- 2 A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENCOURAGING ACTIVITY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION % The present invention generally relates to a system and method for encouraging activity, such as physical or mental activity encouraging the connection of net-enabled devices to online communities via a loyalty/rewards &'program. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The popular uptake of television, electronic and &%video games, and the Internet has encouraged a sedentary lifestyle. This in turn has resulted in a large increase in the incidence of obesity and associated medical conditions. In particular, with the more very recent advent of 2'online communities, where people with similar interests share ideas, thoughts and or converse with others in real time, from the comfort of their own home, it has become increasingly difficult to motivate people to undertake traditional physical activities, such as sport. 2% !any children, in particular, are very computer savvy and avidly participate in online communities. "nline communities can provide many benefits, such as e#posure to new and challenging ideas and a relatively safe environment in which to be e#posed to such ideas. $owever, ('over-usage of the Internet can encourage a sedentary lifestyle and the attendant problem of childhood obesity. "ver-usage may also result in a decrease in socialisation skills, as most socialisation, which previously occurred on the sporting field or in (%playgrounds in a face-to-face manner, now occurs through the impersonal and anonymous interface of a computing system.

- ( SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect, the present invention provides a %system for promoting an activity, comprising a computing system arranged to receive information from a device arranged to monitor the activity, wherein the monitoring data may be utilised to redeem tangible rewards. The computing system may include a database arranged &'to store the monitoring data. The computing system may further include a software application arranged to convert the monitoring information to an integer value. The integer value may be redeemable for tangible rewards. &% In one embodiment, the system includes identification means arranged to identify the user of the device. The identification means may be an identification string capable of being transferred by the device to the computing system or it may be an alphanumeric string 2'provided by a user on transferring monitoring data to the computing system. In one embodiment, the computing system is accessible by a user via a web interface and further includes a messenger application arranged to allow a plurality of 2%users to communicate with each other. The computing system may further include a forum arranged to post information provided by a plurality of users. In a second aspect, the present invention provides a ('device for monitoring the activity of a user, comprising means to measure at least one parameter pertaining to the physical e#ertion of the user, wherein the at least one parameter may be stored in the device, for transfer to a system in accordance with a first aspect of the invention. (% The device may be a multi-function device such as a mobile telephone or a children)s toy. The monitoring may be performed by a pedometer and or a heart rate monitor.

- * DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS +otwithstanding any other forms which may fall within %the scope of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of e#ample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, -igure & depicts a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. and &' -igure 2 is a diagram depicting the interaction between users of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT &% The present invention, in a specific embodiment, provides a system and method for encouraging physical activity in individuals, and particularly children. The last few years have seen an e#ponential growth of 2'the Internet and a corresponding growth in an Internet based culture, where social interaction, learning and consumption occur largely via the Internet. This phenomenon has been aided by the development of sophisticated web browsers, instant messenger chat 2%software, online bulletin and forum sites, interactive and networked games, blogs and the more recent convergence of mobile telephone and Internet technologies. /s such, children have not only enthusiastically embraced Internet technology, but have also become ('increasingly reliant on Internet technology as a source of education and social interaction. In effect, many children now live a significant proportion of their lives in an online world. The attraction of the online world is its relative (%anonymity, coupled with the ability to access large amounts of information and interact with thousands, if not millions, of other people.

