GB2423160A

GB2423160A - A package of a ring (and/or other device) and introduction cards for dating/friendship

Info

Publication number: GB2423160A
Application number: GB0428269A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Lahiri Khan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-23
Filing date: 2004-12-23
Publication date: 2006-08-16
Also published as: GB2422028A; GB0514898D0; GB0428269D0

Abstract

A ring (and/or other device) is packaged with introduction cards. This combination is for use as an introduction agency for making new friends or dating without time limits, potentially throughout life, easily, very inexpensively and even unexpectedly, in which anyone can try to attract anyone they encounter by chance or otherwise immediately into an introduction process. The ring or other device has a logo (and/or is otherwise distinctive in appearance and/or design) and is used as a "people magnet" to effect entry into the introduction process. The cards are for helping determine compatibility, providing reasons or excuses to terminate unsuitable introductions and would be able to provide other information, including contact details of a centralized administrative agency set up to facilitate introductions and to publicize, develop and market the package and related merchandise.

Description

I

TITLE:

INTRODUCTION AGENCY

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to an innovative introduction agency for making friends and/or dating involving a new introduction process as well as merchandise for it, especially a ring.

Finding friends or dates can be a costly, difficult and daunting process. Conventional introduction methods often require considerable motivation to begin the process as well as much effort and financial outlay each time such an attempt is made and are usually aimed at a concentrated targeted market.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

To overcome these problems, the present invention proposes "Flash Dating" and merchandise for "Flash Dating". The term "Flash Dating" will be used throughout this document, but another name may eventually be chosen instead.

Flash Dating will be an innovative agency that will firstly, allow people to make new friends and/or date on a continuous, effortless and on-going basis and secondly, allow people to decide very quickly whether or not they might be compatible with each other.

The former will be carried out largely using a logo, especially one displayed on an "Availability Ring". The term "Availability Ring" will be used throughout this document, but another name may eventually be chosen instead. The latter will be facilitated as necessary by durable, compact flash cards that can be carried around easily if required.

ADVANTAGES

The Availability Ring will be able to be worn by anyone as much or as little as required, allowing continuous, effortless and on-going opportunities for anyone wearing it to make friends with new people in almost all situations and locations. The fact that Availability Rings are for the purpose of being used as "people magnets" for entry into an introduction process that is available and open to anyone and in which anyone can try to attract anyone else they encounter anywhere for the purpose of making friends and/or dating, completely distinguishes them from rings (or other merchandise) worn, for example, that show belonging to a specialist group within society.

Availability Rings may even be presented and marketed as a type of fashion accessory and using them, as a new and everlasting way of making people more "attractive" (or at the very least, more approachable) to other people, as well as helping make loneliness a thing of the past.

Flash cards could help make the immediate follow-up to the initial contact as quick, easy, automatic and stress-free as possible. Most importantly, the cards would enable the possible compatibility of people to be decided unusually quickly; only an exceptionally short time may be available when Flash Dating. Many, if not all the points on the cards might seem obvious to someone experienced in making conversation or dating. However the emphasis here is on speed and the cards could also provide a good reason or excuse to terminate the introduction at any point immediately if so desired. In fact, the use of the flash cards in such circumstances, especially if they are physically present and visible, would probably be considered unacceptable in any other form of dating. The essential points on the cards should become easy to remember, making their physical presence entirely optional or unnecessary when Flash Dating.

The invention of Flash Dating should provide an effortless and inexpensive, yet hopefully effective and long-lasting way of making new friends or dates. This would be possible for very many years even, perhaps, throughout life and all this for just the initial cost of buying a package that includes the ring and flash cards. This invention would be very unlike present introduction methods which often involve much time, expense and effort including, for example, having to think of how to look, what to say and, usually, where to meet to make good first impressions. Present introduction methods also often result in the efforts having to be made in concentrated spurts, with accompanying pressure, rather than continuously over time.

It is hoped that the invention of Flash Dating will eventually make an important contribution to the lives and happiness of very many people worldwide.

INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING

it is expected that the logo used on merchandise for Flash Dating, including the Availability Ring, will be designed professionally and also registered as a trademark to increase the market potential of the invention. Figure 1 illustrates a type of logo that could be used but is unlikely to be the one adopted, which may well be more intricate and distinctive, as well as harder to copy. Figure 1 is intended to be a logo possibly representing a "wide circle" of friends. The logo chosen may instead involve wording. It is hoped that whatever logo is adopted will become used and recognised universally.

However, there is little reason apart from market potential as to why the logo could not be very simple, such as just a circle, triangle or star, which would make the logo already widely available and easy to reproduce. If logos such as these were adopted, this should only perhaps be at a very much later stage, possibly in a junior friendship "fun-type" or economy version with logo stickers that could be shared, or else considered for trial in another country. The invention might then perhaps appear as, for example, "Circle Dating" or "Star Dating".

The profitability of the invention could however be expected to be greatly diminished using a very simple logo since there would be less need to purchase the package. Nevertheless this could well increase the potential of the invention to benefit society over time, especially if a centralized administrative Flash Dating Agency remained economically viable for its promotion, development and back up. This could eventually lead to the widespread adoption of a very simple logo giving limitless new opportunities for making friends and dating throughout society at little or no cost whatsoever.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Flash Dating will require participants to purchase a package that will include an Availability Ring, flash cards and information (much or all of which may also be in flash card form). There will be contact details (in particular, website address and telephone number) of a centralized administrative agency that will be set up called "Flash Dating".

The Availability Ring will have a distinctive logo that will be able to be used on related merchandise, some either to be included in the package or else that may become available mainly for purchase, though most of them probably at a later stage, from the centralized Flash Dating Agency e.g. jewellery (including rings), love charms, leaflets, possibly bags and Tshirts. Some items such as stickers, badges, bands, etc., could make the logo much too accessible if they were made available, because they could easily be given away free to other people, greatly reducing sales of the package, but this may still be considered beneficial in the future.

The feasibility of introducing other means for being noticed, for example merchandise (including Availability Rings) with lighting and sounding capabilities, could be considered.

These capabilities would be intended primarily for situations when a logo would be both less noticeable and less useful and such a product might be included in the package.

An Availability Ring will be worn by anyone who wishes to say that the ring wearer is happy, or, at least immediately available, to talk to anyone who sees it and in particular, someone not already known to the wearer. In this way, an initial opportunity for conversation with new people is provided.

If the opportunity is taken up, the conversation can then, although this is not entirely essential, begin by going through a few points on the starter flash card that require only veiy short answers concerning the status of the person introducing themselves and for what they are searching (the wearer will start asking questions and making comments using the card or from memoiy of the card). At this stage, later on, or even before any conversation gets under way at all, the wearer can say that the introducer does not meet the wearer's search criteria (without any need to clarif' which) and the conversation can and should be ended immediately.

Some examples of status and search preference points are: whether the introducer and wearer are looking for friends or dates, if dates, whether short-term or long-term, whether they are single or in a relationship, their ages (within a broad range), whether they have children or not and whether or not they are smokers.

The starter flash card and/or one or more follow-up flash cards could contain many further points of conversation, some of which may require lengthier answers including, for example, what sort of job they have, in which area they live, hobbies, pets and type of car, if they drive.

Points of conversation that are very much more general such as personal descriptions including, for example, personal qualities, strengths and weaknesses may be included towards the end of a follow-up flash card and could be discussed, if so desired, at length at any subsequent meeting if arranged.

There could also be a flash card perhaps personalized with, for example, a personal registration number for optional use printed on it, giving the centralized administrative Flash Dating Agency's contact details. This would include a website address and telephone number that could be used, amongst other things, to check out times, dates and locations of flash mob introduction venues if so desired. These could involve ring wearers meeting at pre-determined public place venues (which could be advertised by emailing and text messaging and possibly even publicized by the mass media). Such flash mob introductions, some of which may be specifically for making friends (i.e. including those of the same sex and/or opposite sex) and some specifically for dating, could be arranged by the Flash Dating Agency as well as by individuals, most likely through the Flash Dating Agency.

