System and method for targeted marketing and consumer resource management

• US 10,163,121 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackhawk Network Incorporated (Albertsons Cos., Inc.), Leverage Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blackhawk Network Incorporated (Albertsons Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Mark E., Mathe, Jennifer K., Nguyen, Khanh
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/724,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20180025376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 705 141, 705 1416, 705 1417, 705 1427
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for providing targeted marketing to goods and services provides and consumer resource management services to consumers. An example system and method for targeted marketing comprises collecting transaction data from point-of-sale (POS) terminals and using a consumer identifier in the transaction data to access stored information about the consumer. This information may be used to target offers and advertisement to the consumer. In an example system for consumer resource management, a consumer may configure a consumer account on the enterprise infrastructure via a web-site. The consumer may use the consumer account to purchase and configure gift cards that may be used for purchasing goods and services. A universal transaction identifier may be associated with the consumer account and used to purchase goods and services from more than one selected goods and services providers.

Claims

1. A method for providing to customers a real-time value at a merchant point of sale as part of an award program performed by an enterprise infrastructure comprising components executing specific instructions which cause the enterprise infrastructure to perform the method comprising:

receiving, by the enterprise infrastructure, a plurality of requests from customers, each request comprising a request to create a customer account on the enterprise infrastructure associated with one or more award programs of one or more partners, and in response to each such request, allocating memory on the enterprise infrastructure, the allocated memory defining a personal consumer system account for the customer, and associating the account with at least one award program of one or more partners;

receiving, by the enterprise infrastructure, from a point-of-sale (POS) of a provider, transaction data for a consumer involved in a transaction;

determining, by the enterprise infrastructure, using transaction data received from the POS, whether the consumer at the POS is part of an award program to receive savings;

identifying, by the enterprise infrastructure, using transaction data received from the POS, whether a consumer is eligible to receive savings for an item scanned at the POS;

providing savings to the consumer at the POS for the scanned item in response to determining the consumer is part of an award program to receive savings and is eligible to receive savings for an item scanned at the POS; and

storing, by the enterprise infrastructure, transaction data, in the personal consumer system account of the particular consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data used for determining the consumer at the POS is part of an award program includes a consumer identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data used for identifying the scanned item qualifies the consumer to receive savings includes a UPC or SKU.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said partners comprises a gift card issuer, a credit card issuer, a debit card issuer, a mobile telephone service provider, an automobile manufacturer, a bank or other service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at one of said partners:

hosting a web site to which a customer of the partner may log on; and

providing a link from the web site hosted by the partner to the personal consumer system account on the enterprise infrastructure, whereby the personal consumer system account of the customer appears to be a part of the web site hosted by the partner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said access is provided via a web-based interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer identifier is a card.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the card can be used at a plurality of different providers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer identifier is a biometric identifier.

10. An enterprise infrastructure for providing customers a real-time value at a merchant point of sale as part of an award program, wherein the enterprise infrastructure comprises components executing specific instructions which cause the enterprise infrastructure to:

receive a plurality of requests from customers, each request comprising a request to create a customer account on the enterprise infrastructure associated with one or more award programs of one or more partners, and in response to each such request, allocating memory on the enterprise infrastructure, the allocated memory defining a personal consumer system account for each customer, and associating the account with at least one award program of one or more partners;

thereafter

receive, by the enterprise infrastructure, from a point-of-sale (POS) of a provider, transaction data for a consumer involved in a transaction;

determine, by the enterprise infrastructure, using transaction data received from the POS, whether the consumer at the POS is part of an award program to receive savings;

identify, by the enterprise infrastructure, using transaction data received from the POS, whether the consumer is eligible to receive savings for an item scanned at the POS; and

store, by the enterprise infrastructure, in response to identifying the particular consumer, transaction data in the personal consumer system account of the particular consumer.

11. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 10, wherein the enterprise infrastructure provides savings to the consumer at the POS for the scanned item in response to determining the consumer is part of an award program to receive savings and is eligible to receive savings for an item scanned at the POS.

12. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 11, wherein the transaction data used for determining the consumer at the POS is part of an award program includes a consumer identifier.

13. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 12, wherein the enterprise infrastructure is operated by a first entity, wherein the customers are customers of a different entity that partners with the first entity, and wherein the first entity allocates to the partner entity a plurality of unique universal transaction identifiers and the partner entity issues the respective unique universal transaction identifiers to each of its customers.

14. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 13, wherein the consumer identifier is a unique universal transaction identifier.

15. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 10, wherein the enterprise infrastructure further comprises:

a web server that provides a webs site to which a customer of the partner may log on; and

providing a link from the web site hosted by the partner to the personal consumer system account on the enterprise infrastructure, whereby the personal consumer system account of the customer appears to be a part of the web site hosted by the partner.

16. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 10, wherein each unique universal transaction identifiers comprises a pre-existing identifier of the customer.

17. The enterprise infrastructure of claim 10, wherein the enterprise infrastructure receives the plurality of requests from customers via a virtual local area network.