METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING REAL-TIME DIRECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCT PROMOTIONS

• US 20140310101A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, Gregory B., Wills, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,451,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.57
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

A method and system for generating customized incentives involving electronic distribution of coupons to remote personal computers based on proximity of the computer to a retail center are disclosed. A repository, such as an online service provider or a web site on the Internet, stores packages of incentive data for downloading automatically or on demand to a user'"'"'s computer. A plurality of data fields is used to associate a user'"'"'s location with a specific incentive. The incentive data corresponds to remote user computers in a predetermined geographic area. Means for identifying remote user computers in a predetermined geographic area and means for providing direction data, such as maps, etc. to the remote user computer are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for generating real-time directions associated with incentives for consumers, comprising:

one or more processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from an incentive issuer, data specifying a predetermined number of geographic regions measured relative to a location of at least one retail center, and a discount value assigned to a predetermined incentive for each of the predetermined number of geographic regions, wherein the predetermined number of geographic regions is at least two, and wherein the discount value is different in each of the predetermined number of geographic regions;

receive or retrieve user location data including an identification of the geographic region in which a remote user computer is located;

associate the user location data with the predetermined incentive that corresponds to the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located;

generate or retrieve direction data corresponding to the user location data and the location of the at least one retail center; and

transmit the predetermined incentive and the direction data to the remote user computer via a communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the direction data comprises a textual description of a route to the at least one retail center.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the direction data comprises a map of a route to the at least one retail center.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user location data is obtained by a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database for storing distance data, time data, mileage data, or combinations thereof; and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to associate the distance data, time data, mileage data, or combinations thereof with the location of the remote user computer and the location of the at least one retail center.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of geographic regions comprise a predetermined number of circles of differing radii, with the location of the at least one retail center marking the center of each of the predetermined number of circles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined incentive corresponding to the geographic region that is located the furthest distance from the at least one retail center has the greatest discount value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined incentive is transmitted to the remote user computer only if a predetermined number of competitors of the at least one retail center, as specified by the incentive issuer, are determined to be located within the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located.

9. A computer-implemented method of generating real-time directions associated with incentives for consumers, the method being implemented by a computer that includes a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, from an incentive issuer, data specifying a predetermined number of geographic regions measured relative to a location of at least one retail center, and a discount value assigned to a predetermined incentive for each of the predetermined number of geographic regions, wherein the predetermined number of geographic regions is at least two, and wherein the discount value is different in each of the predetermined number of geographic regions;

storing, in a database, the received data;

receiving or retrieving user location data including an identification of the geographic region in which a remote user computer is located;

associating the user location data with the predetermined incentive that corresponds to the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located;

generating or retrieving direction data corresponding to the user location data and the location of the at least one retail center; and

transmitting the predetermined incentive and the direction data to the remote user computer via a communication link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the direction data comprises a textual description of a route to the at least one retail center.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the direction data comprises a map of a route to the at least one retail center.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the user location data is obtained by a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing distance data, time data, mileage data, or combinations thereof; and

associating the distance data, time data, mileage data, or combinations thereof with the location of the remote user computer and the location of the at least one retail center.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined number of geographic regions comprise a predetermined number of circles of differing radii, with the location of the at least one retail center marking the center of each of the predetermined number of circles.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined incentive corresponding to the geographic region that is located the furthest distance from the at least one retail center has the greatest discount value.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined incentive is transmitted to the remote user computer only if a predetermined number of competitors of the at least one retail center, as specified by the incentive issuer, are determined to be located within the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located.

17. A computer-implemented method of generating real-time directions associated with incentives for consumers, the method being implemented by a computer that includes a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, from an incentive issuer, data specifying;

i) a predetermined number of geographic regions measured relative to a location of at least one retail center, wherein the predetermined number of geographic regions is at least two;

ii) a discount value assigned to a predetermined incentive for each of the predetermined number of geographic regions, wherein the discount value is different in each of the predetermined number of geographic regions, and wherein the predetermined incentive corresponding to the geographic region that is located the furthest distance from the at least one retail center has the greatest discount value; and

iii) a minimum number of competitors of the at least one retail center that must be present in a geographic region in which a remote user computer is located as a condition precedent to providing the predetermined incentive corresponding to the geographic region;

storing, in a database, the received data;

receiving or retrieving user location data including an identification of the geographic region in which a remote user computer is located;

associating the user location data with the predetermined incentive that corresponds to the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located;

generating or retrieving direction data corresponding to the user location data and the location of the at least one retail center; and

transmitting the predetermined incentive and the direction data to the remote user computer only if the minimum number of competitors of the at least one retail center, as specified by the incentive issuer, are determined to be located within the geographic region in which the remote user computer is located.