WO1999020013A2 - Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards - Google Patents
Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1999020013A2 WO1999020013A2 PCT/US1998/021218 US9821218W WO9920013A2 WO 1999020013 A2 WO1999020013 A2 WO 1999020013A2 US 9821218 W US9821218 W US 9821218W WO 9920013 A2 WO9920013 A2 WO 9920013A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- group
- reward
- consumer
- performance
- consumers
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
- G06Q20/08—Payment architectures
- G06Q20/10—Payment architectures specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0211—Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0222—During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0224—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates based on user history
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0226—Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0235—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates constrained by time limit or expiration date
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0236—Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G06Q30/0601—Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q40/00—Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q40/00—Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
- G06Q40/04—Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to computer applications, and relates more specifically to computer-monitored business applications that use point-of-sale terminals to monitor transactions processed according to a group reward program.
- Certain frequent shopper programs are well known and widely practiced by many merchants. These prior art programs typically provide a reward to consumers when they meet certain purchasing criteria or goals. Through such programs, merchants may increase their customer base and market share by inducing consumers to purchase a certain level of goods and/or services over a predetermined period of time. For example, a reward may be offered by a merchant to a consumer (i.e. a "frequent shopper") who purchases $100.00 of goods and/or services in a month.
- Such programs tend to result in larger merchant sales since a consumer has the incentive to make all of his or her purchases through the one merchant offering a reward, rather than making purchases through competing merchants. The consumer thus becomes loyal to the merchant in an effort to meet the merchant's purchasing goals so that he or she may earn the reward.
- Some prior art frequent shopper programs are implemented manually. In a manual frequent shopper program, a merchant issues a wallet-sized card to a consumer, who retains it. During each transaction, the consumer presents the card to the merchant. After a qualified purchase has been made, the card is marked or hole-punched by the merchant to indicate the completed transaction. Examples of a qualified purchase include a purchase exceeding a minimum amount or a purchase of specific goods or services.
- the card After the card is marked, it is returned to the consumer.
- the consumer When the consumer has purchased a pre-defined amount of goods or services, thereby accumulating a pre-determined amount of marks or hole-punches, the card may be redeemed for a reward.
- the reward is typically a discount on future purchases or a free item from the merchant.
- a consumer is issued a card with a consumer identifier included thereon.
- the consumer identifier is in a machine-readable format, such as a bar-code or magnetic stripe.
- the consumer presents his or her card to an operator of a merchant's point-of-sale terminal.
- the card is read by the terminal and the transaction is processed and recorded in a database record corresponding to the consumer identifier.
- the database records are maintained by the merchant's computerized point-of-sale network, and when the consumer's purchases reach a predetermined level, the merchant may issue a reward to the consumer.
- the reward in such an automated system is typically a discount on future purchases or a free item from the merchant.
- the automated frequent shopper program is more advantageous than the manual program for several reasons. For instance, a merchant using a manual frequent shopper program is more likely to be defrauded by dishonest consumers. This is because in the manual system, the consumer keeps the frequent shopper card in his or her possession. The consumer then may mark or hole-punch the card himself without making a purchase. The merchant has no independent means for verifying the number of markings or hole-punches that should appear on any one card and, thus, can not verify whether a particular card has been illegitimately altered.
- the automated system is maintained solely by the merchant's computerized point-of-sale system. The consumer typically has no way to access the computer system, and therefore, has no way to tamper with the records of his or her purchases.
- the automated frequent shopper program provides further advantages that the manual program lacks. For instance, the automated frequent shopper program allows merchants to sell recorded consumer transaction data to marketing companies so that they may study consumer purchasing habits. Furthermore, the automated frequent shopper program allows the merchant to issue and redeem coupons distributed by the marketing companies. Such coupons are provided to the consumer at the point-of-sale terminal after a transaction is processed. The coupons are typically selected by the marketing company in response to the consumer's current and previously recorded purchases.
- the present invention provides an advantage over prior art automated frequent shopper programs by allowing two or more consumers to register as a group, or "shopping team," with a merchant who manages a group reward program.
- a group reward program of the present invention is a frequent shopper program that allows individual consumers to register with a merchant as a group and allows the group to earn a reward from the merchant based on the performance of the group.
- the performance of the group may be, for example, the aggregate or average amount of purchases made from the merchant by either the group or the individual consumers in the group.
- a group In order to become eligible to receive the reward, a group must achieve the goal established by the group reward program.
- the goal may be a number of purchases or a dollar amount of purchases to be achieved.
- the goal may further include a time limitation within which the purchases are to be achieved.
- the time limitation is a standard measurement of time, such as a day, a week, a month or a year.
- the goal may further include a specific time period for making qualified purchases, such as between the dates of June 1, 1998 and July 1, 1998.
- each consumer in the group may receive a frequent shopper card that contains an identifier corresponding to the consumer and/or an identifier corresponding to the group to which the consumer belongs.
- the card is presented by the consumer at a point-of-sale terminal each time he or she undertakes a transaction with the merchant.
- the point-of-sale terminal may be coupled with other point-of-sale terminals through a network server.
- the point-of-sale terminal records the purchases made by the consumer and sends the purchase record to the network server for storage.
- the network server stores the transaction data and determines a status of the group by comparing the transaction data stored for each consumer in the group to a goal stored in the system for the subject group.
- Rewards can be issued either automatically or manually by the merchant when the purchasing performance of the group meets the goal established for the reward.
- the purchasing performance of the group can be determined in several ways. For example, in one embodiment, rewards are issued based on an average performance of the group. In another embodiment, rewards are issued based on an average performance of each consumer in the group. In other embodiments, rewards are issued based on the aggregate performance of the group or the aggregate performance of each consumer in the group.
- the goal may be expressed in terms of any one of the following: a number of purchases made by the consumer or consumers, a dollar value of purchases made by the consumer(s), a number of purchases to be made by the consumer(s) within a predetermined time or before a predetermined date, a dollar value of purchases to be made by the consumer(s) within a predetermined time or before a predetermined date, and a specific time or times during which purchases must be made by the consumer(s).
- the group becomes eligible for a reward, such as free or discounted products offered by the merchant, or other rewards.
- the reward may be determined by the merchant or may be suggested by the group when it registers. The value of the reward may determine the purchase criterion set by the merchant. After a reward is earned, the group may be notified of its eligibility to receive the reward. The merchant may then issue the reward to the group in several ways. For instance, each consumer in the group may be given the reward or the reward may be given to the registered group leader for distribution to the remaining consumers. In another embodiment, the reward may be given to the group up-front at the time of its registration, before any qualified purchases have been made.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network of point-of-sale terminals maintained by a merchant in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a network server that controls the network of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a point-of-sale terminal of the network of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a frequent shopper database of the network server of FIG 1.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a reward rules database of the network server of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a group status database of the network server of FIG. 1.
- FIGS. 7A-7C show a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to process a transaction in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 8A-8B show a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to update the databases shown in FIGS. 4-6.
- FIGS. 9A-9B show a flow chart illustrating the computer-implemented steps used for processing a reward redemption in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a merchant's point-of-sale network system 100.
- a plurality of point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 are connected to point-of-sale network server 102 via network 104.
- Point-of-sale network server 102 is a computer network server of the type commonly manufactured by International Business Machines, Corp.
- Network 104 can be any commonly known networking system such as a local area network (LAN), an ethernet or token-ring network, a public telephone exchange system, a wide-area network (WAN), an extranet system, an intranet system or the Internet.
- LAN local area network
- WAN wide-area network
- extranet system an intranet system or the Internet.
- point-of-sale network system 100 may be located within a merchant's store, may connect a chain of merchants' stores or may be an Internet-based sales system such as the kind operated by AMAZON.COM wherein the point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 are personal computers operated by consumers.
- point-of-sale network server 102 stores and correlates purchasing and transactional data processed by the plurality of point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110.
- the data is transmitted to point-of-sale network server 102 by the plurality of point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 through network 104.
- the network system 100 may include any number of point-of-sale terminals.
- network 104 and point-of-sale network server 102 are not necessary to the practice of the invention as long as the one terminal can perform certain operations performed by the point-of-sale network server 102 described further in conjunction with FIGS. 2-9B.
- the point-of-sale network server 102 may include as many network servers as are necessary to receive transaction data and perform the functions discussed below.
- the point-of-sale network server 102 may include components commonly found in typical computer network server systems.
- Central processing unit (CPU) 210 may be any commonly manufactured microprocessor chip, such as the Pentium II® manufactured by Intel Corporation.
- Central processing unit (CPU) 210 runs at a clock speed determined by clock 208 which is operatively connected to central processing unit (CPU) 210.
- Central processing unit (CPU) 210 is further operatively connected to standard computer components such as random access memory (RAM) 200, read-only memory (ROM) 202, input device(s) 204, output device(s) 206, communication port 212 and data storage device 214.
