Managing customer entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs

• US 20050288998A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Verma, Sachin, Venkiteswaran, V B
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date

Abstract

Managing entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs includes receiving transaction data associated with a reward entity. The transaction data is generated by a computer application that is separate from an entitlement management component used to manage entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs. One of the multiple entitlement programs that applies to the received transaction data is identified. Each entitlement program is associated with a type of reward and has an entitlement rule for determining, from transaction data, an amount of reward credit for the type of reward of the entitlement program. An entitlement rule of the identified entitlement program is used to determine an amount of reward credit to be provided to the reward entity associated with the received transaction data. The determined amount of reward credit is associated with the reward entity associated with the received transaction data.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause an entitlement management component to perform operations comprising:

receiving transaction data associated with a reward entity wherein the transaction data is generated by a computer application that is separate from the entitlement management component;

identifying one of multiple entitlement programs that applies to the received transaction data wherein each entitlement program

     1) is associated with a type of reward and

     2) has an entitlement rule for determining, from transaction data, an amount of reward credit for the type of reward of the entitlement program;

using an entitlement rule of the identified entitlement program to determine an amount of reward credit to be provided to the reward entity associated with the received transaction data; and

associating the determined amount of reward credit with the reward entity associated with the received transaction data.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the identified entitlement program comprises a first entitlement program and the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

identify a second entitlement program of the multiple entitlement programs that applies to the received transaction data;

use an entitlement rule of the second entitlement program to determine a second amount of reward credit to be provided to the reward recipient associated with the received transaction data; and

associate the second determined amount of reward credit with the reward recipient associated with the received transaction data.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

associate the determined amount of reward credit with the first entitlement program; and

associate the second determined amount of reward credit with the second entitlement program.

4. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein:

some of the transaction data is sent from a first computing application and applies to the first entitlement program, and

another portion of the transaction data is sent from a second computing application and applies to the second entitlement program.

5. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

determine whether a total amount of reward credit provided to the reward recipient entitles the reward recipient to a reward associated with the first entitlement program; and

when so,

     1) generate an indicator of an entitlement to the reward associated with the first entitlement program and

     2) associate the indicator with the reward recipient.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

determine whether a total amount of reward credit provided to the reward recipient entitles the reward recipient to a reward associated with the second entitlement program; and

when so,

     1) generate an indicator of an entitlement to the reward associated with the second entitlement program and

     2) associate the indicator with the reward recipient.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to transfer the indication of the entitlement to the reward to a redemption computer application that 1) is separate from the entitlement management component and 2) is capable of enabling the provision of the reward recipient with the reward.

8. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

determine, based on the entitlement rule of the first entitlement program, whether a portion of a total amount of reward credit for the first entitlement program associated with the reward recipient is expired;

reduce the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient by the expired portion from the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient; and

associate the reduced amount of reward credit with the reward recipient as a new total amount of reward credit for the first entitlement program associated with the reward recipient.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the error handling component to:

determine, based on the entitlement rule of the second entitlement program, whether a portion of a total amount of reward credit for the second entitlement program associated with the reward recipient is expired;

reduce the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient by the expired portion from the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient; and

associate the reduced amount of reward credit with the reward recipient as a new total amount of reward credit for the second entitlement program associated with the reward recipient.

10. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the reward entity is a person who has an account of reward credit and is eligible to receive rewards.

11. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the reward entity is a business entity that has an account of reward credit and is eligible to receive rewards.

12. A method for managing entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs, the method comprising:

receiving transaction data associated with a reward entity wherein the transaction data is generated by a computer application that is separate from an entitlement management component used to manage entitlements to rewards from multiple entitlement programs;

identifying one of the multiple entitlement programs that applies to the received transaction data wherein each entitlement program

     1) is associated with a type of reward and

     2) has an entitlement rule for determining, from transaction data, an amount of reward credit for the type of reward of the entitlement program;

using an entitlement rule of the identified entitlement program to determine an amount of reward credit to be provided to the reward entity associated with the received transaction data; and

associating the determined amount of reward credit with the reward entity associated with the received transaction data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

identifying a second entitlement program of the multiple entitlement programs that applies to the received transaction data;

using an entitlement rule of the second entitlement program to determine a second amount of reward credit to be provided to the reward recipient associated with the received transaction data; and

associating the second determined amount of reward credit with the reward recipient associated with the received transaction data.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

associating the determined amount of reward credit with the first entitlement program; and

associating the second determined amount of reward credit with the second entitlement program.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein:

some of the transaction data is sent from a first computing application and applies to the first entitlement program, and

another portion of the transaction data is sent from a second computing application and applies to the second entitlement program.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining whether a total amount of reward credit provided to the reward recipient entitles the reward recipient to a reward associated with the first entitlement program; and

when so,

     1) generating an indicator of an entitlement to the reward associated with the first entitlement program and

     2) associating the indicator with the reward recipient.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining whether a total amount of reward credit provided to the reward recipient entitles the reward recipient to a reward associated with the second entitlement program; and

when so,

     1) generating an indicator of an entitlement to the reward associated with the second entitlement program and

     2) associating the indicator with the reward recipient.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising transferring the indication of the entitlement to the reward to a redemption computer application that 1) is separate from the entitlement management component and 2) is capable of enabling the provision of the reward recipient with the reward.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining, based on the entitlement rule of the first entitlement program, whether a portion of a total amount of reward credit for the first entitlement program associated with the reward recipient is expired;

reducing the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient by the expired portion from the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient; and

associating the reduced amount of reward credit with the reward recipient as a new total amount of reward credit for the first entitlement program associated with the reward recipient.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining, based on the entitlement rule of the second entitlement program, whether a portion of a total amount of reward credit for the second entitlement program associated with the reward recipient is expired;

reducing the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient by the expired portion from the total amount of reward credit associated with the reward recipient; and

associating the reduced amount of reward credit with the reward recipient as a new total amount of reward credit for the second entitlement program associated with the reward recipient.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the reward entity is a person who has an account of reward credit and is eligible to receive rewards.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the reward entity is a business entity that has an account of reward credit and is eligible to receive rewards.