Electronically referring a contact without divulging contact data

• US 10,116,612 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Kramer, James F., Ning, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormick, Gabrielle A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ofori-Awuah, Maame
• Application Number:
  US14/976,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A referrer device configured to perform operations such as detecting an electronic request to provide information from an information source to a contact communication device. The contact data for a contact associated with the contact communication device is accessible by the referrer device. However, the contact data is not accessible by the information source. The operations can further include encoding a referral container file with programming instructions configured to, upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to electronically request the information from the information source via a communications network without providing the contact data to the information source. The operations can further include embedding the referral container file in an electronic message and transmitting, via a network communication interface of the referrer device, the electronic message to the contact communication device.

Claims

1. A method for making a referral from a referrer device comprising:

detecting an electronic request to provide information from an information source to a contact communication device, wherein contact data for a contact associated with the contact communication device is accessible by the referrer device and not accessible by the information source;

encoding a referral container file with programming instructions configured to, upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to electronically request the information from the information source via a communications network without providing the contact data to the information source;

embedding the referral container file in a first electronic message; and

transmitting, via a network communication interface of the referrer device, the first electronic message to the contact communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the information source, via the network communication interface of the referrer device, criteria associated with the information; and

automatically determining that the contact is matched to the criteria based on electronically evaluating the contact data against the criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the criteria specifies one or more of a type or category of referee for the information specified by the information source, wherein the contact data comprises data about the contact specified by a referrer associated with the referrer device, and wherein the evaluating the contact data against the criteria comprises determining that the data about the contact matches the one or more of the type or category of referee specified by the information source.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

electronically receiving a second electronic message transmitted from the information source, wherein the second electronic message includes content to transmit to one or more contacts of a referrer associated with the referrer device, and wherein the second electronic message is configured to receive input from the referrer device to select, from the referrer device, the contact data for the contact; and

detecting, in response to the input from the referrer device, a selection of the contact data.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

generating the first electronic message in response to detecting the selection of the contact data; and

including the content in the first electronic message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the programming instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to automatically install an application that provides features to one or more of edit the content or make purchases related to the content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to further provide an identifier for a referrer associated with the referrer device to the information source for compensation for an activity performed by the contact communication device in connection with the information.

8. A referrer

device, comprising:

one or more

processors;

a network communication interface; and

one or more memory storage devices configured to store a first set of instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the referrer device to perform operations to

detect an electronic request to provide information from an information source to a contact communication device, wherein contact data for a contact associated with the contact communication device is accessible by the referrer device and not accessible by the information source,

encode a referral container file with a second set of instructions configured to, upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to electronically request the information from the information source via a communications network without providing the contact data to the information source,

embed the referral container file in a first electronic message, and

transmit, via the network communication interface, the first electronic message to the contact communication device.

9. The referrer device of claim 8, wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store the first set of instructions, which when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, further cause the referrer device to perform operations to:

select criteria associated with the information; and

automatically determine that the contact is matched to the criteria based on electronically evaluating the contact data against the criteria.

10. The referrer device of claim 9, wherein the criteria specifies one or more of a type or category associated with the contact, wherein the contact data comprises data about the contact specified by a referrer associated with the referrer device, and wherein the one or more memory storage devices configured to store the first set of instructions to evaluate the contact data against the criteria is configured to store the first set of instructions, which when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, cause the referrer device to perform operations to determine that the data about the contact matches the one or more of the type or category associated with the contact.

11. The referrer device of claim 8, wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store the first set of instructions, which when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, further cause the referrer device to perform operations to:

electronically receive a second electronic message transmitted from the information source, wherein the second electronic message includes content to transmit to one or more contacts of a referrer associated with the referrer device, and wherein the second electronic message is configured to receive input from the referrer device to select, from the referrer device, the contact data for the contact; and

detect, in response to the input from the referrer device, a selection of the contact data.

12. The referrer device of claim 11, wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store the first set of instructions, which when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, further cause the referrer device to perform operations to:

generate the first electronic message in response to detecting the selection of the contact data; and

include the content in the first electronic message.

13. The referrer device of claim 11, wherein the second set of instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, prevent the contact communication device from forwarding one or more of the referral container file or the content in the first electronic message.

14. The referrer device of claim 8, wherein the second set of instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to further provide an identifier for a referrer associated with the referrer device to the information source for compensation for an activity performed by the contact communication device in connection with the information.

15. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a set of one or more processors of a referrer device, cause the referrer device to perform operations comprising:

detecting an electronic request to provide information from an information source to a contact communication device, wherein contact data for a contact associated with the contact communication device is accessible by the referrer device and not accessible by the information source;

encoding a referral container file with programming instructions configured to, upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to electronically request the information from the information source via a communications network without providing the contact data to the information source;

embedding the referral container file in a first electronic message; and

transmitting, via a network communication interface of the referrer device, the first electronic message to the contact communication device.

16. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 15, said operations further comprising:

determining criteria associated with the information; and

automatically determining that the contact is matched to the criteria based on electronically evaluating the contact data against the criteria.

17. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the criteria specifies categories comprising one or more of a demographic, a behavior, an interest, a social graph, a previous purchase, or a gift request, wherein the contact data comprises data about the contact specified by one or more of a referrer associated with the referrer device or the contact associated with the contact communication device, and wherein the operations for evaluating the contact data against the criteria include operations comprising determining that the data about the contact matches at least one of the categories.

18. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the programming instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to extract a specific portion of the first message for forwarding to a third-party, wherein the specific portion to be extracted is determined based on the contact data matching a specific one of the categories.

19. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 15, said operations further comprising:

electronically receiving a second electronic message transmitted from the information source, wherein the second electronic message includes content to transmit to one or more contacts of a referrer associated with the referrer device, and wherein the second electronic message is configured to receive input from the referrer device to select, from the referrer device, the contact data for the contact;

detecting, in response to the input from the referrer device, a selection of the contact data;

generating the first electronic message in response to detecting the selection of the contact data; and

including the content in the first electronic message.

20. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the programming instructions are configured to, upon execution by the processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to automatically install an application that provides features to one or more of edit the content or make purchases related to the content.