METHOD FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION TO CONTACTS WITHOUT BEING GIVEN CONTACT DATA

• US 20100223097A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hoozware Incorporated
• Inventors: Kramer, James F., Ning, Paul C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

The subject invention provides an information source, such as an advertiser or product vendor, with a method for transferring information to contacts for which the information source has no contact data. The information source stores information in an information database which communicates the information to a referrer which has the desired contact data. The referrer uses a communication device to transfer the information to one or more contacts using contact data.

Claims

1. A method for providing Information from at least one Information source to a contact having a contact communication device, said method employing an Information database for receiving Information from said Information source;

a referrer, who is an individual, having contact data for contacts in a contact database;

said Information database supervised by an organization to which said referrer is associated;

a first software functionality for processing said Information;

said method comprising;

communicating said Information from said Information source in the same or modified form to said referrer;

transmitting said Information to said contact by means of said contact communication device, said transmitting being by said referrer;

and at least one of the following;

a) assigning a referral identification to said referrer for tracking, wherein said referral identification is transmitted to said contact;

b) (i) said contact data having categories for said contacts and (ii) a second software functionality for said referrer or said contact to specify categories to determine which of said Information is to be received by said contact; and

c) a majority of said Information received from unrelated independent sources or from for-profit sources;

and at least one of the following;

d) a third software functionality for said referrer to request and receive said Information composed in a form for receipt by a contact for the referrer to provide to the contact;

e) said organization giving consideration to said referrer or said contact for acting on said Information;

f) said organization is a web-based social network, referrer and contacts are members of said web-based social network, and contacts have access to contact data of other members through said web-based social network; and

g) where said contact data is withheld from said Information source, use of said contact data by said organization is restricted, and said organization has a prearranged formal referring relationship with said referrer.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least a) and d).

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least a) and f).

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least b) and d).

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least b) and f).

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least g).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said contact data has categories for said contacts, said categories comprising at least one of demographics, behavior, interests and product or service requests, said Information being classified by said categories and said second software functionality permitting said referrer to select said categories for providing said Information to said contacts.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting said Information to said contact by means of said contact communication device is by email, text messaging or instant messaging.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said organization has a website with said Information database comprising a fourth software functionality for said referrer to direct said Information to said contact and said contact database is on at least one of a referrer communication device or said website, wherein said referrer has a private account on said website.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second software functionality has a program allowing said contact to opt out from at least one of said categories and/or said referrer can restrict at least one of said categories from being transmitted to said contact.

11. The method according to claim 1 comprising (b), wherein said Information source receives said Information from an advertiser, where categories are specified for said Information, optionally comprising a fifth software functionality for matching said contact categories and said Information categories automatically.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein prior to communicating said Information to said referrer,

said referrer requests at least a portion of said Information from said Information database.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein said consideration is a reward comprising money, a gift, a discount, a product, an invitation to a function, event tickets or social recognition or a game of chance to win a reward.

16. The method according to claim 1, employing a referral file format comprising data in one or more formats, including said Information or a link to said Information, and at least one of said categories, links to third-party sources, referral identification, third-party data and referrer attachments.

17. The method according to claim 16, having software functionality for operating on a referral file format (RFF) file to (1) allow the referrer to search for, locate and access Information for transmitting to contacts or to preview and customize said RFF file, generate a master list of contacts with contact data, determine to which contacts to send at least a portion of said RFF file and the portion to be sent, match contacts with Information based on categories, list and edit the categories selected for the contacts to create a contact recipient list, and (2) send said RFF file to contacts on said contact recipient list, prevent re-forwarding of said RFF file by a contact and compile statistics on the actions of the contacts in relation to said RFF file.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein said contact communication device is a mobile phone or personal computer and said referrer receives and transmits said Information by a mobile phone or personal computer.

19. Computer readable media comprising a database and instructions, said instructions when executed by a processor cause said processor to perform the method according to claim 1.

20. The computer readable media according to claim 19, comprising an RFF file, and said instructions when executed by a processor cause said processor to perform at least one of the following:

(a) allow said referrer to determine the consideration being offered to said referrer or said contact for a referrer action or contact action regarding said Information;

(b) augment said RFF file to include said referrer'"'"'s referral ID;

(c) allow said referrer to augment said RFF file to include a customized message regarding said Information;

(d) generate a master list of contacts with their associated contact data when provided input from said referrer regarding referrer'"'"'s webmail login usernames and passwords and email programs identifying the accounts from which to generate said master list;

(e) allow said referrer to specify when to re-generate said master list of contacts;

(f) allow said referrer and said contacts to specify categories associated with said contacts;

(g) match categories associated with said Information with categories associated with said contacts to produce a suggested recipient list;

(h) allow said referrer to add contacts to or delete contacts from said suggested recipient list to provide a final recipient list;

(i) allow said referrer to preview said RFF file to see exactly how each said contact will see it;

(j) send said RFF file to said contacts of said final recipient list, including sending said RFF file to an email address, sending as an instant message, sending the RFF file as a text message to a telephone number, sending said RFF file as a voice message to a telephone or computer, and/or sending said RFF file to a fax machine;

