TW201604816A - A loyalty system - Google Patents

Abstract

A loyalty system for exchanging reward points from a plurality of rewards programs comprising a plurality of consumer modules configured to accept login credentials from each consumer from those of the plurality reward programs for which that consumer is enrolled; a merchant server for each of or for groups of the plurality of rewards programs, each configured to provide a plurality of goods or services redeemable for an advertised amount of rewards points under that merchant's rewards program and/or storing accumulated reward points for consumers enrolled with that merchant's rewards program; a server module configured to connect the plurality of consumer modules to the plurality of merchant servers, and storing programmed instructions configured to: receive input from the consumer to exchange accumulated reward points from a first merchant reward program into universal points from a universal points program, determine a conversion rate based on the first merchant rewards program and a real time currency exchange rate, display the determined conversion as an offer to the consumer, if the consumer accepts the offer, sending a debit request to the first rewards program at the respective merchant server and crediting the offered universal points to a universal points account for the respective consumer.

Description

Loyalty system

The present invention relates to a device for exchanging a reward point into a universal point and a loyalty system including the device.

Companies provide loyalty points through a reward program to encourage desired consumer buying patterns for airlines, boutiques, department stores, pharmacies, banks, fuel retailers, ... .

According to ANDRIOTIS's 2012 report, an average American family will participate in 18 estimated consumer dividend plans. However, it does not clearly show that many companies offer these bonus programs to allow consumers to get discounts or bonuses on regular purchases.

According to a 2011 study, approximately $16 billion in bonus points are not redeemed each year in the United States.

There are no restrictions on why consumers do not redeem bonus points:

1. I don’t know the bonus points that can be used in various bonus plans that have been signed up.

2. There are not enough points for the lowest value exchange

3. Don't know the deadline

4. Unsure of the structure of the loyalty program

5. Uncertain exchange rate

6. Uncertain redemption process

For example, stores will share with their consumers a redemption catalogue with prior agreement. An example of this offer is the 20,000-point interchangeable X-brand 21-inch LCD TV. However, consumers can't buy a 26-inch LCD TV even if they have more points because they are not part of the cataloging option.

Another example is that the consumer of the store Y cannot enter the retail store of the store X to purchase any merchandise with the bonus point from the store Y, because the store X does not recognize the bonus points. For this reason, it is not possible to purchase or redeem 21吋 LCD TV at the retail store of store X. Therefore, in most cases, the redemption process is only managed by the store that issued the points.

Some bonus plans limit the redemption options/types of consumers by geographic location. For example, consumers who sign up for a credit card bonus program in Singapore are only eligible to choose a redemption from a catalog that is limited to Singaporean consumers. Consumers cannot redeem goods that are reflected in catalogs provided by other countries in the same store.

To try to overcome this problem, there is a website called points.com that allows very limited point exchanges between loyalty programs. However, each loyalty program has different constraints and the system is not consumer friendly or transparent. Consumers don't have an easy way to know at any time how many points they have in all plans, or to easily see the value of each loyalty point.

The term "point" as used in this article is, but is not limited to, any form of credit, number of points, points, rewards, virtual coins, or in stores, intermediaries, and / or other cumulative loyalty values provided between consumers.

Therefore, it may be desirable in this field to provide a better point of use for the consumer and/or to provide a better consumer retention method for the store.

At the very least, it may be desirable in the art to provide a practical choice for the consumer. Therefore, in this field, it may be desirable to introduce an end-to-end solution provided by the Universal Points (UP) system, which can provide a win-win situation for consumers, stores, and companies (all win situation) ). The purpose of the UP solution is to provide consumers with the convenience of converting and merging bonus points from various bonus plans, allowing store owners to retain the benefits of important customers due to increased sales and marketing activities, and providing companies to enhance their cost savings. And the benefits of promoting a stronger employment relationship with their employees.

In general, the present invention proposes an independent bonus point plan and a bonus point trading system between a plurality of third party loyalty programs and the independent bonus point plan in the first aspect. These separate bonus points can be linked to an actual real monetary value. This allows the consumer to immediately understand the relevant value of the bonus points in each plan and/or easily understand the actual value of the combined price of all the bonus points after the combination. The independent bonus point program can exchange bonus points or exchange bonus points from consumers from multiple third-party loyalty programs to a commonly used type of point for which the consumer has joined, for example , universal points (UP).

The present invention contemplates in a second aspect that a consumer can initiate and/or negotiate a particular point earning agreement in an agreement with the store. This allows the consumer to combine the various necessary expenses of the selected store, and as such, can fulfill the terms of the agreement and earn an UP rebate when the appointment expires. For the store, the benefit of this process is that they will receive an active lead from consumers who wish to authorize their spending through formal appointments to the store’s customers. Bit. This can also increase the sales productivity and sales volume of the store.

The present invention proposes in a third aspect that a company can initiate and negotiate a specific point redemption agreement with a store. This allows the company to combine the various necessary expenses of the selected store, and as such, can fulfill the terms of the agreement and earn UP rewards when the appointment expires. For the store, the benefit of this process is that they will receive an active lead from a company that wants to make a formal purchase at the store's home. This can also increase the sales productivity and sales volume of the store.

The present invention proposes in a fourth aspect that a consumer can search for redemption options categorized by activities. This makes it easier for consumers to use the consumer interface and more effectively identify redemption items of particular interest, as these search results provide the consumer with a checklist of all items related to the activity. This checklist provides consumers with the convenience of purchasing a number of necessary items under certain circumstances, saving time and effort. Consumers can also get bulk purchases of bulk discounts from the store, and the store can get the benefits of increased sales.

The present invention proposes in a fifth aspect that a consumer's UP can be used to purchase any goods or services through a virtual concierge. The advantage is that consumers are not limited to redemption items on the loyalty program catalog of each store.

In a first explicit expression of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for exchanging bonus points in a plurality of bonus plans into universal points in a universal point bonus plan, the apparatus comprising: a database for storing each a preset conversion ratio for each bonus point of a bonus plan converted into a universal point; An I/O unit configured to receive a consumer request from a consumer output device to exchange a particular number of bonus points into a universal point; and a computing unit configured to Extracting the preset conversion ratios from the database and calculating, based on the preset conversion ratios, the number of universal points that can be exchanged using the particular number of bonus points; wherein the I/O unit further It is configured to transmit the calculated number of universal points to the consumer output device.

In a second explicit expression of the invention, a loyalty system for exchanging points in a plurality of bonus plans is provided, comprising: a plurality of consumer modules configured to receive from the plurality of dividends In the plan, the consumer has registered the bonus plan to accept the login voucher of each consumer; for each of the multiple bonus plans or the multi-group bonus plan store server, each bonus plan is configured to a plurality of goods or services for redeeming the number of points that can be notified under the bonus plan specification of the store and/or accumulated points for storing the consumers registered in the store's bonus plan; And a program module configured to connect the plurality of consumer modules to the plurality of store servers and store programmed instructions configured to: receive input from the consumer, Used to exchange the accumulated points in a first store bonus plan into a common point in a general point bonus plan, with the first store bonus plan and an instant currency The conversion ratio is used as a basis to determine the conversion ratio, and the determined conversion result is displayed as a quote for the consumer. If the consumer accepts the offer, a debit request is sent to the first bonus plan at the individual store server and the quoted universal credits are credited to the individual consumer's UP account.

In a third expressive form of the invention, a system for negotiating a contract between a consumer and a store is provided, the system comprising: a negotiation module configured to provide a consumer Quoting and receiving a customer's payment result and/or providing a quote from a store and receiving a customer's payment result; and a monitoring module configured to provide a report in accordance with the paid offer.

In a fourth expressive form of the invention, a system for negotiating a contract between a business and a store is provided, the system comprising: a negotiation module configured to provide an offer from a business and Receiving a payment result of a store and/or providing a quote from a store and receiving a payment result of a business; and a monitoring module configured to provide a report in accordance with the paid offer.

