Mobile Coupon Redemption System

• US 20110302017A1
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chad Roberts, Juan Marti
• Original Assignee: Chad Roberts, Juan Marti
• Inventors: Marti, Juan, Roberts, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/959,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds

Abstract

A mobile coupon redemption system enables a customer to receive a mobile coupon offer on his mobile phone, and to display the offer to a merchant. The customer is prompted to obtain a “merchant code” from the merchant, who obtains the merchant code from a local secure hardware token. The customer then communicates the merchant code by his mobile phone to a remote coupon application server, which validates to the merchant code, records the merchant and customer information, and validates the coupon for display to and redemption by the merchant.

Claims

1. A mobile coupon redemption system comprising

a customer-held mobile phone,

an application for displaying a coupon offer on the mobile phone,

a merchant-held secure hardware token for generating a merchant code, and

a coupon application server which generates the coupon offer, receives the merchant code, and validates the coupon offer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a token application server, in communication with the coupon application server, for validating the merchant token.

3. A mobile coupon redemption system consisting of

a customer-held mobile phone,

a merchant-held secure hardware token for generating a merchant code,

a coupon application server for generating a coupon offer, sending the coupon offer to the mobile phone, receiving the merchant code from the mobile phone, validating the coupon offer and returning a coupon validation result to the mobile phone, and

a token application server, in communication with the coupon application server, for receiving the merchant code from the coupon application server, validating the merchant token, and returning a merchant code validation result to the coupon application server.

4. A method of redeeming mobile coupons, said method comprising steps of

generating a mobile coupon offer,

communicating the offer to a potential customer via mobile phone,

prompting the potential customer to obtain a merchant code from a merchant willing to redeem the coupon,

generating a merchant code with a secure hardware token,

communicating the merchant code to the potential customer,

communicating the merchant code to a coupon application server via the mobile phone,

validating the merchant code, and, if the merchant code is valid,

communicating a coupon validation to the potential customer for presentation by the potential customer to the merchant.