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

• US 20130060637A1
• 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:
  US13/408,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060637A1
• 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, by a distributed computer system of a location-based service, at least one offer;

determining a location of a mobile device associated with a user;

determining that the determined location is proximate to a venue at which the at least one offer is available;

presenting, to the user in a display of the mobile device associated with the user, an indication of the at least one offer responsive to the act of determining that the determined location is proximate to a venue at which the at least one offer is available; and

permitting the user to accept the offer.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising an act of storing, in a memory of the distributed computer system of the location-based service, the at least one offer.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating the at least one offer with at least one of a group comprising a credit card program, a loyalty program, and a third party offeror.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of targeting the at least one offer to the user responsive to the determined location.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the act of targeting the at least one offer to the user is further responsive to the one or more parameters associated with the user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one user parameter relating to at least one of the group comprising demographic information of the user, behavioral information of the user, and psychographic information of the user.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the at least one offer includes an act of receiving the at least one offer from a source of offers separate from the location-based service.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of presenting, in the display of the mobile device, a control that, when selected by the user, permits the user to accept the at least one offer.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of permitting the user to accept the offer further comprises an act of automatically accepting the offer without user intervention.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the determined location is proximate to the venue at which at which the at least one offer may be fulfilled by the user.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the user to accept the at least one offer using the mobile device.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the user to accept the at least one offer at the venue.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising an act of indicating to the user in the display of the mobile device an acceptance of the at least one offer.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising an act of permitting the user to fulfill the acceptance of the at least one offer at the venue responsive to the display of the acceptance of the at least one offer.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising acts of displaying information relating to the acceptance of the at least one offer and using, at the venue, the displayed information to fulfill the acceptance of the at least one offer.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising an act of permitting the user to execute a purchase associated with the at least one offer using the mobile device.

21. The system according to claim 7, wherein the component adapted to target the at least one offer to the user is further responsive to the one or more parameters associated with the user.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one user parameter relating to at least one of the group comprising demographic information of the user, behavioral information of the user, and psychographic information of the user.

17. A system for processing an offer, the system comprising:

a location-based service including a distributed computer system having at least one processor and a memory;

a component adapted to receive, by the distributed computer system of the location-based service, at least one offer;

a component adapted to determine a location of a mobile device associated with a user;

a component adapted to determine that the determined location is proximate to a venue at which the at least one offer may be accepted;

a component adapted to present, to the user in a display of the mobile device associated with the user, an indication of the at least one offer responsive to the act of determining that the determined location is proximate to a venue at which the at least one offer may be accepted; and

a component adapted to permit the user to accept the offer.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a component adapted to store, in a memory of the distributed computer system of the location-based service, the at least one offer.

19. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a component adapted to associate the at least one offer with at least one of a group comprising a credit card program, a loyalty program, and a third party offeror.

20. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a component adapted to target the at least one offer to the user responsive to the determined location.

23. The system according to claim 17, wherein the component adapted to receive the at least one offer is further adapted to receive the at least one offer from a source of offers separate from the location-based service.

24. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a component adapted to present, in the display of the mobile device, a control that, when selected by the user, permits the user to accept the at least one offer.

25. The system according to claim 17, wherein the component that is adapted to permit the user to redeem the offer at the venue further comprises a component that automatically accepts the offer at the venue without user intervention.