Systems and Methods for Electronic Gifting

• US 20080172306A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adam D. Dworsky, Ronni E. Schorr
• Original Assignee: Adam D. Dworsky, Ronni E. Schorr
• Inventors: Schorr, Ronni E., Dworsky, Adam D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for electronic gifting. In an exemplary gift purchasing method, a control system receives from a purchasing system a gift purchase request that includes a mobile telephone number (or other unique telephonic identifier) associated with a wireless gift recipient system, sends to a payment authorization system a payment authorization request, receives a payment authorization, and notifies the wireless gift recipient system of an electronic gift certificate. In an exemplary gift redemption method, the control system receives a gift redemption request for goods/services from a point-of-sale (POS) system, sends an authentication request addressed to the wireless gift recipient system by way of text message or other format, receives an authentication confirmation originating from the wireless gift recipient, and sends a redemption authorization to the vendor POS system. The control system has modules for conducting a targeted marketing campaign utilizing purchase and/or redemption information.

Claims

1. An electronic gifting method, comprising:

receiving from a purchasing system a gift purchase request including a vendor identification and a unique telephonic identifier associated with a wireless gift recipient system of a gift recipient;

sending to a payment authorization system a payment authorization request corresponding to the gift purchase request;

determining if a payment authorization corresponding to the payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a stored gift account balance associated with the unique telephonic identifier;

receiving a redemption amount from at least one of a Web portal associated with the vendor identification and a point of sale system associated with the vendor identification;

sending an authentication request addressed to the wireless gift recipient system;

receiving an authentication confirmation corresponding to the authentication request; and

sending a redemption authorization to the at least one of the Web portal and the point of sale system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the redemption amount comprises receiving the redemption amount from the point-of-sale system, and wherein said step of sending the redemption authorization comprises sending the redemption authorization to the point-of-sale system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of receiving from the purchasing system comprises receiving at a control system, wherein said step of sending the payment authorization comprises sending from the control system, wherein said step of determining and crediting comprises determining and crediting at the control system, wherein said step of receiving the redemption amount comprises receiving the redemption amount at the control system, wherein said step of sending an authentication request comprises sending from the control system, wherein said step of receiving the authentication confirmation comprises receiving the authentication confirmation at the control system, and wherein said step of sending the redemption authorization comprises sending from the control system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control system is distributed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of sending the authentication request comprises sending the authentication request in a message format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of sending the authentication request comprises sending the authentication request in at least one of an SMS format and an MMS format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of sending the authentication request comprises sending the authentication request in an e-mail format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of sending the authentication request comprises sending the authentication request is an interactive voice response (IVR) format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the gift purchase request includes a gift payment amount, wherein the payment authorization request corresponds to the gift payment amount and a service fee, and wherein crediting the stored gift account balance comprises crediting the stored gift account balance with the payment amount.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the authentication confirmation comprises receiving a reply from the wireless gift recipient system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the authentication confirmation comprises receiving a personal identification number (PIN) defined by the gift recipient from the at least one of the Web portal and the point of sale system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from an administrator a message format selection defining a format of the authentication request.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising instantiating a targeted marketing campaign associated with the wireless gift recipient system and the vendor identification.

14. The method of claim 13, sending commercial information associated with the vendor identification and addressed to the wireless gift recipient system.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a communication indicative that the wireless gift recipient system is proximate a store associated with the vendor identification, wherein said step of sending the commercial information comprises sending the commercial information in response to receiving the communication.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique telephonic identifier includes a mobile telephone number.

17. An electronic gifting method, comprising:

receiving from a first purchasing system a first gift purchase request including (i) a first unique telephonic identifier associated with a first wireless gift recipient system, and (ii) a first vendor identification associated with a first selected one of a plurality of vendors;

sending to a payment authorization system a first payment authorization request corresponding to the first gift purchase request;

determining if a first payment authorization corresponding to the first payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a first stored gift account balance associated with (i) the first unique telephonic identifier, and (ii) the first vendor identification;

receiving a first redemption amount from a first point of sale system associated with the first selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending in a first message format a first authentication request addressed to the first wireless gift recipient system;

receiving a first authentication confirmation corresponding to the first authentication request; and

sending a first redemption authorization to the first point of sale system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of receiving from the first purchasing system comprises receiving at a control system, wherein said step of sending the first payment authorization comprises sending from the control system, wherein said step of determining and crediting comprises determining and crediting at the control system, wherein said step of receiving the first redemption amount comprises receiving the first redemption amount at the control system, wherein said step of sending a first authentication request comprises sending from the control system, wherein said step of receiving the first authentication confirmation comprises receiving the first authentication confirmation at the control system, and wherein said step of sending the first redemption authorization comprises sending from the control system.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising:

