SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING AND REDEEMING OFFERS WITH A LOCATION-BASED SERVICE

• US 20130060636A1
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Foursquare Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Foursquare Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Tristan, Weiss, Noah, Liszka, Jason, Julien, Tim
• Application Number:
  US13/408,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A location-based service is provided that may be integrated with venue systems, credit card processing systems, and/or loyalty systems for purposes of increasing the likelihood that offers will be accepted and sales of products and services will be made. Such a system according to various embodiments may leverage a social network of the user, and extend particular brand loyalties throughout the social network. That is, certain offers may be passed among users of the social network, permitting others to take advantage of offers thereby increasing the brand awareness and loyalty of particular venues. Further, according to certain embodiments, because an offer management and redemption system may be integrated with a location-based service, offers may be extended at or near the venue location. To this end, users may be provided one or more tools for accepting, purchasing and/or redeeming offers.

Claims

1. A method for processing an offer, the method comprising acts of:

receiving, in a distributed computer system of a location-based service, a location of a mobile device associated with the user;

determining a location-based service identity of the user;

defining, in the distributed computer system of a location-based service, a plurality of offers that may be accepted by users of the location-based service; and

responsive to the received location and parameters associated with the location-based service identity of the user, targeting at least one of the plurality of offers to the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a popularity of the at least one offer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of targeting is responsive to the user activating a selection indicating that the user desires to receive targeted offers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is received from a third party offer service.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is defined by a venue operator within a management interface of the location-based service.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is received from an external system via an API of the location-based service.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of determining a ranking of the plurality of offers and displaying, in the interface of the mobile device, the determined ranking of the plurality of offers.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the act of determining a ranking is responsive to an act of determining a relation of the user to one or more other entities defined within a social network.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the act of determining a ranking of the plurality of offers is responsive to an act of determining an action or relation of the one or more other entities within the social network to at least one of the plurality of offers.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the act of determining a ranking is responsive to an act of determining one or more parameters relating to the user.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the one or more parameters includes at least one of a group comprising:

loyalty metrics relating to the user;

behavioral information of the user;

purchasing behavior of the user;

offer acceptance information relating to the user; and

demographic information relating to the user.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the ranking is determined, at least in part, based on a location of the mobile device associated with the user and respective locations of venues associated with the plurality of offers.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising an act of determining that the determined location of the mobile device is proximate to a venue at which at least one of the plurality of offers may be accepted.

2. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a social relation of the user to one or more other users in a social network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining an interest of the one or more other users in the social network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a rating of the at least one offer by the one or more other users in the social network.