- % This in turn has led to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. /dult and childhood obesity is approaching epidemic proportions in many western countries, including the 01 and /ustralia. 2onventional attempts to encourage %adults and children to participate in traditional sporting and social activities has had mi#ed results. -or e#ample, it has been found that children now spend less time watching television programs, and more time on the Internet. This in turn has decreased the effectiveness and &'usefulness of traditional media 3television and radio4 advertising campaigns. The embodiment of the invention described herein provides a system which utilises elements of the online world coupled with elements of the offline world in &%order to encourage children to take part in physical and mental activities. 5roadly speaking, the embodiment comprises a portable device arranged to monitor a specific 3or a number of specific4 activities performed by the child. -or e#ample, 2'in the embodiment described herein, the device is a pedometer 3which may be incorporated into another device, such as a Tamagotchi, a wrist watch, a personal diary, a mobile phone or any other suitable electronic device4 which is arranged to monitor the number of steps walked by 2%the child in a given period of time. This monitoring information is then saved in a suitable electronic format, such as in volatile memory, or a persistent memory store. The device may be utilised to monitor any physical characteristic which may be an indicator of increased ('physical activity. -or e#ample, the device may be a heart rate monitor instead of a pedometer. The device preferably has an interface 3such as a 015, serial, infra-red or 5luetoothT! interface4 arranged to allow upload of the monitoring information from the memory (%to a computing system, and ultimately to an online community. [Laurel, i !" #i$e % &e"'ri(e )i" i$ )e a(" ra' , (u i *%ul& (e +rea i# *e )a& a '%$'re e e,a-.le/ E0e$ i#

- 6 )e '%$'re e e,a-.le i" #i' i%$al/ T)ere#%re, i# 1%u )a0e a$ e,a-.le %# a$ a' ual Ta-%+% ')i *i ) a .e&%-e er, i *%ul& (e 0er1 u"e#ul2/ It will be understood that in other embodiments, the %device may upload through a communications network. -or e#ample, if the device is built into a mobile phone, the results may be sent via a short message 31!14 to a computing system, which then routes the message to the online community. &' It will be understood that in the present conte#t, the phrase online community is used to describe a computer server which allows users to interact with each other. This may take any one of a number of forms, including but not limited to, a website with a bulletin &%board, a website with a series of forums, an Instant !essaging application arranged to connect with other users, a peer to peer network, a computing system connected to a conventional communications network 3such as a mobile or fi#ed telephone network4 and or any 2'combination of the above. "nce the information is received by the online community, it may be stored in a database and may be converted into a measure that is more easily understandable to a user. -or e#ample, the number of steps 2%taken in a day may be named points, given them an image of being a valuable, tradeable commodity. There may also be provided an algorithm or formula for converting the collected information into points 3or some other measure4. -or e#ample, it may be decided that &'' steps taken 3as ('measured by a pedometer4 e7uals & point. The points are associated with a login or identification number, which uni7uely identifies the child. It will be understood that conventional (%identification or login protocols may be utilised to control access to the online community. -or e#ample, a child may be asked to provide a login I8 and a password. /lternatively, the device may incorporate a uni7ue I8,

- 9 which is uploaded with the collected information each time an upload is initiated. In an alternative embodiment, the collected information and or points may not be stored in a database. %This may be done to ensure that a child can only utilise the points on a daily basis, thereby encouraging daily activity. The information, once uploaded, can be used for any one of a number of purposes. -or e#ample, the online &'community may be operated and overseen by a school, which uses the online community as a vehicle for publishing results and comparing students. /s such, children can compete for the title of the most activity in a day, a week, etc. &% /lternatively, a health organisation 3such as the 8iabetes /ssociation or the $eart -oundation4 may wish to operate a rewards scheme, where points accumulated over a period of time can be redeemed for rewards, such as pri:es, cash rewards, downloadable content such as music, 2'movies and ring-tones, etc. In a particular embodiment, aimed at children, accumulated points may be e#changed for ring-tones, pi#els, or other electronic products. These may be downloaded onto the child)s computing system, or their 2%device, depending on the type of device utilised. It will also be understood that embodiments of the present invention may be incorporated into a larger online community 3such as part of the !1+ service or the ;ahoo< service4, as a way to ensure that children return to the ('online community on a regular basis. -or e#ample, by offering ring-tones in return for completing physical activity, children not only engage in physical activity on a regular basis, but also need to return to the community on a regular basis to e#change their points for tangible (%rewards. This allows the online community to provide children with regular updated information on health issues, etc., thereby providing not only an incentive to return, but

