Computerized incentive program with plateau pricing and remote award redemption
First Claim
1. A computerized incentive program system comprising:
- a pricing component to convert a price of each of a plurality of awards into a number of award levels such that each price within a particular price range is converted to an award level;
a bank account component, operatively coupled to the pricing component, comprising;
an award calculation/issuance component to track an award balance for each of a plurality of program participants; and
,a redemption component operatively coupled to the award calculation/issuance component to permit a program participant to redeem at least a portion of the award balance of the participant for an award; and
,a certificate component, operatively coupled to the bank account component, comprising;
a certificate issuance component to issue a certificate to a program participant for a value of at least a portion of the award balance of the program participant upon conclusion of the incentive program;
a certificate tracking component operatively coupled to the certificate issuance component to track the value of the certificate by a serial number of the certificate; and
,a certificate redemption component operatively coupled to the certificate tracking component to permit the program participant to remotely redeem at least a portion of the value of the certificate for an award by identifying the serial number of the certificate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computerized incentive program having plateau pricing and a personalized bank-account system, and permitting remote award redemption is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a computerized incentive-program system includes a pricing component, which converts a price of each of a plurality of awards into award levels such that each price within a particular price range is converted to a single award level. The system also includes a bank account component, which tracks an award balance for each of a plurality of participants and permits each participant to redeem at least a portion of the award balance for an award. Finally, the system includes a certificate component, which permits a program participant to remotely redeem a certificate having a value at least a portion of the award balance by identifying a serial number unique to the certificate, upon conclusion of the incentive program.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A computerized incentive program system comprising:
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a pricing component to convert a price of each of a plurality of awards into a number of award levels such that each price within a particular price range is converted to an award level; a bank account component, operatively coupled to the pricing component, comprising; an award calculation/issuance component to track an award balance for each of a plurality of program participants; and
,a redemption component operatively coupled to the award calculation/issuance component to permit a program participant to redeem at least a portion of the award balance of the participant for an award; and
,a certificate component, operatively coupled to the bank account component, comprising; a certificate issuance component to issue a certificate to a program participant for a value of at least a portion of the award balance of the program participant upon conclusion of the incentive program; a certificate tracking component operatively coupled to the certificate issuance component to track the value of the certificate by a serial number of the certificate; and
,a certificate redemption component operatively coupled to the certificate tracking component to permit the program participant to remotely redeem at least a portion of the value of the certificate for an award by identifying the serial number of the certificate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A computerized incentive program system comprising:
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a pricing component to convert a price of each of a plurality of awards into a number of award levels such that each price within a particular price range is converted to an award level; a bank account component operatively coupled to the pricing component to track an award balance for each of a plurality of participants and permit each participant to redeem at least a portion of the award balance for an award; and
,a certificate issuance component operatively coupled to the bank account component to permit a program participant to remotely redeem a certificate having a value of at least a portion of the award balance by identifying a serial number unique to the certificate, upon conclusion of the incentive program. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer-implemented method for converting a price of each of a plurality of awards to a number of award levels, in conjunction with a computerized incentive program system having at least a bank account component and a certificate component, the method comprising the steps of:
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categorizing each award by price into one of a plurality of price ranges; assigning each award to an award level according to the price range into which the award has been categorized; loading the award level for each award into a database stored on a computerized storage system, wherein each award within a particular price range has an award level; and a certificate issuance component operatively coupled to the bank account component to permit a program participant to remotely redeem a certificate having a value of at least a portion of the award balance by identifying a serial number unique to the certificate, upon conclusion of the incentive program. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A computer-implemented method for permitting a program participant to remotely redeem at least a portion of an award value of a certificate for an award, in conjunction with a computerized incentive program system having at least a bank account component, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining from the program participant a serial number of the certificate; comparing the serial number of the certificate against a database stored on a computerized storage system to verify that the certificate is valid; obtaining from the program participant an item number of an award, wherein the award is selected from a plurality of awards, such that a price of each of the plurality of awards is converted into a number of award levels and such that each price within a particular price range is converted to an award level; reducing the award value of the certificate by the award value associated with the award; and
,a certificate issuance component operatively coupled to the bank account component to permit a program participant to remotely redeem a certificate having a value of at least a portion of the award balance by identifying a serial number unique to the certificate, upon conclusion of the incentive program.
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13. A computer comprising:
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at least one processor; at least one memory, operatively coupled to the processor; means for converting a price of each of a plurality of awards into a number of award levels such that each price within a particular price range is converted to an award level; means for tracking an award balance for each of a plurality of program participants; means for permitting a program participant to redeem at least a portion of the award balance of the participant for an award; means for issuing a certificate to a program participant for a value of at least a portion of the award balance of the program participant upon conclusion of the incentive program; means for tracking the value of the certificate by a serial number of the certificate; means for permitting the program participant to remotely redeeming at least a portion of the value of the certificate for an award by identifying the serial number of the certificate.
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Specification