- RAM random access memory
- ROM read-only memory
- RAM read-only memory
- ROM read-only memory
- input device(s) 204 input device(s) 204
- output device(s) 206 input device(s) 204
- communication port 212 communication port 212
- data storage device 214 data storage device 214.
- RAM 200 may be one or more single inline memory module (SIMM) chips capable of storing a predetermined amount of data (typically measured in megabytes) and used by central processing unit (CPU) 210 for temporary storage of processing instructions during operation of the point-of-sale network server 102.
- SIMM single inline memory module
- Read-only memory (ROM) 202 is at least one permanent non-erasable and non-rewritable memory chip that stores initializing instructions to be used by central processing unit (CPU) 210 during a start-up routine performed by point- of-sale network server 102. Further functions of random access memory (RAM) 200 and read-only memory (ROM) 202 will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
- RAM random access memory
- ROM read-only memory
- Input device(s) 204 may be one or more of the following commonly known computer peripherals used for inputting data to a computer: a keyboard, a bar-code scanner, a voice-recognition device, a biometric device, a mouse, and a parallel port, serial port, keyboard port or mouse port in combination with these devices. Input device(s) 204 is/are preferably operative so that a human operator may input operating commands to point-of-sale network server 102.
- Output device(s) 206 may be one or more of the following commonly known computer peripherals used for outputting data from a computer: a printer, a monitor, a back-up storage device, an LED or LCD display, and a parallel or serial port in combination with any of these devices.
- Output device(s) 206 is/are preferably operative so that a human operator may receive data from point-of-sale network server 102 to be used in accordance with the instant invention. Further applicable output devices will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
- Communication port 212 may be one or more of the following commonly known computer peripherals used for computer-related communications: a parallel port, a serial port, a network card, a fax/modem/telephone port and the like. Further such devices will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Communication port 212 is operative to transmit and receive data between central processing unit (CPU) 210 and network 104.
- CPU central processing unit
- Data storage device 214 may be any one of the following commonly known computer peripherals used for storing computer data: a hard drive, a floppy disk drive, a DVD drive such as those manufactured by Phillips Electronics, a ZIP drive such as those manufactured by IOMEGA, a tape drive and a Digital Audio Tape drive. Further such devices will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Data storage device 214 is operative to store an operating system (not shown) and one or more application programs (not shown) in order to successfully operate point-of-sale network server 102 in accordance with the system and method of the present invention.
- data storage device 214 is further operative to store frequent shopper database 216, reward rules database 218 and group status database 220, each of which is discussed below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
- Data storage device 214 further stores processing instructions for central processing unit (CPU) 210 to retrieve and perform transaction process 222, periodic reconciliation process 224 and reward redemption process 226, each of which is discussed with reference to FIGS. 7A-9B below.
- CPU central processing unit
- point-of-sale terminal 106 includes components commonly found in typical point-of-sale terminals.
- Central processing unit (CPU) 306, clock 304, random access memory (RAM) 300, read-only memory (ROM) 302, communication port 308, input device(s) 310 and output device(s) 312 are analogous in structure and function to central processing unit (CPU) 210, clock 208, random access memory (RAM) 200, read-only memory (ROM) 202, communication port 212, input device(s) 204 and communication port 212, respectively.
- communication port 308 is operative to transmit data to and receive data from point-of-sale network server 102 through network 104.
- point-of-sale terminal 106 contains a data storage device (not shown) analogous in structure, stored contents and functionality to data storage device 214, so that it may perform functions and processes equivalent to the point-of-sale network server 102 discussed above.
- point-of-sale terminal 106 is similar in structure and function to other point-of-sale terminals 108 and 110.
- point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 may be of the exact same structure, though they should preferably be mutually compatible so that they may operate together in merchant's point-of-sale network system 100.
- point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 may be equipped to accommodate additional add-on devices regularly used by merchants in the retail industry.
- frequent shopper database 216 includes frequent shopper identifier field 400, contact information field 402 and group identifier field 404. Each row of frequent shopper database 216 represents a consumer registered as a frequent shopper.
- frequent shopper identifier field 400 allows for entry and storage of a plurality of frequent shopper identifier numbers corresponding to consumers who register with a group in a group reward program. Each consumer, upon registration, is assigned a unique frequent shopper identifier number.
- the frequent shopper identification number may be an alphanumeric code, or the like.
- the frequent shopper identifier number may be a consumer's credit card account identifier or a variation thereof.
- the frequent shopper identifier number may be a unique code generated by the merchant, the merchant's point-of-sale terminal, the merchant's network server, and the like.
- the frequent shopper identifier may serve the double purpose of being a user identification number and/or a password.
- Contact information field 402 allows for entry and storage of personal identification information corresponding to the consumer entered in frequent shopper identifier field 400.
- the personal identification information may include a consumer's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
- contact information field 402 may contain personal identification information of a group leader corresponding to the group to which a consumer is assigned. Furthermore, contact information field 402 may contain financial account information corresponding to a financial account owned by a consumer.
- the financial account information may be a financial account identifier such as a credit card number, a checking account number or a savings account number and the like.
- the financial account information may be stored by a merchant to allow an entry fee to be charged for participation in the group reward program. Furthermore, the financial account information may allow the merchant to secure a reward given to the consumer in an up-front reward embodiment.
- each consumer in the group can secure the value of the reward with an authorization to charge, for example, his or her credit card for the consumer's portion of the value of the reward should the group fail to meet the program's goal. Since the reward is offered up-front, consumers are better motivated to join the instant group reward program. Because the pre-issued reward is secured by the consumer, he or she is further motivated to achieve the merchant's established goals, so as to avoid a penalty being charged against his or her account.
- Group identifier field 404 allows for entry and storage of a group identifier corresponding to the group to which a consumer is assigned. Similar to the frequent shopper identifier, the group identifier may be an alphanumeric code or the like. It should be recognized that a single consumer may belong to more than one group. Thus, a consumer may have one or more entries in frequent shopper database 216, each entry corresponding to a group to which the consumer belongs.
- reward rules database 218 includes reward identifier field 500, reward type field 502, reward rules field 504, reward redemption method field 506, status notification method field 508 and reward notification method field 510.
- Each row of reward rules database 218 represents a reward that a group may receive upon achieving its goal.
- Reward identifier field 500 allows for entry and storage of a reward identifier corresponding to a reward offered in a group reward program.
- the reward identifier may be an alphanumeric code or the like used by a merchant to identify a particular reward.
- Reward type field 502 allows for entry and storage of a description of a reward offered in a group reward program.
- the reward type may be a written description of the reward. Examples of rewards offered in a group reward program include free or discounted products offered by the merchant, frequent flier miles, pre-paid telephone time, sweepstakes entries, lottery tickets, rebates, coupons or a donation to a charity or the like.
- Reward rules field 504 allows for entry and storage of a description of the rules applicable to a particular reward type by which a group becomes eligible to earn the reward in a group reward program.
- Examples of reward rules include a number of purchases to be made by a group, a dollar value of purchases to be made by the group, a number of purchases to be made by the group within a predetermined time or before a predetermined date, a dollar value of purchases to be made by the group within a predetermined time or before a predetermined date, specific products to be purchased by the group, and a specific time or times during which purchases must be made by the group.
- Each rule thus defines a goal that a group will attempt to meet.
- a description of the reward rules may further include a description of how the performance of the group is to be measured, such as an average performance of the group, an average performance of each consumer in the group, the aggregate performance of the group or the individual performance of each consumer in the group. Further methods for measuring a performance of the group are disclosed in co-pending United States patent application Serial No. 08/948,144 filed on October 9, 1997.
- a description of the reward rules may further include a description of the type of transactions made by a consumer that are qualified under a group reward program.
- a "qualified transaction,” as contemplated by the instant invention, is a purchase that is counted when measuring the purchasing performance of a group participating in a group reward program. Examples of qualified purchases include: a purchase over $10.00, a purchase in which the payment is made by cash or debit card, or a purchase of specific goods or services. Other types of qualified transactions will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
- Reward redemption method field 506 allows for entry and storage of a description of the method by which a reward is to be redeemed in a group reward program. Such methods include a receipt issued to each consumer in a group printed at a point-of-sale terminal printer, a check issued to a group leader, an automatic discount applied by a point-of-sale terminal during each group member's next purchase subsequent to reward eligibility, and the like.
- the reward method may include the issuance of an electronic mail message, an electronic coupon and the like.
- Status notification method field 508 allows for entry and storage of a description of a method by which consumers may be notified of their eligibility to receive a group reward.
- Examples of status notification methods include a printout or receipt from a point-of-sale terminal at the time of a consumer's transaction, a communication via electronic mail or the Internet, a facsimile transmission, automated or manual telephone messaging, a postal communication or a messaging system accessible via a point-of-sale display located in the merchant's place of business, or any other medium.
