Method for rewarding purchasing activities and a system thereof

• US 20060010034A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisha Sparks
• Original Assignee: Aisha Sparks
• Inventors: Sparks, Aisha
• Application Number:
  US10/886,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010034A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.240
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium with programmed instructions, and a system for rewarding one or more purchases in accordance with embodiments of the present invention includes providing an initial reward amount and providing at least one of a benchmark reward amount and a multiple sales reward amount. The initial reward amount is added to a reward balance for an identifier associated with a current sales transaction based on a value of at least one designated good in the current sales transaction. The benchmark reward amount is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on an accumulated total of completed sales transactions which exceeds at least one benchmark on or after the current sales transaction.

Claims

1. A method for rewarding one or more purchases, the method comprising:

providing an initial reward amount which is added to a reward balance for an identifier associated with a current sales transaction based on a value of at least one designated good in the current sales transaction; and

providing a benchmark reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on an accumulated total of completed sales transactions which exceeds at least one benchmark on or after the current sales transaction.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the accumulated total of completed sales transactions comprises an accumulated total of completed sales transactions for at least one of the at least one designated good, a brand of goods, at an individual store, and at a chain of stores.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the providing the at least one of a benchmark reward amount further comprises:

tracking subsequent sales transactions of the at least one of the at least one designated good, the brand of goods, at the individual store, and at the chain of stores, wherein the subsequent sales transactions are associated with one or more of a plurality of the identifiers;

recording each of the identifiers associated with one of the subsequent sales transactions;

determining when the accumulated total of completed sales transactions exceeds the at least one benchmark; and

providing the benchmark reward to each of the recorded identifiers associated with each of the subsequent sales transactions which occurred prior to or upon reaching the benchmark.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 providing a multiple sales reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on having more than one of the designated goods in the current sales transaction, wherein the multiple sales reward amount is in addition to the initial reward amount for each of the designated goods purchased.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the providing a multiple sales reward amount further comprises:

determining a number of the designated goods in the current sales transaction; and

determining the multiple sales reward amount based on the determined number of designated goods; and

providing the determined multiple sales reward amount to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising obtaining the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising determining if a current sales transaction involves at least one designated good, wherein the providing the initial reward amount and the providing the at least one benchmark reward amount is based on the determining indicating that at least one of the designated goods is being purchased.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising designating a portion of a payment received for the current sales transaction for a redemption fund for the reward balance associated with the identifier.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising displaying the reward balance associated with the identifier.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising resetting the reward balance to a starting balance if a time period has expired.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

determining if the reward balance associated with the identifier for the current sales transaction is to be used against a total sales price for the current sales transaction; and

reducing the total sales price by the reward balance if the determining indicates the reward balance is to be used against the total sales price.

13. The medium as set forth in claim 1 wherein the accumulated total of completed sales transactions comprises an accumulated total of completed sales transactions for at least one of the at least one designated good, a brand of goods, at an individual store, and at a chain of stores.

14. The medium as set forth in claim 13 wherein the providing the at least one of a benchmark reward amount further comprises:

tracking subsequent sales transactions of the at least one of the at least one designated good, the brand of goods, at the individual store, and at the chain of stores, wherein the subsequent sales transactions are associated with one or more of a plurality of the identifiers;

recording each of the identifiers associated with one of the subsequent sales transactions;

determining when the accumulated total of completed sales transactions exceeds the at least one benchmark; and

providing the benchmark reward to each of the recorded identifiers associated with each of the subsequent sales transactions which occurred prior to or upon reaching the benchmark.

12. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for rewarding one or more purchases which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

providing an initial reward amount which is added to a reward balance for an identifier associated with a current sales transaction based on a value of at least one designated good in the current sales transaction; and

providing a benchmark reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on an accumulated total of completed sales transactions which exceeds at least one benchmark on or after the current sales transaction.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12 providing a multiple sales reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on having more than one of the designated goods in the current sales transaction, wherein the multiple sales reward amount is in addition to the initial reward amount for each of the designated goods purchased.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the providing a multiple sales reward amount further comprises:

determining a number of the designated goods in the current sales transaction; and

determining the multiple sales reward amount based on the determined number of designated goods; and

providing the determined multiple sales reward amount to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

17. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising obtaining the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

18. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising determining if a current sales transaction involves at least one designated good, wherein the providing the initial reward amount and the providing the at least one benchmark reward amount is based on the determining indicating that at least one of the designated goods is being purchased.

19. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising designating a portion of a payment received for the current sales transaction for a redemption fund for the reward balance associated with the identifier.

20. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising displaying the reward balance associated with the identifier.

21. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising resetting the reward balance to a starting balance if a time period has expired.

22. The medium as set forth in claim 12 further comprising:

determining if the reward balance associated with the identifier for the current sales transaction is to be used against a total sales price for the current sales transaction; and

reducing the total sales price by the reward balance if the determining indicates the reward balance is to be used against the total sales price.

23. A system for rewarding one or more purchases, the system comprising:

an initial reward system that provides an initial reward amount that is added to a reward balance for an identifier associated with a current sales transaction based on a value of at least one designated good in the current sales transaction; and

an additional reward system that provides a benchmark reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on an accumulated total of completed sales transactions which exceeds at least one benchmark on or after the current sales transaction.

24. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the accumulated total of completed sales transactions comprises an accumulated total of completed sales transactions for at least one of the at least one designated good, a brand of goods, at an individual store, and at a chain of stores.

25. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein the additional reward system further comprises:

a tracking system that tracks-subsequent sales transactions of the at least one of the at least one designated good, the brand of goods, at the individual store, and at the chain of stores, wherein the subsequent sales transactions are associated with one or more of a plurality of the identifiers;

a recording system that records each of the identifiers associated with one of the subsequent sales transactions; and

a benchmark system that determines when the accumulated total of completed sales transactions exceeds the at least one benchmark;

wherein the additional reward system provides the benchmark reward to each of the recorded identifiers associated with each of the subsequent sales transactions which occurred prior to or upon reaching the benchmark.

26. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a multiple sales reward system that provides a multiple sales reward amount which is added to the reward balance to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction based on having more than one of the designated goods in the current sales transaction, wherein the multiple sales reward amount is in addition to the initial reward amount for each of the designated goods purchased.

27. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein the multiple sales reward system further comprises:

a totaling system that determines a number of the designated goods in the current sales transaction; and

a reward determination system that determines the multiple sales reward amount based on the determined number of designated goods;

wherein the multiple sales reward system provides the determined multiple sales reward amount to the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

28. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a login system that obtains the identifier associated with the current sales transaction.

29. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising an identification system that determines if a current sales transaction involves at least one designated good, wherein operation of the initial reward system and the additional reward system is based on the identification system determining that at least one of the designated goods is being purchased.

30. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a redemption processing system that designates a portion of a payment received for the current sales transaction for a redemption fund for the reward balance associated with the identifier.

31. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a display system that displays the reward balance associated with the identifier.

32. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising an expiration monitoring system that resets the reward balance to a starting balance if a time period has expired.

33. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising:

a rewards redemption system that determines if the reward balance associated with the identifier for the current sales transaction is to be used against a total sales price for the current sales transaction; and

a sales processing system that reduces the total sales price by the reward balance if the determining indicates the reward balance is to be used against the total sales price.