to content related to said movie. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said web server receives from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account with evidence that each computer user completed said health activity. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein said evidence that each computer user completed said health activity comprises data selected from the group consisting of:
 photographic recognition data and data from a pedometer. 
 
     
     
         15 . A computerized method for engaging children in health activity, comprising:
 (a) establishing at a web server a user account for a first computer user accessing said web site;   (b) assigning to said user account a team recruiting code;   (c) receiving at said web server from a plurality of computer users requests to establish user accounts, said requests comprising an agent code;   (d) comparing at said web server said agent codes from said plurality of computer users to said team recruiting code to identify a subset of said plurality of computer users entering said team recruiting code;   (e) entering in a database at said web server team data for a team comprising said first computer user and said subset of computer users;   (f) transmitting to said computer users on said team from said web server a page describing a new mission comprising:
 (i) an identifier for said new mission entered in a first input text prompt by a computer user on said team; and 
 (ii) a description of a health activity for said new mission entered in a second input text prompt by said computer user on said team; 
 (iii) instructions for said health activity to be completed by computer users on said team, said instructions entered by said computer user in response to a third input text prompt; 
 (iv) indicators for whether said new mission:
 (1) is a physical or mental activity, 
 (2) requires teamwork; and 
 (3) requires parental help; and 
 
   (g) receiving at said web server from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account to indicate said computer user's completion of said health activity in said new mission.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising a mission for said team generated at said web server. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising a mission provided by a computer user of another team at said web site. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein said entertainment event is a movie. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising rewarding computer users on said team by providing said computer users with access to content related to said movie. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein receiving at said web server from each computer user on said team a request to update said user's account comprises receiving at said web server evidence that each computer user completed said health activity of said mission.