- the status notification method may allow a group to check its purchasing performance data in one of several manners. For instance, a status report may be issued at regular time intervals or upon request of any one of the consumers in the group.
- the status report can be issued to a registered group leader who then may inform the remaining group members of the group's status. Alternatively, the status report can be issued to each member of the group. In addition, status notification may be performed by the point-of-sale network server 102 or any of the plurality of point-of-sale terminals 106, 108, and 110.
- Reward notification method field 510 allows for entry and storage of a description of a method by which a group is notified when they become eligible to receive a group reward. Reward notification methods may be performed in the same manner as status notification methods described above.
- group status database 220 includes group identifier field 600, reward identifier field 601, reward status field 602, frequent shopper identifier field 603, status field 604 and group leader identifier field 606. Each row of group status database 220 corresponds to a consumer participating in a group reward program.
- Group identifier field 600, reward identifier field 601 and frequent shopper identifier field 603 contain the same information as described for group identifier field 404, reward identifier field 500 and frequent shopper identifier field 400, respectively. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the information in fields 404, 500, and 400 can be written in group status database 220 independently of the corresponding fields appearing in frequent shopper database 216 and reward rules database 218. However, for illustrative purposes these fields are written simultaneously as cross-related database fields, a technique which is well known in prior art database systems.
- Reward status field 602 allows for entry and storage of a description of the current status of a consumer of a corresponding group participating in a group reward program.
- the status of each consumer in a group may be the information that is reported to a consumer or a group through the previously described status notification method.
- the entries in reward status field 602 are determined in accordance with the reward rules applicable to the group. For example, if the reward rules dictate that a group must make a certain dollar amount of purchases within a month, then the reward status field will, for each consumer, indicate that consumer's dollar value of purchases for that month.
- the data stored in reward status field 602 may reflect either the performance of each consumer in the group or the performance of the group overall.
- the stored data reflects the performance of the consumer, as exemplified by the first two rows of FIG. 6, the purchasing data for a consumer is updated and recorded in reward status field 602 each time a consumer makes a qualified transaction, as discussed in accordance with transaction process 222.
- this embodiment is particularly useful where the performance of the group is measured based on the individual or average performance of each group member.
- the stored data reflects the performance of the group, as exemplified by the third and fourth rows of FIG.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 recalculates the performance of the group by retrieving the stored performance from reward status field 602 and adding the current purchase to the stored performance. The new value is then stored in reward status field 602 for each consumer in the subject group.
- this embodiment is particularly useful where the performance of the group is measured as an aggregate performance of the group.
- Status field 604 allows for entry and storage of a description of the status of a group's eligibility, whether the group has been notified and whether a reward has been redeemed.
- Group leader identifier field 606 allows for entry and storage of a group leader identifier.
- the group leader identifier may be the frequent shopper identifier corresponding to the consumer who is registered as a leader of a group.
- the group leader identifier may be a separate alphanumeric code, or the like.
- FIGS. 7A-7C are a flowchart illustrating a method of processing a transaction with a consumer in accordance with transaction process 222 of the instant invention.
- a consumer Prior to transaction process 222, a consumer selects one or more items offered for sale by a merchant. The consumer presents the item(s) at one of the plurality of point-of-sale terminals 106, 108 and 110 along with his or her frequent shopper card during the transaction.
- Transaction process 222 begins when an operator of the point-of-sale terminal receives a frequent shopper card from the consumer and inputs the frequent shopper identifier and transaction information into the point-of-sale terminal 106 via input device 310 (step 700).
- point-of-sale network server 102 is queried by the point-of-sale terminal through network 104 to determine whether the consumer is a member of a registered group.
- Central processing unit (CPU) 210 receives the frequent shopper identifier and the transaction data through communication port 212 and searches frequent shopper identifier field 400 of frequent shopper database 216 for a matching frequent shopper identifier.
- step 704 the transaction is processed in a conventional manner, i.e. the transaction is processed without any adjustments being made to group status database 220. If a match is found then a consumer is identified by the received frequent shopper identifier and the process continues on to step 706.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the group identifier corresponding to the consumer from group identifier field 404 of frequent shopper database 216.
- the group identifier in turn indicates a record of the group status database 220 that corresponds to the consumer.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 adjusts the reward status corresponding to the consumer stored in reward status field 602 according to the transaction data received from the point-of-sale terminal.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward identifier stored in reward identifier field 500 corresponding to the consumer and looks up the reward rule in reward rules field
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves all the reward statuses stored in reward status field 602 that correspond to the consumer's group. Central processing unit (CPU) 210 correlates the retrieved reward statuses to determine the performance of the group and compares the performance of the group to the reward rules. If the group performance does not at least equal the goal specified by the reward rules, the remainder of the transaction is processed in a conventional manner (step 704). If the group performance does at least equal the goal specified by the reward rules, process 222 continues on to step 714.
- central processing unit For example, if the reward rules state that the aggregate performance for the group must exceed $1000.00 of purchase in a month, central processing unit
- CPU 210 retrieves the reward statuses for each consumer in the group. As discussed above, the reward statuses may be stored in the same format as the reward rules, in this case, as a dollar value of purchases made by the consumer in the current month. The central processing unit (CPU) 210 will then, in accordance with the aggregate group performance rule, add the total dollar value of purchases made by the group to determine a group performance. If the performance exceeds $1000.00, central processing unit (CPU) 210 will determine that the group is eligible to receive the reward. If the performance does not exceed $1000.00, central processing unit (CPU) 210 will determine that the group is not eligible to receive the reward.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward notification method stored in reward notification method field 510 that corresponds to the reward type assigned to the consumer's group.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines whether the reward notification is to be performed at the point-of-sale terminal. If so, process 222 continues at step
- transaction process 222 continues at step 718.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 outputs the reward notification pursuant to the reward notification method corresponding to the reward for which a group is eligible.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 sets the status in status field 604 to "eligible/notified/not_redeemed" for each consumer in the group, at which point transaction process 222 ends.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 sends a signal through network 104 to the point-of-sale terminal. Upon receipt of the signal, the point-of-sale terminal issues a reward notification to the consumer through output device(s) 312. Central processing unit (CPU) 210 then sets the status in status field 604 to
- the reward may be applied simultaneously at the point of notification.
- FIGS. 8 A and 8B illustrates a periodic reconciliation process 224 performed by central processing unit (CPU) 210 for each group identifier stored in group status database 220.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 searches for a reward identifier stored in reward identifier field 500 that corresponds to the group identifier (step 800).
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward rules stored in reward rules field 504 corresponding to the reward identifier.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves all reward statuses that correspond to the group identifier from reward status field 602 and determines the group performance, as discussed previously.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines whether the group is eligible to receive a reward by reading the status retrieved in step 804. If the group is eligible to receive the reward, periodic reconciliation process 224 continues to step 812 discussed in conjunction with FIG. 8B below. If the group is not eligible to receive the reward, periodic reconciliation process 224 continues at step 808. At step 808, central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves a status notification method corresponding to the reward identifier or identifiers assigned to the group from status notification method field 508. At step 810, central processing unit (CPU) 210 outputs or queues to output a status report through either output device(s) 206 or communication port 212.
- the status report is communicated to the group leader or to each member of the group, in accordance with the reward notification method assigned to the group.
- periodic reconciliation process 224 ends.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines that the group is eligible to receive the reward at step 806, periodic reconciliation process 224 continues at step 812.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 updates status field 604 corresponding to the group to "eligible/not_notified/not_redeemed" for each consumer corresponding to the group.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward notification method corresponding to the reward assigned to the group from reward notification method field 510.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines whether the reward notification is to be performed through a point-of-sale terminal. If so, periodic reconciliation process 224 ends. If not, periodic reconciliation process 224 continues at step 818.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 outputs the reward notification pursuant to the reward notification method corresponding to the reward assigned to the group.
- the outputting function may include a process for storing the status for later outputting, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 sets status field 604 to "eligible/notified/not_redeemed" for each consumer in the group.
- periodic reconciliation process 224 ends.
- FIG. 9A is a portion of a flow chart illustrating a reward redemption process 226 performed by central processing unit (CPU) 210.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 receives a frequent shopper identifier transmitted from point-of-sale terminal 106 through network 104.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines whether the frequent shopper identifier corresponds to a consumer belonging to a frequent shopper group by looking up the frequent shopper identifier in frequent shopper database 216. If the frequent shopper identifier is not found in frequent shopper database 216, reward redemption process 226 proceeds to step 903 where the transaction with the consumer is processed in a conventional manner after which time reward redemption process 226 ends.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the group identifier corresponding to the frequent shopper identifier from frequent shopper database 216.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward statuses corresponding to the retrieved group identifier from group status database 220.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 determines the reward status data and compares the results to the reward rules stored in reward rules database 218 to determine whether the group is eligible to receive the group reward.
