REFERRAL AWARD SYSTEM FOR PORTABLE DEVICES

• US 20120072274A1
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Martin T., Grunbock, Cheryl
• Application Number:
  US12/884,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072274A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems

Abstract

The system allows a user to use a portable capture device to identify a product that is being examined by the user at a merchant'"'"'s location. The identity of the merchant is also captured by the system before or after the examination of the product. If the user or a party affiliated with the user subsequently purchases the product from a source other than the merchant where the product was examined, the system compensates the merchant where the product was examined under a referral award program. Awards under the referral award program can take a variety of forms, including cash, advertising credit, or manufacturer rebates.

Claims

1-84. -84. (canceled)

85. A computer-implemented method for calculating a referral award to a first party as a result of a subsequent purchase of a product from a second party, wherein the product was examined in tangible form at a facility provided by the first party, the method comprising:

(a) determining, via a portable capture device, that the product was examined by a user in tangible form at the facility provided by the first party;

(b) determining, by an identification processor, an identity of the first party;

(c) detecting, by a purchase detection processor, the subsequent purchase of the product from the second party, wherein the subsequent purchase is associated with said user;

(d) calculating, by a referral processor, the referral award to the first party as a result of the subsequent purchase of the product from the second party; and

(e) awarding, by an award processor, the referral award to the first party.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein said determining that the product was examined by said user in tangible form comprises capturing information via said portable capture device, from at least one of said product, a package associated with said product, a display associated with said product, and a. label associated with said product.

87. The method of claim 86, wherein said captured information comprises a portion of human-readable text associated with said product

88. The method of claim 86, wherein said captured information comprises machine-readable information associated with said product.

89. The method of claim 85, wherein determining that the product was examined by a user in tangible form comprises capturing, via a portable capture device, aural information associated with said product

90. The method of claim 85, wherein determining the identity of the first party comprises obtaining a machine-readable identifier from the first party.

91. The method of claim 85, wherein determining said identity of the first party comprises:

(a) identifying, by a location processor, a geographic position of the facility provided by the first party; and

(b) correlating, by a correlation processor, said geographic position with said identity of the first party.

92. The method of claim 91, wherein, at least a plurality of said identification processor, said purchase detection processor, said referral processor, said location processor, and said correlation processor comprise a single multipurpose processor.

93. The method of claim 85, wherein the calculated referral award depends at least in part on the length of time between when the product was examined and the subsequent purchase.

94. The method of claim 85, wherein the calculated referral award depends at least in part on the price of the subsequent purchased product,

95. The method of claim 85, further comprising obtaining information indicative of the identity of the first party via a data input user interface on said portable capture device.

96. The method of claim 85, wherein the subsequent purchase is made over a computer network.

97. The method of claim 85, wherein the subsequent purchase is made by a party other than said user.

98. The method of claim 97, wherein the subsequent purchase is made in accordance with a wish list comprising prospective purchases of said user,

99. An apparatus having a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions that when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 85.

100. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a processor, perform a method for calculating a referral award to a party, the method comprising:

(a) detecting, by a purchase detection processor, that a product has been subsequently purchased over a computer network from a list of products that were examined by an examining user at one or more physical locations;

(b) identifying, by a party identification processor, at least one party at which the subsequently purchased product was examined in tangible form by the examining user;

(c) calculating, by a referral processor, the referral award that is to be awarded to the identified party as a result of the subsequent purchase of the product; and

(d) awarding, by an award processor, the referral award to the identified party.

101. The computer-readable medium of claim 100, wherein at least a plurality of said purchase detection processor, said party identification processor, said referral processor, and said award processor comprise a single multipurpose processor.