Method for rewarding customer loyalty with respect to a lease agreement

• US 20040015394A1
• Filed: 07/19/2002
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Positive Services Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Positive Services Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Mok, Beatrice, Mok, Edwin Wah Sing
• Application Number:
  US10/198,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015394A1
• 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 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date

Abstract

The invention involves a method for rewarding customer loyalty with respect to a lease agreement. The inventive method is comprised of the steps of: (a) identifying a starting date; (b) establishing at least one reward date; (c) determining if provisions of the lease agreement have been performed as of the at least one reward date; and (e) calculating a reward of a specific value that may increase exponentially from a first reward date to a second reward date.

Claims

1. A method for rewarding customer loyalty with respect to a lease agreement, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a starting date;

establishing at least one reward date;

determining if provisions of the lease agreement have been performed as of the at least one reward date; and

calculating a reward of a specific value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting date is the date on which a customer entered into the lease agreement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting date is the date on which the customer occupied a rental unit that is the subject of the lease agreement.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific value of the reward increases exponentially from a first reward date to a second reward date.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

assigning a form of identification to the customer;

establishing a reward account for the customer based on the identification assigned; and

depositing the calculated reward into the customer'"'"'s reward account.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining a series of reward dates; and

calculating a series of rewards, each reward in the series being of a specific value based on an amount of time that has elapsed from the starting date to a particular reward date in the series of reward dates.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward is airline frequent-flyer miles.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

setting up a series of lease payments in relation to the customer;

establishing a series of lease-payment dates at a given interval on which at least one lease payment in the series of lease payments is due;

collecting at least one of the lease payments on a date no later than at least one of the lease-payment dates in the series;

determining if there is at least one unpaid lease payment due prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment; and

awarding a reward of a specific value to the customer if there is no at least one unpaid lease payment due prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the lease agreement involves real estate.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward is a discount card that provides discounts at a plurality of merchants.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward date is the same date as the start date.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward escalates over the amount of time the customer remains in the lease agreement.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific value of the reward is calculated based on an amount of time that has elapsed from the starting date to the at least one reward date.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific value of the reward is calculated based on the amount of time that has elapsed from the at least one reward date to a second subsequent reward date.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward escalates over the amount of time the customer has remained in occupation of a rental unit that is the subject of the lease agreement.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific value of the reward is calculated based on the number of new customers entering a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific value of the reward is calculated based on the number of new customers occupying a rental property that is the subject of a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer.

24. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component:

calculates a series of lease payments in relation to the customer;

establishes a series of lease-payment dates at a given interval on which at least one lease payment in the series of lease payments is due;

accepts entry of at least one of the lease payments on a date no later than at least one of the lease-payment dates in the series;

determines if there is at least one unpaid lease payment due prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment; and

awards a reward of a specific value to the customer if there are no unpaid lease payments prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment.

25. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates the specific value of the reward based on an amount of time that has elapsed from the starting date to the at least one reward date.

26. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates the specific value of the reward based on an amount of time that has elapsed from the at least on reward date to a subsequent reward date.

27. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates specific value of the reward based on the number of new customers entering a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer subsequent to the starting date.

28. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates the specific value of the reward based on the starting date being the date on which a rental unit that is the subject of the lease agreement is first occupied.

29. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates the specific value of the reward based on the number of new customers occupying a rental property that is the subject of a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer subsequent to the starting date.

30. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the reward-calculation component calculates a reward that increases exponentially from a first reward date to a second reward date.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

assigning a form of identification to a customer;

establishing a reward account for the customer based on the identification assigned;

identifying a starting date;

determining at least one reward date;

calculating a reward of a specific value; and

depositing the calculated reward into the customer'"'"'s reward account.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for identifying the starting date as the date on which the customer entered into the lease agreement.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for identifying the starting date as the date on which the customer occupies a rental unit that is the subject of the lease agreement.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for calculating the specific value of the reward based on the number of new customers entering a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer subsequent to the starting date.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for calculating the specific value of the reward based on the number of new customers occupying a rental property that is the subject of a lease agreement that have been referred to a rental-property owner by an existing customer subsequent to the starting date.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

setting up a series of lease payments in relation to the customer;

establishing a series of lease-payment dates at a given interval on which at least one lease payment in the series of lease payments is due;

collecting at least one of the lease payments on a date no later than at least one of the lease-payment dates in the series;

determining if there is at least one unpaid lease payment due prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment; and

awarding a reward of a specific value to the customer if there is no at least one unpaid lease payment due prior to the date of collecting the at least one lease payment.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the lease agreement involves real estate.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the medium has computer-executable instructions for calculating the specific value of the reward that increases exponentially from a first reward date to a second reward date.