APPARATUS, NETWORK AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS

• US 20080040222A1
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mining & Construction Card Company Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Mining & Construction Card Company Pty Limited
• Inventors: Gee, Craig
• Application Number:
  US11/836,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• 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

Abstract

A method of administering an incentive award system is provided, together with apparatus for use in the administration of an incentive award system. The method includes allocating a plurality of merchants into one or more of a plurality of different merchant categories, providing an identifier to a participant and establishing an award account for the participant, the award account comprising an account category associated with each of the merchant categories. Commercial transactions made by the participant at any one of the merchants are monitored, and an award amount is allocated to the account of the participant, the allocation being dependent on the monitored commercial transactions and comprising an allocation of an amount to a plurality of the account categories. Awards allocated to the account of the participant represent awards that are redeemable by the participant for value.

Claims

1. A method of administering an incentive award system, the method comprising:

allocating a plurality of merchants into one or more of at least three different merchant categories;

providing an identifier to a participant and establishing an award account for the participant, the award account comprising distinct account categories associated with each of the merchant categories;

monitoring commercial transactions made by the participant at any one of the merchants;

for one of the monitored commercial transactions, allocating an award amount to the account of the participant, the allocation being dependent on the monitored commercial transaction and comprising an allocation of an amount to a plurality of the account categories, at least one of the account categories being a category that is not associated with the merchant at which the participant made that monitored commercial transaction; and

repeating the process of allocating an award amount to the account of the participant for each of the monitored commercial transactions;

wherein awards allocated to the account of the participant represent awards that are redeemable by the participant for value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the participant to redeem the award allocated to at least one of the account categories only in relation to transactions with a merchant allocated to that merchant category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a single merchant is allocated to each merchant category.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising establishing the award account to include a general account category, allocating awards to the general account category, and allowing a participant to redeem any award allocated to the general account category at the plurality of merchants without regard to which merchant category those merchants have been allocated.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a plurality of account classes within each account category associated with a merchant category and allocating the award amount to the account of the participant in a plurality of classes, wherein awards allocated to at least one class can only be redeemed following the occurrence of a predefined event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined event is the elapsing of a certain time period for that class and wherein different classes have different time periods.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring awards from one account category to another account category if the participant satisfies predetermined requirements.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined requirements comprise the tender of a statement from the participant that they have not purchased any goods or services offered by the merchant allocated to the category from a competitor of that merchant.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a periodic statement to each participant, the statement detailing the awards and/or rewards available in each category.

16. Computer apparatus comprising a computational controller and a computer memory readable by the computational controller, the computer memory storing instructions executable by the computational controller to perform the method of claim 1.

17. The computer apparatus of claim 16, further comprising further computer memory storing data able to be read and updated by the computational controller, the data comprising the definition of the merchant categories and associated one or more merchant identifiers, the definition of the participant identifiers and their associated participant accounts, and the definition of the award amounts.

18. The computer apparatus of claim 17, comprising a communication interface with a wide area network, wherein the transaction information and/or further transaction information is received by the communications interface from the wide area network and communicated to the computational controller.

19. A computer network comprising the computational apparatus of claim 16, and a plurality of merchant terminals, each merchant terminal arranged to send the transaction information and further transaction information to the computational controller over the computer network.

10. A method of administering an incentive award system, the method comprising using a computational controller to provide in computer readable memory:

a definition of at least three merchant categories, each merchant category associated with at least one merchant identifier, and

a definition of a plurality of participant identifiers, each participant identifier associated with a participant account defined in the computer readable memory, the participant account comprising a plurality of account categories corresponding to the merchant categories;

the method further comprising;

receiving at the computational controller transaction information relating to a transaction between a said participant and a said merchant, the transaction information defining the participant identifier of that participant and details of a commercial transaction;

in response to the receipt of the transaction information, using the computational controller to provide in the computer memory a definition of an award amount in each of a plurality of said account categories in the participant account associated with the participant identifier, at least one of the account categories not being associated with the merchant at which the transaction that the transaction information relates to was performed;

wherein at least one of the account categories is defined in the computer memory so as to be associated with at least one, but less than all, of the merchant categories.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising defining for at least one account category a plurality of classes and allocating the award amount for that account category between the plurality of classes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising only allowing an award redemption in one said class of an account category, and wherein the method further comprises transferring award amounts allocated to another class to that class upon the occurrence of a predefined event.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined event is the elapsing of certain date.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving at the computational controller further transaction information defining a said merchant identifier, a said participant identifier and award redemption information, and in response thereto identifying the merchant category associated with the merchant identifier defined in the further transaction information, identifying the participant account associated with the participant identifier defined in the further transaction information, and defining a reduced award amount according to the award redemption in an account category in the identified participant account, said account category being an account category associated with the identified merchant category.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving at the computational controller further transaction information defining a said merchant category, a said participant identifier and an award redemption, and in response thereto identifying the participant account associated with the participant identifier defined in the further transaction information, and defining a reduced award amount according to the award redemption in an account category in the identified participant account, said account category being an account category associated with the merchant category defined by the further transaction information.

20. A method of administering an incentive award system, the method comprising:

allocating a plurality of merchants into one or more of a plurality of different merchant categories;

providing an identifier to a plurality of participants and establishing an award account for each participant, the award account comprising a distinct account category associated with each of the merchant categories;

monitoring commercial transactions made by the participants at any one of the merchants over a time period;

determining a relative value of transactions made in each of the merchant categories over the time period;

for each transaction determined as occurring during the time period as a result of the process of monitoring commercial transactions, allocating an award amount to the account of the participant, the total allocation being dependent on the monitored commercial transaction and the allocation between the account categories being dependent on the determined relative value of the transactions, wherein awards allocated to the account of a said participant represent awards that are redeemable by that participant for value.

21. The method of claim 20, including repeating the monitoring, determining and allocation steps for a plurality of consecutive time periods, wherein for each time period, there is a different relative value of transactions made in each of the merchant categories.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the allocation to a said account category is proportional to the determined relative value of the commercial transactions for that account category.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising establishing a plurality of account classes within each account category associated with a merchant category and allocating the award amount to the account of the participant in a plurality of classes, wherein awards allocated to at least one class can only be redeemed following the occurrence of a predefined event.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the predefined event is the elapsing of a certain time period for that class and wherein different classes have different time periods.