Methods and systems for coordinated coupon delivery

• US 10,339,540 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thordsen, James A., Malik, Raza Ali, Bruck, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoltenberg, David J
• Application Number:
  US12/610,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,532 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

Methods and systems for coordinating delivery of coupons issued by a network-based system are disclosed. For example, a system can include a coupon generation engine, a coupon widget, and a communications module. The coupon generation engine can issue a unique coupon redeemable exclusively by a registered user of the network-based system. The coupon widget can present the unique coupon via a first communication channel internal to the network-based system. The communications module can deliver the unique coupon to the registered user via a second communication channel external to the network-based system.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating delivery of coupons issued by a network-based system, the method comprising:

tracking, using one or more processors within the network-based system, user activities of a registered user that interacts with the network-based system;

generating activity data based on the tracking of the user activities, wherein the activity data includes;

a purchase history of the registered user within the network-based system, a browsing history of the registered user within the network-based system, and a frequency of use of the registered user of the network-based system;

evaluating the activity data to determine that the registered user has met a predefined condition that is related to the purchase history, the browsing history, and the frequency of use of the registered user;

issuing, using the one or more processors within the network-based system, a unique digital coupon redeemable exclusively by the registered user of the network-based system in response to determining that the registered user has met the predefined condition, wherein the unique digital coupon is issued based on the unique digital coupon being determined to be contextually relevant to a current interaction of the registered user with the network-based system;

delivering, using the one or more processors, a first notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a first communication channel internal to the network-based system; and

delivering a second notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a second communication channel external to the network-based system, in coordination with the first notification, and in response to the issuing the unique digital coupon, wherein delivering the second notification includes;

identifying a remote computing system used by the registered user to access the network-based system;

generating, in response to identifying the remote computing system, remote system identification information; and

transmitting, to an external system operating an affiliated on-line search engine, the remote system identification information and coupon information describing the unique digital coupon for use in delivery of the second notification via the affiliated on-line search engine such that the external system is enabled to identify that the unique digital coupon is associated with the remote computing system to cause a displaying, at the remote computing system, of the unique digital coupon among a set of unique digital coupons in response to the remote computing system accessing the affiliated on-line search engine and in response to the remote computing system being associated with the unique digital coupon, wherein the set of unique digital coupons are issued to the registered user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel includes a web-based interface of the network-based system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel includes a messaging system of the network-based system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the unique digital coupon to a purchase by the registered user on the network-based system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering includes presenting the second notification of the unique digital coupon in conjunction with displaying a search request results listing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering the first

notification of the unique digital coupon via the first communication channel includes using at least one of:

an account page associated with the registered user;

a real-time message display;

a checkout interface;

a web page header;

an item listing;

or

a customer service interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering the second

notification of the unique digital coupon to the registered user via the second communication channel includes using at least one of:

a web-based interface;

an electronic message;

or

a telephone call.

8. A computer-implemented system for coordinating delivery of digital coupons issued by a network-based system, the computer-implemented system comprising a server including one or more processors coupled to a memory device, the one or more processors in coordination with the memory device causing the performance of operations comprising:

tracking user activities of a registered user within the network-based system;

generating activity data based on the tracking of the user activities, wherein the activity data includes information related to one or more activities selected from a group of activities consisting of;

a purchase history of the registered user within the network-based system, a browsing history of the registered user within the network-based system, and a frequency of use of the registered user of the network-based system;

evaluating the activity data to determine that the registered user has met a predefined condition that is related to the one or more activities purchase history, the browsing history, and the frequency of use of the registered user;

issuing a unique digital coupon redeemable exclusively by the registered user of the network-based system in response to determining that the registered user has met the predefined condition;

delivering a first notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a first communication channel internal to the network-based system in response to issuing the unique digital coupon; and

delivering a second notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a second communication channel external to the network-based system, in coordination with delivering the first notification, and in response to issuing the unique digital coupon, wherein delivering the second notification includes;

identifying a remote computing system used by the registered user to access the network-based system;

generating, in response to identifying the remote computing system, remote system identification information; and

transmitting, to an external system operating an affiliated on-line property, the remote system identification information and coupon information describing the unique digital coupon for use by the affiliated on-line property in delivering the second notification via the second communication channel external to the network-based system such that the external system is enabled to identify that the unique digital coupon is associated with the remote computing system to cause a displaying, at the remote computing system, of the unique digital coupon among a set of unique digital coupons in response to the remote computing system accessing the affiliated on-line property and in response to the remote computing system being associated with the unique digital coupon, wherein the set of unique digital coupons are issued to the registered user.

9. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise applying the unique digital coupon to a purchase by the registered user.

10. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the affiliated on-line property is a search engine.

11. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise delivering the first notification of the unique digital coupon via the first communication channel using at least one of:

an account page associated with the registered user;

a real-time message display;

a check-out interface;

a web page header;

an item listing;

or

a customer service interface.

12. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise delivering notifications of multiple coupons issued to the registered user.

13. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the second communication channel includes at least one of:

an electronic message;

a web page;

or

a telephone call.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying instructions which, in response to being executed by a computer-implemented network-based system, cause the computer-implemented network-based system to perform operations comprising:

tracking user activities of a registered user within the network-based system;

generating activity data based on the tracking of the user activities, wherein the activity data includes information related to one or more activities conducted by the user with respect to the network-based system;

evaluating the activity data to determine that the registered user has met a predefined condition that is related to the one or more activities;

issuing a unique digital coupon redeemable exclusively by the registered user of the network-based system in response to determining that the registered user has met the predefined condition;

delivering a first notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a first communication channel internal to the network-based system; and

delivering a second notification of the unique digital coupon issued to the registered user via a second communication channel external to the network-based system, in coordination with the first notification, and in response to the issuing the unique digital coupon, wherein delivering the second notification includes;

identifying a remote computing system used by the registered user to access the network-based system;

generating, in response to identifying the remote computing system, a remote system identification information; and

transmitting, to an external system operating an affiliated on-line property, the remote system identification information and coupon information describing the unique digital coupon for use in delivery of the second notification via the affiliated on-line property such that the external system is enabled to identify that the unique digital coupon is associated with the remote computing system to cause a displaying, at the remote computing system, of the unique digital coupon among a set of unique digital coupons in response to the remote computing system accessing the affiliated on-line property and in response to the remote computing system being associated with the unique digital coupon, wherein the set of unique digital coupons are issued to the registered user.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise applying the unique digital coupon to a purchase by the registered user on the network-based system.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the affiliated on-line property is a search engine.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the delivering the first notification of the unique digital coupon via the first communication channel includes using at least one of:

an account page associated with the registered user;

a real-time message display;

a checkout interface;

a web page header;

an item listing;

or

a customer service interface.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the delivering the first notification of the unique digital coupon via the first communication channel includes displaying all coupons issued to the registered user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the delivering the second notification of the unique digital coupon to the registered user via the second communication channel includes using at least one of:

an electronic message;

a web page;

or

a telephone call.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more activities are selected from a group of activities consisting of:

a purchase history of the registered user within the network-based system, a browsing history of the registered user within the network-based system, and a frequency of use of the registered user of the network-based system.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the unique digital coupon is issued based on the unique digital coupon being determined to be relevant to a current interaction of the registered user with the network-based system.