In a fifth specific expression of the present invention, a method for customizing a bonus program for a store is provided, comprising: registering a store; receiving a catalogue of goods or services provided by the store; receiving a satellite of the store Satellite currency; receiving the settlement bank account of the store; providing a bonus plan interface based on the catalogue; and settlement of the consumer's goods or services based on the satellite currency and the settlement bank account Redemption request.

In a sixth explicit expression of the present invention, a method for displaying a bonus redemption offer for a store is provided, comprising: receiving a consumer section of a type of activity; searching for a search based on the selected activity The goods and/or services in the catalogue; and the searched merchandise and/or services provided by the store are displayed under the selected campaign specification.

In a seventh expressive form of the present invention, a method for providing a concierge service to a consumer of a bonus program includes: receiving input from the consumer for utilizing a bonus plan The point redemption and the goods or services not associated with the bonus plan; the supplier that determines the requested goods or services; the price to be reported to the consumer; and if the consumer accepts the offer, send an account The supplier is requested and credited to the point account of the individual consumer.

The method provided in the eighth explicit expression of the present invention may further comprise: automatically determining a plurality of suppliers of the requested goods or services; and the plurality of suppliers to the requested goods or services The available quantity and/or price is automatically requested; the offer is automatically provided to the consumer based on any reply to the request.

100‧‧‧ individuals

102‧‧‧ Bonus Plan

104‧‧‧Store

300‧‧‧ system

302‧‧‧ Consumer Module

304‧‧‧Common Point (UP) Module (Server Module)

306‧‧‧Store Module

307‧‧‧Store server

308‧‧‧ Bonus Database

310‧‧‧Common Point (UP) Server

312‧‧‧Universal Points (UP) Database

1402‧‧‧Management interface

1404‧‧‧ consumer interface

1406‧‧‧Company interface

1408‧‧‧Store interface

2202‧‧‧Network Access Control List (Network ACL)

2204‧‧‧Network Access Control List (Network ACL)

2302‧‧‧Network Access Control List (Network ACL)

2304‧‧‧Network Access Control List (Network ACL)

2402‧‧‧Elastic load balancer

2404‧‧‧UP Server Example

2502‧‧‧Instance

2504‧‧‧Time point snapshot

The present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a prior art interface engine for a bonus plan; FIG. 2 is for a group bonus. A flowchart of a prior art interface engine of the Group Rewards Program; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a hardware and communication configuration according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram of the first embodiment. Flow chart of currency exchange conversion system; Figure 5 is a flow chart of general point purchase; Figure 6 is a flow chart of general point exchange; Figure 7 is a consumer and a store A flow chart for earning an agreement between the points; a flow chart of the point redemption agreement between a company and a store shown in FIG. 8; a flow chart of a plan customization shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a virtual concierge; FIG. 11 is a flow chart for searching for a redemption item by an activity; and FIG. 12 is a flow of reconciliation of a store after a transaction. Figure 13 is a flow chart of a consumer registration; Figure 14 shows the system A screenshot of the user interface; a screenshot of the management interface shown in Figure 15; a screenshot of the consumer interface shown in Figure 16; a screenshot of the store interface shown in Figure 17; a snapshot of the calendar in the first embodiment; a flowchart showing a method for the user to embed an event and receive a quote in the calendar; Figure 20 is a flow chart showing a method for a store to market a product to a consumer and receive a counter offer from the consumer; Figure 21 is an example of an electronic transaction (e-deal) that the consumer can receive; Figure 22 shows the structure of the first embodiment in the development environment; Figure 23 shows the structure of the first embodiment in the production environment; Figure 24 shows the structure of the AWS cloud; Figure 25 Shown is a multi-level architecture of the first embodiment in a production environment; Figure 26a shows the first part of the flow diagram of the method for the user to exchange bonus points to UP; Figure 26b The second part of the flow chart of Figure 26a; and Figure 27 shows how this first embodiment allows companies, consumers, and stores to use UP to trade products and services between each other.

1 and 2 are typical bonus systems currently available, wherein a body 100 earns bonus points by purchasing/using the store 104 at the store 104 and earning bonus points via an existing bonus plan 102. The individual 100 is able to redeem the points directly via the same store 104 (Fig. 1). The store may also be a redemption partner 104, as shown in FIG.

The system according to the first embodiment can exchange the accumulated points in the plurality of store bonus plans into "universal" which can be stored in a separate account stored in a plurality of independent servers in the plurality of store bonus plans. Points". This allows for the consolidation of cumulative points in multiple different store bonus plans into UPs in a single universal point account. These accumulated points may come from a number of different store bonus plans in the same country that belong to a single consumer; or, The points may come from the same store bonus plan belonging to a single consumer, but from different countries. These cumulative bonus points belonging to a single consumer from various store bonus schemes can be converted to UP first, and then UP can be used to redeem goods or services without geographic or industrial differences. This system allows for the integration of bonus points from various store bonus plans with various projects and conditions into a single universal point system, which may have only one set of restrictions to collect and redeem bonus points, which is more for consumers. For convenience and effectiveness.

Each consumer can be provided with a secure component to log in to his or her unique consumer module in the system. Each consumer can have more than one bonus plan, and each bonus plan is provided by a different store. The single consumer module can merge all of the information related to the consumer's multiple registered bonus plans. Thus, a consumer who is logged into the consumer module alone can view the details of the plurality of registered bonus plans associated with him or her.

Each store server can have its own list of goods or services that can be redeemed at the store's bonus plan specifications with the number of bonus points being notified. A store can be, but is not limited to, a credit card company, an airline, a department store, or a similar store. The store server can also provide a service for storing the accumulated points of the consumers who have registered the store's bonus plan.

3 is a system 300 according to the first embodiment, comprising: a consumer module 302, a store module 306, and a universal point (UP) module (ie, a server module). ) 304. An UP server 310 exchanges the value of the plurality of bonus plans stored in the database 308 of each store into the UP bonus plan stored in the UP database 312.

The consumer module 302 is configured to accept the login of each consumer certificate. The consumer module 302 will then display the consumer's registered bonus plan and provide exchange options, redemption top-up options, and other options.

Each store database 308 stores a plurality of goods or services that can be redeemed with the number of bonus points notified under the store's bonus plan specification, and accumulated bonus points for consumers who have registered the store's bonus plan. . The UP server 310 acts as an interface between the store server 307, the store database 308, and the UP library 312 and the consumer module 302. The software executed on the UP server 310 will achieve the following processing: exchange store bonus points into UP, exchange UP into store bonus points, exchange goods and services in a store at UP, and store bonus points. The exchange of goods and services at a store and the management accounts associated with those stores and consumers.

The UP module 304 can include an UP server 310 (which includes a UP e-commerce server in the form of an application server), a database 312, and a communication link that allows each consumer Module 302 is coupled to a plurality of store servers 307 that the consumer has registered. The UP e-commerce server may include software for providing instant redemption of bonus points from different store bonus plans into UP. The UP e-commerce server may also include software for managing business logic of all content, including: user profile management; bonus point system, activity, and advertisement management; The data integration of the tripartite system (which includes Point-of-Sale (POS)).

For example, when the consumer logs into the consumer module 302, the UP server 310 can generate an update request to the store servers 307. Each store server 307 can send a reply to inform the current number of bonus points. Referring to Figure 4, for example, the bonus points may be used for a bonus program sponsored in the United States. The UP database 312 stores a lookup table, which A USD equivalent value of 400 is provided to convert the store's bonus points to them. This conversion can be based on the buy price of each bonus point. For example, if the buy price for each bonus point is USD 2, then 100 bonus points can be converted to USD 200. The purchase price may be the store contract ratio set by the store after considering his/her desired profit margin and/or other factors. In some cases, the purchase price is fixed for a particular period of time and has been previously loaded into the system during this time period. The UP e-commerce server will obtain the instant currency conversion ratio 402 from the USD-SGD (in this case, the primary currency of the UP is SGD) using a communication link to a main bank website. Alternatively, the UP e-commerce server will upload the exchange rate between banks every day. Next, the UP e-commerce server multiplies the equivalent value of USD 400 by the currency conversion ratio from USD-SGD 402 to obtain the equivalent value 404 of the SGD. Therefore, the equivalent value of 404 for SGD represents the UP value. For example, using the above example, if the ratio of USD:SGD is 1.2:1, then USD 200 will be converted to SGD 240, which means that 100 bonus points for the store are combined. The dividend program sponsored by the United States will be converted to SGD 240 (in this case, each UP value is SGD 1 yuan). Other dividend plans can use other satellite currencies 406.