- frequent shopper database 216 proceeds to step 910. If not, the remainder of the transaction with the consumer is processed in a conventional manner and reward redemption process 226 ends.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the redemption status corresponding to the received frequent shopper identifier from group status database 220.
- the redemption status indicates that the group reward has been redeemed, the remainder of the transaction with the consumer is processed in a conventional manner and reward redemption process 226 ends. If the redemption status indicates that the reward has not been redeemed, reward redemption process 226 continues at step 914.
- central processing unit (CPU) 210 retrieves the reward redemption method corresponding to the reward identifier associated with the consumer's group from reward rules database 218 (step 914). At step 916, central processing unit (CPU) 210 issues the reward pursuant to the retrieved reward redemption method. At step 918, central processing unit (CPU) 210 sets the redemption status corresponding to the frequent shopper identifier in group status database 220 to "eligible/notified/redeemed" at which time reward redemption process 226 ends.
- the invention disclosed herein creates a self-sustaining promotion for merchants by encouraging a plurality of consumers at a time to participate in a frequent shopper program.
- This invention therefore, provides advantages over prior art frequent shopper programs in that consumers in a group registered as a shopping group can encourage each other to work for the common goal necessary to be eligible for a group reward.
- the consumers therefore have more of a motivation to meet a purchasing goal than in previous programs. Since consumers are better motivated in the instant program, there will be more compliance with the program, thereby generating more profits for a merchant implementing the program.
- smaller merchants having smaller budgets may implement this invention with more success than with prior art frequent shopper programs because of the greater expected returns.
- a further advantage of the present invention is that, in the up-front reward issuance embodiment discussed above, a consumer is better motivated to join the instant frequent shopper program and is better motivated to achieve the purchasing goals established by the merchant than in prior art frequent shopper programs.
- the group reward program described above may include additional features described hereinbelow.
- the merchant may require each consumer, upon registration, to provide financial account information corresponding to a financial account owned by the consumer.
- the financial account information may include a financial account identifier, such as a credit card number corresponding to a credit card account, or a checking account number corresponding to a checking account owned by the consumer.
- an entry fee for participating in the group reward may be charged against the financial account.
- a penalty may be charged against the account when a consumer or a group fails to meet the purchasing goals set by the merchant for the group reward program.
- the consumer may be provided with a group reward upon registration.
- the value of the group reward may be secured by an open authorization to charge a penalty, corresponding to either the value of the reward or a portion of the value of the reward, against the financial account should the consumer and/or the group fail to meet the purchasing goal established by the merchant. Further uses of the financial account will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Landscapes
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
- Finance (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Strategic Management (AREA)
- Development Economics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Economics (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Marketing (AREA)
- Game Theory and Decision Science (AREA)
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
- Technology Law (AREA)
- Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP98952157A EP1023791A2 (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1998-10-08 | Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards |
AU97923/98A AU9792398A (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1998-10-08 | Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards |
CA002306052A CA2306052A1 (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1998-10-08 | Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards |
JP2000516458A JP2001520425A (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1998-10-08 | Sales point system and group reward management method |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US08/948,144 US6128599A (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1997-10-09 | Method and apparatus for processing customized group reward offers |
US11841498A | 1998-07-17 | 1998-07-17 | |
US09/118,414 | 1998-07-17 | ||
US08/948,144 | 1998-07-17 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1999020013A2 true WO1999020013A2 (en) | 1999-04-22 |
WO1999020013A3 WO1999020013A3 (en) | 1999-07-08 |
Family
ID=26816333
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1998/021218 WO1999020013A2 (en) | 1997-10-09 | 1998-10-08 | Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6985879B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1023791A2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2001520425A (en) |
AU (1) | AU9792398A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2306052A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999020013A2 (en) |
Cited By (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2001004852A1 (en) * | 1999-07-09 | 2001-01-18 | Walker Digital, Llc | Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts |
JP2001195460A (en) * | 2000-01-05 | 2001-07-19 | Rakuten Inc | Sales system |
EP1134677A1 (en) * | 2000-03-13 | 2001-09-19 | Loyalty Partner GmbH | Computer system, computer supported method and computer program for incentive award system management |
EP1160699A1 (en) * | 2000-05-29 | 2001-12-05 | Michela Lorenzini | A system and a method for promoting products and/or services |
KR20020003793A (en) * | 2000-07-07 | 2002-01-15 | 조경수 | Besiness to group theory |
KR20020005840A (en) * | 2000-07-10 | 2002-01-18 | 노시열 | Common purchase method using bid by internet |
KR20020006497A (en) * | 2001-10-11 | 2002-01-19 | 김경수 | A selling method for goods in internet and a system for performing the same |
KR20020012656A (en) * | 2000-08-08 | 2002-02-20 | 이구민 | The method of e-commerce through internet shopping mall |
WO2002052462A1 (en) * | 2000-12-22 | 2002-07-04 | Global Digital Technology Holdings Limited | A customer loyalty development, management and reward platform system |
KR20020078209A (en) * | 2001-04-06 | 2002-10-18 | 강창선 | A method of Internet Electronic -Commerce by the first-order type of Joint Purchasing |
KR100414012B1 (en) * | 2000-01-31 | 2004-01-07 | (주)프라이스엔지오 | Agent system for a plurality of buyers jointly using electrically commercial network and transaction method thereof |
EP1452987A1 (en) * | 2001-12-27 | 2004-09-01 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Member management server system and member management method |
DE102007016607A1 (en) | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Loyalty Partner Gmbh | Reward system with rule-based customization |
DE102007016609A1 (en) | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Loyalty Partner Gmbh | Rewards system |
US20090199094A1 (en) * | 2008-02-05 | 2009-08-06 | Wachovia Corporation | System and method for rewards integration in a computer system |
US8595055B2 (en) | 2001-03-27 | 2013-11-26 | Points.Com | Apparatus and method of facilitating the exchange of points between selected entities |
JP2014137649A (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-28 | Japan Research Institute Ltd | Card use promotion device, card use promotion method and card use promotion program |
Families Citing this family (198)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7693748B1 (en) | 1991-06-03 | 2010-04-06 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Method and system for configuring a set of information including a price and volume schedule for a product |
US7818212B1 (en) | 1999-10-22 | 2010-10-19 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Multiple criteria buying and selling model |
US6615189B1 (en) | 1998-06-22 | 2003-09-02 | Bank One, Delaware, National Association | Debit purchasing of stored value card for use by and/or delivery to others |
US7809642B1 (en) | 1998-06-22 | 2010-10-05 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Debit purchasing of stored value card for use by and/or delivery to others |
US7660763B1 (en) | 1998-11-17 | 2010-02-09 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Customer activated multi-value (CAM) card |
US6032136A (en) | 1998-11-17 | 2000-02-29 | First Usa Bank, N.A. | Customer activated multi-value (CAM) card |
US20110213648A1 (en) * | 1999-05-12 | 2011-09-01 | Ewinwin, Inc. | e-COMMERCE VOLUME PRICING |
US20120197722A1 (en) * | 2006-08-14 | 2012-08-02 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Group buying search |
US8732018B2 (en) * | 1999-05-12 | 2014-05-20 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Real-time offers and dynamic price adjustments presented to mobile devices |
US8140402B1 (en) | 2001-08-06 | 2012-03-20 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Social pricing |
US7593871B1 (en) * | 2004-06-14 | 2009-09-22 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Multiple price curves and attributes |
