COUPON SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM

• US 20130030901A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Eichstaedt, Matthias, Goel, Deepak, Bopardikar, Sunil Keshav
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving, at a social network coupon platform, a request to display coupon data regarding a particular coupon that is provided by a coupon provider, wherein a user that is registered with a social network provider initiated the request; in response to receiving the request, sending, from the social network coupon platform, the coupon data to be displayed to the user; receiving, at the social network coupon platform, from the social network provider, profile data that includes profile information of the user; in response to receiving the profile data, allowing the user access to the particular coupon; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a social network coupon platform, a request to display coupon data regarding a particular coupon that is provided by a coupon provider, wherein a user that is registered with a social network provider initiated the request;

in response to receiving the request, sending, from the social network coupon platform, the coupon data to be displayed to the user;

receiving, at the social network coupon platform, from the social network provider, profile data that includes profile information of the user;

in response to receiving the profile data, allowing the user access to the particular coupon;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, at the social network coupon platform, coupon data about a plurality of coupon campaigns that includes a first coupon campaign initiated by a first coupon provider and a second coupon campaign initiated by a second coupon provider that is different than the first coupon provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, at the social network coupon platform, user data that includes information about a plurality of users that are registered with the social network provider.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the social network provider is a first social network provider, wherein the user data includes information about a second plurality of users that are registered with a second social network provider that is different than the first social network provider.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user data includes, for each user of the plurality of users, one or more of gender, age, geographic information, one or more interests, and contact information.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising, while storing information about a particular user that is registered with the social network provider, sending, to the social network provider, a request for additional information about the particular user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the social network coupon platform, a plurality of templates;

receiving, from the coupon provider, a request for a particular template from the plurality of templates;

receiving, from the coupon provider, customization data to be applied to the particular template; and

storing, at the social network coupon platform, the customization data in association with the particular template.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to receiving the request, identifying a customized template from among a plurality of customized templates, wherein the coupon data is reflected in the customized template.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing access to the particular coupon comprises allowing the user to print the particular coupon.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing access to the particular coupon comprises causing a coupon code to be displayed to the user, wherein the coupon code is required to redeem the particular coupon.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile data is sent to the social network coupon platform only after the user accepts one or more terms to allow the social network coupon platform to access the profile data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a browser executing on a computing device of the user.

13. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, at a social network coupon platform, a request to display coupon data regarding a particular coupon that is provided by a coupon provider, wherein a user that is registered with a social network provider initiated the request;

in response to receiving the request, sending, from the social network coupon platform, the coupon data to be displayed to the user;

receiving, at the social network coupon platform, from the social network provider, profile data that includes profile information of the user;

in response to receiving the profile data, allowing the user access to the particular coupon.

14. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein the instructions include instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause storing, at the social network coupon platform, coupon data about a plurality of coupon campaigns that includes a first coupon campaign initiated by a first coupon provider and a second coupon campaign initiated by a second coupon provider that is different than the first coupon provider.

15. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein the instructions include instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause storing, at the social network coupon platform, user data that includes information about a plurality of users that are registered with the social network provider.

16. The one or more storage media of claim 15, wherein the social network provider is a first social network provider, wherein the user data includes information about a second plurality of users that are registered with a second social network provider that is different than the first social network provider.

17. The one or more storage media of claim 15, wherein the user data includes, for each user of the plurality of users, one or more of gender, age, geographic information, one or more interests, and contact information.

18. The one or more storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions include instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, while storing information about a particular user that is registered with the social network provider, sending, to the social network provider, a request for additional information about the particular user.

19. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein the instructions include instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

storing, in the social network coupon platform, a plurality of templates;

receiving, from the coupon provider, a request for a particular template from the plurality of templates;

receiving, from the coupon provider, customization data to be applied to the particular template; and

storing, at the social network coupon platform, the customization data in association with the particular template.

20. The one or more storage media of claim 19, wherein the instructions include instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, in response to receiving the request, identifying a customized template from among a plurality of customized templates, wherein the coupon data is reflected in the customized template.

21. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein allowing access to the particular coupon comprises allowing the user to print the particular coupon.

22. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein allowing access to the particular coupon comprises causing a coupon code to be displayed to the user, wherein the coupon code is required to redeem the particular coupon.

23. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein the profile data is sent to the social network coupon platform only after the user accepts one or more terms to allow the social network coupon platform to access the profile data.

24. The one or more storage media of claim 13, wherein the request is received from a browser executing on a computing device of the user.