LOYALTY OFFER

• US 20120089450A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anantha, Anoop, Krishnan, Murali R.
• Application Number:
  US12/899,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Loyalty offer techniques are described. In one or more implementations, data is received from a plurality of merchants via a network, the data describing transactions for goods or services initiated at physical locations of respective said merchants and including identifiers that uniquely identify mobile communication devices that were used to initiate the transactions. Information is updated that describes participation in one or more loyalty offers associated with the plurality of merchants using the identifiers that uniquely identify the mobile communication devices and the data that describes the transactions.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

receiving an input to initiate a transaction to purchase a good or service; and

transmitting one or more credentials to a merchant to purchase the good or service and an identifier that is usable in conjunction with a loyalty offer associated with the merchant.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the identifier is unique to the mobile communication device.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the input is received responsive to selection of a portion in a user interface output by the mobile communication device to initiate the transaction.

4. A method as described in claim 3, wherein the user interface is generated at least in part by an application downloaded to the mobile communication device via an Internet and provided by the merchant.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the input by the mobile communication device from the merchant and the transmitting of the one or more credentials to the merchant are performed at a physical location of the merchant.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the input by the mobile communication device from the merchant and the transmitting of the one or more credentials to the merchant are performed using near field technology.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising locating the identifier that is usable in conjunction with the loyalty offer associated with the merchant from a plurality of said identifiers that are stored locally on the mobile communication device.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device includes telephone functionality to make and receive telephone calls.

9. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a discount to be applied to the transaction responsive to the transmitting.

10. A method implemented by one or more servers of a loyalty service, the method comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of merchants via a network, the data describing transactions for goods or services initiated at physical locations of respective said merchants and including identifiers that uniquely identify mobile communication devices that were used to initiate the transactions; and

updating information that describes participation in one or more loyalty offers associated with the plurality of merchants using the identifiers that uniquely identify the mobile communication devices and the data that describes the transactions.

11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the identifier is generated as part of a respective said loyalty offer.

12. A method as described in claim 10, wherein at least one of the identifiers is also written on a loyalty card provided by a respective said merchant.

13. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the mobile communication devices initiate the transactions by providing credentials that are usable to purchase the goods or services.

14. A method as described in claim 10, further comprising receiving data that describes a respective said loyalty offer of one or more of the plurality of merchants and modeling the respective said loyalty offer using the data.

15. A method as described in claim 10, further comprising generating a user profile that corresponds to at least one said identifier and that is based on the data that describes the transactions.

16. A method as described in claim 15, wherein the user profile describes an effect of an advertisement on purchase of one or more goods or services from one or more said merchants that are not a subject of the advertisement.

17. A method as described in claim 10, further comprising pushing an advertisement to at least one said mobile communication device.

18. A mobile communication device comprising one or more modules that are configured to:

provide telephone functionality including an ability to make and receive telephone calls; and

communicate one or more identifiers at a physical location of a merchant that are to be used to identify participation in one or more loyalty offers associated with the merchant, the one or more identifiers stored locally in memory of the mobile communication device.

19. A mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the communication of the one or more identifiers is performed using near field technology and is performed in conjunction with one or more credentials that are communicated to the merchant to initiate a purchase of a good or service at the physical location.

20. A mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the one or more modules are configured to receive advertisements that are pushed by the merchant.