US8626605B2 (en) | 1999-05-12 | 2014-01-07 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Multiple criteria buying and selling model |
US6882984B1 (en) | 1999-06-04 | 2005-04-19 | Bank One, Delaware, National Association | Credit instrument and system with automated payment of club, merchant, and service provider fees |
US7263505B1 (en) | 1999-06-30 | 2007-08-28 | Kyklos Entertainment S.R.L. | Method and apparatus for generating a sale offer over an electronic network system |
US8793160B2 (en) * | 1999-12-07 | 2014-07-29 | Steve Sorem | System and method for processing transactions |
US7668747B2 (en) * | 1999-12-13 | 2010-02-23 | Autosavings Network, Inc. | System and method for providing incentives to purchasers |
US6941279B1 (en) * | 2000-02-23 | 2005-09-06 | Banke One Corporation | Mutual fund card method and system |
US7811168B2 (en) * | 2000-07-25 | 2010-10-12 | Gaming Enhancement, Inc. | Random pay gaming system using weighting function with maximum, minimum, and average value |
AU2001282935A1 (en) | 2000-08-01 | 2002-02-13 | First Usa Bank, N.A. | System and method for transponder-enabled account transactions |
US7831467B1 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2010-11-09 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Method and system for retaining customer loyalty |
US6910045B2 (en) | 2000-11-01 | 2005-06-21 | Collegenet, Inc. | Automatic data transmission in response to content of electronic forms satisfying criteria |
US7295999B1 (en) | 2000-12-20 | 2007-11-13 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for determining eligibility and enrolling members in various programs |
US6985873B2 (en) | 2001-01-18 | 2006-01-10 | First Usa Bank, N.A. | System and method for administering a brokerage rebate card program |
US7895098B2 (en) | 2001-03-01 | 2011-02-22 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for measuring and utilizing pooling analytics |
US7103573B2 (en) * | 2001-04-02 | 2006-09-05 | Privilegeone Networks, Llc | User rewards program and associated communications system |
US8849716B1 (en) | 2001-04-20 | 2014-09-30 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for preventing identity theft or misuse by restricting access |
US7313546B2 (en) | 2001-05-23 | 2007-12-25 | Jp Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for currency selectable stored value instrument |
US7689506B2 (en) | 2001-06-07 | 2010-03-30 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for rapid updating of credit information |
US7266839B2 (en) | 2001-07-12 | 2007-09-04 | J P Morgan Chase Bank | System and method for providing discriminated content to network users |
AU2002327322A1 (en) | 2001-07-24 | 2003-02-17 | First Usa Bank, N.A. | Multiple account card and transaction routing |
US7809641B2 (en) | 2001-07-26 | 2010-10-05 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, National Association | System and method for funding a collective account |
US8020754B2 (en) | 2001-08-13 | 2011-09-20 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for funding a collective account by use of an electronic tag |
US8800857B1 (en) | 2001-08-13 | 2014-08-12 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for crediting loyalty program points and providing loyalty rewards by use of an electronic tag |
US7306141B1 (en) | 2001-08-13 | 2007-12-11 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for funding a collective account by use of an electronic tag |
US8078492B2 (en) * | 2001-10-02 | 2011-12-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Providing consumers with incentives for healthy eating habits |
US8224760B2 (en) | 2001-11-14 | 2012-07-17 | Retaildna, Llc | Self learning method and system for managing a group reward system |
US7987501B2 (en) * | 2001-12-04 | 2011-07-26 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for single session sign-on |
US7756896B1 (en) | 2002-03-11 | 2010-07-13 | Jp Morgan Chase Bank | System and method for multi-dimensional risk analysis |
US7899753B1 (en) | 2002-03-25 | 2011-03-01 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A | Systems and methods for time variable financial authentication |
WO2003083619A2 (en) | 2002-03-29 | 2003-10-09 | Bank One, Delaware, N.A. | System and process for performing purchase transaction using tokens |
US20040210498A1 (en) | 2002-03-29 | 2004-10-21 | Bank One, National Association | Method and system for performing purchase and other transactions using tokens with multiple chips |
US20060122856A1 (en) * | 2002-06-06 | 2006-06-08 | Benevolink Corporation | System and method for enabling consumers to add personal charitable contributions and transfer the right to designate a beneficiary to other consumers |
US7899707B1 (en) | 2002-06-18 | 2011-03-01 | Ewinwin, Inc. | DAS predictive modeling and reporting function |
US8521582B2 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2013-08-27 | Community Force, Llc | System and method for collaborative affinity marketing |
US8239304B1 (en) | 2002-07-29 | 2012-08-07 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Method and system for providing pre-approved targeted products |
US7689463B1 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2010-03-30 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Multiple supplier system and method for transacting business |
US7766743B2 (en) * | 2002-08-29 | 2010-08-03 | Douglas Schoellkopf Jebb | Methods and apparatus for evaluating a user's affinity for a property |
AU2002951289A0 (en) * | 2002-09-06 | 2002-09-19 | Graham Wayne Thomas | Loyalty reward point exchange |
US7809595B2 (en) | 2002-09-17 | 2010-10-05 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, Na | System and method for managing risks associated with outside service providers |
US20040122736A1 (en) | 2002-10-11 | 2004-06-24 | Bank One, Delaware, N.A. | System and method for granting promotional rewards to credit account holders |
US20040078210A1 (en) * | 2002-10-22 | 2004-04-22 | Segelbaum Robert S. | Internet air travel system |
US8301493B2 (en) | 2002-11-05 | 2012-10-30 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for providing incentives to consumers to share information |
US20040225510A1 (en) * | 2003-05-07 | 2004-11-11 | Mcgovern Glen E. | Method and software for facilitating a purchase |
US8306907B2 (en) | 2003-05-30 | 2012-11-06 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank N.A. | System and method for offering risk-based interest rates in a credit instrument |
US8590785B1 (en) | 2004-06-15 | 2013-11-26 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Discounts in a mobile device |
US7364086B2 (en) | 2003-06-16 | 2008-04-29 | Ewinwin, Inc. | Dynamic discount card tied to price curves and group discounts |
US7086586B1 (en) * | 2003-08-13 | 2006-08-08 | Bank One, Delaware, National Association | System and method for a card payment program providing mutual benefits to card issuers and cardholders based on financial performance |
US8175908B1 (en) | 2003-09-04 | 2012-05-08 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Systems and methods for constructing and utilizing a merchant database derived from customer purchase transactions data |
US7953663B1 (en) | 2003-09-04 | 2011-05-31 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for financial instrument pre-qualification and offering |
US8239323B2 (en) | 2003-09-23 | 2012-08-07 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Method and system for distribution of unactivated bank account cards |
JP4259983B2 (en) * | 2003-11-04 | 2009-04-30 | 富士通株式会社 | Customer store management system |
US20090281905A1 (en) * | 2004-01-30 | 2009-11-12 | Walton Daniel B | System and method for charitable donations |
US7890996B1 (en) * | 2004-02-18 | 2011-02-15 | Teros, Inc. | Using statistical analysis to generate exception rules that allow legitimate messages to pass through application proxies and gateways |
US7774834B1 (en) | 2004-02-18 | 2010-08-10 | Citrix Systems, Inc. | Rule generalization for web application entry point modeling |
CA2505219A1 (en) * | 2004-04-23 | 2005-10-23 | Maritz Inc. | Cardholder loyalty program with rebate |
US7881963B2 (en) * | 2004-04-27 | 2011-02-01 | Stan Chudnovsky | Connecting internet users |
US8224697B2 (en) * | 2004-06-25 | 2012-07-17 | Sap Aktiengesellschaft | Managing customer entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs |
US7392222B1 (en) | 2004-08-03 | 2008-06-24 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for providing promotional pricing |
US20060129454A1 (en) * | 2004-08-17 | 2006-06-15 | Moon Susan R | Methods and systems for implementing a group buy |
US20060053058A1 (en) * | 2004-08-31 | 2006-03-09 | Philip Hotchkiss | System and method for gathering consumer feedback |
US10977613B2 (en) * | 2004-10-20 | 2021-04-13 | Dizpersion Technologies, Inc. | Method and system for providing cooperative purchasing over social networks |
WO2006066251A2 (en) | 2004-12-15 | 2006-06-22 | Gaming Enhancements, Inc. | Techniques for generating random awards using a plurality of average values |
US10755313B2 (en) | 2004-12-27 | 2020-08-25 | Andrew Levi | System and method for distribution of targeted content between mobile communication devices |
US10354280B2 (en) | 2004-12-27 | 2019-07-16 | Blue Calypso, Llc | System and method for distribution of targeted advertising between mobile communication devices |
US9314697B2 (en) | 2013-07-26 | 2016-04-19 | Blue Calypso, Llc | System and method for advertising distribution through mobile social gaming |
KR20070097548A (en) * | 2004-12-29 | 2007-10-04 | 코닌클리케 필립스 일렉트로닉스 엔.브이. | Method and apparatus for encoding video data stream |