The UP server 310 provides the following technical benefits to the consumer: improved redemption accuracy, more efficient redemption of the user interface, and a wider range of redemption options. The UP server 310 provides the technical benefits of the store: more accurate and more accurate bonus point settlement. The UP server 310 provides the following technical benefits for the operator: the conversion between individual store bonus plans has less data storage requirements, improved conversion accuracy, lower conversion financial risk, and faster processing and consumer and The store's change. The UP server 310 is a data store that captures important consumer behavior through the purchase and exchange of different products provided by the store. The The system stores the data in a structured format over time in a plurality of tables in a database server (similar to a SQL server), and thus, this historical material is stored in a more streamlined form, and More accurate than prior art materials, prior art materials are often spread across different sellers and cannot be combined. This material can be used in conjunction with machine learning to identify consumer behavior regarding the way points are used, and is used to allow store owners to streamline sales marketing strategies and activities. Examples of data captured to analyze consumer behavior are as follows:

1. Details of all purchases (date of purchase, quantity, occasion, ..., etc.)

2. Details of the product being purchased (type, type, brand, ..., etc.)

3. Details of the store (location, industry, ..., etc.)

4. Details of the promotion/activity, if applicable (type, name, suitable discount, ..., etc.)

5. Payment mode (credit card used, etc.)

6. Shipping preferences (address, classification, recipient, ..., etc.)

The consumer module 302 can be a software application that can be downloaded and installed on a computer or mobile phone. This makes it easy for consumers to get all the information about these accumulated bonus points and UP at any time. Information about all of these different accumulated points can be provided, and the entire number of UPs will be displayed in the consumer module 302. The consumer module 302 provides the following functions: cross-crossing of the UP, matching the store listed in the store server 306 to redeem the UP, when the UP is insufficient to redeem the value-added point option, ... and the like The function. Specifically, when the consumer module 302 is established, the consumer will have to log in, review, and agree to all terms and conditions; authorize marketing materials; establish consumer IDs and passwords, and basic consumer profiles. Then, it allows the consumer to repeatedly access. The consumer module 302 also provides functionality for the consumer to update the details of their profile, for example, basic consumer Information on the fee (full name, NRIC/passport number, date of birth, gender, mailing address, mobile phone number, home number) and details of the advance profile, for example, a significant date for important events for the consumer, Receive marketing material and e-magazine preferences, top three sports, top three activities, preferred communication modes, privacy settings, and more.

A method 1300 of consumer registration is shown in FIG.

Other functions that the consumer module 302 can provide include daily login bonuses, which may be a multimedia interactive program that rewards consumers when they use the consumer module 302 to log into their portal site each day. When a consumer makes an online purchase using the server module 304, the consumer can be given an additional opportunity to win more UP.

Each store server 307 can be hosted by a third party and will comply with the communication protocol.

System 300 allows consumers to merge, combine, or convert various store bonus points into a common plan, UP. These consumers are able to match the value of various store bonus points via the conversion ratio and use the UP program to obtain the sale of the global store. Consumers can also complete the redemption process with or without cash. Group purchases can also be made, in which consumers will combine their UP or negotiate a volume discount with the store.

UP accumulation

The method 500 shown in Figure 5 allows consumers to exchange their store bonus points for UP. The consumer logs in through the consumer module 302 in 502. The consumer can choose to watch all the accumulated bonus points of the multiple store bonus plans that are all converted to UP, select some of the stores to be converted to UP, or watch each store bonus plan separately. The cumulative bonus points of the stroke.

To display the conversion offer, UP server 310 determines the conversion ratio as explained above. All UP amounts after conversion from the First Store Bonus Program will be displayed to the consumer as quotes. The consumer then enters the number of UPs to be acquired, the number of store bonus points to be exchanged, or the purchase amount of the direct purchase UP in RM. The consumer can be offered an option to accept the quoted conversion at 506. Consumers can accept all quotes at once, or select one or more of those quotes without selecting all quotes.

Receiving the offer at 508 results in the payment option page 510. If it is loaned for a store bonus exchange, a request will be sent to the first bonus plan at the individual store server and the quoted UPs will be credited to the individual consumer's UP account. Alternatively, the consumer will be directed to a payment page where credit card details 512 will be required. Once a successful exchange reply or payment reply 514 is received, the new UP can be stored in 516 of the UP database 312.

UP exchange

Consumers can use UP to purchase goods or services offered by the store. If the balance of the UP is insufficient, the consumer can pay in cash and/or credit card to offset the difference.

The method 600 shown in Figure 6 allows consumers to exchange their UPs for store bonus points or to redeem the goods or services offered by the store. The consumer logs in through the consumer module 302 in 602.

The store server 306 provides details of the accumulated bonus points and available redemption options. The consumer selects the item and quantity to be redeemed at 604. UP server 310 is in the A retention request 606 is sent to the store server 307 for the requested item and quantity for the duration of the transaction. The quote conversion will be accumulated 608 and displayed to the consumer 610 as a quote. If the requested merchandise is priced in a currency other than the consumer's place of residence currency (for example, SGD), the price conversion will be implemented. For example, if a resident of Singapore wishes to purchase a project with a cost of AUD 20, then the price will be converted to SGD 24 based on the ratio of SGD: AUD = 1:1.2, which is equivalent to 24 UP. (in the case of 1 yuan for each UP value SGD). The offer will then be displayed to the consumer with 24 UPs. The store can also determine the selling price for each point in its bonus plan points. For example, the store can set a sales price of AUD 2 per bonus point. This will be converted to SGD 2.40, which means that each bonus point requires 2.40 UP (in the case of 1 yuan for each UP value SGD). Similarly, the selling price may be determined by the store based on his/her desired margin of profit and/or other factors, and may be fixed over a period of time during which the selling price will be fixed. It was loaded into the system beforehand.

If the consumer accepts the offer 612, if it is loaned for UP, the UP database 312 will be queried for sufficient balance. If it is loaned for the store bonus exchange, a request will be sent to the first bonus plan at the individual store server 307. If it is a direct payment (in the case where the consumer's UP balance is insufficient and the consumer chooses to pay by credit card to offset the difference in order to purchase more UP), the consumer will be directed to a payment page where it will be needed Credit card details 614. Upon receipt of a successful exchange reply or payment reply 616, the UP database 312/store database 308 will be updated to the new balance.

Store management

The UP server 310 can provide the function of the store "administrator". Login to provide the ID and password at the time of registration. Store management allows the store to maintain dividend management. Stores can use this feature to include bonus points in their accounts based on their own bonus plans. This can be done by the store through electronic credits based on bonus points based on their own bonus plan, either directly to the consumer module or via the server module 304, where The number is given in UP (in this case, the bonus points are converted to UP in the same manner as previously described with reference to Figure 4). Before the bonus points are counted in the consumer, the request generated by the store will be reviewed by the system 300 for authenticity and the bonus points will be credited to the consumer account in the consumer module 302. This process is transient. For large amounts, this process can bypass system 300 for manual review before counting bonus points. Manual loading can also be performed where the store sends a request via communication outside of the system 300 and the credit is loaded manually.

The store module 306 can also provide activity management functions in which the store can initiate events, manage prices and schedules, update, collaborate, and immediately tag their products. This information can be obtained by the consumer through the server module 304.

The store module 306 allows the store to implement inventory management, where the store can load inventory/inventory and model numbers to ensure inventory availability, which provides an on-site inventory overview and sends a trigger signal to the store when inventory is low. This information can be fed back to the consumer via the server module 304 when a particular item or service inventory is used. A temporary message customized by the store will be displayed to the consumer in these cases.

