Secure Customer Relationship Marketing System and Method

• US 20090076923A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation, Meijer (Meijer Cos. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation, Meijer (Meijer Cos. Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanNoller, Gail, Brynjolfsson, Patricia Corliss, Robinson, Elmer JR., Cilella, Joseph Paul, Warhover, Tina Louise
• Granted Patent: US 10,664,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Network systems and methods are disclosed for maintaining purchase history databases useful for targeted marketing while preventing users from obtaining access to customer financial accounts.

Claims

1. A computer network system for associating plural transactions in a retail store occurring over time with the same person or family of people involved in those transactions, said computer network system comprising:

a POS computer system for managing transactions in said retail store; and

a central computer system;

wherein said POS computer system comprises a POS terminal at a POS in said retail store;

wherein said POS computer system comprises a POS main computer for logging data from customer'"'"'s transactions at plural POS terminals in said retail store;

network communications structure enabling said POS terminal and said POS main computer and said central computer system to communicate with one another;

wherein said POS terminal comprises at least one input device for receiving a customer'"'"'s TID and UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction;

wherein said POS terminal comprises memory for storing said UPCs;

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for generating an encrypted TID, EncTID, from said TID;

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for transmitting said EncTID to said central computer system;

wherein said central computer system comprises a data structure in memory of said central computer system storing in association with one another said customer'"'"'s TID and an associated HHID;

wherein said central computer system comprises HHID code for determining said customer'"'"'s TID by decrypting said EncTID, determining said associated HHID associated in memory of said central computer system with said customer'"'"'s TID, and code for transmitting said associated HHID to said POS terminal during said customer'"'"'s transaction; and

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for transmitting to a network address, and in association with one another, said UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction, a de-identified version of said TID, DeIdentTID, and said associated HHID.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said central computer system comprises code for limiting access rights to data in memory of said central computer system storing in association with one another said customer'"'"'s TID and said associated HHID.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said POS terminal comprises memory for storing said customer'"'"'s TID in addition to said UPCs.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said POS terminal comprises memory storing an original transaction data table having fields for storing a first TID, a second TID, a Frequent Shopper identification, FSID, product identification codes, and product prices.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said original transaction data table has fields for storing time, POS identification, and retail store computer system identification.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said POS terminal comprises memory for storing a De Identified Transaction data table having fields for HHID, de identified first TID, and de identified second TID, a Frequent Shopper identification, FSID, product identification codes, and product prices.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said De Identified Transaction data table has fields for storing time, POS identification, and retail store computer system identification.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said original transaction data table and said de identified transaction data table have corresponding fields for product Identification codes and quantities, and said POS terminal is designed to populate said corresponding fields with identical data.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said POS terminal is designed to store in POS terminal memory in a fields of a record of a de identified transaction data table said associated HHID and a de identified version of said TID.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said POS terminal comprises memory for storing TIDs, and wherein said POS terminal further comprises TID erasing code for erasing TIDs from said memory for storing TIDs.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said TID erasing code is designed to erase TIDs in said memory for storing TIDs in response to receipt by said POS terminal of at least one of an HHID, an authorization to provide credit, and an end of transaction signal.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said network address is an address for an computer designed to associate payloads with HHIDs based upon applying criteria to purchase history data associated with HHIDs.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein HHID code comprises code for determining if more than one HHID is associated with a TID, and if more than one HHID is associated with a TID, determining which of said more than one HHID to transmit to said POS terminal, if said central computer system subsequently receives said TID from said POS terminal.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said central computer system has an HHID data structure in memory that stores in records pairs of one HHID and one TID.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said central computer system has a TID data structure in memory that stores in records pairs of TIDs.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a TID field in said HHID data structure and TID fields in said TID data structure are link.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein code running on said central computer system limits user access to said HHID data structure and said TID data structure to specified user accounts specified in code running on said central computer system.

18. A method of providing a computer network system for associating plural transactions in a retail store occurring over time with the same person or family of people involved in those transactions, said method comprising:

providing a POS computer system for managing transactions in said retail store; and

providing a central computer system;

wherein said POS computer system comprises a POS terminal at a POS in said retail store;

wherein said POS computer system comprises a POS main computer for logging data from customer'"'"'s transactions at plural POS terminals in said retail store;

providing network communications structure enabling said POS terminal and said POS main computer and said central computer system to communicate with one another;

wherein said POS terminal comprises at least one input device for receiving a customer'"'"'s TID and UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction;

wherein said POS terminal comprises memory for storing said UPCs;

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for generating an encrypted TID, EncTID, from said TID;

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for transmitting said EncTID to said central computer system;

wherein said central computer system comprises a data structure in memory of said central computer system storing in association with one another said customer'"'"'s TID and an associated HHID;

wherein said central computer system comprises HHID code for determining said customer'"'"'s TID by decrypting said EncTID, determining said associated HHID associated in memory of said central computer system with said customer'"'"'s TID, and code for transmitting said associated HHID to said POS terminal during said customer'"'"'s transaction; and

wherein said POS terminal comprises code for transmitting to a network address, and in association with one another, said UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction, a de-identified version of said TID, DeIdentTID, and said associated HHID.

19. A method of using a computer network system for associating plural transactions in a retail store occurring over time with the same person or family of people involved in those transactions, said computer network system including a POS computer system for said retail store including plural POS terminals in said retail store and a POS computer, a central computer system, and network communications structure enabling communication there between, said method comprising:

inputting, into at least one input device of a POS terminal of said plural POS terminals, a customer'"'"'s TID and UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction;

storing, in memory of said POS terminal, said UPCs;

generating, using code stored in memory of said POS terminal, an encrypted TID, EncTID, from said TID;

transmitting, from said POS terminal to said central computer system, said EncTID;

storing, in association with one another in a data structure in memory of said central computer system, said customer'"'"'s TID and an associated HHID;

executing, in said central computer system, HHID code to (1) determine said customer'"'"'s TID by decrypting said EncTID, (2) determine said associated HHID associated in memory of said central computer system with said customer'"'"'s TID, and (3) transmit said associated HHID to said POS terminal during said customer'"'"'s transaction; and

transmitting from said POS terminal to a network address, and in association with one another, said UPCs for said customer'"'"'s purchase transaction, a de-identified version of said TID, DeIdentTID, and said associated HHID.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, erasing from memory in said POS terminal without having transmitted from said POS terminal, said customer'"'"'s TID.