Method and system for facilitating access to a promotional offer

• US 10,296,931 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Retailmenot Incorporated (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Retailmenot Incorporated (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Guy Phillip William
• Primary Examiner(s): Schmucker, Michael W
• Application Number:
  US16/208,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20190102789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method of facilitating access to a promotional offer, the method comprising: receiving at a server system a page request from a client device; and sending program code executable in a browser application to the client device in response to the page request, the program code being executable to display at least one promotional offer and a promotional code, to provide a flash object at a display position of the promotional code and, in response to selection of the flash object, to cause the promotional code to be copied to a user-accessible memory of the client device and to open a new browser display of the browser application.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, effectuate a first set of operations comprising:

receiving, with a computer system, via a network, a request from a web browser executing on a client computing device; and

causing, with the computer system, browser-executable code to be sent to the web browser, wherein the browser-executable code is configured to effectuate a second set of operations comprising;

displaying, with the web browser;

a unit of content that is associated with a user-presentable code, and

a user-selectable region associated with the user-presentable code; and

receiving, with the web browser, a user selection of the user-selectable region and, in response, causing the user-presentable code to be copied to clipboard memory of the client computing device without using a flash object to copy the user-presentable code to the clipboard memory, wherein;

the user-presentable code is a combination of characters that is presentable to a third-party server system via an input field of a third-party webpage and configured to cause the third-party server system to adjust or otherwise determine, in response to submission of the user-presentable code via the input field, a value displayed in the third-party webpage;

copying the user-presentable code comprises selecting the user-presentable code before copying the user-presentable code to the clipboard memory of the client computing device;

receiving the user selection comprises receiving a click event within a designated area;

the first set of operations further comprises sending instructions to the client computing device that cause the web browser to send a request to a fourth-party server and identify an entity distributing the unit of content to the fourth-party server, wherein the fourth-party server is configured to respond to the request from the web browser with a redirect command that causes the web browser to request content from the third-party server system;

the unit of content is disposed within a first hypertext markup language (HTML) element;

the user-presentable code is disposed within a second HTML element; and

the web browser has a secure sandbox from which the user-presentable code is copied to the clipboard memory.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

the second HTML element has a different class from the first HTML element.

3. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, effectuate a first set of operations comprising;

receiving, from a client computing device, with a server system, one or more requests for information related to a coupon; and

causing, in response to the one or more requests, browser-executable code to be sent to the client computing device, wherein the browser-executable code is configured to cause a browser application at the client computing device to effectuate a second set of operations comprising;

displaying a representation of the coupon in a web page;

receiving an input from the user; and

after receiving the input, copying a coupon code associated with the coupon from within a secure sandbox of the browser application to a clipboard memory of the client computing device, wherein copying is performed without using a flash object, wherein;

the coupon code is a combination of characters that is presentable to a third-party server system via an input field of a third-party webpage and configured to cause the third-party server system to adjust or otherwise determine, in response to submission of the coupon code via the input field, a value displayed in the third-party webpage;

copying the coupon code comprises selecting the coupon code before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory of the client computing device;

receiving the input from the user comprises receiving a click event within a designated area;

the first set of operations further comprises sending instructions to the client computing device that cause the browser application to send a request to a fourth-party server and identify an entity distributing the information related to the coupon to the fourth-party server, wherein the fourth-party server is configured to respond to the request from the browser application with a redirect command that causes the browser application to request content from the third-party server system;

the representation of the coupon is disposed within a first hypertext markup language (HTML) element;

the coupon code is disposed within a second HTML element; and

displaying comprises displaying information regarding usage of the coupon code by others.

4. The system of claim 3, the redirect command causes the client computing device to be redirected by an affiliate network server to a merchant server.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the second set of operations further comprises indicating the selection to the server system; and

the coupon code is a character string.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein displaying comprises displaying, in the webpage, a feedback portion configured to receive feedback from the user regarding the coupon.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein displaying comprises displaying, in the webpage, the coupon code.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the second set of operations further comprises steps for specifying a display of a promotional offer.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the browser-executable code is sent by the server system.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein:

displaying comprises displaying a button; and

receiving the input comprises receiving a user selection of the button.

