SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY DISTRIBUTING TANGIBLE REWARDS FOR ELECTRONIC SOCIAL ACTIVITY

• US 20140156369A1
• Filed: 06/01/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starmark International Inc. (Starmark/MARC USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starmark International Inc. (Starmark/MARC USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Circe, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 9,773,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards

Abstract

A system and method for automatically distributing physical rewards based on a user updating their social status with their mobile device utilizing a system monitor, a validation module, and a redemption module. The system monitor continually monitors social media networks for social updates containing certain preset specified content. When such content is identified, the location and other preset criteria pertaining to the device transmitting the update is validated by the validation module. Once the device has been validated, the redemption module is commanded to issue a tangible reward, such as a movie ticket from a ticket machine or a soda from a soda machine to the user of the device which transmitted the update. This way, the system and method provides a user with a tangible and immediately usable reward in response to the user publishing or sending certain social status updates, messages, or posts with their mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for administrating the automatic distribution of physical rewards in a remote location in response to electronic communications activity on a mobile device comprising:

a computer system having one or more processor units, wherein one or more credit accepting machines have been configured to automatically issue a credit in response to a electronic command from the computer system and said computer system is configured to execute the following steps;

monitoring at least one electronic communication network for a qualifying social action, wherein a qualifying social action includes publishing an electronic message containing one or more preset match phrases, the step of monitoring includes repeatedly checking for the publication of an electronic message containing one or more match phrases, and each qualifying social actions has been associated with at least one of the one or more credit accepting machines;

validating any qualifying social action detected, wherein the step of validating includes at least associating the social action with a unique user account and identifying at least one credit accepting machine associated with the detected qualifying social action; and

commanding at least one associated credit accepting machine to issue a credit representing some value amount on the credit accepting machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer system is configured to additionally execute the step of providing a social action portal through which a social update can be performed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a qualifying social action additionally includes performing a social update through at least one social action portal and the step of monitoring includes receiving notification of the social update performance from the social action portal used to perform the social update.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a qualifying social action additionally includes transmission of an electronic message through a direct message delivery service and the step of monitoring includes receipt of an electronic message to a CSC number.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

qualifying social actions are required to contain electronically embedded location information sufficient to ascertain the physical location of the user account that generated the qualifying social action; and

the step of validating additionally includes confirming the physical location of the user account that transmitted the electronic message being validated relative to at least one credit accepting machine associated with the qualifying social action.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps of monitoring and validating are performed in a location distinct from the one or more credit accepting machines.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying information pertaining to the user account that transmitted any qualifying social action, including the specific device used to perform the qualifying social action, is tracked by the computer system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the step of validating additionally includes inquiring into previous qualifying social actions transmitted by the user account that transmitted the qualifying social action being validated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system additionally includes at least one electronic visual user interface at the physical location of at least one of the one or more credit accepting machines.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein qualifying social actions on the monitored communication network are required to contain metadata tags to be verified.

11. A method for administrating the automatic distribution of physical rewards in a remote location in response to electronic communications activity on a mobile device comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system having one or more processor units that is connected to at least one electronic communication network;

configuring one or more credit accepting machines to automatically issue a machine credit representing some value amount on the credit accepting machine in response to a electronic command from the computer system;

designating one or more qualifying social actions defined by the publication of publishing an electronic message containing one or more preset match phrases,

associating each qualifying social action with at least one of the one or more credit accepting machines;

monitoring by said computer system for a qualifying social action, wherein the step of monitoring includes repeatedly checking for the publication of an electronic message containing any match phrase;

validating by said computer system any qualifying social action detected, wherein the step of validating includes at least associating the social action with a unique user account and identifying at least one credit accepting machine associated with the detected qualifying social action; and

commanding by said computer system at least one associated credit accepting machine to issue a machine credit.

12. The method of claim 11, additionally including the step of providing a social action portal through which a social update can be performed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the qualifying social actions are additionally defined by the performance of a social update through at least one social action portal and the step of monitoring includes receiving notification of the social update performance from the social action portal used to perform the social update.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the qualifying social actions are additionally defined by a transmission of an electronic message through a direct message delivery service and the step of monitoring includes receipt of an electronic message to a CSC number.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

qualifying social actions are required to contain electronically embedded location information sufficient to ascertain the physical location of the user account that generated the qualifying social action; and

the step of validating additionally includes confirming the physical location of the user account that transmitted the electronic message being validated relative to at least one credit accepting machine associated with the qualifying social action.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of monitoring and validating are performed in a location distinct from the one or more credit accepting machines.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying information pertaining to the user account that transmitted any qualifying social action, including the specific device used to perform the qualifying social action, is tracked by the computer system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of validating additionally includes inquiring into previous qualifying social actions transmitted by the user account that transmitted the qualifying social action being validated.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer system additionally includes at least one electronic visual user interface at the physical location of at least one of the one or more credit accepting machines.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein qualifying social actions on the monitored communication network are required to contain metadata tags to be verified.