- = also new and useful information on each return. The online community may also incorporate many other features, in order to increase the long-term appeal and thereby encourage children to return. -or e#ample, the %online community may allow children to swap ring-tones and other pri:es amongst themselves, thereby fostering a community feel, so that children visit the website not only to collect rewards, but also to interact with others. In another embodiment, pri:es may be swapped directly &'from one device to another 3e.g. if the device is a mobile phone or a Tamagotchi, children may be able to wirelessly send pi#els or ring-tones to each other, once they have initially downloaded them from the online community4. There may also be provided forums, instant messaging &%software, and other communication means, which all work in a synergistic manner to ensure that children are attracted to the online community not only for the pri:es, but also for the ongoing social interaction with other children. [Laurel, a+ai$, i *%ul& (e u"e#ul % )a0e a$ a' ual 2'e,a-.le, ")%*i$+ "%-e "a-.le #%ru- .a+e", ")%*i$+ .%i$ " (ei$+ re&ee-e&, e '/, e0e$ i# )e1 are -a&e u. e,a-.le"/ O# '%ur"e, )i" -a1 $% (e .%""i(le i$ )e ")%r i-e/ H%*e0er, a$1 )i$+ *e 'a$ a&& % -%0e )i" #r%- )e )e%re i'al % )e .ra' i'al *%ul& (e u"e#ul2 2% 5y interacting with other children online, many children will also become involved in healthy competition with others, thereby encouraging them to increase their physical activity. It will also be understood that whilst the embodiment ('described herein refers to a system designed to encourage children to e#ercise, the system finds much wider application in any number of different situations. The system may also be used to encourage mental activity, by providing rewards in return for solving pu::les, (%crosswords, mathematical problems, etc. In another different application, another embodiment of the invention may be utilised to encourage and reward positive behaviour in adults. -or e#ample, adults may also

- > have their e#ercise regimes monitored, in return for substantive pri:es or cash rewards. [T)i" .re'e&i$+ "e' i%$ *a" *)ere I &e"'ri(e& )e a&0a$ a+e"/ I# )ere are a$1 a&0a$ a+e" *%r ) -e$ i%$i$+ %*)i') I )a0e $% li" e&, .lea"e a&& )e- i$/ N% e, )%*e0er, )a I al*a1" '%u')e& )e e,a-.le" #r%- a u"er!" .%i$ %# 0ie*, a$& $% a (u"i$e"" .%i$ %# 0ie*/ T)i" i" &eli(era e, "i$'e al3i$+ a(%u )e a&0a$ a+e" % ".%$"%r" -a1 -a3e a$ e,a-i$er 'la"" )i" i$ % )e 4(u"i$e"" -e )%&5 &'i$0e$ i%$ 'a e+%r1, *)i') -a1 $% (e )el.#ul/2

- &' THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS6 &. % / system for promoting an activity, comprising a computing system arranged to receive information from a device arranged to monitor the activity, wherein the monitoring data may be utilised to redeem tangible rewards. / system in accordance with claim &, wherein the computing system includes a database arranged to store the monitoring data. / system in accordance with claim & or claim 2, wherein the computing system further includes a software application arranged to convert the monitoring information to an integer value. / system in accordance with claim (, wherein the integer value is redeemable for tangible rewards. / system in accordance with any one of claims & to *, further including identification means arranged to identify the user of the device. / system in accordance with claim %, wherein the identification means is an identification string capable of being transferred by the device to the computing system / system in accordance with claim %, wherein the identification means is an alphanumeric string provided by a user on transferring monitoring data to the computing system. / system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing system is accessible by a user via a web interface. / system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing system further includes a messenger application arranged to allow a plurality of users to communicate with each other. / system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing system further includes a forum arranged to post information provided by a plurality of users.

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- && / device for monitoring the activity of a user, comprising means to measure at least one parameter pertaining to the physical e#ertion of the user, wherein the at least one parameter may be stored in the device, for transfer to a system in accordance with any one of claims & to &'. / device in accordance with claim &&, wherein the device is a multi-function device. / system in accordance with claim &&, wherein the device is a mobile telephone. / device in accordance with claim &&, wherein the device is a children)s toy. / system in accordance with any one of claims && to &*, wherein the monitoring is performed by a pedometer. / system in accordance with any one of claims && to &*, wherein the monitoring is performed by a heart rate monitor.