The store module 306 can provide other functions, such as components for reporting all business activities associated with the UP plan associated with that particular store, thereby allowing the store to act Slightly plan to improve their bonus plans. These report details may include, but are not limited to, activity effectiveness, promotion amount, number of viewers, and consumer reviews.

Other functions that the store module 306 can provide include the use of electronic magazines, publications, and websites that are associated with the server module 304 and/or directly associated with the consumer module 302 to promote their goods or services. Stores can use this feature to upload or remove their artwork and copy or content. "Utry" is an innovative and interactive online shopping method where consumers can experience products in "live" video. The "live" video will show the product's practicality, its strength, and its attributes. Information about how to apply a product, attributes, activities, ratings, etc. of the product, for the consumer to directly view the store module 306, the server module 304, or the consumer module 302 .

A separate server module 304 that interacts with the store module 306 and the consumer module 302 within the system 300 has several advantages. For example, the server module 304 can provide a particular service to the store, for example, a contact help desk, where the store can have a direct communication channel with the server module 304. The communication channel can include, but is not limited to, email, instant chat, and video calls. The store can also request to meet with the representative of the server module 304 through this function.

The separate server module 304 provides a service for the store to customize their own bonus plans in the service based on the store that is participating in the UP plan available in the UP library 312. This customization can be a simple and understandable process in which the store can select other redemption stores from a list of participating stores available in the UP library 312. The selected redemption store can accept the partnership in accordance with their default settings or provide follow-up online consent if necessary. The participating stores are the store module 306 In part, they can recommend others to the UP program. This may involve the fact that the store must enter the information of the recommended store when requested by the server module 304. The conversion status will be tracked and the recommended store will be notified when the recommended store successfully registers.

The server module 304 may also provide an electronic magazine, which may be a monthly magazine describing the latest products, offers, and advertisements of participating stores from the store bonus database 308 available to the consumer module 302. Consumers can also post responses and ratings on the products or services they have purchased.

As discussed above, these stores can set the buy and sell prices for UP. The server module 304, which is connected to the UP database 312, provides information relating to the selling price and the buying price of the universal points, which will be preloaded into the system prior to the initiation of the administrative consumer in accordance with the agreement with the store. 300. When trading with a store that performs the redemption, the selling price determines the conversion ratio. When a consumer wants to use UP to purchase a store's product, the price of the store's product will be converted to SGD if it is not SGD, and in the case of each UP value SGD 1 yuan, the SGD price of the store's product will wait. The amount of UP required to purchase the product of the store. If consumers continue to use UP to purchase, these UPs will be converted into the store's pegged currency (for example, assuming each UP value of SGD 1 yuan, equivalent to SGD 24 yuan 24 UP will It is converted to AUD 20), and the converted amount (for example, AUD 20) is then credited to the settlement account when the payment is completed to the store. The purchase price determines the store's conversion rate of the consumer's existing bonus points to UP. The process requires the store to provide bonus points to determine the value of the bonus points accumulated by the consumer and then purchase them using system 300, which is seamlessly performed by server module 304. Next, the purchased UP will invoice and collect the payment via the settlement module. This process is shown in Figure 12.

The value of the consumer bonus points is stored in the consumer module 302 in the currency of the country of residence shown in the consumer profile. For example, the UP can be stored using SGD or any other currency. Consumers can use their bonus points to purchase items from stores in other geographic regions, but the bonus points paid will be based on the value of the product after currency conversion, and the currency conversion is performed by the server module 304. service provided.

Account settlement

Each store owner needs to indicate their place of residence currency and provide a settlement bank account. The store will be given a trading cap and terms. Invoices and Billing are automatically electronically changed every month based on account information. Automatic historical data and past settlement reports can be retrieved through this function.

Contract management

Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams for managing the purchase contract between the consumer and the store and between the company and the store. The benefits of this feature for consumers are as follows: • Earn UP-denominated rewards by merging their spending in a selected store during an agreement period; • Make precise comparisons between different stores to Their purchases get the best offer.

The benefits to store consumers are as follows: • Improve the bottom line when they get additional business from consumers who are willing to spend; • Provide opportunities to consolidate and maintain these customers as their long-term customers; ● Receive an active lead by consumers who want to spend; ● Improve store sales and reduce operating expenses

a. This feature allows the consumer to establish and manage contracts between the store and the store, thereby allowing the consumer to spend all of his expenses at a particular store at an agreed time.

b. The store can also specify other criteria in this contract that can include, but are not limited to, the minimum consumer spend per year, the average monthly consumer spend, and the type of product the consumer needs to purchase.

c. At the end of the contract, the store will reward the consumer for the amount of the rebate based on the general point based on the agreed form as shown in the example below.

d. When each contract expires, the consumer will be offered the option to change the contract with the store, and the store can stipulate any criteria that the consumer accepts.

e. The entire process will be managed via UP. The process is as follows:

i. The consumer sends a contract request to the participating store.

Ii. Interested participating stores must respond to contract quotes within a given time frame.

Iii. After the time frame expires, the consumer will review the time-based contract proposal of the respondent store.

Iv. The consumer raises issues related to the contract proposal and negotiates with the store through the UP module 304.

v. Consumers can choose a single contract proposal for one of these stores or Reject all contract proposals within the given time frame.

Customized dividend program for the company

Basically, this feature allows companies to customize their own bonus plans for their customers. An example is as follows. ABC does not have an existing bonus program, but wants to use the UP store 300's vast network of stores and our existing products or services to create their own customized bonus plans. The benefits to ABC are:

● Let ABC quickly rise to a world-class dividend program.

● Ability to customize bonus plans to meet their business goals and their customer needs.

● Save valuable time and resources to build a bonus plan from scratch.

● Use the total amount of UP and total demand to obtain cheaper prices for products and services.

Low maintenance and operating costs, as the end-to-end negotiation, redemption, and fulfillment processes are performed by the UP system 300.

● Ability to manage bonus plans effectively and conveniently.

● Ability to expand the bonus program into an online sales and marketing platform.

Search by activity

The consumer module 302 can provide functionality for searching by activity, wherein the consumer can use an advanced search function that provides the consumer with the ability to search the bonus database 308 for certain activity-specific products. . A detailed explanation of how to complete this type of search is shown in Figure 11. For example, consumers can search for fishing trips, mountain trips, ..., etc., and a list of related items will appear for selection and review. Fan for fishing Examples can be travel products arriving there, nearby accommodation options, fishing equipment, food and supplies for the trip, etc.

Figure 11 shows the process of searching by activity. These results can be provided in conjunction with a pre-defined list of pull-down activities (based on a stored lookup table for each activity), or can be generated immediately using a free-form keyword search. Free-form search uses a contextual or subject-based cluster to identify products related to the activity.

Virtual concierge

The system of the present invention, as well as the use of UP, provides the possibility of utilizing such bonus points to redeem any item that can be sold in the market. This is also beneficial for store owners who can use the UP program and strengthen their existing loyalty programs and bonus plans.

Figure 10 is a virtual concierge function, which is a high touch service, which aims to provide consumers with an UP plan to manage their end-to-end purchase or redemption process. . The consumer can use the UP to suggest a product or service that he or she wishes to redeem, and in the event that the product or service cannot be obtained in the UP participating store, the service will then pass through the server module 304 to communicate with the consumer. The agreed cost directly purchases the required product or service from the store selected by the UP program.

The system can first analyze the consumer's request to confirm that there are no products or services available in the current sale. If it is confirmed that no product or service is available, the system can automatically send the RFP to the selected store based on the parsed consumer request. Any response will be parsed and provided to the consumer in order to get their consent.

user interface

As shown in FIG. 14, there may be a variety of different interfaces in system 300. For example, the management interface 1402, the consumer interface 1404, the corporate interface 1406, and the store interface 1408.

Management interface

A screenshot of the management interface 1402 is shown in FIG. This includes the following options:

1. Fraud and risk management

This functionality is designed to control how the UP system 300 detects system settings associated with an out of pattern purchase from a consumer, store, or company. It also allows the UP system 300 to customize various restrictions (for example, trading restrictions, minimum price limits, maximum price limits, ..., etc.).