US20060173736A1 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2006-08-03 | Huyser Brandi J | System and method for providing purchasing incentives over a network |
US8630898B1 (en) | 2005-02-22 | 2014-01-14 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Stored value card provided with merchandise as rebate |
US7353034B2 (en) | 2005-04-04 | 2008-04-01 | X One, Inc. | Location sharing and tracking using mobile phones or other wireless devices |
US10417645B2 (en) * | 2005-04-22 | 2019-09-17 | Six Continents Hotels, Inc. | Universal redemption vehicle |
US20060247978A1 (en) * | 2005-04-28 | 2006-11-02 | Davis Philip J | Apparatus and method for creating and facilitating the use of a remotely accessible library of affinity-type shopping memberships for use in remote shopping |
US20060277100A1 (en) * | 2005-05-06 | 2006-12-07 | Gaming Enhancements, Inc. | Techniques for awarding random rewards in a reward program |
US7401731B1 (en) | 2005-05-27 | 2008-07-22 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, Na | Method and system for implementing a card product with multiple customized relationships |
US8452654B1 (en) * | 2005-06-16 | 2013-05-28 | Rbs Nb | System and method for issuing rewards to card holders |
US20070005466A1 (en) * | 2005-06-30 | 2007-01-04 | Capital One Financial Corp. | Systems and methods for managing a financial account that provides intangible rewards |
US20070179844A1 (en) * | 2005-07-01 | 2007-08-02 | American Express Travel Related Services Co., Inc. | System and method for insuring frequent traveler reward miles |
US8306986B2 (en) * | 2005-09-30 | 2012-11-06 | American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. | Method, system, and computer program product for linking customer information |
US20070112655A1 (en) * | 2005-10-28 | 2007-05-17 | Jones James G | Prepaid financial account incentives system and method |
US20070106556A1 (en) * | 2005-11-10 | 2007-05-10 | American Express Travel Related Services Co., Inc., A New York Corporation | Joint Redemption Account |
US20070179840A1 (en) * | 2005-11-10 | 2007-08-02 | American Express Marketing & Development Corp. | Joint redemption account |
US8560459B2 (en) | 2005-11-17 | 2013-10-15 | Casella Waste Systems, Inc. | Methods and facilities for a municipal solid waste management system |
US8408455B1 (en) | 2006-02-08 | 2013-04-02 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for granting promotional rewards to both customers and non-customers |
US7784682B2 (en) | 2006-02-08 | 2010-08-31 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for granting promotional rewards to both customers and non-customers |
US20090198622A1 (en) * | 2006-03-10 | 2009-08-06 | Temte John D | Interactive System And Method For Transacting Business Over A Network |
US20070226125A1 (en) * | 2006-03-10 | 2007-09-27 | Temte John D | Interactive system and method for transacting business |
US20070219862A1 (en) * | 2006-03-20 | 2007-09-20 | Casella Waste Systems, Inc. | System and method for identifying and processing recyclables |
US20070260466A1 (en) * | 2006-03-20 | 2007-11-08 | Casella Waste Systems, Inc. | System and methods for a recycling program |
US7753259B1 (en) | 2006-04-13 | 2010-07-13 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for granting promotional rewards to both customers and non-customers |
US20080046380A1 (en) * | 2006-08-16 | 2008-02-21 | Kurt Wise | System and apparatus for transactions using certificates |
US20080077430A1 (en) * | 2006-09-25 | 2008-03-27 | Singer Michael S | Systems and methods for improving medication adherence |
US8732092B2 (en) * | 2006-09-28 | 2014-05-20 | Leo J Rourke | Fundraising method and system |
US20080086411A1 (en) * | 2006-10-04 | 2008-04-10 | Olson Robert A | REC credit distribution system and method |
US20080270241A1 (en) * | 2006-12-13 | 2008-10-30 | Benjamin James Dunlop | System And Method For Efficient Allocation Of Rebates |
CA2712040A1 (en) * | 2007-01-12 | 2008-07-24 | Healthhonors Corporation | Behavior modification with intermittent reward |
US20080208735A1 (en) * | 2007-02-22 | 2008-08-28 | American Expresstravel Related Services Company, Inc., A New York Corporation | Method, System, and Computer Program Product for Managing Business Customer Contacts |
US20080243587A1 (en) * | 2007-03-30 | 2008-10-02 | American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. | Increasing Incremental Spend By A Consumer |
US8095430B2 (en) * | 2007-04-04 | 2012-01-10 | Google Inc. | Demand aggregation in a geo-spatial network |
US8065365B2 (en) * | 2007-05-02 | 2011-11-22 | Oracle International Corporation | Grouping event notifications in a database system |
US20080301016A1 (en) * | 2007-05-30 | 2008-12-04 | American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. General Counsel's Office | Method, System, and Computer Program Product for Customer Linking and Identification Capability for Institutions |
US20080313034A1 (en) * | 2007-06-12 | 2008-12-18 | Kurt Wise | Credit item tracking system |
US8676642B1 (en) | 2007-07-05 | 2014-03-18 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for granting promotional rewards to financial account holders |
US20090012845A1 (en) * | 2007-07-06 | 2009-01-08 | Finley Jessica M | Commission system and method |
US8448186B2 (en) * | 2007-07-13 | 2013-05-21 | Oracle International Corporation | Parallel event processing in a database system |
US20090018923A1 (en) * | 2007-07-13 | 2009-01-15 | Yen-Fu Chen | Method and apparatus for recommending a payment method in a transaction |
US20090018955A1 (en) * | 2007-07-13 | 2009-01-15 | Yen-Fu Chen | Method and apparatus for providing user access to payment methods |
US20090063266A1 (en) * | 2007-09-04 | 2009-03-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Performing of marketing actions while preserving confidentiality |
US20090083118A1 (en) * | 2007-09-21 | 2009-03-26 | Maritz Inc. | Segmented motivation profiles |
US8060502B2 (en) | 2007-10-04 | 2011-11-15 | American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. | Methods, systems, and computer program products for generating data quality indicators for relationships in a database |
US8417601B1 (en) | 2007-10-18 | 2013-04-09 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Variable rate payment card |
US8527405B1 (en) * | 2007-11-30 | 2013-09-03 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Early payment rewards system and method |
US8622308B1 (en) | 2007-12-31 | 2014-01-07 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for processing transactions using a multi-account transactions device |
US20090193106A1 (en) * | 2008-01-24 | 2009-07-30 | Christophe Bouten | System and method for managing message transport in a virtual environment |
US8554652B1 (en) | 2008-02-21 | 2013-10-08 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | System and method for providing borrowing schemes |
WO2009117549A1 (en) * | 2008-03-20 | 2009-09-24 | Medicis Technologies Corporation | Methods and apparatus for medical device investment recovery |
US20090248506A1 (en) * | 2008-03-31 | 2009-10-01 | Maritz Inc. | Merchant funded rewards network implementing cardholder loyalty rebate program |
KR100876296B1 (en) * | 2008-06-02 | 2008-12-31 | 주식회사 포비커 | Electronic goods joint-use method in mobile telecommunications and system thereof |
US20100100470A1 (en) * | 2008-10-16 | 2010-04-22 | Bank Of America Corporation | Financial planning tool |
US20100325043A1 (en) * | 2008-10-16 | 2010-12-23 | Bank Of America Corporation | Customized card-building tool |
US8301495B2 (en) | 2009-05-05 | 2012-10-30 | Groupon, Inc. | System and methods for discount retailing |
US8650072B2 (en) | 2009-05-05 | 2014-02-11 | Groupon, Inc. | System and methods for providing location based discount retailing |
US8355948B2 (en) * | 2009-05-05 | 2013-01-15 | Groupon, Inc. | System and methods for discount retailing |
US9443253B2 (en) | 2009-07-27 | 2016-09-13 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to provide and adjust offers |
US8266031B2 (en) * | 2009-07-29 | 2012-09-11 | Visa U.S.A. | Systems and methods to provide benefits of account features to account holders |
US20110093324A1 (en) | 2009-10-19 | 2011-04-21 | Visa U.S.A. Inc. | Systems and Methods to Provide Intelligent Analytics to Cardholders and Merchants |
US10034829B2 (en) | 2010-10-27 | 2018-07-31 | Noxell Corporation | Semi-permanent mascara compositions |
US9216145B2 (en) | 2009-10-27 | 2015-12-22 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Semi-permanent cosmetic concealer |
US9237992B2 (en) | 2009-10-27 | 2016-01-19 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Two-step mascara product |
TWI453686B (en) * | 2009-12-10 | 2014-09-21 | Inst Information Industry | Consumption management systems and methods integrated with social network |
US9697520B2 (en) | 2010-03-22 | 2017-07-04 | Visa U.S.A. Inc. | Merchant configured advertised incentives funded through statement credits |
US9471926B2 (en) | 2010-04-23 | 2016-10-18 | Visa U.S.A. Inc. | Systems and methods to provide offers to travelers |
US9004791B2 (en) | 2010-04-30 | 2015-04-14 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Package for multiple personal care compositions |
US8359274B2 (en) | 2010-06-04 | 2013-01-22 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to provide messages in real-time with transaction processing |
US8781896B2 (en) | 2010-06-29 | 2014-07-15 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to optimize media presentations |
US8554631B1 (en) | 2010-07-02 | 2013-10-08 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Method and system for determining point of sale authorization |
US9760905B2 (en) | 2010-08-02 | 2017-09-12 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to optimize media presentations using a camera |
