Proximity-based method and system for generating customized incentives

• US 10,643,241 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, Gregory B., Wills, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/936,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,493 Days
• Field of Search: 705 141- 1473
• 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 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

A method and system for generating customized incentives involving electronic distribution of coupons to remote personal computers based on proximity of the computer to a retail center are disclosed. A repository, such as an online service provider or a web site on the Internet, stores packages of incentive data for downloading automatically or on demand to a user'"'"'s computer. A plurality of data fields is used to associate a user'"'"'s location with a specific incentive.

Claims

1. A system for providing customized incentives to consumers, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions, which, when executed, cause the computer system to;

obtain user location data corresponding to a location of a remote user computer;

determine whether the remote user computer is located within an area associated with a first retail center;

obtain a threshold number of competitors that is required to be located within the area associated with the first retail center to trigger provision of one or more promotions;

obtain competitor information that indicates a location of one or more competing retail centers and that the one or more competing retail centers are competitors of the first retail center;

determine that the one or more competing retail centers are located within a predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer based on the competitor information;

determine a number of competing retail centers that are within the area based on the competitor information;

determine that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors;

identify, based on incentive data previously stored on the remote user computer, the one or more promotions corresponding to the predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer or a predetermined geographic area and associated with the first retail center responsive to the determination that;

(1) the remote user computer is located within the area associated with the first retail center, (2) the one or more competing retail centers are located within the predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer, and (3) the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors; and

provide the one or more promotions to the remote user computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

determine a number of the one or more competing retail centers that are located within the predetermined proximity to the remote user computer, wherein the one or more promotions are identified only when the number meets or exceeds a threshold number.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more promotions are associated with the user location data when the remote user computer is located within a predetermined distance of the first retail center.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

determine whether the remote user computer is located within a second area associated with the first retail center, wherein the second area is different than the first area; and

identify one or more second promotions associated with the first retail center responsive to a determination that the remote user computer is located within the second area, wherein the one or more second promotions are different from the one or more promotions; and

transmit the one or more second promotions to the remote user computer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more second promotions are associated with the user location data when the remote user computer is located within the second area associated with the first retail center.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more promotions comprises an advertisement, a WEB page, a promotion, an incentive, a banner, an offering, a gift, a raffle ticket, a contest ticket, a product price or a product discount.

7. A computer implemented method for providing customized incentives to consumers, the method being implemented in a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computer system, user location data corresponding to a location of a remote user computer;

determining, by the computer system, whether the remote user computer is located within an area associated with a first retail center;

obtaining, by the computer system, a threshold number of competitors that is required to be located within the area associated with the first retail center to trigger provision of one or more promotions;

obtaining, by the computer system, competitor information that indicates a location of one or more competing retail centers and that the one or more competing retail centers are competitors of the first retail center;

determining, by the computer system, that the one or more competing retail centers are located within a predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer, within the area associated with the first retail center, based on the competitor information;

determining, by the computer system, a number of competing retail centers that are within the area based on the competitor information;

determining, by the computer system, that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors;

identifying, by the computer system and based on incentive data previously stored on the remote user computer, one or more promotions corresponding to the predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer or a predetermined geographic area and associated with the first retail center responsive to the determination that;

(1) the remote user computer is located within the area associated with the first retail center, (2) the one or more competing retail centers are located within the predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer, and (3) the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors; and

providing, by the computer system, the one or more promotions to the remote user computer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a number of the one or more competing retail centers that are located within the predetermined proximity to the remote user computer, wherein the one or more promotions are identified only when the number meets or exceeds a threshold number.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more promotions are associated with the user location data when the remote user computer is located within a predetermined distance of the first retail center.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the remote user computer is located within a second area associated with the first retail center, wherein the second area is different than the first area;

identifying one or more second promotions associated with the first retail center to provide to the remote user computer responsive to a determination that the remote user computer is located within the second area, wherein the one or more second promotions are different from the one or more promotions; and

providing the one or more second promotions to the remote user computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more second promotions is associated with the user location data when the remote user computer is located within the second area of the first retail center.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more promotions comprise an advertisement, a WEB page, a promotion, an incentive, a banner, an offering, a gift, a raffle ticket, a contest ticket, a product price or a product discount.

13. A system for providing customized incentives to consumers, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions, which, when executed, cause the computer system to;

obtain user location data corresponding to a location of a remote user computer;

determine that the location of the remote user computer is within a first region associated with a retailer;

obtain a threshold number of competitors that is required to be located within the first region to trigger provision of a first promotion, the first promotion corresponding to a predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer or a predetermined geographic area and identified based on incentive data previously stored on the remote user computer;

obtain competitor information that indicates a location of one or more competing retail centers and that the one or more competing retail centers are competitors of the retailer;

determine a number of competing retail centers that are within the first region based on the competitor information;

determine that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors; and

responsive to the determination that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors, provide the first promotion to the remote user computer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

identify the first promotion further based on the first region within which the remote user computer is located, wherein the first region is among a plurality of regions that include the first region and a second region that is associated with a second promotion different than the first promotion.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first promotion comprises a first discount off a price of an item and the second promotion is associated with a second discount off the price of the item.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first region is defined based on a first radius associated with a location of the retailer and the second region is defined based on a second radius associated with the location of the retailer.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

identify the first promotion based on the number of competing retail centers that are within the first region.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

determine a second number of competing retail centers that are within a second region associated with the location of the retailer; and

identify a second promotion based on the second number of competing retail centers, wherein the first promotion comprises a first discount off a price of an item and the second promotion is associated with a second discount off the price of the item.

19. A computer implemented method for providing customized incentives to consumers, the method being implemented in a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computer system, user location data corresponding to a location of a remote user computer;

determining, by the computer system, that the location of the remote user computer is within a first region associated with a retailer;

obtaining, by the computer system, a threshold number of competitors that is required to be located within the first region to trigger provision of a first promotion, the first promotion corresponding to a predetermined proximity range relative to the location of the remote user computer or a predetermined geographic area and identified based on incentive data previously stored on the remote user computer;

obtaining, by the computer system, competitor information that indicates a location of one or more competing retail centers and that the one or more competing retail centers are competitors of the retailer;

determining, by the computer system, a number of competing retail centers that are within the first region based on the competitor information;

determining, by the computer system, that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors; and

responsive to the determination that the number of competing retail centers meets or exceeds the threshold number of competitors, providing, by the computer system, the first promotion to the remote user computer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, by the computer system, the first promotion further based on the first region within which the remote user computer is located, wherein the first region is among a plurality of regions that include the first region and a second region that is associated with a second promotion different than the first promotion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first promotion comprises a first discount off a price of an item and the second promotion is associated with a second discount off the price of the item.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the first region is defined based on a first radius associated with a location of the retailer and the second region is defined based on a second radius associated with the location of the retailer.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, by the computer system, the first promotion based on the number of competing retail centers that are within the first region.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the method further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, a second number of competing retail centers that are within a second region associated with the location of the retailer; and

identifying, by the computer system, a second promotion based on the second number of competing retail centers, wherein the first promotion comprises a first discount off a price of an item and the second promotion is associated with a second discount off the price of the item.