E-COUPONING

• US 20110251884A1
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starbucks Corporation
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: HSU, Michael Shing-Chung, Murray, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,657,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0221 Re-usable coupons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

Handling electronic coupons includes accessing information indicating association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user that identifies multiple retail entities associated with the user. Information indicating association of electronic coupons with the user'"'"'s account may be transmitted to respective computer systems associated with the multiple retail entities. The computer systems may associate electronic coupons with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupons at a retail store upon presentation of a user identifier. When the user redeems an electronic coupon, cancellation information for the electronic coupon may be transmitted to the computer systems of other retail entities associated with the user. Receipt of the cancellation information may cause the respective computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon such that the user is prevented from redeeming the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the corresponding retail entity.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method for electronic coupons, the method comprising:

accessing information indicating an association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user, the account including information identifying a retail entity;

transmitting information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity, wherein receipt of the transmitted information causes the plurality of computer systems to associate the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the retail entity upon presentation of a user identifier;

receiving, from a first computer system of the plurality of computer systems, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity; and

in response to receiving, from the first computer system, the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity, transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems, wherein receipt of the cancellation information by the plurality of computer systems causes the plurality of computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon by the user such that the user is prevented from further redeeming the electronic coupon with the retail entity.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

transmitting an identifier of the electronic coupon and information related to terms of the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity prior to accessing information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account, and

wherein transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting an identifier of the user to the plurality of computer systems and the identifier of the electronic coupon such that the information related to the terms of the electronic coupon at the plurality of computer systems is associated with the user.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

accessing information indicating association of a second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account, the second electronic coupon being redeemable with a first retail store associated with the retail entity but not redeemable with a second retail store associated with the retail entity; and

transmitting information indicating association of the second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the computer system associated with the first retail store but not to the computer system associated with the second retail store, wherein receipt of the information indicating association of the second electronic coupon causes the computer system associated with the first retail store to associate the second electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the second electronic coupon with the first retail store upon presentation of the first user identifier.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first user identifier includes at least one of a loyalty card number, a user account number, a credit card number, a name, a biometric identifier, or a wireless identification number provided by a device configured to transmit the wireless identification number.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein:

transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of loyalty servers, the plurality of loyalty servers being configured to store information associating the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the plurality of loyalty servers by presenting a loyalty card to a point-of-sale computer included in the first computer system, and

receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the retail entity includes receiving, from a first loyalty server of the plurality of loyalty servers, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first loyalty server, the first loyalty server being configured to transmit the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon in response to receiving information, from the point-of-sale computer, indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the electronic coupon by the user; and

associating the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

presenting the electronic coupon over a network to a user computer system such that a display of the user computer system is able to display the electronic coupon in a user interface,

wherein receiving the selection of the electronic coupon by the user includes receiving, over the network, a selection of the electronic coupon made by the user interacting with the user interface displaying the electronic coupon.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with retail entity includes transmitting information indicating redemption of the electronic coupon by the user to the first computer system associated with the retail entity.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein accessing information indicating an association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system includes receiving, over a network, information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system.

30. A system for electronic coupons, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device,

wherein the memory device stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of;

accessing information indicating an association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user, the account including information identifying a retail entity;

transmitting information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity, wherein receipt of the transmitted information causes the plurality of computer systems to associate the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the retail entity upon presentation of a user identifier;

receiving, from a first computer system of the plurality of computer systems, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity; and

in response to receiving, from the first computer system, the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity, transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems, wherein receipt of the cancellation information by the plurality of computer systems causes the plurality of computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon by the user such that the user is prevented from further redeeming the electronic coupon with the retail entity.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:

transmitting an identifier of the electronic coupon and information related to terms of the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity prior to accessing information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account,

wherein transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting an identifier of the user to the plurality of computer systems and the identifier of the electronic coupon such that the information related to the terms of the electronic coupon at the plurality of computer systems is associated with the user.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:

accessing information indicating association of a second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account, the second electronic coupon being redeemable with a first retail store associated with the retail entity but not redeemable with a second retail store associated with the retail entity; and

