System and method for generating destination specific coupons for a traveler

• US 20040220854A1
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Richard Postrel
• Original Assignee: Richard Postrel
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/699,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220854A1
• 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 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A travel coupon server system and method generate travel coupons, and include a plurality of members and a travel coupon server which is interconnected to the plurality of members. The travel coupon server generates limited duration coupons for a particular traveler which identifies the traveler by name, which limits the duration of the offer of the coupon to the time of the travel, and which limits the coupons offered to the traveler'"'"'s destinations or along the route to those destinations.

Claims

1-40. -40 (Canceled).

41. A coupon generation and distribution system comprising:

(a) a plurality of member computers interconnected to a computer network, each of said member computers associated with at least one of a plurality of members of the system; and

(b) a centrally located coupon server computer, interconnected to the computer network for selective communication with the plurality of member computers, the coupon server computer comprising;

(i) a repository of coupon offers available for generation into coupons for dissemination to a plurality of users, each of said coupon offers supplied to the coupon server computer by a coupon offering entity and providing an incentive to purchase an item;

(ii) means for storing a plurality of user profile data records, each of said user profile data records comprising user profile data comprising;

an identification of a user, and

at least one geographic location associated with the user;

(iii) means for analyzing a user profile data record with respect to a plurality of coupon offers in the repository and for analyzing a, coupon offer with respect to a plurality of user-profile data records, and for generating one or more coupons based on said analysis, wherein said coupon is limited to use by the user identified in the user profile data record for items at the geographic location associated with the user; and

(iv) means for distributing said generated coupon for use by the user in purchasing the item associated with the coupon at the geographic location associated with the user.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile data is obtained from at least one member computer.

43. The system of claim 41 wherein the computer network is the Internet.

44. The system of claim 41 wherein the computer network is a wireless network.

45. The system of claim 41 wherein a member computer is an interactive television device.

46. The system of claim 41 wherein a member computer is a voice interactive device.

47. The system of claim 41 wherein a member computer is an Internet-enabled computing device.

48. The system of claim 41 wherein a member computer is a portable computing device.

49. The system of claim 41 wherein the means for distributing said generated coupon comprises means for transmitting said coupon to the user.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the means for transmitting said coupon to the user comprises means for electronically transmitting said coupon to a member computer.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the means for electronically transmitting said coupon to a member computer comprises means for sending an email message to a member computer, said email message comprising said coupon in a format suitable for printing at a printer associated with the member computer.

52. The system of claim 41 wherein the means for distributing said generated coupon comprises means for transmitting said coupon to a member computer associated with a merchant that will honor the generated coupon.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the user specified by the coupon is provided with the incentive specified by the coupon during a transaction with the merchant.

54. The system of claim 41 wherein the means for distributing the generated coupon comprises means for printing the coupon and sending said printed coupon to the user.

55. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile data further comprises demographic information relating to the user.

56. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile data further comprises coupon requests provided by a user to the coupon server computer, and wherein the coupon requests are transmitted by the coupon server computer to a coupon offering entity for use in preparing subsequent coupon offers.

57. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile data further comprises flight information regarding an airline flight to be taken by a user, and wherein said flight information is utilized by the coupon server computer to generate the coupon.

58. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile data further comprises travel itinerary information of a user and wherein said travel itinerary information is utilized by the coupon server computer to generate the coupon.

59. The system of claim 41 wherein the coupon offers vary in accordance with the geographic location associated with the user.

60. The system of claim 41 wherein the coupon offers comprise offer terms which are variable.

61. The system of claim 60 wherein the offer terms vary in accordance with the frequency of redemption of said offers.

62. The system of claim 41 wherein a member computer further comprises display means for displaying coupon data to the user, and wherein images of the coupons generated by the coupon server are transmitted to the member computer and displayed to a user via the display means.

63. The system of claim 62 wherein the user inputs, via the member computer input means, selections of said displayed coupon images, and wherein said coupon server generates a subset of said plurality of coupons based on the coupon image selections made by the member.

64. The system of claim 41 wherein the members are selected from the group consisting of a coupon offering company, a user, a travel agent, an airline, and a cruise line.

65. The system of claim 41 wherein the coupon offering entity specifies user match parameters to the coupon server for use in generating coupons from the user profile and coupon offers.

66. The system of claim 41 wherein the coupon offers are modified by the coupon offering entity prior to generation of coupons by the coupon server.

67. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile further comprises information on a mode of travel by the user to the associated geographic location, and wherein the coupons generated by the coupon server relate to the mode of travel by the user.

68. The system of claim 41 wherein the user profile further comprises information on dates of travel by the user to the associated geographic location, and wherein the coupons generated by the coupon server are valid only during the dates of travel by the user.

69. A method for generating and distributing coupons comprising the steps of:

(a) a plurality of coupon offering entities supplying coupon offers to a centrally located coupon server computer, said coupon offers each and providing an incentive to purchase an item;

(b) the coupon server computer assembling a repository of said coupon offers for subsequent generation into coupons for dissemination to a plurality of users;

(c) the coupon server computer storing a plurality of user profile data records, each of said user profile data records comprising user profile data comprising;

an identification of a user, and

at least one an geographic location associated with the user;

(d) analyzing a user profile data record with respect to a plurality of coupon offers in the repository and analyzing a coupon offer with respect to a plurality of user profile data records;

(e) generating one or more coupons based on said analysis, wherein said coupon is limited to use by the user identified in the user profile data record for items at the geographic location associated with the user; and

(f) distributing said generated coupon for use by the user in purchasing the item associated with the coupon at the geographic location associated with the user.

70. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile data is obtained from at least one member computer.

71. The method of claim 69 wherein the computer network is the Internet.

72. The method of claim 69 wherein the computer network is a wireless network.

73. The method of claim 69 wherein a member computer is an interactive television device.

74. The method of claim 69 wherein a member computer is a voice interactive device.

75. The method of claim 69 wherein a member computer is an Internet-enabled computing device.

76. The method of claim 69 wherein a member computer is a portable computing device.

77. The method of claim 69 wherein the step of distributing said generated coupon comprises the step of transmitting said coupon to the user.

78. The method of claim 77 wherein the step of transmitting said coupon to the user comprises the step of electronically transmitting said coupon to a member computer.

79. The method of claim 78 wherein the step of electronically transmitting said coupon to a member computer comprises the step of sending an email message to a member computer, said email message comprising said coupon in a format suitable for printing at a printer associated with the member computer.

80. The method of claim 69 wherein the step of distributing said generated coupon comprises the step of transmitting said coupon to a member computer associated with a merchant that will honor the generated coupon.

81. The method of claim 80 wherein the user specified by the coupon is provided with the incentive specified by the coupon during a transaction with the merchant.

82. The method of claim 69 wherein the step of distributing the generated coupon comprises the steps of printing the coupon and sending said printed coupon to the user.

83. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile data further comprises demographic information relating to the user.

84. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile data further comprises coupon requests provided by a user to the coupon server computer, and wherein the coupon requests are transmitted by the coupon server computer to a coupon offering entity for use in preparing subsequent coupon offers.

85. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile data further comprises flight information regarding an airline flight to be taken by a user, and wherein said flight information is utilized by the coupon server computer to generate the coupon.

86. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile data further comprises travel itinerary information of a user and wherein said travel itinerary information is utilized by the coupon server computer to generate the coupon.

87. The method of claim 69 wherein the coupon offers vary in accordance with the geographic location associated with the user.

88. The method of claim 69 wherein the coupon offers comprise offer terms which are variable.

89. The method of claim 88 wherein the coupon offers vary in accordance with the frequency of redemption of said offers.

90. The method of claim 69 wherein images of the coupons generated by the coupon server are transmitted to the member computer and displayed to a user.

91. The method of claim 74 wherein the user inputs selections of said displayed coupon images, and wherein said coupon server generates a subset of said plurality of coupons based on the coupon image selections made by the member.

92. The method of claim 69 wherein the members are selected from the group consisting of a coupon offering company, a user, a travel agent, an airline, and a cruise line.

93. The method of claim 69 wherein the coupon offering entity specifies user match parameters to the coupon server for use in generating coupons from the user profile and coupon offers.

94. The method of claim 69 wherein the coupon offers are modified by the coupon offering entity prior to generation of coupons by the coupon server.

95. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile further comprises information on a mode of travel by the user to the associated geographic location, and wherein the coupons generated by the coupon server relate to the mode of travel by the user.

96. The method of claim 69 wherein the user profile further comprises information on dates of travel by the user to the associated geographic location, and wherein the coupons generated by the coupon server are valid only during the dates of travel by the user.