SOCIAL NETWORK APPRECIATION PLATFORM

• US 20120054002A1
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartland Commerce, Inc. (Global Payments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SNAP Services, LLC
• Inventors: Rotbard, Richard F., Gosman, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A network platform for marketing products or services to consumers. A transaction source processes a customer purchase from a business, and produces transaction data including at least a unique identifier for the customer. A networking server coupled to the transaction source has a corporate network or web interface to enable the business to define marketing campaigns and enter data and information concerning its customers, and a consumer network interface that allows a customer to perform at least one of (a) manage integration of his/her social network(s) with the business, (b) customize the form or content of messages sent to the customer'"'"'s friends over the social networks, (c) opt in or out of certain services, (d) group the customer'"'"'s friends for targeting by the business campaigns, and (e) obtain statistical data on the customer'"'"'s business patronage. A social network interface enables the networking server to communicate with the social networks.

Claims

1. A network platform for marketing products or services to consumers, comprising:

a transaction source constructed and arranged to process a purchase transaction between a business and a customer of the business, and to produce corresponding transaction data including at least a unique identifier for the customer;

a networking server coupled to an output of the transaction source and having;

(i) a corporate network or web interface configured to enable the business to define marketing campaigns and to enter certain data and information concerning customers of the business,

(ii) a consumer network or web interface configured to enable a given customer of the business to perform at least one of;

(a) manage integration of social networks to which the customer belongs with the business,

(b) customize the form or content of announcements or messages to be communicated to friends or followers of the customer on the social networks,

(c) opt in or out of services made available to the customer by the business via the corporate network interface of the server,

(d) group the friends of the customer selectively for targeting by the defined business campaigns, and

(e) obtain statistical data concerning the customer'"'"'s patronage of the business, and

(iii) a social network interface configured and arranged to enable the networking server to communicate with social networks designated by customers of the business by way of the consumer network interface.

2. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the transaction source includes one or more of the group comprising a point of sale (POS) terminal, a POS server, a credit card processing server, a gift card processing server, and a customer loyalty server.

3. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the unique identifier for the customer in the transaction data produced by the transaction source is derived from a customer loyalty card associated with the business.

4. A network platform according to claim 1, including a customer facing brand network or web interface coupled to the corporate network interface and to the consumer network interface, wherein the brand network interface is defined by a participating business and is operative to enable customers of the business to register their unique identifiers with those social networks to which they belong.

5. The network platform of claim 4, wherein the brand network interface is configured to enable the customer to obtain at least one of (a) accumulated bonus points, (b) patronage statistics per business location, (c) leader boards, and (d) a ranking of the customer for each business location.

6. The network platform of claim 5, wherein the consumer network interface is configured to provide a given customer access to each brand network interface defined by those businesses with which the customer is registered.

7. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social postings and customer reward service in response to the transaction data from the transaction source for a given business, wherein a message relating to a purchase by a customer of the business is communicated to the social networks designated by the customer.

8. The network platform of claim 7, wherein the networking server is operative to issue one or more bonus points in a database account associated with the customer for each message successfully communicated to a designated social network.

9. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social following service, wherein messages that are posted over the social networks and which contain certain names or words defined by a given business, are reported to the business within the corporate network interface for the business.

10. The network platform of claim 9, wherein the reported messages are displayed in a list format.

11. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social announcement service, wherein a marketing campaign including text created by a given business is communicated to social networks designated by customers of the business.

12. The network platform of claim 11, wherein one or more portions of the marketing campaign request responses from recipients on the social networks, and the networking server is configured to track the responses and compile corresponding campaign statistics.

13. The network platform of claim 12, wherein the networking server is operative to issue bonus points or other awards in database accounts associated with the customers according to the campaign statistics compiled by the server.

14. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social coupon service, wherein a coupon created by a given business is communicated to one or more social networks designated by a given customer of the business.

15. The network platform of claim 14, wherein the coupon has a 2-D bar code that can be viewed or printed by recipients on the social networks.

16. The network platform of claim 14, wherein the networking server is operative to issue bonus points or other awards in a database account associated with the given customer when the coupon is received and redeemed by the recipients.

17. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social party/social date service, wherein a customer of a given business communicates a notice of an event the customer plans to organize at the location of the business to friends or followers of the customer on the social networks.

18. The networking platform of claim 17, wherein the networking server is operative to issue bonus points or other awards in a database account associated with the customer organizing the event.

19. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a social sharing service, wherein a customer who receives a message or an advertisement from a participating business is enabled to re-send the message or advertisement to the customer'"'"'s friends or followers on the social networks.

20. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a leader board service, wherein statistics concerning customers that lead in certain categories of transactions, points or awards with respect to a given business location, are displayed at the business location.

21. A network platform according to claim 1, wherein the networking server is programed and configured to implement a badge system service, wherein virtual objects including graphical images are issued to customers of a given business who meet certain activity criteria created by the business.

22. The network platform of claim 21, wherein the networking server is operative to issue bonus points or other awards in database accounts associated with customers who meet the activity criteria created by the business.