ELECTRONIC COUPON DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving input indicating a request to access a resource associated with a coupon;
in response to the request;
identifying an address associated with the resource;
causing a browser to provide access to the resource by directing the browser to the identified address;
wherein causing the browser to provide access to the resource comprises causing the browser to provide access to the resource in such a manner as to prevent a user of the browser from using the browser to discover the identified address;
wherein the method is performed by a computing device.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of secure electronic couponing is disclosed which includes a main server system, and a client system interconnected by a distributed computer network, such as the Internet. Coupon data and advertising data are encrypted to thereby reduce the likelihood that such data may be misused, such as by unauthorized duplication. In addition, the client system is identified by a user identification that is allocated and associated with user information collected from the user of the client system. The user information is indicative of one or more demographic characteristics of the user without being sufficiently personal to specifically identify the user, thus preserving privacy. An icon is provided which, when flashing, alerts the user to the fact that new coupons are available. A hidden URL is utilized, to further prevent unauthorized duplication of coupons.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving input indicating a request to access a resource associated with a coupon; in response to the request; identifying an address associated with the resource; causing a browser to provide access to the resource by directing the browser to the identified address; wherein causing the browser to provide access to the resource comprises causing the browser to provide access to the resource in such a manner as to prevent a user of the browser from using the browser to discover the identified address; wherein the method is performed by a computing device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of:
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receiving input indicating a request to access a resource associated with a coupon; in response to the request; identifying an address associated with the resource; causing a browser to provide access to the resource by directing the browser to the identified address; wherein causing the browser to provide access to the resource comprises causing the browser to provide access to the resource in such a manner as to prevent a user of the browser from using the browser to discover the identified address. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification