Privacy-protecting user tracking and targeted marketing
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for a privacy-protecting service to provide marketing promotions from retailers to targeted individuals in a manner that protects identities of the individuals from the retailers, the method comprising:
- for each of multiple individuals that are potential recipients of targeted marketing promotions, receiving information about previous transactions involving the individual from one or more of multiple third-party information sources that are distinct from the individuals and the privacy-protecting service;
determining individuals to be targeted by marketing promotions by, for each of multiple targeting retailers desiring to target marketing promotions to appropriate individuals, determining based at least in part on the received previous transaction information a group of multiple individuals that were each involved in previous transactions that match specified criteria for the targeting retailer;
providing information to the targeting retailer about the determined group in such a manner as to obscure the identities of the individuals in the group; and
receiving an instruction from the targeting retailer to target a specified marketing promotion to the individuals in the group; and
providing marketing promotions to targeted individuals by, for each of multiple transaction retailers involved in transactions with individuals, receiving information about a current transaction that is occurring between a transaction retailer and an individual; and
if it is determined that the individual involved in the current transaction is part of a group to which a marketing promotion has been targeted by a targeting retailer unrelated to the transaction retailer, providing information about that targeted marketing promotion from the targeting retailer for presentation to that individual on a device at a location of the current transaction, so that while engaged in a transaction with a retailer an individual can receive a marketing promotion targeted by another retailer in a manner that protects the identity of the individual.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, and computer-readable medium for assisting in targeting information to users while protecting the privacy of those users is described. Various transaction and/or other user-specific information may first be obtained from one or more of a variety of information sources, and can then be provided to user targeters that desire to target information to other users that match specified criteria. Information about the matching users is provided to the user targeters in a manner that obscures the identity of those users. After a user targeter selects identity-obscured users to which targeted information is to be provided, the information is provided to those targeted users in various ways. In some situations, the targeted information is marketing information such as an advertisement and/or information about a discount or other promotional benefit that is available, and is provided to users at a POS location.
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Citations
67 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for a privacy-protecting service to provide marketing promotions from retailers to targeted individuals in a manner that protects identities of the individuals from the retailers, the method comprising:
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for each of multiple individuals that are potential recipients of targeted marketing promotions, receiving information about previous transactions involving the individual from one or more of multiple third-party information sources that are distinct from the individuals and the privacy-protecting service;
determining individuals to be targeted by marketing promotions by, for each of multiple targeting retailers desiring to target marketing promotions to appropriate individuals, determining based at least in part on the received previous transaction information a group of multiple individuals that were each involved in previous transactions that match specified criteria for the targeting retailer;
providing information to the targeting retailer about the determined group in such a manner as to obscure the identities of the individuals in the group; and
receiving an instruction from the targeting retailer to target a specified marketing promotion to the individuals in the group; and
providing marketing promotions to targeted individuals by, for each of multiple transaction retailers involved in transactions with individuals, receiving information about a current transaction that is occurring between a transaction retailer and an individual; and
if it is determined that the individual involved in the current transaction is part of a group to which a marketing promotion has been targeted by a targeting retailer unrelated to the transaction retailer, providing information about that targeted marketing promotion from the targeting retailer for presentation to that individual on a device at a location of the current transaction, so that while engaged in a transaction with a retailer an individual can receive a marketing promotion targeted by another retailer in a manner that protects the identity of the individual. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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16. A computer-implemented method for targeting information to users in a manner that protects privacy of the users, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication from a user targeter of a specified criteria;
determining one or more users that have associated information that matches the specified criteria;
selecting at least some of the associated information for each of the determined users;
after obscuring sensitive information in the selected information, providing the resulting selected information to the user targeter; and
if the user targeter indicates to target specified information to the determined users based on the provided information, storing an indication of the targeting of the specified information to the determined users so that the specified information can later be provided to one or more of the determined users.
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54. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing device to target information to users in a manner that protects privacy of the users, by performing a method comprising:
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receiving information about multiple users from one or more information sources;
receiving an indication from a user targeter of a specified criteria;
after obscuring sensitive information, providing resulting information to the user targeter about one or more of the multiple users that were determined to match the specified criteria; and
after the user targeter indicates to target specified information to the determined users based on the provided information, providing the specified information to at least one of the determined users. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 60)
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59. A computing device for targeting information to users in a manner that protects privacy of the users, comprising:
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an information collector component that is capable of receiving information about multiple users from one or more information sources;
a user information provider component that is capable of receiving an indication from a user targeter of a specified criteria, of determining one or more of the multiple users whose associated information matches the specified criteria, and of providing information to the user targeter about the determined users so as to obscure sensitive information about the determined users; and
a targeted information provider component that is capable of, after the user targeter indicates to target specified information to the determined users based on the provided information, providing the specified information to at least one of the determined users.
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61. A computing device for targeting information to users in a manner that protects privacy of the users, comprising:
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means for receiving information about multiple users from one or more information sources;
means for receiving an indication from a user targeter of a specified criteria;
means for determining one or more of the multiple users whose associated information matches the specified criteria and for providing information to the user targeter about the determined users in a manner that obscures sensitive information about the determined users; and
means for, after the user targeter indicates to target specified information to the determined users based on the provided information, providing the specified information to at least one of the determined users.
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62. A method in a computing device for providing information to targeted users, the method comprising:
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identifying tracking information for a user involved in a current transaction;
receiving information that is targeted to the user based on factors other than the current transaction; and
presenting the received information to the user before completion of the current transaction. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A computing device for providing information to targeted users, comprising:
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a tracking component that is capable of identifying information for a user involved in a transaction;
an information receiver component that is capable of receiving information that is targeted to the user based on factors other than the transaction; and
a provider component that is capable of providing the received information to the user as part of the transaction.
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Specification