2. User description file management

This function allows the UP Admin to manage access to the profiles of all users of the UP system 300, including creating, modifying, deleting, and changing the access levels of the users. It can also change any set value of the alerting user depending on the user's preference.

3. Reporting and analysis

This function customizes the various reports and analyses that the user can access through the UP system 300.

4. Contract and price management

This feature stores information about all contracts with consumers, stores, and companies. It is a scanned copy of the original contract of the store and the store and a stored copy of the scanned copy of the contract between the consumer and the store or between the company and the store. It can also control the exchange price and purchase price of the store. In addition, it can also modify the alert settings to alert the contract that it is about to expire.

5. Financial management (bill, reconciliation)

This feature controls the financial aspects of all users (for example, invoicing, reconciliation, ..., etc.).

6. Logistics and tracking management

This feature allows the UP system 300 to track the status of all redemption shipments, view and modify the information of the logistics partner.

7. Advertising and event management

This function controls the details of all advertisements and activities that operate within the website owned by UP, which includes the home page of the store hosted or provided by the UP system 300.

8. Inventory and database management

This feature allows you to create, delete, and correct all product details and inventory-related information (for example, quantity, shipping mode, supplier name, ..., etc.).

9. Online bidding and display management

This feature controls the way online bids or impressions are made through the UP website, including: participating stores, products to be bid or displayed, discounts available, applicable conditions, ...etc.

10. Product Review Management

This feature controls the moderation of all comments made by the user for all types of products, including adding comments, deleting comments, ..., etc. on the UP website.

11. Forum (forum) management

This feature allows the UP admin to control online forums hosted on the UP website, which includes moderation, corrections, and deletion of all comments and all threads.

12. Concierge management

This feature allows the UP admin to control the important and required fields required for all porter requests, the parameters that the UP system uses to select potential stores, and the parameters that the UP system uses to prioritize selected stores.

Consumer interface

A screenshot of the consumer interface 1404 is shown in FIG. This includes the following options:

1. Description file management

This function allows the consumer to manage all aspects of his or her profile in the UP system (eg, age, location, contact details, preferred shipping mode, important dates, ..., etc.).

2. Reporting and analysis

This feature allows consumers to access various reports and analyses in the UP system.

3. Contract management

This feature stores information about all contracts that the consumer has established with one or more stores. In addition, it can also modify the alert settings to alert the contract that it is about to expire.

4. Make a product review

This feature allows consumers to make new comments about a product and the rating of that product.

5. Redeem

This feature allows consumers to redeem products via the UP line.

6. Buy universal points

This feature allows consumers to purchase universal credits in their accounts.

7. Virtual concierge request

This feature allows consumers to make new requests for products that are currently not eligible for redemption in the UP product catalog. It may also allow consumers to view the status of their previously requested requests. Consumers can also choose to end any requests made from this feature.

8. Customer Service

This feature allows consumers to contact our customer service team via a web chat service to instantly resolve their inquiries, questions, or difficulties.

9. Employee Allowance Plan (applicable only to companies where consumers work have established employee allowance plans for their employees)

This feature allows the consumer to utilize the employee allowance plan and propose a redemption under the specifications of the company in which he/he works.

Company interface

Company Interface 1406 contains the following options:

1. Description file management

This feature allows the company to manage all aspects of its profile in the UP system (eg, age, location, contact details, preferred shipping mode, important dates, ..., etc.).

2. Reporting and analysis

This feature allows companies to access various reports and analyses in the UP system.

3. Contract management

This feature stores information about all contracts that the company has established with one or more stores. In addition, it can also modify the alert settings to alert the contract that it is about to expire.

4. Make a product review

This feature allows companies to submit new reviews for a product and ratings for that product.

5. Redeem

This feature allows companies to redeem products via the UP line.

6. Buy universal points

This feature allows companies to purchase universal credits in their accounts.

7. Virtual concierge request

This feature allows companies to make new requests for products that are currently not eligible for redemption in the UP product catalog. It also allows companies to view the status of their previously requested requests. The company is also able to choose to end any requests made from this feature.

8. Customer Service

This feature allows companies to contact our customer service team via a web chat service to instantly resolve their inquiries, questions, or difficulties.

9. Employee Allowance Scheme

This feature allows companies to access different aspects of the employee benefits program established for their employees under the company's specifications.

Store interface

A screenshot of the store interface 1408 is shown in FIG. This includes the following options:

1. Description file management

This function allows the store to manage all aspects of its profile in the UP system 300 (eg, age, location, contact details, preferred shipping mode, important dates, ..., etc.).

2. Reporting and analysis

This feature allows the store to access various reports and analyses in the UP system 300.

3. Contract management

This feature stores information about all contracts that the store has established with one or more consumers and/or companies. It is a repository of scanned copies of the original contract with the consumer and/or company. It can also control the exchange price and purchase price of the UP. In addition, it can also modify the alert settings to alert the contract that it is about to expire.

4. Access product reviews

This feature allows the store to review all comments and ratings that users have made for their products.

5. Customer Service

This feature allows store owners to contact our customer service team via a web chat service to instantly resolve their inquiries, questions, or difficulties.

6. Logistics and tracking management

This feature allows the store to view and track the status of all redemption shipments.

7. Advertising and event management

This feature allows the store to propose and refine the details of all advertisements and activities that operate on UP-owned websites, including the home page of the store hosted or provided by UP.

8. Inventory and database management

This feature allows you to create, delete, and correct all product details and inventory-related information (for example, quantity, shipping mode, supplier name, ..., etc.).

9. Online bidding and display management

This feature allows the store to request to participate in any online bidding or display through the UP website. The store needs to provide information about the product, details of the discount, and applicable conditions, etc.

U link (event calendar)

The consumer module 302 can further provide a function that allows a user (consumer or company) to embed a specific event in a calendar, so that at a preset time before the event, the user will have a copy of the A list of quotes that the user may wish to purchase for the product purchased for the event.

A snapshot of the calendar used in the consumer module 302 is shown in FIG. The user may choose to add an event to the calendar, for example, the event of December 17, 2013, and also be able to choose whether to join the visitor or the details of the event. The method 1900 for the user to embed an event and receive a quote in the calendar is shown in FIG.

Method 1900 includes steps 1902 through 1918. In step 1902, the user adds an event to the important date of the calendar; in step 1904, the user enters an option for the event with a custom field (for example, a visitor and other details); at step 1906 The user sets a privacy filter to determine who can access the calendar. The consumer module 302 then checks to see if it has been agreed to send marketing communications. If no consent is granted to send marketing communications, the method proceeds to step 1910 to begin the process of requesting consent in order to obtain the user's consent to send marketing communications. If the user refuses to agree or the user does not choose to ask about him/her In the event of any particular requirement for which product to purchase in the event, 1982, then no action is taken and the calendar functions as an ordinary calendar 1984, only to alert the user to the event. Conversely, if the marketing communication 1978 has been agreed to be sent and the user has previously selected the product category he/she wishes to be quoted, such requirements will be sent to the pre-targeted store through the UP module 304 in step 1912. . The calendar will send a reminder to the customer at a predetermined time prior to the event (which may be preset by the customer or may be a fixed value in the UP module 304). Upon receiving the alert signal, the customer will send a request to the UP module 304 for the offer list, which will then forward the request to the pre-targeted store. The pre-screened stores will then reply to the UP module 304 in step 1914 with the relevant quotation (in the form of an automatically preset product or manual). Such replies will be merged by the UP module 304 in step 1916 and formatted into a standard communication format before being sent to the user. Upon receiving the offers, the user initiates the purchase process in step 1918 by selecting the product to be purchased using UP.

The two key functions of Method 1900 are as follows:

1. Important date reminder signal

The method allows the user to set a reminder signal on an important date (event), for example, a birthday, on a one-off or recurring basis. The user can provide a list of other UP system users to the consumer module 302, and can automatically load the birthdays of the UP system users into the user's calendar, if such UP system users I have previously agreed to do this.