The Flash Dating Agency's contact details could also be used by individuals, if required, to place, as well as reply to advertisements for dates (or friends) in a traditional way but at a low cost to Availability Ring holders.

Other flash cards would contain back-up and peripheral information e.g. instructions for Flash Dating, precautions when first meeting strangers, self-defence tips, do's and don'ts of dating/making friends/keeping friends, body language tips and optional explicit questions.

There could be optional blank cards for giving out at least one contact detail (e.g. telephone number) for use by the ring wearer and introducer, possibly with contact details of the Flash Dating Agency, as well, printed on as additional publicity. It might be possible for the introducer to leave a message through the Flash Dating Agency if just the wearer's name was known.

Different types of flash cards may be colour-coded according to their function, for convenience during usage.

There would also be, though possibly at a later stage of development, information on buying merchandise from the Flash Dating Agency in addition to the package. Most prominent and possibly amongst the earliest obtainable of these could be other, high quality, very attractive Availability Rings that could be ordered exclusively from the Flash Dating Agency in different ring sizes.

The initial Availability Ring in the package could be basic, but preferably also attractive- looking and probably a signet or medallion ring. It could also be either a universal fit ring e.g. a clip-on type or else a ring available in different sizes. In common with other Availability Rings and probably most other merchandise from the Flash Dating Agency, it would display the Flash Dating logo.

Although Availability Rings would not be intended to be very conspicuous, they would be noticeable (so helping to advertise the invention incidentally by word of mouth) and would allow easy recognition by anyone who knew about Flash Dating and its logo. Both of these would be expected to be widely publicized by the Flash Dating Agency from the very start, including during the process of marketing the package.

Claims

1. An introduction agency involving an introduction process and/or logo or sign and/or ring and/or light-emitting (including phosphorescent) device and/or sound-emitting device and/or all other merchandise that is/are specifically for use in that introduction agency for making friends and/or dating in which anyone can to try to attract anyone that they encounter by chance or otherwise, immediately or subsequently, into that introduction process using that logo or that sign and/or that ring and/or that light-emitting (including phosphorescent) device and/or that sound-emitting device and/or that other merchandise that is/are specifically for the purpose of

effecting entry into that introduction process.

2. An introduction agency according to claim I, facilitated by flash cards which may or may not be visible in use at any time during the introduction process and/or in which the flash cards may be used to help determine immediately or subsequently the compatibility of participants and/or in which the flash cards may provide a reason and/or excuse for terminating the introduction immediately or subsequently.

3. An introduction system according to claim 1 or 2, that additionally comprises a set of cards (or similar device) for use visibly or otherwise, to help determine immediately or subsequently the compatibility of participants in that introduction system and/or to provide a reason and/or excuse to terminate an unsuitable introduction immediately or subsequently and/or in providing other information.

3. An introduction agency according to any of the preceding claims, in which flash mobs may be used.

4. An introduction agency according to any of the preceding claims, that is either named "Flash Dating" or is given another name and/or using a ring that is either named an "Availability Ring" or is given another name and/or that may be presented in the form of a package and/or using an administrative agency that is either named "Flash Dating" or is given another name.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. An introduction system for making friends and/or dating, comprising a ring for an introduction process in which anyone can tiy, over any time period and at any location, to attract into an introduction immediately or subsequently anyone they encounter entirely by chance, as well as anyone they encounter otherwise, by using that ring that has a logo and/or is otherwise distinctive in appearance and/or design and that is, by being noticed, identifiable as being for the purpose of effecting

introductions in this way.

2. An introduction system according to claim 1, wherein an item ofjewellery or item of clothing or bag or band or badge or sticker or other device is used for said introduction process instead of, or in addition to, said ring.