APPLICATION CUSTOMIZABLE TO ENABLE ADMINISTRATORS OF LOYALTY PROGRAMS TO CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS TO MEMBERS

• US 20090313197A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Machiraju, Rama Rao
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Application customizable to enable administrators of various reward/loyalty programs to control communications to members. In one embodiment, an administrator is enabled to configure various rules corresponding to an event with the application of the rules to a member information identifying which ones of multiple contents is to be sent to which of the members using which one of different channels. The rules are then stored in a non-volatile memory. On identifying the occurrence of the event, the rules, and the member information are examined to determine that a first and a second content are to be sent respectively to a first and a second member using a first and second channel. Accordingly, the first content is sent to the first member using the first channel and the second content is sent to the second member using the second channel.

Claims

1. A method of controlling communications to a plurality of members of a loyalty program, said method comprising:

maintaining a member information containing the details of each of said plurality of members;

enabling an administrator to configure a plurality of rules corresponding to an event, wherein said plurality of rules when applied to said member information identifies which of a plurality of contents is to be sent to which of said plurality of members;

storing said plurality of rules in a non-volatile memory;

identifying the occurrence of said event;

examining said plurality of rules and said member information to determine that a first content is to be sent to a first member and a second content is to be sent to a second member, wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents and said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members; and

sending said first content to said first member and said second content to said second member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of rules further identifies which of a plurality of channels are to be used by said sending,

wherein said examining determines that a first channel is to be used for sending said first content to said first member and that a second channel is to be used for sending said second content to said second member, said first channel and said channel being contained in said plurality of channels,

wherein said sending sends said first content to said first member using said first channel and sends said second content to said second member using said second channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member,

wherein said sending sends a fourth content to said fourth member if said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said fourth rule indicates that said fourth member is to be sent communication only upon the member information corresponding to said third member satisfying a condition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said fourth member is a parent and said third member is a child of said parent, and wherein said condition comprises checking the age of said child.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said fourth member is a contact person in a business entity associated with said loyalty program and said condition comprises a change of level of said third member based on the number of loyalty units accumulated by said third member in a period.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of rules contains a first set of rules which determines that communication is to be sent to a set of members contained in said plurality of members,

wherein each of said first set of rules contains a corresponding first condition, wherein a member is included in said set of members if the member information for the member satisfies the corresponding first condition of any of said first set of rules.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said plurality of rules contains a second set of rules which determines a corresponding set of content contained in said plurality of content to be sent to each of said set of members,

wherein each of said second set of rules contains a corresponding second condition, wherein a content is included in said set of content if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said set of members satisfies the corresponding second condition of any of said second set of rules.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said plurality of rules contains a third set of rules which determines a corresponding channel contained in said plurality of channels to be used for each of said set of members,

wherein each of said third set of rules contains a corresponding third condition, wherein a channel is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said set of members satisfies the corresponding third condition of one of said third set of rules.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein one of said plurality of channels is indicated to be a default channel,

wherein said default channel is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information of the corresponding member contained in said set of members does not satisfy the corresponding third condition of all of said third set of rules.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second condition for one of said second set of rules is based on a type of channel, and wherein said third condition for one of said third set of rules is based on a type of content.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said member information further contains the details of a recipient who is not a member of said loyalty program,

wherein said administrator is enabled to configure rules for identifying which of said plurality of contents is to be sent to said recipient and which of said plurality of channels is to be used for said sending to said recipient,

wherein said examining said plurality of rules and said member information determines that a fifth content is to be sent to said recipient using a fifth channel, said fifth content being contained in said plurality of content and said fifth channel being contained in said plurality of channels,

wherein said sending sends said fifth content to said recipient using said fifth channel.

13. A machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions causing a system to control communications to a plurality of members of a loyalty program, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said system causes said system to perform the actions of:

maintaining a member information containing the details of each of said plurality of members;

enabling an administrator to configure a plurality of rules corresponding to an event, wherein said plurality of rules when applied to said member information identifies which of a plurality of contents is to be sent to which of said plurality of members using which of a plurality of channels;

storing said plurality of rules in a non-volatile memory;

identifying the occurrence of said event;

examining said plurality of rules and said member information to determine that a first content is to be sent to a first member using a first channel and a second content is to be sent to a second member using a second channel, wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents, said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members and said first channel and said second channel are contained in said plurality of channels; and

sending said first content to said first member using said first channel and said second content to said second member using said second channel.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies a condition,

wherein said sending sends a fourth content to said fourth member if said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies said condition.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein said plurality of rules contains a first set of rules, a second set of rules and a third set of rules,

wherein said first set of rules determines that communication is to be sent to a set of members contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said second set of rules determines a corresponding set of content contained in said plurality of content to be sent to each of said set of members,

wherein said third set of rules determines a corresponding channel contained in said plurality of channels to be used for each of said set of members for sending said corresponding set of content to each of said set of members.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein each of said first set of rules contains a corresponding first condition, wherein a member is included in said set of members if the member information for the member satisfies the corresponding first condition of any of said first set of rules,

wherein each of said second set of rules contains a corresponding second condition, wherein a content is included in said set of content if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said first set of members satisfies the corresponding second condition of any of said second set of rules,

wherein each of said third set of rules contains a corresponding third condition, wherein a channel is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said set of members satisfies the corresponding third condition of one of said third set of rules,

wherein a default channel contained in said plurality of channels is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information of the corresponding member contained in said set of members does not satisfy the corresponding third condition of all of said third set of rules.

17. A computing system comprising:

an application server to maintain a member information containing the details of each of a plurality of members of a loyalty program;

an administrator system to enable a user to configure a plurality of rules corresponding to an event, wherein said plurality of rules when applied to said member information identifies which of a plurality of contents is to be sent to which of said plurality of members using which of a plurality of channels;

a configuration storage to store said plurality of rules; and

a server cluster operable to;

identify the occurrence of said event;

examine said plurality of rules and said member information to determine that a first content is to be sent to a first member using a first channel and a second content is to be sent to a second member using a second channel, wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents, said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members and said first channel and second channel are contained in said plurality of channels; and

send said first content to said first member using said first channel and said second content to said second member using said second channel.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies a condition,

wherein server cluster sends a fourth content to said fourth member if said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies said condition.

19. The computing system of claim 17, wherein said plurality of rules contains a first set of rules, a second set of rules and a third set of rules,

wherein said first set of rules determines that communication is to be sent to a set of members contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said second set of rules determines a corresponding set of content contained in said plurality of content to be sent to each of said set of members,

wherein said third set of rules determines a corresponding channel contained in said plurality of channels to be used for each of said set of members for sending said corresponding set of content to each of said set of members.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein each of said first set of rules contains a corresponding first condition, wherein a member is included in said set of members if the member information for the member satisfies the corresponding first condition of any of said first set of rules,

wherein each of said second set of rules contains a corresponding second condition, wherein a content is included in said set of content if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said first set of members satisfies the corresponding second condition of any of said second set of rules,

wherein each of said third set of rules contains a corresponding third condition, wherein a channel is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information for the corresponding member contained in said set of members satisfies the corresponding third condition of one of said third set of rules,

wherein a default channel contained in said plurality of channels is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information of the corresponding member contained in said set of members does not satisfy the corresponding third condition of all of said third set of rules.