Online loyalty program

• US 20060074755A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Girl LLC (Mattel Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Girl LLC (Mattel Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jenkins, Glenn, Juetten, Jeanette, Gundrum, Todd, Christenson, Glenn, Krejcarek, John, Ziche, Bill, Neely, Tiffany, Rink, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US11/235,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074755A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.320
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0232 Frequent usage rewards other than merchandise, cash or travel

Abstract

A system for increasing consumer affinity for a brand associated with a sponsor, comprising a server computer hosting a Web site accessible over a computer network. The server computer provides sub-user access to the Web site through a client computer connected to the computer network, wherein the Web site enables a sub-user affiliated with a user to exchange messages with one or more other sub-users. The server computer provides user access to the Web site through a client computer connected to the computer network, wherein the Web site enables the user to exercise control over the affiliated sub-user'"'"'s exchange of messages with one or more other sub-users. The server computer stores in a database a message list associated with the user, the message list including one or more exchanged messages subject to the user'"'"'s control.

Claims

1. A system for increasing consumer affinity for a brand associated with a sponsor, comprising a server computer hosting a Web site accessible over a computer network, wherein the server computer is configured to:

provide sub-user access to the Web site through a client computer connected to the computer network, wherein the Web site enables a sub-user affiliated with a user to exchange messages with one or more other sub-users;

provide user access to the Web site through a client computer connected to the computer network, wherein the Web site enables the user to exercise control over the affiliated sub-user'"'"'s exchange of messages with one or more other sub-users; and

store in a database a message list associated with the user, the message list including one or more exchanged messages subject to the user'"'"'s control.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the one or more other sub-users are not affiliated with the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is enabled to display at least some of the messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is enabled to approve a message created by the affiliated sub-user prior to the created message being sent to a recipient.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user is enabled to prevent at least some of the created messages from being sent to the recipient.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is enabled to approve at least some of the messages sent to the affiliated sub-user prior to receipt of the message by the affiliated sub-user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user is enabled to prevent the affiliated sub-user from receiving at least some of the messages.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is enabled to select at least one supervisory action affecting the messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user with one or more other sub-users.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server computer is further configured to store an indication associated with the affiliated sub-user of the at least one selected supervisory action.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one supervisory action comprises the ability of the user to prevent the affiliated sub-user from exchanging messages with other sub-users.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one supervisory action comprises the requirement that the user approve messages having a selected characteristic prior to the affiliated sub-user exchanging message having the selected characteristic.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user is enabled to preapprove the exchange of messages between the affiliated sub-user and one or more selected other sub-users.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user is enabled to preapprove the exchange of messages having selected content.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the affiliated sub-user is allowed to exchange messages having a selected characteristic with one or more other sub-users without requiring the users'"'"' approval.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one supervisory action comprises selecting one or more other sub-users with whom the affiliated sub-user may not exchange messages.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, when the affiliated sub-user attempts to send a message to a sub-user with whom the user has determined the affiliated sub-user may not exchange messages, the Web site informs the affiliated sub-user that the message was sent, and the server computer is configured to prevent the sub-user with whom the user has determined the affiliated sub-user may not exchange messages from receiving the message.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the server computer is configured to determine whether a message to be exchanged between the affiliated sub-user and another sub-user requires user approval.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises one or more lists of data identified to have a characteristic determined to be inappropriate.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the server computer is configured to allow the sponsor to identify words that are inappropriate, and the identified data includes the identified words.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified data comprises a list of items that are not to be included in messages sent by the affiliated sub-user, and the server computer is configured to allow the user to determine the items in the list of items.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the server computer is configured to compare the content of the messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user with the one or more lists of identified data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computer is configured to block transmission of a message to an intended recipient of the message when the message contains identified data.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computer is configured to require user approval prior to transmission of a message to an intended recipient of the message when the message contains identified data.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site enables the user to notify the sponsor that a message directed to the affiliated sub-user is considered by the user to be inappropriate.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site enables the affiliated sub-user to notify the sponsor that the affiliated sub-user considers a message received by the affiliated sub-user to be inappropriate.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site enables the affiliated sub-user to include in messages online content provided by the sponsor.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the online content includes one or more virtual trading cards depicting subject matter associated with the brand associated with the sponsor.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the message list includes all of the messages sent by the affiliated sub-user.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the message list includes all of the messages received by the affiliated sub-user.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is configured to store in the database a list of interests associated with each of the one or more sub-users.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the database includes the Web site enables the affiliated sub-user to create a list of interests within the database.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the Web site enables the affiliated sub-user to access the database to select other sub-users whom the affiliated sub-user desires to engage in communication.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is a parent or guardian of the affiliated sub-user.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is further configured to:

enable the sponsor to credit one or more reward points to the user;

enable the sponsor to credit one or more reward points to the affiliated sub-user;

enable the user to transfer one or more reward points to the affiliated sub-user; and

enable the affiliated sub-user to redeem one or more reward points to the sponsor in exchange for merchandise.

35. A method for increasing consumer affinity for a brand, comprising:

providing a Web site hosted on a server computer in communication with a computer network;

providing a messaging interface on the Web site enabling a sub-user affiliated with a user to exchange messages with one or more other sub-users;

providing a messaging supervision interface on the Web site enabling the user to supervise messages exchanged between the affiliated sub-user and one or more other sub-users; and

storing data in a database on a computer in communication with the server computer, wherein the database comprises a user file associated with the user including a message history including messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein storing data includes storing in the user file an indication of a level of required supervision over the exchange of messages by the affiliated sub-user.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein storing data comprises storing in the database one or more lists of inappropriate data, each inappropriate datum having a selected characteristic determined to be inappropriate for the affiliated sub-user.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising enabling the server computer to compare content of messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user with the inappropriate data in the one or more lists of inappropriate data.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein providing a messaging supervision interface includes enabling the user to review messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user that contain inappropriate data.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising enabling the server computer to prevent transmission of messages containing inappropriate data.

41. The method of claim 38, further comprising enabling the server computer to prevent the affiliated sub-user from receiving messages containing inappropriate data.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein storing the data further comprises storing a list of interests associated with the affiliated sub-user.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

providing the affiliated sub-user with access to the database through the Web site; and

enabling the affiliated sub-user to select other sub-users with whom the affiliated sub-user desires to exchange messages.

44. The method of claim 35, wherein providing a messaging supervision interface includes enabling the user to notify the sponsor that the user considers a received message to be inappropriate.

45. The method of claim 35, wherein providing a messaging interface includes enabling the affiliated sub-user to notify the sponsor that the affiliated sub-user considers a received message to be inappropriate.

46. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

issuing one or more reward points to the user in exchange for the user performing a first activity specified on the Web site;

transferring, at the request of the user, one or more reward points from the user to the affiliated sub-user;

issuing one or more reward points to the affiliated sub-user in exchange for the affiliated sub-user performing a second activity specified on the Web site; and

redeeming, at the request of the affiliated sub-user, one or more of the affiliated sub-user'"'"'s reward points in exchange for branded merchandise from an owner of the brand.

47. Storage media having embodied therein a plurality of machine-readable instructions, wherein, when a processor executes the instructions, the instructions provide for:

providing a Web site hosted on a server computer in communication with a computer network;

providing a messaging interface on the Web site enabling a sub-user affiliated with a user to exchange messages with one or more other sub-users;

providing a messaging supervision interface on the Web site enabling the user to supervise messages exchanged between the affiliated sub-user and one or more other sub-users; and

storing data in a database on a computer in communication with the server computer, wherein the database comprises a user file associated with the user including a message history including messages exchanged by the affiliated sub-user.

48. Storage media having embodied therein a plurality of machine-readable instructions adapted to be executed by a computer processor, to:

provide sub-user access to a Web site through a client computer connected to a computer network, wherein the Web site enables a sub-user affiliated with a user to exchange messages with one or more other sub-users;

provide user access to the Web site through a client computer connected to the computer network, wherein the Web site enables the user to exercise control over the affiliated sub-user'"'"'s exchange of messages with one or more other sub-users; and

store in a database a message list associated with the user, the message list including one or more exchanged messages subject to the user'"'"'s control.