During the process of registering the UP system 300, stores may be required to associate their products with various product categories. They can also choose to receive details, such as budget, The type of event, and the type of product the user may be interested in purchasing in a particular event. These stores are obligated under the contract to use the UP system 300 to circulate the user.

The user can set the demand in advance, including the type of product he/she wishes to receive the offer, the store owner who provided the offer, and/or his/her budget (requirements) in various events. Specifically, the user has a list of various event types. For example, such event types may include: "birthday", which may include every birthday that the user puts in the calendar; and "festival", which may include all types of festivals, for example, Christmas, New Year, Easter, ...etc. Users can set different product categories and/or budgets for different event types. When the user sets an event on the calendar, the user is also required to enter the event type of the event, for example, "birthday" or "festival".

In one example, the user can set the product category "Flower", "Chocolate", "Toy", the budget of 100 yuan, and the A store and the B store family event type "Birthday" in advance. A reminder signal is sent to the user a few days before the birthday event recorded in the user's calendar. The user then sends a request to the UP server 312, and the UP server 312 responds to submit a list of quotes related to flowers, chocolates, and toys from the A store and the B store at a cost of less than 100 yuan. user.

In the list of offers from the stores that are provided to the user based on the preset categories and/or budgets, the user can actively seek a gift idea. Further, the consumer module 302 checks whether there is a privacy agreement (ie, whether it has been agreed to send a marketing communication) before forwarding the user's request to the preset (ie, prior to screening) the store. . Each store will store all user needs in its storage for sorting and communication management based on the date of the event, and receive a request from a specific user. At the time, a list of offers matching the needs of the particular user is sent to the user.

2. Event date reminder signal

Notifications about multiple events can be posted on the UP website. Such events can include sales events, displays, conventions, ..., and the like. Each user can add an event from the published event list to the user's calendar. Users can also choose to actively look for event updates and purchase tickets from the UP website. Similarly, the consumer module 302 will check for privacy preferences before forwarding the needs of the event that the user is actively seeking to the store. Each store will store all users' needs (based on the date the store receives the users' needs) in their storage for sorting and communication management, and if the store is planning a quote Any event that matches a user's needs, the store will send the details of the event to the user. Therefore, the stores can be marketed via the UP system 300 based on the needs of the registered users for event updates.

Dynamic Sales and Marketing Communications (DSMC)

The store module 306 can further provide functionality that allows the store to market the product at a particular price and receive a price counter-offer from the consumer or company.

Figure 20 illustrates a method 2000 for a store to market a product to a consumer and receive a counter-offer from the consumer. Method 2000 includes steps 2002 through 2020. In step 2002, the consumer receives an electronic transaction (flyer) from the UP module 304 via email or sms. Figure 21 shows an example of an electronic transaction that a consumer can receive. In step 2004, if the consumer is interested in the goods in the electronic transaction and wants to counter-offer, the consumer will log in to the UP module online. 304 or login to the UP module 304 via the mobile app/tablet app. This can be done by tapping the "offer" button in the electronic transaction. In step 2006, the consumer can then provide the counter-offer price of the item by modifying the selected field and accepting specific terms and conditions to ensure acceptance of the counter-offer (which means that the consumer is in the event that the store accepts the counter-offer) The UP account will be directly deducted without further consent from the consumer, which helps ensure honesty for the counter-offer). In step 2008, the consumer submits the counter-offer price to the store after accepting the specific terms and conditions of the store. The store will then receive a notification regarding the counter-offer price in step 2010. Next, the store will log in to the UP module 304 in step 2012 and review the counter-offer price, and if the store rejects the counter-offer price or does not have a specific time period (which will be between the UP system administrator and the store) The service level agreement (SLA) specifies, for example, X days) to reply to the consumer's words 2080, and a decline notice to inform the consumer that the counter-offer is rejected will pass the UP mode in step 2014. Group 304 is sent to the consumer. Conversely, if the store finds that the offer is acceptable, the store will accept the offer in step 2016. In this case, in step 2018, the consumer UP account will then be charged on the basis of the counter-offer price and the items will be sent to the consumer. In step 2020, a notification and invoice will be sent to the consumer via the UP module 304.

The store can manage the counter-offer more effectively by setting a threshold with the electronic trading function. For example, the store can set a threshold of SGD 250 and SGD 280. In this case, if the counter-offer is lower than SGD 250, the UP module 304 will automatically send a decline notice to the consumer, and if the counter-offer is more than 280 yuan in the SGD, the UP module 304 will automatically accept the counter-offer. Therefore, the store does not have to log in to the UP module 304 to go back and forth or accept these offers. In this case, only the counter price of SGD 250 yuan or more and SGD 280 yuan or less Will be sent to the store to review.

The consumer can apply the UP system 300 (Point-of-Sale (POS)) at the point where he/she pays to the store of the registered UP system 300. This can be done using an UP card or other cardless method (eg thumb thumbprint). For example, the consumer can provide an UP card that has been sent to him/her, which stores his/her UP amount. At the POS, the UP in the consumer account will be deducted for the item the consumer is trying to purchase in the same manner as discussed above. If there is not enough UP in the consumer's UP account, the store will ask the consumer whether they want to pay the balance by credit card or by exchange of more bonus points with other stores. The consumer's credit card details can be loaded into the UP library 312 in advance, and if the consumer decides to make a credit card payment, such details are automatically retrieved from the UP library 312 for credit card payment. In other words, the consumer does not have to register his/her credit card details at the POS and this would increase the convenience of the consumer.

The UP module 304 is included in a device including an UP library 312 that stores each bonus plan (registered UP system 300) for converting each bonus point into a universal point. The default conversion ratio (for example, the purchase price set by the store). The apparatus further includes: an I/O unit configured to receive a consumer request from a consumer output device (eg, a mobile phone, a computer, a POS device); and a computing unit configured The preset conversion ratios are retrieved from the UP repository 312 and the number of universal points that can be exchanged in each consumer's request is calculated. The calculated quantities are then transmitted by the I/O unit to the consumer output devices. The device further includes: an access unit for accessing the store server; and a search unit for searching the UP database 312. The I/O unit, access unit, search unit, and computing unit can be Amazon Service (Amazon Web Services, AWS) part of the server, but not necessarily.

An example of UP server 310 in a development environment is shown in FIG. 22; and an example of UP server 310 in a production environment is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 22, the UP server includes an internal area that is separated from a DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ) network by a first Internet Access Control List (ACL) 2202. The web server, FTP/SFTP server, mail server, and SMS server are located in the DMZ; the database (DataBase, DB) server and application (App) server are located in the internal area. . In this example, the web server, FTP/SFTP server, mail server, and SMS server in the UP server are AWS servers. Instances including web servers, application servers, mail servers, etc. (i.e., UP server instances) are created to perform the UP server 310 operations. The AWS servers are connected to the Amazon network via a second network ACL 2204. The second network ACLs 2304, 2204 are used to restrict access to all servers by the Amazon network, and the first network ACLs 2202, 2302 are used to further restrict access to the internal area of the DMZ.

These web servers are in the form of NGINX web servers for event-driven web servers. The use of event-driven web servers helps to handle the large number of simultaneous connections and a large number of packets transmitted per second by consumers and stores at a sustained rate. Specifically, in the UP server, the network server instance(s) are configured to operate in an NGINX that is connected to the network client device and the upstream application via a TCP slot. The NGINX is configured to handle incoming requests and distribute the requests to the upstream application server farm to complete the requests.

The NGINX web server also acts as an accelerated HTTP proxy that can Dispose of multiple connections at the same time. This allows the system to manage multiple synchronized user requests. When a new connection is accepted and the overhead is low, the HTTP proxy uses a regional live connection group and reduces the number of live connections to the minimum necessary number. So, you don't have to stay connected and the NGINX web server can handle more transactions per second.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) includes several cloud computing services, including Amazon Elastic Load Balancer, Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR) web services, and Amazon Elastic (Amazon Elastic). Load BalancerCloudSearch). These cloud computing services will be used in this example. In particular, the elastic load balancers, EMR (using Hadoop's file decentralized system), and NGINX network servers each contribute to improving the speed and load management of the UP server 310.