US20120203619A1 (en) * | 2011-02-09 | 2012-08-09 | Lutnick Howard W | Multi-system distributed processing of group goals |
US20120290375A1 (en) * | 2011-05-12 | 2012-11-15 | Phuc Truong | Multi-Consumer Classification and Automated Rewards-Based System |
US9173824B2 (en) | 2011-05-17 | 2015-11-03 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Mascara and applicator |
US20120296742A1 (en) * | 2011-05-17 | 2012-11-22 | Microsoft Corporation | Advertising utilizing device-to-device interactions |
US20130132187A1 (en) * | 2011-05-18 | 2013-05-23 | Robert J. Burmaster | Reward program system and methods of using same |
US20120296716A1 (en) * | 2011-05-19 | 2012-11-22 | Barbeau Pierre C | Management of an Offer for a Financial Incentive |
US20130018711A1 (en) * | 2011-07-14 | 2013-01-17 | Enpulz, Llc | Buyer group definition and association in a demand driven promotion system |
US10223707B2 (en) | 2011-08-19 | 2019-03-05 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to communicate offer options via messaging in real time with processing of payment transaction |
US8620763B2 (en) * | 2011-11-08 | 2013-12-31 | Truecar, Inc. | System, method and computer program product for demand-weighted selection of sales outlets |
US10290018B2 (en) | 2011-11-09 | 2019-05-14 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to communicate with users via social networking sites |
US10664876B1 (en) | 2013-06-20 | 2020-05-26 | Groupon, Inc. | Method and apparatus for promotion template generation |
US10192243B1 (en) | 2013-06-10 | 2019-01-29 | Groupon, Inc. | Method and apparatus for determining promotion pricing parameters |
US10255620B1 (en) | 2013-06-27 | 2019-04-09 | Groupon, Inc. | Fine print builder |
US10147130B2 (en) | 2012-09-27 | 2018-12-04 | Groupon, Inc. | Online ordering for in-shop service |
US10664861B1 (en) | 2012-03-30 | 2020-05-26 | Groupon, Inc. | Generating promotion offers and providing analytics data |
US10304093B2 (en) | 2013-01-24 | 2019-05-28 | Groupon, Inc. | Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for providing a self-service interface |
US9996859B1 (en) | 2012-03-30 | 2018-06-12 | Groupon, Inc. | Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for providing a self-service interface |
US10304091B1 (en) | 2012-04-30 | 2019-05-28 | Groupon, Inc. | Deal generation using point-of-sale systems and related methods |
US20130262212A1 (en) * | 2012-04-02 | 2013-10-03 | Dmitry Shevelenko | Punch card loyalty program in a social networking system |
US11386461B2 (en) | 2012-04-30 | 2022-07-12 | Groupon, Inc. | Deal generation using point-of-sale systems and related methods |
JP2015519954A (en) | 2012-05-15 | 2015-07-16 | ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブルカンパニー | A method for quantitatively determining eyelash aggregation |
US20130332255A1 (en) * | 2012-06-11 | 2013-12-12 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to process referrals between offer campaigns |
US10482487B1 (en) | 2012-08-13 | 2019-11-19 | Livingsocial, Inc. | Incentivizing sharing in social networks |
US10360627B2 (en) | 2012-12-13 | 2019-07-23 | Visa International Service Association | Systems and methods to provide account features via web based user interfaces |
US20140244357A1 (en) * | 2013-02-27 | 2014-08-28 | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | Inducing Customer Store Visits Via Mobile Application |
US20140257919A1 (en) * | 2013-03-09 | 2014-09-11 | Hewlett- Packard Development Company, L.P. | Reward population grouping |
US10846711B2 (en) * | 2013-06-26 | 2020-11-24 | Edatanetworks Inc. | Systems and methods for loyalty programs |
US10373431B2 (en) | 2013-07-26 | 2019-08-06 | Blue Calypso, Llc | System and method for advertising distribution through mobile social gaming |
US9814985B2 (en) | 2013-07-26 | 2017-11-14 | Blue Calypso, Llc | System and method for advertising distribution through mobile social gaming |
US11341556B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-05-24 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | CPT code search engine for backend bundling of healthcare services and a virtual payment system |
US11915287B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2024-02-27 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Backend bundled healthcare services payment systems and methods |
US11475498B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-10-18 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Prepaid bundled health, dental, and veterinary services with virtual payment distribution |
US11030665B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2021-06-08 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Network-based marketplace service for facilitating purchases of bundled services and products |
US9123072B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2015-09-01 | Mdsave Inc. | Network-based marketplace service for facilitating purchases of services and products |
US11501352B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-11-15 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Backend bundled healthcare services payment systems and methods |
US11030666B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2021-06-08 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Network-based marketplace service pricing tool for facilitating purchases of bundled services and products |
US11551276B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2023-01-10 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Selectively redeemable bundled healthcare services with discreet payment distribution |
US11449913B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-09-20 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Prepaid bundled health, dental, and veterinary services with virtual payment distribution |
US10991021B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2021-04-27 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Provisioning medical resources triggered by a lifecycle event |
US11341555B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-05-24 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Creating digital health assets |
US11475499B2 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2022-10-18 | Mdsave Shared Services Inc. | Backend bundled healthcare services payment systems and methods |
US20150081525A1 (en) * | 2013-09-13 | 2015-03-19 | Ted HELWICK | Expiring balance for spending or passing along to a friend |
CN104753911B (en) * | 2013-12-31 | 2019-03-15 | 腾讯科技(深圳)有限公司 | A kind of information processing method based on social application, relevant apparatus and system |
US11030639B1 (en) * | 2014-06-20 | 2021-06-08 | Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. | Beacon mall experience |
US10325294B2 (en) * | 2014-12-10 | 2019-06-18 | Meijer, Inc. | System and method for notifying customers of checkout queue activity |
JP6533085B2 (en) | 2015-03-31 | 2019-06-19 | Line株式会社 | Terminal, information processing method, and program |
US10621609B2 (en) * | 2017-01-03 | 2020-04-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | Group-based purchasing incentives |
WO2019079290A1 (en) * | 2017-10-18 | 2019-04-25 | Walmart Apollo, Llc | Group shopping rules engine |
US11341523B1 (en) | 2018-04-27 | 2022-05-24 | Block, Inc. | Person-to-person gift offers based on user actions |
US11488195B1 (en) | 2018-04-27 | 2022-11-01 | Block, Inc. | Reward offer redemption for payment cards |
WO2020096155A1 (en) * | 2018-11-09 | 2020-05-14 | 주식회사 한터글로벌 | Genuine product certification and chart generation system and method for copyright protection |
US10832318B1 (en) * | 2019-12-23 | 2020-11-10 | Capital One Services, Llc | Computer-based systems and platforms and computer-implemented methods configured for tracking data objects' behaviours and utilizing graphical user interface elements to execute numerous electronic activities with a single instruction |
WO2021172976A1 (en) * | 2020-02-28 | 2021-09-02 | Gem Reward Sdn Bhd | A revenue allocation system |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5056019A (en) * | 1989-08-29 | 1991-10-08 | Citicorp Pos Information Servies, Inc. | Automated purchase reward accounting system and method |
US5649116A (en) * | 1995-03-30 | 1997-07-15 | Servantis Systems, Inc. | Integrated decision management system |
Family Cites Families (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4876592A (en) | 1986-03-10 | 1989-10-24 | Henry Von Kohorn | System for merchandising and the evaluation of responses to broadcast transmissions |
US5025372A (en) * | 1987-09-17 | 1991-06-18 | Meridian Enterprises, Inc. | System and method for administration of incentive award program through use of credit |
JP2501115B2 (en) * | 1987-10-23 | 1996-05-29 | オムロン株式会社 | Electronic cash register |
US5202826A (en) * | 1989-01-27 | 1993-04-13 | Mccarthy Patrick D | Centralized consumer cash value accumulation system for multiple merchants |
US5297026A (en) * | 1992-01-03 | 1994-03-22 | Frank Hoffman | System for promoting account activity |
US5621640A (en) * | 1993-02-18 | 1997-04-15 | Every Penny Counts, Inc. | Automatic philanthropic contribution system |
US5466919A (en) * | 1993-04-02 | 1995-11-14 | Hovakimian; Henry | Credit/charge card system enabling purchasers to contribute to selected charities |
EP0725953B1 (en) * | 1993-10-26 | 1998-07-29 | Radisson Hotels Internationals Inc. | System and method for awarding credits to persons who book travel-related reservations |
AU703349B2 (en) * | 1994-02-04 | 1999-03-25 | Ic One, Inc. | Method and system for allocating and redeeming incentive credits |
US5537314A (en) * | 1994-04-18 | 1996-07-16 | First Marketrust Intl. | Referral recognition system for an incentive award program |
