Multiple party reward system utilizing single account

• US 20020087410A1
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Rogers, Joshua D., Van Luchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• 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 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• 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 method enabling a frequent shopper reward system capable of tracking performance data of a plurality of members or account holders linked to a single frequent shopper account.

Claims

1. A reward method comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving, in response to indicium of an account number, a customer record associated with said account number, said customer record including account information identifying an account holder and sub-account information identifying one or more sub-account holders;

(b) determining if any of said one or more sub-account holders are present;

(c) transacting with at least one of a present account holder and a present sub-account holder;

(d) determining, in response to at least one of said step of transacting and said step of determining, a reward level;

(e) allocating, to at least one of said account holder and said one or more sub-account holders determined to be present, said determined reward level; and

(f) updating, in response to said reward allocation, said retrieved customer record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of updating comprises the steps of:

increasing, by a respective allocated amount, a respective accumulated reward level of said account holder and said one or more sub-account holders determined to be present.