The structure of the AWS cloud implementing the UP server 310 is shown in FIG. 24, wherein the AWS cloud includes an elastic load balancer 2402. In this embodiment, the elastic load balancer 2402 is used to distribute traffic in the plurality of instances 2404 of the UP server at the load balancing level. This allows the system to seamlessly manage the amount of load to respond to incoming application traffic. The organization can also help detect the health of the underlying network and application instances, including their CPU and network utilization. When a failure is detected in any of these instances, the organization allows the request to be routed to a "healthy" or working instance. Using elastic load balancing also increases the flexibility to fix the network, for example, it can scale the network by adding or removing resources or instances as necessary, and this helps reduce network downtime .

In a production environment, UP server 310 has a multi-tier architecture that includes multiple internal and Internet-facing load balancers capable of routing traffic between levels. Figure 25 shows an AWS cloud in a production environment with a multi-tier architecture. In this architecture, Amazon Route 53 is a Domain Name (DNS) service. Amazon Elastic Load Balancing can be used to balance the payload of UP server 310 in multiple instances 2502 in multiple available regions (eg, the United States and Southeast Asia regions) in a region. The instance of the failure is seamlessly replaced by a standby instance, enabling the standby instance to continue with the necessary operations. This helps to minimize the disruption caused by the failed instance. Each instance is associated with an Elastic Block Store, which is stored as a continuously closed instance book that is automatically copied. In particular, point-in-time snapshot 2504 is created to store data on a booklet with each point-in-time snapshot associated with an instance. This helps to achieve the above mentioned seamless replacement of the failed instance. The architecture further includes Amazon CloudFront, which manages the uploading and sharing of online services.

Further, the NGINX web server is configured to handle load balancing by spreading each request to a different application server. The request is managed by the application server receiving the request, and the data from the application server is sent back to the channel from which the request was made (for example, website, mobile phone, or point-of-sale intelligence system) (POS)). The number of application servers can be scaled to accommodate the growth of traffic. The conversation of the client device is continued by ip-hash, which takes the IP address of the client device as a hashing key to determine which server in the server group should be selected to serve the guest. The request of the end device. Therefore, in the UP system 300, requests from the same guest device must be directed to the same server unless the server is not available.

To support a large number of simultaneous connections to large data, the UP server 300 also manages packet handling, memory management, and processor scheduling at the application server.

Amazon Elastic Mapping Reduction (EMR) web services will also be used to achieve high Availability and management of large data processing modules, for example, converting bonus points to UP and converting UP to bonus points. Specifically, EMR is used to dynamically increase or decrease the number of processing nodes, depending on the number and ratio of data inputs. The EMR also leverages Hadoop's architecture to handle large amounts of data. Hadoop's architecture is an infrastructure software that leverages Hadoop's decentralized file system to help quickly access and store large data sets. To elaborate, Apache Hadoop is an open source software that allows for the decentralized processing of large data sets in multiple computer clusters. This software is designed to scale from a single server to thousands of machines. To take advantage of EMR's ability to handle large data and the fast search capabilities of Amazon Cloud Search, a customer data loader will be built on the EMR to seamlessly inject data into the cloud search. Another service used in this article is Amazon Cloud Search, which works with the EMR to provide high-speed search capabilities. Amazon Cloud Search is provided internally by Apache Solr, so the search can be "outsourced" to a service without worrying about hardware configuration, configuration, and maintenance, as these jobs are also scaled based on system requirements. In particular, the system is configured such that the search for large indexed material (e.g., consumer bonus plans, store products, ..., etc.) to be used by the system is handled separately. This helps provide a fast, efficient, and secure search capability because Amazon Cloud Search can handle hundreds of indexes and millions of files, depending on the hardware settings that can be easily scaled in the AWS cloud.

The UP database 312 has the form of a MySQL repository in the development environment. In a production environment, the MySQL repository will be migrated to Apache HBase to support larger data. Apache HBase is a decentralized, non-relevant database that uses Hadoop's distributed file system. This file system is capable of hosting very large forms (which will have billions of rows and/or columns) and is capable of providing immediate read/write access to large data.

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) manifest used in the examples and the UP server instances in the AWS are provided in Table 1 below.

26a and 26b show two parts of a flow chart for a user (or client device) to exchange the bonus points of the store into the UP for the UP system 300 (by the letters A, B, C) , D to link).

As shown in the flow chart, the client device transmits the login details via the front end of the UP system 300 (which is the browser of the guest device) in step 2602 (which includes the UP system) The ID of the client device of 300) is registered to the server side including the UP server 310. Upon receiving the login details, the server side retrieves the encrypted credentials using the ID of the client device (which has the form of an email address) in step 2604. These credentials are then decrypted in step 2608. If the decrypted voucher is found to be illegal, the method ends in step 2610. Otherwise, the user profile will be displayed at the browser in step 2608. At the browser, memcached is used to perform pre-loading of images. Memcached is a memory cache system that works with NGINX servers. This helps to increase the speed at which graphics are loaded at the browser. The client device then sends a selection request to the server side via the front end to select a "bonus plan" option in step 2612. Upon receiving the selection request, the server side retrieves the encrypted details of the bonus plans ("Loyalty Plan Recruitment"), and the consumer registers the registration in step 2614 using the function GetClientLoyaltyProgramEnrollments(). Specifically, the server side sends a query to the server (ie, the store server) of each store in the store that manages the bonus plans. This query may contain the member ID of the client device at the store. Upon receiving the query, the store server will open the UP server 310 to access the details of the guest device. For example, such details may include the number of legal bonus points that the consumer has in the store's bonus plan. The connection between the UP server and each store server is a secure connection. In this example, it is a 128-bit encrypted SSL connection. The connection between the UP server 310 and the store server is temporary, and after the UP server 310 has successfully retrieved the necessary details, the connection is cut. By accessing a store server when the consumer chooses to exchange bonus points, the details of the client device need not be permanently stored in the UP library 312. Instead, the details of the client device can be temporarily stored and deleted when they have been used to display the necessary information to the client device. Of course However, the UP database 312 can also store the consumer IDs of the consumers and/or companies in a more permanent memory storage unit. Such member IDs are in the form of identifiers for the bonus plans of the stores and are incorporated into the queries referred to above to the store servers.

If a store does not have an existing bonus plan (and therefore, there is no existing server to manage the bonus plan), the store can use the UP module 304 in its bonus plan. For example, details of the bonus plan for the store may be stored at the UP repository 312, and in step 2604, the UP server 310 will access the store's details from the UP repository 312. The details of each store will be encrypted and each store will only be allowed to access its own bonus plan details.

The details of the client device are then decrypted in step 2616, and the bonus points for each of the stores managing the bonus plans are displayed in step 2618 via the browser of the client device. These steps allow the client device to know the number of legal bonus points he/she has in each bonus plan or whether he/she is still registered in a particular bonus plan, so that he/she does not have to try to exchange The bonus points that he/she does not actually have. The client device then selects one or more bonus points ("store points") that may be from one or more stores in step 2620 for conversion to UP. This selection request is sent to the server side via the front end. In step 2622, upon receiving the selection request, the server side retrieves the encrypted UP point conversion matrix for each store selected by the client device. Specifically, the server side will look up the purchase price of the store and calculate the number of UPs that the client device can exchange with his/her selected number of bonus points. This UP number is presented in the form of a UP point conversion matrix and will be encrypted. In step 2624, the encrypted UP point conversion matrix will be in The front end is decrypted. The conversion point result (i.e., the decrypted UP point conversion matrix) is then displayed through the browser of the client device. The client device then decides whether to perform the conversion, and if not, the client device may again perform step 2620 to select other bonus points from other stores for conversion. If the client device decides to perform the conversion, the details of the selected stores will be encrypted at the front end in step 2628 and sent to the server side. The server side will continue to use the encrypted selected store details without first decrypting them. Therefore, an additional client device side encryption layer for encrypting sensitive information is provided to help ensure that even if a third party tries to connect to the UP database 312, the third party cannot obtain the sensitive information because there is no password. Decrypt the information. However, the data from the server side will be decrypted when displayed in the browser of the client device, for example, in step 2624, therefore, the client device can receive the information.

