Database management for managing data distribution

• US 20070244745A1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Boal, Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/372,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244745A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0221 Re-usable coupons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• 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 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A system and method of distributing electronic coupon securely are disclosed, which includes a main database system, and a client system interconnected by a distributed computer network. Coupon data and advertising data can be encrypted to reduce the likelihood that such data may be misused, such as by unauthorized duplication. In addition, the client database system can be identified by a user identification that is allocated and associated with the user information collected from the user of the client database system. The user information can be indicative of one or more demographic characteristics of the user without being sufficiently and personally identify the user, thus preserving privacy. An icon can be provided to alert the user that new coupons are available.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a client including a client application operable to provide information to a server including information that relates to a client user but does not specifically identify the client user;

the server including a dataset of coupons, the server selecting from the dataset appropriate coupons for distribution to the client from the dataset based on the information.

2. A method comprising:

identifying information related to a user of a system that is insufficient to specifically identify the user; and

using the information to select coupons from available coupons for distribution to the user.

3. A system, comprising:

means for collecting user information from a user of a client database system indicative of one or more demographic characteristics of the user without obtaining information sufficient to specify an identity of the user;

means for associating a user ID with the user information at a main database system;

means for selecting coupons according to the user ID to thereby identify coupons appropriate for the user based on the demographic characteristics; and

means for transmitting the selected coupons from the main database system to the client database system.