(k) restrict re-forwarding of said RFF file by said contact to said contact'"'"'s own contacts;

(l) certify that said RFF file is virus free;

(m) alert said referrer when there is new said Information on the Information database that relates to at least one of said referrer'"'"'s contacts;

(n) allow said contact to view said Information received by said contact from multiple referrers;

(o) sort Information for said contact by said contact'"'"'s relationship with said referrer or by the quality or relevance of said Information said referrer previously provided to said contact;

(u) confirm to said Information source how many contacts said referrer sent said Information to;

(v) provide an editable “

from”

email address for said referrer so said contact sees said Information coming from a trusted email address;

(w) allow said referrer to personalize said Information before sending to said contact, optionally by providing message examples via a drop-down box;

(p) when said referrer sees said Information online having an RFF link, when said referrer selects said RFF link, said referrer is prompted with contacts to forward said Information to where said contacts match said Information'"'"'s categories;

(q) allow said contact to opt out of receiving said Information;

(r) prevent said referrer from sending to said contact said Information that does not have said contact'"'"'s desired said categories;

(s) provide the ability for said contact to block said Information sent from said referrer, and provide the ability for said referrer to block said Information sent from said Information source;

(t) extract a desired portion of said RFF file to send based on any of said referrer, said contact, said categories and the communication devices being used;

(u) allow said contact to select said RFF file and view it on said contact'"'"'s communication device; and

(v) allow said referrer, when using a webpage, to select an RFF link associated with said RFF file causing any of the following to occur;

a. RFFware software runs on the referrer'"'"'s local computer;

b. a browser is opened allowing the referrer to access a remote version of the RFFware software;

c. a webmail program is launched;

or

d. the referrer'"'"'s default email program is activated;

wherein when (c) or (d) are selected, the resulting mail program (1) is pre-filled with said RFF file as an attachment where said RFF file may encapsulate (i) the content of said webpage, (ii) an advertisement on said webpage or (iii) another portion of said webpage;

(2) is pre-addressed with said contact data for said suggested contact list based on said categories and (3) said master list of said contacts is displayed with controls to add/delete said contacts from said suggested contact list.

21. The computer readable media according to claim 19, comprising an RFF file, wherein said RFF file is a container file format capable of being written to by said Information source, written to with said Information, written to or read from by said referrer and read from by said contact, said RFF file comprising at least one of the following:

(a) said Information;

(b) a said category;

(c) at least one of the following data formats;

3GP, RSS, SMS, HTML, HTML-MP, PDF, JPEG, TIFF, Flash, MPEG, MOV, AVI, WMV, WMA, MP3, M4P and WAV;

(d) details concerning said Information source or said referrer;

(e) a feedback mechanism for reporting to said Information source when the Information is read by said contact and other actions performed by said referrer and said contact;

(f) click-through links and advertisements;

(g) a simple text message where said Information is condensed to a summary text message with a link to more of said Information;

(h) an encapsulation of said Information from a webpage, with or without an original advertisement, or with replacement or additional advertisements;

(i) a pointer or link to said Information where said Information is static or dynamic Information;

(j) ability for an advertiser to block said RFF file related to their advertisement from being viewed or emailed;

(k) a hyperlink to the appropriate location on a website where said contact who received said RFF file can modify said contact'"'"'s categories for specifying future desired said Information; and

(l) a web link to Information, or a web link to a web link to Information.

22. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least f), wherein said referrer can only provide said Information to said contact when said contact and said referrer have mutually agreed to be friends in said web-based social network.

13. A method for providing Information from at least one Information source to a contact having a contact communication device, said method employing an Information database for receiving Information from said Information source;

a referrer, who is an individual, having contact data for contacts in a contact database;

said Information database supervised by an organization to which said referrer is associated;

a first software functionality for processing said Information;

said method comprising;

communicating said Information from said Information source to said referrer;

said referrer transmitting said Information to said contact by means of said contact communication device;

assigning a referral identification to said referrer for tracking and said referral identification is transmitted to said contact;

said organization giving consideration to said referrer or said contact for acting on said Information; and

optionally said contact transmits said referral identification to said Information source or a third party to identify said referrer.

15. A method for providing an invitation to at least one prospective member with a first mobile phone to join an organization, said method employing a website comprising an information database containing said invitation;

a referrer, who is a member of said organization, having contact data for said prospective member in a contact database on a second mobile phone, where said contact database is withheld from said organization;

said website supervised by said organization;

said method comprising;

said referrer requesting said invitation from said website;

communicating said invitation from said website via a text message to said second mobile phone; and

said referrer forwarding said text message to said prospective member from said second mobile phone to said first mobile phone.

23. Computer readable media comprising a database and instructions, said database comprising categories for Information from an Information source and for a contact, contact data, and a referral identification for a referrer;

said instructions when executed by a processor cause said processor to (1) receive Information from said Information source, (2) communicate Information from said Information source to said referrer for said referrer to transmit said Information to a contact by means of a contact communication device, (3) compare categories for said Information with categories for said contact and limit said Information for communication to said referrer to categories that are common to said Information and said contact, and (4) receive directions from said referrer or contact to modify said categories of said Information to be received by said referrer for said contact.