transmitting information indicating association of the second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the computer system associated with the first retail store but not to the computer system associated with the second retail store, wherein receipt of the information indicating association of the second electronic coupon causes the computer system associated with the first retail store to associate the second electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the second electronic coupon with the first retail store upon presentation of the first user identifier.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the first user identifier includes at least one of a loyalty card number, a user account number, a credit card number, a name, a biometric identifier, or a wireless identification number provided by a device configured to transmit the wireless identification number.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein:

transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of loyalty servers, the plurality of loyalty servers being configured to store information associating the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the plurality of loyalty servers by presenting a loyalty card to a point-of-sale computer included in the first computer system, and

receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the retail entity includes receiving, from a first loyalty server of the plurality of loyalty servers, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first loyalty server, the first loyalty server being configured to transmit the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon in response to receiving information, from the point-of-sale computer, indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:

receiving a selection of the electronic coupon by the user; and

associating the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:

presenting the electronic coupon over a network to a user computer system such that a display of the user computer system is able to display the electronic coupon in a user interface,

wherein receiving the selection of the electronic coupon by the user includes receiving, over the network, a selection of the electronic coupon made by the user interacting with the user interface displaying the electronic coupon.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting information indicating redemption of the electronic coupon by the user to the first computer system associated with the retail entity.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein accessing information indicating an association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system includes receiving, over a network, information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system.

39. A tangible computer-accessible medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations:

accessing information indicating an association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user, the account including information identifying a retail entity;

transmitting information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity, wherein receipt of the transmitted information causes the plurality of computer systems to associate the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the retail entity upon presentation of a user identifier;

receiving, from a first computer system of the plurality of computer systems, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity; and

in response to receiving, from the first computer system, the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the retail entity, transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems, wherein receipt of the cancellation information by the plurality of computer systems causes the plurality of computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon by the user such that the user is prevented from further redeeming the electronic coupon with the retail entity.

40. The medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

transmitting an identifier of the electronic coupon and information related to terms of the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity prior to accessing information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account,

wherein transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting an identifier of the user to the plurality of computer systems and the identifier of the electronic coupon such that the information related to the terms of the electronic coupon at the plurality of computer systems is associated with the user.

41. The medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

accessing information indicating association of a second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account, the second electronic coupon being redeemable with a first retail store associated with the retail entity but not redeemable with a second retail store associated with the retail entity; and

transmitting information indicating association of the second electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the computer system associated with the first retail store but not to the computer system associated with the second retail store, wherein receipt of the information indicating association of the second electronic coupon causes the computer system associated with the first retail store to associate the second electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the second electronic coupon with the first retail store upon presentation of the first user identifier.

42. The medium of claim 39, wherein the first user identifier includes at least one of a loyalty card number, a user account number, a credit card number, a name, a biometric identifier, or a wireless identification number provided by a device configured to transmit the wireless identification number.

43. The medium of claim 39, wherein:

transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account to a plurality of loyalty servers, the plurality of loyalty servers being configured to store information associating the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the plurality of loyalty servers by presenting a loyalty card to a point-of-sale computer included in the first computer system, and

receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the retail entity includes receiving, from a first loyalty server of the plurality of loyalty servers, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first loyalty server, the first loyalty server being configured to transmit the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon in response to receiving information, from the point-of-sale computer, indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon.

44. The medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving a selection of the electronic coupon by the user; and

associating the electronic coupon with the user'"'"'s account.

45. The medium of claim 44, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

presenting the electronic coupon over a network to a user computer system such that a display of the user computer system is able to display the electronic coupon in a user interface,

wherein receiving the selection of the electronic coupon by the user includes receiving, over the network, a selection of the electronic coupon made by the user interacting with the user interface displaying the electronic coupon.

46. The medium of claim 39, wherein transmitting cancellation information for the electronic coupon to the plurality of computer systems associated with the retail entity includes transmitting information indicating redemption of the electronic coupon by the user to the first computer system associated with the retail entity.

47. The medium of claim 39, wherein accessing information indicating an association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system includes receiving, over a network, information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user of the electronic coupon system.