Digital incentives issuance, redemption, and reimbursement

• US 10,402,849 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inmar Clearing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inmar Clearing Incorporated
• Inventors: Catania, William M., Kavis, Michael J., Rapp, Gregory H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Vincent M
• Application Number:
  US12/783,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• 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 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

A system and method for issuance, redemption, and reimbursement of digital incentives. A central database connected to the internet: enables customers to register unique customer registration information; is able to store this information and assign unique identifiers to it; and is accessible to incentives providers to make available digital incentives. Existing point-of-sale terminals: are authenticated to have access to the central database; have payment devices; are connected to the internet; and are provided with a message broker that facilitates communication with the central database. The customer redeems digital incentives at one of the existing point-of-sale terminals at the time of purchase by first presenting their unique identifier. The message broker routes the unique identifier to the central database which authenticates and validates the existing point-of-sale terminal, the customer'"'"'s unique identifier, and the payment device. The central database then returns validated applicable digital incentives to the message broker which forwards the validated digital incentives for redemption.

Claims

1. A method for issuance, redemption, and reimbursement of digital incentives comprising:

adding a message broker to cooperate with a given existing point-of-sale (POS) terminal in a retail environment to provide compatibility with a central database, the given existing POS terminal being of a given type from among a plurality of different types of POS terminals associated with a plurality of different retailers and each communicatively coupled to the central database, the given existing POS terminal having an identifiable attribute associated therewith, the message broker operating independently from the plurality of different types of POS terminals and independently from a respective loyalty program associated with the plurality of different retailers;

storing in the central database that is connected to a communications network a unique customer identifier in association with each of a plurality of customers;

storing in the central database information about a plurality of digital incentives each associated with a respective unique customer identifier;

storing in the central database information about the given existing POS terminal;

receiving, via the message broker via the communications network, a given unique customer identifier associated with a customer that has selected one or more items for purchase;

obtaining, via the message broker from the given existing POS terminal during a purchase transaction, information identifying the one or more items selected for purchase by the customer associated with the given unique customer identifier;

transmitting, via the message broker, to the central database the given unique customer identifier and the information identifying the items that the customer has selected for purchase;

authenticating, via the central database, the given existing POS terminal based upon the associated identifiable attribute;

assigning, via the central database, a matching encrypted public/private key pair to the authenticated given existing POS terminal and communicating the public key to the authenticated existing POS terminal so that communications with the central database are encrypted;

encrypting, via the message broker, the information identifying the one or more items selected for purchase, the associated given unique customer identifier, and the identifiable attribute of the authenticated given existing POS terminal;

communicating, via the message broker, the encrypted information identifying the one or more items selected for purchase, the encrypted associated given unique customer identifier, the encrypted identifiable attribute of the authenticated given existing POS terminal, and the public key, to the central database;

comparing, at the central database, the public key received from the message broker to the public key assigned at the central database;

generating a unique session token associated with the purchase transaction, the unique session token having a session token expiration associated therewith;

decrypting, based upon the private key and at the central database, the encrypted associated unique customer identifier, and the encrypted identifiable attribute of the authenticated given existing POS terminal;

identifying, via the central database, at least one digital incentive from among the plurality thereof that is associated with the given unique customer identifier and that is applicable to the one or more items selected for purchase, the at least one identified digital incentive having a digital incentive expiration associated therewith corresponding to the session token expiration;

communicating, via the central database, to the message broker, the unique session token and the at least one identified digital incentive, and

determining whether the unique session token has expired based upon the session token expiration, and if not, applying the at least one identified digital incentive to the purchase transaction for redemption at the authenticated given existing POS terminal as the at least one identified digital incentive has not expired, and if so, not applying the at least one identified digital incentive as the at least one identified digital incentive has also expired.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the central database is accessible to one or more computers, each of which is associated with a digital incentives provider, via the communications network, the method further comprising allowing digital incentives providers to make available, via the central database, the plurality of digital incentives to customers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the central database, information about the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed at each of the plurality of different types of POS terminals;

transmitting, via the central database, information about the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed to a computer associated with respective incentives providers; and

facilitating, via the central database, reimbursement of the plurality of different retailers for the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed in an amount equal to a value of the at least one digital incentive plus any applicable transaction fees.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising auditing, via the central database, redemption of the at least one digital incentive by the authenticated given existing POS terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the central database, information about the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed at the authenticated given existing POS terminal; and

transmitting, via the central database, information about the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed to a corresponding computer associated with a corresponding incentive provider associated with the at least one digital incentive that was redeemed for reimbursement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, in the central database, each of the plurality of digital incentives with one or more business rules to be met for redemption;

storing, in the central database, the one or more business rules; and

applying, via the central database, the one or more business rules to determine the identified at least one digital incentive that is applicable to the one or more items selected for purchase by the customer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more business rules are not constrained to attributes provided by a bar code.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information about a redemption of the at least one identified digital incentive to the customer by SMS text message, e-mail, mail, telephone call, or a printed receipt from the given existing POS terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the given unique customer identifier is received by the message broker via a virtual smart card, a cellular phone, a magnetic strip on a swipe card, a bar code, biometrics information, a telephone number, an e-mail address, a pin number, an RFID tag, or an account number.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the at least one digital incentive to be selectable by the customer by accessing the central database using a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephone, a television, e-mail, or mail.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the authenticated given existing POS terminal with a payment device, and wherein the payment device comprises a touch screen interface, a magnetic card reader, an infra-red scanner, or an internet payment web page.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, via the central database, with a financial institution to process payment for reimbursement of redeemed digital incentives.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticated given existing POS terminal comprises a retail cash register, an internet check-out web page embodied on a computer, a broadcast television signal embodied on a set-top box, a cable television signal embodied on a set-top box, or a cellular telephone.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, via the message broker, information to the central database confirming redemption of the at least one digital incentive.