11. A tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, effectuate a first set of operations comprising:

receiving, via a network, a request from a web browser executing on a client computing device; and

causing browser-executable code to be sent to the web browser, wherein the browser-executable code is configured to effectuate a second set of operations comprising;

displaying, with the web browser;

content descriptive of a coupon, wherein the coupon is associated with a coupon code, and

a user-selectable region associated with the coupon; and

receiving, with the web browser, a user selection of the user-selectable region and, in response, causing the coupon code to be copied to clipboard memory of the client computing device without using a flash object to copy the coupon code to the clipboard memory, wherein;

the coupon code is a combination of characters that is presentable to a third-party server system via an input field of a third-party webpage and configured to cause the third-party server system to adjust or otherwise determine, in response to submission of the coupon code via the input field, a value displayed in the third-party webpage;

copying the coupon code comprises selecting the coupon code before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory of the client computing device;

receiving the user selection of the user-selectable region comprises receiving a click event within a designated area;

the first set of operations further comprises sending instructions to the client computing device that cause the web browser to send a request to a fourth-party server and identify an entity distributing the information related to the coupon to the fourth-party server, wherein the fourth-party server is configured to respond to the request from the web browser with a redirect command that causes the browser application to request content from the third-party server system;

the content descriptive of the coupon is disposed within a first hypertext markup language (HTML) element;

the coupon code is disposed within a second HTML element;

displaying comprises displaying information regarding usage of the coupon code by others; and

the web browser has a secure sandbox from which the coupon code is copied to the clipboard memory.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the second set of operations further comprises:

displaying content descriptive of a plurality of coupons.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein:

the user-selectable region corresponds to an object that is overlaid on content descriptive of at least some of the plurality of coupons.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein the second set of operations further comprises:

detecting positioning of a pointer by the user over at least part of content descriptive of one of the plurality of coupons; and

in response to detecting positioning of the pointer, causing a message to be displayed by the web browser instructing the user to click to copy a corresponding coupon code.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the second set of operations further comprises:

before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory, opening a new browser window of the web browser responsive to receiving the user selection.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the second set of operations further comprises requesting a merchant website associated with the promotional offer.

17. The medium of claim 11, wherein the redirect command that causes the web browser to request a merchant website automatically, without intervening user input.

18. The medium of claim 11, wherein:

displaying comprises causing display of a div element that includes the coupon code and the content descriptive of the coupon.

19. The medium of claim 11, wherein:

the second HTML element has a different class from the first HTML element.

20. The medium of claim 11, comprising:

displaying comprises displaying the coupon code in a first browser window when the user selection is received;

the second set of operations further comprises, before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory, opening a second browser window of the web browser in response to receiving the user selection; and

the first set of operations, the second set of operations, or both, further comprise causing the first browser window or the second browser window to automatically, in response to receiving the user selection, request and display a merchant website, at which the coupon is redeemable, via a redirect from an affiliate-network server.

21. The medium of claim 11, comprising:

the second set of operations further comprises;

before receiving the selection, after sending the browser-executable program code, causing the web browser to display content descriptive of a plurality of coupons including respective information regarding efficacy of the respective coupons;

detecting, with the client computing device, positioning of a pointer in a designated area; and

in response to detecting positioning of the pointer in the designated area, displaying a message instructing the user to click to copy a corresponding coupon code.

22. The medium of claim 11, wherein:

displaying comprises displaying the content descriptive of the coupon in a div element that includes the coupon code and a description of the coupon.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server system, a request from a web browser executing on a client computing device; and

causing browser-executable code to be sent to the web browser, wherein the browser-executable code is configured to effectuate operations comprising;

displaying, with the web browser;

content descriptive of a coupon, wherein the coupon is associated with a coupon code, and

a user-selectable region associated with the coupon; and

receiving, with the web browser, a user selection of the user-selectable region and, in response, causing the coupon code to be copied to clipboard memory of the client computing device without using a flash object to copy the coupon code to the clipboard memory, wherein;

the coupon code is a combination of characters that is presentable to a third-party server system via an input field of a third-party webpage and configured to cause the third-party server system to adjust or otherwise determine, in response to submission of the coupon code via the input field, a value displayed in the third-party webpage;

copying the coupon code comprises selecting the coupon code before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory of the client computing device;

receiving the user selection of the user-selectable region comprises receiving a click event within a designated area;

the first set of operations further comprises sending instructions to the client computing device that cause the web browser to send a request to a fourth-party server and identify an entity distributing the information related to the coupon to the fourth-party server, wherein the fourth-party server is configured to respond to the request from the web browser with a redirect command that causes the browser application to request content from the third-party server system;

the content descriptive of the coupon is disposed within a first hypertext markup language (HTML) element;

the coupon code is disposed within a second HTML element;

displaying comprises displaying information regarding usage of the coupon code by others; and

the web browser has a secure sandbox from which the coupon code is copied to the clipboard memory.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the browser-executable code is configured to effectuate operations further comprising, before copying the coupon code to the clipboard memory, opening a new browser window of the web browser in response to receiving the user selection.