The server side then updates the UP point balance of the client device and the bonus point balance (the bonus points balance of the selected stores) in steps 2630 and 2632, respectively, using the details of the encrypted selected stores. Next, in step 2634, a billing change is added to the store owner for each of the selected stores on the server side. Next, a notification to notify that the bonus points from the selected stores have been successfully converted is displayed in step 2636 through the browser of the client device and the client device can then log out in step 2638.

SSL is used in the UP system 300 for all login functions. Specifically, the user will use an SSL connection to log in and access information from the UP server 310, so the connection is secure. The encryption of the data (which includes the description file, password, and payment information) is done on the client device side using the SHA-3 implementation and the encrypted information is stored in the UP library 312. For increased security, you can connect to the SSL connection from the client device to the server side. Use a fixed openssl version and add BCRYPT encryption on the client side. The decryption of such data can only be implemented using the user's hashed and encrypted password. Therefore, the middleman attack can only access the encrypted content and cannot decrypt the content.

Multiple independent processes are run on-demand to help ensure that the currency exchange rate is accurate on the transaction date (may require a server connected to an external agency to obtain the latest currency ratio). In addition to using the default value of the UP buy price and the sell price for each store, the legal date of the bonus point, the instant currency exchange ratio, the UP to bonus point conversion and reverse conversion and other UP system 300 Changes are also more accurate due to back-end data integrity and concurrency checks for billing and payment systems. Specifically, these checks are used to dynamically check for foreign and outgoing transactions. Specifically, various checks and balances are processed in the right place to ensure the accuracy of the changes between the UP module 304 and the consumer, company, and store. Such processing can help prevent fraud or employee abuse or any other deliberate act of maliciously utilizing the UP system 300. For example, one of the checks may be to check the currency value of the universal point from the consumer in any transaction in the transaction that is not less than the currency value of the product to be redeemed from the store. Integrity checks can be used to identify inadvertent data errors, such as unanticipated data corrections or unexpected data changes immediately after a transaction. Such checks may also be implemented to identify data integrity anomalies, for example, bonus points and/or UP accounts are still updated for changes that have been cancelled, returned, or deleted.

The communication details from the server side to the front end or from the client device to the server side, the user credentials, and the loyalty program registration are implemented using the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol.

On the network side, a secure virtual private network can be built on the store server. And the UP server 310 is configured to allow communication between the store server and the UP server 310. For example, for invoicing and merging, the store servers can send files to the secure FTP of the UP server 310. The archives of these stores can have additional metadata. The UP server 310 can scan for viruses among them before processing such files. The files may be stored in the UP database 312 and then processed by the UP server 310 in batches or by the UP server 310. To help with this file processing, a file template can be provided to the store, which will vary in different industries (retail/tourism/services). The files may be processed in the UP server 310 based on the file template format.

Utilizing the technical structure described above, the UP system 300 allows companies, consumers, and stores to utilize a common currency unit - universal points to trade products and services between each other. This process is illustrated in Figure 27. Each store's UP buy points and sell points will be customized. These purchase price and sale price basically constitute the transaction basis between other groups and each store, and automatically manipulate the store's margin of profit at each transaction, and in some cases, automatically control the UP system manager. At the margin of profit for every change. The UP system 300 uses the instant feedback information about the currency exchange rate to reflect the exact exchange cost or sales price of the transaction occurring across the geographic market. Therefore, the UP system 300 solves by considering the fixed cost from the store regarding their products, the purchase price and the selling price of the UP set by the stores, and the instant currency exchange ratio (if applicable). Inflation.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein; however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the <RTIgt;

300‧‧‧ system

302‧‧‧ Consumer Module

304‧‧‧Common Point (UP) Module (Server Module)

306‧‧‧Store Module

307‧‧‧Store server

308‧‧‧ Bonus Database

310‧‧‧Common Point (UP) Server

312‧‧‧Universal Points (UP) Database

Claims (15)

A device for exchanging bonus points in a plurality of bonus plans into a universal point in a general point bonus plan, the device comprising: a database for storing each bonus point of each bonus plan into a universal a preset conversion ratio of points; an I/O unit configured to receive a consumer request from a consumer output device to exchange a particular number of bonus points into a universal point; and a calculation a unit configured to retrieve the preset conversion ratios from the database and calculate, based on the preset conversion ratios, a quantity of universal points that can be exchanged using the particular number of bonus points; The I/O unit is further configured to transmit the calculated number of universal points to the consumer output device. The device of claim 1, further comprising an access unit, wherein the access unit is configured to transmit a query to the consumer when the I/O unit is receiving the request from the consumer Requesting a store server for each store in the store where the bonus points are exchanged; and wherein the query is configured to allow each store server to allow access to the access unit in relation to the consumer's bonus points detail. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the I/O unit is included in an event-driven network server. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the computing unit is one of a plurality of computing units configured to determine the number of universal points, and wherein the selecting The computing unit to implement the calculation is based on the number of tasks each of the computing units is performing at the time of selection. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the database includes a further preset conversion ratio, and the device includes a search unit configured to search the database for the particular number of bonus points The default conversion ratio. According to the device of claim 1 or 2, the preset conversion ratios of the different bonus plans are different. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculation is performed based on the preset conversion ratios and the instant currency exchange ratio. According to the device of claim 7, wherein the preset conversion ratio of each bonus plan includes the value of each bonus point in the first currency. The device of claim 8, wherein the calculating comprises calculating a total currency value of the specific number of bonus points based on the preset conversion ratio and converting the total currency value into a second using an instantaneous currency exchange ratio currency. A loyalty system for exchanging points in a plurality of bonus plans, comprising: a plurality of consumer modules configured to receive from each of the plurality of bonus plans a consumer registered bonus plan a consumer's login credentials; a store server for each of the multiple bonus plans or a multi-group bonus plan, each bonus plan is configured to provide a bonus plan under the store's bonus plan a plurality of goods or services redeemed for the number of points to be exchanged and/or accumulated points for storing consumers in the bonus plan registered to the store; a server module configured to connect to the a plurality of consumer modules to the plurality of a store server, and storing a programmed instruction configured to: receive input from the consumer to exchange the accumulated points in a first store bonus plan into a universal point bonus plan a universal point based on the first store bonus plan and an instant currency exchange rate to determine a conversion ratio, showing the determined conversion result as a quote to the consumer, if the consumer accepts the offer, A debit request is sent to the first bonus plan at the individual store server and the quoted universal points are credited to the individual consumer's universal credit account. The system of claim 10, wherein the server module is configured to store further programmed instructions configured to: receive input from the consumer for general purpose The points are exchanged into points in a first store bonus plan, and the conversion ratio is determined based on the first store bonus plan and an instant currency exchange rate, and the determined conversion result is displayed as an offer to the consumer. If the consumer accepts the offer, a credit request is sent to the first bonus plan at the individual store server and the individual consumer's universal credit account is lent. The system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the server module is configured to store further programmed instructions configured to: receive input from the consumer for Redeem a general store number in a first store bonus plan Goods or services based on the goods or services, the first store bonus plan, and an instant currency exchange rate to determine the conversion ratio, showing the determined conversion result as a quote to the consumer, if The consumer accepts the offer, sends a request to the individual store server and lends the individual consumer's universal credit account. The system of claim 10 or 11, further comprising a currency conversion module configured to provide between the satellite currency of the first store bonus program and the system or the consumer's primary currency An instant currency conversion ratio. According to the system of claim 13, wherein the server module stores an equivalent currency value of one point in each individual store bonus plan, the equivalent currency value is denominated in the designated satellite currency of the individual store bonus plan . The system of claim 14, wherein the determined conversion ratio comprises an equivalent currency value of the primary currency converted from the satellite currency to the system using the instant currency conversion ratio.