receiving from a second purchasing system a second gift purchase request including (i) a second unique telephonic identifier associated with a second wireless gift recipient system, and (ii) a second vendor identification associated with a second selected one of a plurality of vendors different than the first selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending to the payment authorization system a second payment authorization request corresponding to the second gift purchase request;

determining if a second payment authorization corresponding to the second payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a second stored gift account balance associated with (i) the second unique telephonic identifier, and (ii) the second vendor identification;

receiving a second redemption amount from a second point of sale system associated with the second selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending in a second message format a second authentication request addressed to the second wireless gift recipient system;

receiving a second authentication confirmation corresponding to the second authentication request; and

sending a second redemption authorization to the second point of sale system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first message format and the second message format is at least one of an SMS format and an MMS format.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first message format and the second message format is an e-mail format.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first message format and the second message format is an interactive voice response (IVR) format.

23. At least one computer readable medium collectively storing a program, which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving from a purchasing system a gift purchase request including a vendor identification and a unique telephonic identifier associated with a wireless gift recipient system of a gift recipient;

sending to a payment authorization system a payment authorization request corresponding to the gift purchase request;

determining if a payment authorization corresponding to the payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a stored gift account balance associated with the unique telephonic identifier;

receiving a redemption amount from at least one of a Web portal associated with the vendor identification and a point of sale system associated with the vendor identification;

sending an authentication request addressed to the wireless gift recipient system;

receiving an authentication confirmation corresponding to the authentication request; and

sending a redemption authorization to the at least one of the Web portal and the point of sale system.

24. A control system comprising the at least one computer-readable medium of claim 23.

25. At least one computer readable medium collectively storing a program, which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving from a first purchasing system a first gift purchase request including (i) a first unique telephonic identifier associated with a first wireless gift recipient system, and (ii) a first vendor identification associated with a first selected one of a plurality of vendors;

sending to a payment authorization system a first payment authorization request corresponding to the first gift purchase request;

determining if a first payment authorization corresponding to the first payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a first stored gift account balance associated with (i) the first unique telephonic identifier, and (ii) the first vendor identification;

receiving a first redemption amount from a first point of sale system associated with the first selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending in a first message format a first authentication request addressed to the first wireless gift recipient system;

receiving a first authentication confirmation corresponding to the first authentication request;

sending a first redemption authorization to the first point of sale system;

receiving from a second purchasing system a second gift purchase request including (i) a second unique telephonic identifier associated with a second wireless gift recipient system, and (ii) a second vendor identification associated with a second selected one of a plurality of vendors different than the first selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending to the payment authorization system a second payment authorization request corresponding to the second gift purchase request;

determining if a second payment authorization corresponding to the second payment authorization request is received, and, if so received, crediting a second stored gift account balance associated with (i) the second unique telephonic identifier, and (ii) the second vendor identification;

receiving a second redemption amount from a second point of sale system associated with the second selected one of the plurality of vendors;

sending in a second message format a second authentication request addressed to the second wireless gift recipient system;

receiving a second authentication confirmation corresponding to the second authentication request; and

sending a second redemption authorization to the second point of sale system.

26. A method for authenticating a consumer transaction to redeem at least a portion of an electronic gift certificate, comprising

receiving from a point of sale system a redemption amount associated with and a unique telephonic identifier corresponding to a wireless gift recipient system;

sending in a message format an authentication request addressed to the wireless gift recipient system;

receiving an authentication confirmation corresponding to the authentication request addressed from the wireless gift recipient system;

adjusting an account associated with the electronic gift certificate in accordance with the redemption amount; and

sending to the point of sale system a redemption authorization associated with the redemption request.

27. A method for authenticating a consumer transaction to redeem points against a loyalty account, comprising

receiving from a point of sale system a redemption amount associated with and a unique telephonic identifier corresponding to a wireless device of a consumer;

sending in a message format an authentication request addressed to the wireless device;

receiving an authentication confirmation corresponding to the authentication request addressed from the wireless device;

adjusting a loyalty account by a number of points associated with the redemption amount; and

sending to the point of sale system a redemption authorization associated with the redemption request.

28. A method for authenticating a consumer transaction to utilize stored value, comprising

receiving from a point of sale system a redemption amount associated with and a unique telephonic identifier corresponding to a wireless system of a consumer;

sending in a message format an authentication request addressed to the wireless system;

receiving an authentication confirmation corresponding to the authentication request addressed from the wireless system;

adjusting the stored value in accordance with the redemption amount; and

sending to the point of sale system a redemption authorization associated with the redemption request.