METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC EXCHANGE OF REWARD POINTS

• US 20120284109A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0228 On-line clearing houses
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 : Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 : Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A system and method for operating a reward points accumulation and redemption program wherein a user earns rewards from a plurality of independent reward issuing entities, with each tracking the user'"'"'s earned rewards. A trading server accumulates some or all of the user'"'"'s earned rewards from the reward servers and credits the accumulated points rewards into a single reward exchange account associated with the user. The user may then select an item for purchase with the accumulated rewards. The item is provided to the user in exchange for a subset or all of the rewards. Reward points may also be redeemed in exchange for services, such as the playing of a video game or Internet access.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for exchanging reward points over a computer network from a first reward account on a first reward server computer into a second reward account on a second reward server computer comprising the steps of:

a first reward server computer, comprising a first reward account associated with a user from which rewards will be exchanged, providing a web page comprising a control in order to initiate communication over a computer network between the first reward server computer and a second reward server computer into which rewards will be exchanged;

the first reward server computer, in response to selection of the control from the web page, initiating communication over the computer network with the second reward server computer; and

the first reward server computer interacting with the second reward server computer over the computer network to exchange rewards from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer by decreasing the rewards in the first reward account on the first reward server computer and causing the second reward server computer to increase the rewards in the second reward account on the second reward server computer by a corresponding amount.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the control comprises a hyperlink.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the control comprises a button.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interactively selects the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer are determined based on a previously defined rule.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first reward server computer and the second reward server computer interact further over the computer network to transfer consideration from the first reward server computer to the second rewards server computer, the consideration corresponding to the amount of rewards decreased in the first reward account on the first reward server computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the rewards are exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer into the second reward account on a second reward server computer at a predetermined rate of exchange.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first reward account is associated with a credit card reward program.

9. A first reward server computer from which rewards will be exchanged, programmed to:

store a first reward account for rewards associated with a user;

provide a web page comprising a control in order to initiate communication over a computer network between the first reward server computer and a second reward server computer into which rewards will be exchanged;

in response to selection of the control from the web page, initiate communication over the computer network with the second reward server computer; and

interact with the second reward server computer over the computer network to exchange rewards from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer by decreasing the rewards in the first reward account on the first reward server computer and causing the second reward server computer to increase the rewards in the second reward account on the second reward server computer by a corresponding amount.

10. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the control comprises a hyperlink.

11. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the control comprises a button.

12. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the user interactively selects the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer.

13. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer to the second reward account on the second reward server computer are determined based on a previously defined rule.

14. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the first reward server computer and the second reward server computer interact further over the computer network to transfer consideration from the first reward server computer to the second rewards server computer, the consideration corresponding to the amount of rewards decreased in the first reward account on the first reward server computer.

15. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the rewards are exchanged from the first reward account on the first reward server computer into the second reward account on a second reward server computer at a predetermined rate of exchange.

16. The first reward server computer of claim 9 wherein the first reward account is associated with a credit card reward program.

17. A computer-implemented method of exchanging reward points from a first reward account into a second reward account over a computer network comprising a reward points exchange computer performing the steps of:

interconnecting to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of reward computers;

providing to the user computer a display of the number of reward points a user has available in a first reward account and a control to enable the user computer to designate reward points to be exchanged from the first reward account into a second reward account;

receiving an instruction from the user computer that designates reward points to be exchanged from the first reward account into a second reward account; and

exchanging the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account over the computer network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the control comprises a hyperlink.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the control comprises a button.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of exchanging the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account over the computer network comprises:

decreasing the first reward account by the designated number of reward points;

conveying consideration corresponding to the number of reward points decreased in the first reward account; and

increasing the second reward account by the exchanged points.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of exchanging the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account is performed at a predetermined rate of exchange.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account to the second reward account are determined based on a previously defined rule.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the first reward account is associated with a credit card reward program.

24. A reward points exchange computer, programmed to:

interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of reward computers;

provide to the user computer a display of the number of reward points a user has available in a first reward account and a control to enable the user computer to designate reward points to be exchanged from the first reward account into a second reward account;

receive an instruction from the user computer that designates reward points to be exchanged from the first reward account into a second reward account; and

exchange the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account over the computer network.

25. The reward points exchange computer of claim 24 wherein the control comprises a hyperlink.

26. The reward points exchange computer of claim 24 wherein the control comprises a button.

27. The reward points exchange computer of claim 24 programmed to exchange the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account over the computer network by:

decreasing the first reward account by the designated number of reward points;

conveying consideration corresponding to the number of reward points decreased in the first reward account; and

increasing increases the second reward account by the exchanged points.

28. The reward points exchange computer of claim 24 programmed to exchange the designated reward points from the first reward account into the second reward account at a predetermined rate of exchange.

29. The reward points exchange computer of claim 24 wherein the rewards to be exchanged from the first reward account to the second reward account are determined based on a previously defined rule.

30. The first reward server computer of claim 24 wherein the first reward account is associated with a credit card reward program.