US5710886A (en) * | 1995-06-16 | 1998-01-20 | Sellectsoft, L.C. | Electric couponing method and apparatus |
US6128599A (en) | 1997-10-09 | 2000-10-03 | Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership | Method and apparatus for processing customized group reward offers |
EP1105813A4 (en) * | 1998-08-25 | 2001-10-10 | Mobshop Inc | On-line marketing system and method |
US6260024B1 (en) * | 1998-12-02 | 2001-07-10 | Gary Shkedy | Method and apparatus for facilitating buyer-driven purchase orders on a commercial network system |
US6101484A (en) * | 1999-03-31 | 2000-08-08 | Mercata, Inc. | Dynamic market equilibrium management system, process and article of manufacture |
-
1998
- 1998-10-08 JP JP2000516458A patent/JP2001520425A/en active Pending
- 1998-10-08 EP EP98952157A patent/EP1023791A2/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1998-10-08 WO PCT/US1998/021218 patent/WO1999020013A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1998-10-08 AU AU97923/98A patent/AU9792398A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1998-10-08 CA CA002306052A patent/CA2306052A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2002
- 2002-09-16 US US10/244,262 patent/US6985879B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5056019A (en) * | 1989-08-29 | 1991-10-08 | Citicorp Pos Information Servies, Inc. | Automated purchase reward accounting system and method |
US5649116A (en) * | 1995-03-30 | 1997-07-15 | Servantis Systems, Inc. | Integrated decision management system |
Non-Patent Citations (13)
Title |
---|
"AAA Michigan Savings", AAA GROUP INSURANCE (http://www.aamich.com/savings/group/index. html) 25 March 1997, XP002920644 * |
"Affinity Cards", BRADESCONET INTERNET BANKING (http://www.bradesco.com.br/veringl/ccard/a ffinity/closedc.html) download date 21 July 1996, XP002920641 * |
"Choosing a Credit Card", THE TIMES, 5 July 1997, pages 2-3, XP002920647 * |
"MasterCard Affinity Card", McGILL UNIVERSITY (http://www.mcgill.ca/alumni/m_card.html) download date 21 July 1996, XP002920642 * |
"The Binghamton University Alumni Association Mastercard(R) Credit Card", BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY (http://www.webapply.com/bingu/apply.html) download date 21 July 1996, XP002920643 * |
DREXEL ALUMNI AFFINITY CARD (http://alum.ia.drexel.edu) 1 January 1996. * |
GREENE JAY, "They're Selling Your Secrets", THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 21 April 1996, page 7-12, XP002920639 * |
JOLIS ALAN, "The Good Banker", THE INDEPENDENT, 5 May 1996, XP002920640 * |
JONES CLIFF, "Plastic Interest in Sweet Charity", THE GUARDIAN, 10 December 1994, page 35, XP002920638 * |
McNULTY MARY ANN, "GE Capital Idea: Push Policy", BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS, 14 July 1997, XP002920648 * |
O'MALLEY CHRIS, "RCA Seeks to Collar the Affinity Credit-Card Market", THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 28 March 1997, page 2-3, XP002920645 * |
SANDERS EDMUND, "Card Sharks", THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 15 June 1997, pages 1-6, XP002920646 * |
SINTON PETER, "Pick a Card But Not Just Any Card", THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 10 October 1994, page 2-7, XP002920637 * |
Cited By (21)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2001004852A1 (en) * | 1999-07-09 | 2001-01-18 | Walker Digital, Llc | Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts |
US7343319B1 (en) | 1999-07-09 | 2008-03-11 | Walker Digital, Llc | Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts |
US8260670B2 (en) | 1999-07-09 | 2012-09-04 | Walker Digital, Llc | Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts |
JP2001195460A (en) * | 2000-01-05 | 2001-07-19 | Rakuten Inc | Sales system |
KR100414012B1 (en) * | 2000-01-31 | 2004-01-07 | (주)프라이스엔지오 | Agent system for a plurality of buyers jointly using electrically commercial network and transaction method thereof |
EP1134677A1 (en) * | 2000-03-13 | 2001-09-19 | Loyalty Partner GmbH | Computer system, computer supported method and computer program for incentive award system management |
WO2001069465A1 (en) * | 2000-03-13 | 2001-09-20 | Loyalty Partner Gesellschaft Für Kundenbindungssysteme Mbh | Computer systems, computer protected methods and a computer program product for prime system management |
EP1160699A1 (en) * | 2000-05-29 | 2001-12-05 | Michela Lorenzini | A system and a method for promoting products and/or services |
KR20020003793A (en) * | 2000-07-07 | 2002-01-15 | 조경수 | Besiness to group theory |
KR20020005840A (en) * | 2000-07-10 | 2002-01-18 | 노시열 | Common purchase method using bid by internet |
KR20020012656A (en) * | 2000-08-08 | 2002-02-20 | 이구민 | The method of e-commerce through internet shopping mall |
WO2002052462A1 (en) * | 2000-12-22 | 2002-07-04 | Global Digital Technology Holdings Limited | A customer loyalty development, management and reward platform system |
US8595055B2 (en) | 2001-03-27 | 2013-11-26 | Points.Com | Apparatus and method of facilitating the exchange of points between selected entities |
KR20020078209A (en) * | 2001-04-06 | 2002-10-18 | 강창선 | A method of Internet Electronic -Commerce by the first-order type of Joint Purchasing |
KR20020006497A (en) * | 2001-10-11 | 2002-01-19 | 김경수 | A selling method for goods in internet and a system for performing the same |
EP1452987A4 (en) * | 2001-12-27 | 2006-04-12 | Seiko Epson Corp | Member management server system and member management method |
EP1452987A1 (en) * | 2001-12-27 | 2004-09-01 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Member management server system and member management method |
DE102007016607A1 (en) | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Loyalty Partner Gmbh | Reward system with rule-based customization |
DE102007016609A1 (en) | 2007-04-05 | 2008-10-09 | Loyalty Partner Gmbh | Rewards system |
US20090199094A1 (en) * | 2008-02-05 | 2009-08-06 | Wachovia Corporation | System and method for rewards integration in a computer system |
JP2014137649A (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-28 | Japan Research Institute Ltd | Card use promotion device, card use promotion method and card use promotion program |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO1999020013A3 (en) | 1999-07-08 |
US20030200143A9 (en) | 2003-10-23 |
US6985879B2 (en) | 2006-01-10 |
US20030018530A1 (en) | 2003-01-23 |
CA2306052A1 (en) | 1999-04-22 |
JP2001520425A (en) | 2001-10-30 |
AU9792398A (en) | 1999-05-03 |
EP1023791A2 (en) | 2000-08-02 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP1023791A2 (en) | Point-of-sale system and method for the management of group rewards | |
US8566155B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for administering a reward program | |
US7398248B2 (en) | System and method for using cards for sponsored programs | |
US8346600B2 (en) | Method and system for redeeming product marketing rebates | |
US6415262B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for determining a subscription to a product in a retail environment | |
US7006983B1 (en) | Method and system for processing a rebate | |
US20060020512A1 (en) | Manufacturer promotion automation system and methods | |
US20060069619A1 (en) | Systems and methods for facilitating group rewards | |
US20120323678A1 (en) | Product recall using customer prior shopping history data | |
US20140108116A1 (en) | Method and System for Redeeming Product Marketing Rebates | |
US20020178056A1 (en) | Consumer loyalty marketing program based on multi-transaction platform that provides high rewards to members under a tiered reward scheme | |
US20060129456A1 (en) | Systems and methods for processing a rebate | |
US20040210481A1 (en) | Method and system for redeeming promotional offers | |
JP2008502077A (en) | Purchasing system and method | |
CA2308751A1 (en) | System and method for incentive programs and award fulfillment | |
US20030036950A1 (en) | Discount purchase business method | |
EP1285377A1 (en) | Business-to-employee interactive reward and redemption system and method | |
US20030036957A1 (en) | Internet related discount coupon rebate business method | |
WO2001043034A2 (en) | Combined in-store and on-line interactive reward redemption system and method | |
US20050261913A1 (en) | Providing means to accrue miles or points | |
AU2001259433B2 (en) | Business-to-employee interactive reward and redemption system and method | |
WO2006007414A2 (en) | Manufacturer promotion automation system and methods | |
AU2001259433A1 (en) | Business-to-employee interactive reward and redemption system and method | |
KR20030072754A (en) | Hierarchical membership mileage awarding method |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT UA UG UZ VN YU ZW |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
DFPE | Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101) | ||
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT UA UG UZ VN YU ZW |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 2306052 Country of ref document: CA Ref country code: CA Ref document number: 2306052 Kind code of ref document: A Format of ref document f/p: F |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: JP Ref document number: 2000 516458 Kind code of ref document: A Format of ref document f/p: F |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: KR |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 1998952157 Country of ref document: EP |
|
WWP | Wipo information: published in national office |
Ref document number: 1998952157 Country of ref document: EP |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8642 |
|
WWW | Wipo information: withdrawn in national office |
Ref document number: 1998952157 Country of ref document: EP |