TARGETED INCENTIVE ACTIONS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHIN A GEOGRAPHIC LOCALE

• US 20130262231A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Glasgow, Dane, Abraham, Jack Phillip, Conradt, Jonathan, Vosseller, Shannon B.
• Application Number:
  US13/436,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262231A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Offering an incentive to users of a mobile device based on the number of devices within a geographic locale. The incentive may be one or more incentives that a merchant is willing to offer only if there are a given number of users within a geographic locale. The incentive may be combined with additional incentives determined in various ways. A location identification module may determine the geographic location of mobile devices. An item identification module may identify that a merchant may be willing to offer an incentive only if there are a given number of users within a geographic locale and may identify an item specified by one or more of the given number of users within the geographic locale. An incentive module may transmit an incentive from a merchant who may or may not be within the geographic locale.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor-implemented location information receiver module for receiving location information from a location determining system configured to determine a number of devices within a geographic locale, the location information comprising a signal indicating when a predetermined number of devices is located within the geographic locale; and

a processor-implemented incentive module configured to offer an incentive based on the number of devices within the geographic locale.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-implemented incentive module further comprises:

a processor-implemented merchant module configured to identify at least one merchant with at least one incentive for at least one item, the incentive based on the number of devices located within the geographic locale; and

a processor-implemented communication module configured to communicate the at least one incentive of the at least one item over a network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one merchant is located within the geographic locale.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-implemented incentive module further comprises:

a processor-implemented incentive code module configured to communicate a code associated with at least one incentive to a plurality of devices within the geographic locale, wherein the code is valid for a predetermined period of time.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-implemented location information receiver module further comprises a processor-implemented receiver for receiving information from one of the group consisting of a triangulation service, a global positioning service (GPS), a receiver system configured to determine the location of a device based on a location-dependent search term input at the device, and a tag system configured to determine the location of the device based on a tag from the device, the tag associated with a geographic location.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises:

a processor-implemented item identification module configured to identify an item based on at least one of the group consisting of

a text input to at least one of the number of devices;

an audio input from at least one of the number of devices;

a machine-readable symbol scanned by the at least one of the number of devices;

an image taken by at least one of the number of devices; and

a video taken by at least one of the number of devices.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-implemented incentive module further comprises:

a processor-implemented incentive receiver module configured to receive attributes of incentives and store the attributes of the incentives in a database,

wherein the attributes comprise at least one of a name attribute of a merchant, a name attribute of an item, a brand attribute of an item, a model attribute of an item, a category tag of an item, a sub-category tag of an item, a financial promotion attribute of an item, and a financial promotion term attribute of an item.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the incentive is also based on an item specified by the devices.

8. A method, comprising:

using a computer processor, receiving location information from a location determining system configured to determine the number of devices within a geographic locale, the location information comprising a signal indicating when a predetermined number of devices is located within the geographic locale; and

in response to the signal, transmitting an incentive from at least one merchant based on the number of devices within the geographic locale.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

identifying at least one merchant with at least one incentive for at least one item based on the number of devices located within the geographic locale; and

communicating the at least one incentive over a network.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one merchant is located within the geographic locale.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising communicating a code associated with the at least one incentive, wherein the code is valid for a predetermined period of time.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving information from a system from the group of systems consisting of a triangulation service, a global positioning service (GPS), a location-dependent search term receiver system configured to determine the location of the device based on a location-dependent search term input at a device, and a tag module system configured to determine the location of a device based on a tag from the device, the tag associated with a geographic location.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

identifying an item based on at least one of the group consisting of

a text input at a device within the geographic locale;

an audio input from a device within the geographic locale;

a machine-readable symbol scanned by a device within the geographic locale;

an image taken by a device within the geographic locale; and

a video taken by a device within the geographic locale.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving attributes of incentives from the at least one merchant and store the attributes in a database,

wherein the attributes comprise at least one of a name attribute of a merchant, a name attribute of an item, a brand attribute of an item, a model attribute of an item, a category tag of an item, a sub-category tag of an item, a financial promotion attribute of an item, and a financial promotion term attribute of the item.

23. The method of claim 8 wherein the incentive is also based on an item specified by the devices.

15. A machine readable storage device having a set of instructions which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to execute the following operations:

receiving location information from a location determining system configured to determine the number of devices within a geographic locale, the location information comprising a signal indicating when a predetermined number of devices is located within the geographic locale; and

in response to the signal, offering an incentive from at least one merchant based on the number of devices within the geographic locale.

16. The machine readable storage device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

identifying at least one merchant with at least one incentive for at least one item based on the number of devices located within the geographic locale; and

communicating the at least one incentive of the at least one item over a network.

17. The machine readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the at least one merchant is located within the geographic locale.

18. The machine readable storage device of claim 15, the operations further comprising communicating a code associated with the incentive to a mobile device, wherein the code is valid for a predetermined period of time.

19. The machine readable storage device of claim 15, the operations further comprising receiving information from the group of systems consisting of a triangulation service, a global positioning service (GPS), a location-dependent search term receiver system configured to determine the location of a device based on a location-dependent search term input at the device, and a tag module system configured to determine the location of a device based on a tag from the device, the tag associated with a geographic location.

20. The machine readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying an item based on at least one of the group consisting of

a text input from a device within the geographic locale;

an audio input from a device within at the geographic locale;

a machine-readable symbol scanned by at least one device within the geographic locale;

an image taken by a device within the geographic locale; and

a video taken by a device within the geographic locale.

21. The machine readable storage device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving attributes of incentives from the at least one merchant and storing the attributes in a database,

wherein the attributes comprise at least one of a name attribute of a merchant, a name attribute of an item, a brand attribute of an item, a model attribute of an item, a category tag of an item, a sub-category tag of an item, a financial promotion attribute of an item, and a financial promotion term attribute of the item.

24. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the incentive is also based on an item specified by the devices.