Member Activation

• US 20080250148A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MyPoints.com, Inc. (Prodege)
• Original Assignee: MyPoints.com, Inc. (Prodege)
• Inventors: Rosen, David, Burgoyne, Andre, Bohannon, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system are herein disclosed for registering a member at a targeted web-based information management system using a reduced amount of member and system interaction to confirm and establish the member'"'"'s contact information. Generally, the method may communicate permission to solicit a potential member to the information management system. In one embodiment, the member previously communicated permission to receive solicitations from other systems to another web-based information management system. The method may communicate the permission from another web-based system to the present system. The permission may include member identification and/or demographic data. The method may communicate a solicitation message from the system to the member, the solicitation message comprising at least a portion of the member identification data. The member may then communicate a confirmation message to the targeted web-based information management system, wherein the confirmation message is in reply to the solicitation message and includes the portion of the member identification data. Using the confirmation, the system may then match the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message.

Claims

1. A method for registering one of a plurality of members at a web-based information management system comprising:

receiving permission to solicit the member from a third-party source at the web-based information management system, the permission including member identification data;

receiving a solicitation message from the system at the member, the solicitation message comprising at least a portion of the member identification data;

receiving a confirmation message at the targeted web-based information management system, the confirmation message in reply to the solicitation message and including the portion of the member identification data; and

matching the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the member at an originating web-based information management system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein registering the member at the originating web-based information management system comprises receiving the member identification data at the originating web-based information management system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein registering the member at the originating web-based information management system comprises receiving the permission to solicit the member at the originating web-based information management system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein registering the member at the originating web-based information management system comprises receiving the permission to solicit the member at the third-party source.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the permission to solicit the member at the third-party source;

receiving the permission to solicit the member from the third-party source at the targeted web-based information management system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the member identification data comprises at least one of an e-mail address, a street address, a name, an address, a birth date, or member demographic information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the confirmation message at the targeted web-based information management system comprises:

receiving a redirection message from the solicitation message, the redirection message including the portion of the member identification data; and

receiving the portion of the member identification data at the targeted web-based information management system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the portion of the member identification data, wherein the modified portion of the member identification data cannot practically be forged by another member.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the member identification data comprises at least one of a string, a number, an encrypted e-mail address associated with the member, member demographic information, a reference to a portion of the targeted web-based information management system, a unique identifier, or a record locator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the unique identifier is a first member of a sparse set of identifiers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sparse set of identifiers comprises at least one of random numbers or strings.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the sparse set of identifiers is larger than the plurality of members by a factor of at least one to four thousand.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the first member of the sparse set of identifiers into a second member of the sparse set of identifiers;

wherein an identical match between the first and second members of the sparse set of identifiers is statistically improbable.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the member identification data is inoperative:

communicating a confirmation message to the member from the targeted web-based information management system; and

communicating permission to register the member in reply to the confirmation message.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the member at the targeted web-based information management system if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is not identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message:

communicating a confirmation message to the member from the targeted web-based information management system; and

communicating permission to register the member in reply to the confirmation message.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the new member registering at a first web-based information management system comprises communicating the member identification data to the first web-based information management system.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the member registering at the first web-based information management system comprises communicating the permission to solicit the member to the first web-based information management system.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the member identification data comprises at least one of an e-mail address, a street address, a name, an address, a birth date, or member demographic information.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising modifying the portion of the member identification data, wherein the modified portion of the member identification data cannot practically be forged by another member, and wherein the modified data comprises at least one of an encrypted string, a number, an encrypted e-mail address associated with the member, member demographic information, a reference to a portion of the targeted web-based information management system, or a record locator.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising registering the member at the second web-based information management system if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising, if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is not identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message:

communicating a confirmation message to the member from the second targeted web-based information management system; and

communicating permission to register the member in reply to the confirmation message.

26. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the member identification data comprises at least one of an e-mail address, a street address, a name, an address, a birth date, or member demographic information.

27. The computer system of claim 21, further comprising modifying the portion of the member identification data, wherein the modified portion of the member identification data cannot practically be forged by another member, and wherein the data comprises at least one of an encrypted string, a number, an encrypted e-mail address associated with the member, member demographic information, a reference to a portion of the targeted web-based information management system, or a record locator.

28. The computer system of claim 21, further comprising registering the member at the targeted web-based information management system if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising, if the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message is not identical to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message:

communicating a confirmation message to the member from the first web server; and

communicating permission to register the member in reply to the confirmation message.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for activating new members of an information management system, the method comprising:

storing permission to solicit a new member at a first web-based information management system;

receiving the permission to solicit the member at a second web-based information management system, the permission including member identification data;

receiving a solicitation message at the member, the solicitation message comprising at least a portion of the member identification data;

receiving a redirection message at the second web-based information management system, the redirection message including the portion of the member identification data;

matching the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message; and

registering the new member at the second web-based information management system.

25. A computer system comprising a processor for executing computer executable code, a memory for storing data and computer executable code and an input/output circuit, the processor physically configured to execute computer executable code for:

receiving permission to solicit a member from a first web server at a targeted web-based information management system, the permission including member identification data, the targeted web-based information management system residing at a second web server;

receiving a solicitation message from the system at the member, the solicitation message comprising at least a portion of the member identification data;

receiving a redirection message from the solicitation message at the first web server, the redirection message including the portion of the member identification data;

receiving a confirmation message at the targeted web-based information management system, the confirmation message in reply to the solicitation message and including the portion of the member identification data;

matching the portion of the member identification data from the solicitation message to the portion of the member identification data from the confirmation message; and

registering the new member at the targeted web-based information management system.