SYSTEM TO MANAGE AUTOMATED PRIZE VALUE ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION

• US 20180253938A1
• Filed: 05/08/2018
• Published: 09/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Monahan, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 10,438,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A system to manage prize accumulation and distribution includes an interface to receive publication data from a publishing user. The publication data is to be published by the computer system. The interface further receives a prize contribution value, at the computer system and from the publishing user, in exchange for the presentation of an opportunity to win a cumulative prize. The opportunity to win the cumulative prize is to be presented by the computer system in conjunction with the publication of the publication data. A publication module is to electronically publish the publication data on behalf of the publishing user, and is to electronically present the opportunity to win the cumulative prize in conjunction with the publication of the publication data. A prize processing module is to calculate a value of the cumulative prize, based on a cumulative contribution of prize contribution values received from a plurality of publishing users.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

at least one hardware processor couple to the memory and comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search request from a first user;

retrieving a set of search results based on the search request, the set of search results including at least a first item listing that comprises publication data, the publication data including a definition of a condition;

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the retrieving the set of search results that includes the first item listing; and

generating a presentation of the set of search results that includes a depiction of the first item listing, the depiction of the first item listing visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results based on the determining that the first user satisfies the condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the condition includes a user attribute of the first user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the search request comprises a timestamp, the condition includes a temporal criteria that defines a time period, and the determining that the first user satisfies the condition includes:

determining that the search request was received within the time period of the condition, based on the timestamp of the search request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the condition includes a user behavior, and the instructions cause the machine to perform operations further comprising:

determining that the first user has performed the user behavior; and

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the determining that the first user has performed the user behavior.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes:

causing display of a graphical icon within the depiction of the first item listing.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the machine to perform operations further comprising:

receiving the publication data from a second user, the publication data further comprising an opt-in to a prize scheme;

assigning the condition to the publication data in response to the opt-in to the prize scheme; and

wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes causing display of an indication of the prize scheme within the depiction of the first item listing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the publication data comprises a listing for a good or service sought to be transacted by a publishing user.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a search request from a first user;

retrieving a set of search results based on the search request, the set of search results including at least a first item listing that comprises publication data, the publication data including a definition of a condition;

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the retrieving the set of search results that includes the first item listing; and

generating a presentation of the set of search results that includes a depiction of the first item listing, the depiction of the first item listing visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results based on the determining that the first user satisfies the condition.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the condition includes a user attribute of the first user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the search request comprises a timestamp, the condition includes a temporal criteria that defines a time period, and the determining that the first user satisfies the condition includes:

determining that the search request was received within the time period of the condition, based on the timestamp of the search request.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the condition includes a user behavior, and the method further comprises:

determining that the first user has performed the user behavior; and

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the determining that the first user has performed the user behavior.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes:

causing display of a graphical icon within the depiction of the first item listing.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the publication data from a second user, the publication data further comprising an opt-in to a prize scheme;

assigning the condition to the publication data in response to the opt-in to the prize scheme; and

wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes causing display of an indication of the prize scheme within the depiction of the first item listing.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the publication data comprises a listing for a good or service sought to be transacted by a publishing user.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor of a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search request from a first user;

retrieving a set of search results based on the search request, the set of search results including at least a first item listing that comprises publication data, the publication data including a definition of a condition;

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the retrieving the set of search results that includes the first item listing; and

generating a presentation of the set of search results that includes a depiction of the first item listing, the depiction of the first item listing visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results based on the determining that the first user satisfies the condition.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the condition includes a user attribute of the first user.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the search request comprises a timestamp, the condition includes a temporal criteria that defines a time period, and the determining that the first user satisfies the condition includes:

determining that the search request was received within the time period of the condition, based on the timestamp of the search request.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the condition includes a user behavior, and the instructions cause the machine to perform operations further comprising:

determining that the first user has performed the user behavior; and

determining that the first user satisfies the condition of the publication data in response to the determining that the first user has performed the user behavior.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes:

causing display of a graphical icon within the depiction of the first item listing.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to perform operations further comprising:

receiving the publication data from a second user, the publication data further comprising an opt-in to a prize scheme;

assigning the condition to the publication data in response to the opt-in to the prize scheme; and

wherein the generating the presentation of the set of search results that includes the depiction of the first item listing, wherein the depiction of the first item listing is visually distinguished from the presentation of the set of search results includes causing display of an indication of the prize scheme within the depiction of the first item listing.