SOCIAL RETAIL REFERRAL CONTROL APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20120150598A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Griggs, Alfred William
• Application Number:
  US13/225,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150598A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The SOCIAL-REF transforms user submission of a share item and/or via SOCIAL-REF components into referral fee payments. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, including: receiving a share item via a share channel from a user; determining a share target for the received share item based on share item characteristics and user specified sharing criteria; generating a share message including the share item in accordance with the user specified sharing criteria; distributing the share message via the share channel to the share target; tracking the share target activity usage; determining, a referral reward to the user based on the tracked share target activity usage; and facilitating a payment of the determined referral reward from an associated sponsor to the user.

Claims

1. An activity tracking and sharing processor-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a share item via a share channel from a user;

determining a share target for the received share item based on share item characteristics and user specified sharing criteria;

generating a share message including the share item in accordance with the user specified sharing criteria;

distributing the share message via the share channel to the share target;

tracking the share target activity usage;

determining, a referral reward to the user based on the tracked share target activity usage; and

facilitating a payment of the determined referral reward from an associated sponsor to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the share channel is electronic mail.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the share channel is a social media platform.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the share target is a friend connection of the user on a social media platform.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein share item characteristics include a category the share item belongs to.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the category comprises any of electronics, beauty, apparel, home and garden, books, and digital goods.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user specified sharing criteria includes a user specified interests group for a category of the share item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user specified interests group is created by user submitting a selection of share target from the user'"'"'s social contacts and allowing the selection of share target to view share items in the category.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining a share target for the received share item further comprising:

identifying a category of the received share item and an interests group associated with the category; and

determining when the share target is in the interests group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user specified sharing criteria allows a first portion of information related to the share item to be included in the generated share message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user specified sharing criteria filters a second portion of information related to the share item not to be included in the generated share message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second portion of information related to the share item includes private information of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the share target subscribes to the user'"'"'s message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the share target comprises a first degree contact of the user on the share channel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the share target comprises a second degree contact of the user on the share channel, wherein the second degree contact is a contact of the user'"'"'s first degree contact.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a unique share item identifier associated share item.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the share target activity usage comprises any of:

the share target'"'"'s purchasing of the share item, the share target'"'"'s sharing the share item to another share target, and the share target'"'"'s feedback inputs of the share item.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

querying the share target activity usage based on an identifier of the share item.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking the share target activity usage further comprising:

receiving an indication of share target activity related to the share item;

identifying a share item identifier;

determining a degree of separation between the share target and the user.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the referral reward is determined based on a type of the share target activity.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

query a list of users based on an identifier of the share item.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a referee based on the query results.

23. An activity tracking and sharing system, comprising:

means for receiving a share item via a share channel from a user;

means for determining a share target for the received share item based on share item characteristics and user specified sharing criteria;

means for generating a share message including the share item in accordance with the user specified sharing criteria;

means for distributing the share message via the share channel to the share target;

means for tracking the share target activity usage;

means for determining, a referral reward to the user based on the tracked share target activity usage; and

means for facilitating a payment of the determined referral reward from an associated sponsor to the user.

24. An activity tracking and sharing apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to;

receive a share item via a share channel from a user;

determine a share target for the received share item based on share item characteristics and user specified sharing criteria;

generate a share message including the share item in accordance with the user specified sharing criteria;

distribute the share message via the share channel to the share target;

track the share target activity usage;

determine, a referral reward to the user based on the tracked share target activity usage; and

facilitate a payment of the determined referral reward from an associated sponsor to the user.

25. An activity tracking and sharing computer-readable non-transitory medium storing processor-issuable-and-generated instructions to:

receive a share item via a share channel from a user;

determine a share target for the received share item based on share item characteristics and user specified sharing criteria;

generate a share message including the share item in accordance with the user specified sharing criteria;

distribute the share message via the share channel to the share target;

track the share target activity usage;

determine, a referral reward to the user based on the tracked share target activity usage; and

facilitate a payment of the determined referral reward from an associated sponsor to the user.