Method and apparatus for administering a reward program

• US 6,049,778 A
• Filed: 10/31/1997
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Alderucci, Dean, Jorasch, James A., Van Luchene, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAUDLE, PENNY L
• Application Number:
  US08/961,964
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1, 463/16, 463/25
• US Class Current: 705/14.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a central controller stores a series of registrations, each of which corresponds to a purchaser of a product. The central controller calculates a measurement of product success, such as the number of products sold or the market share of the product. The central controller determines if the measurement is within a predetermined range. For example, the central controller may determine if the number of products sold exceeds a predetermined threshold. A selected set of registrations which are "early-adopter" registrations are selected. The set of registrations thereby defines a set of early-adopter purchasers. For example, the central controller may select a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, such as the first hundred registrations. Thus, one hundred early-adopter purchasers are defined. If the measurement of product success is within the predetermined range, a reward, such as a refund or a free product, is provided to each early-adopter purchaser. For example, if sales of the product exceed 1,000,000 units, a reward is provided to each early-adopter purchaser.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for administering a reward program based on a series of registrations, each registration corresponding to a purchaser, comprising:

calculating a measurement of product success;

determining if the measurement is within a predetermined range;

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations which are early-adopter registrations, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating a measurement of product success comprises:

calculating a quantity of product sales.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement of product success is selected from the group consisting of product market share, purchase price, product revenue and product profit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each registration of the series of registrations has an ordinal position;

and wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ordinal position of each registration indicates the order in which corresponding registration information was received.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a randomly selected set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting a message indicating the ordinal position of at least one registration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each registration of the series of registrations has a corresponding date.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having dates before a predetermined date.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a randomly selected set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of registrations comprises a first group of registrations and a second group of registrations, and wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser of the first group and a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser of the second group if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises:

determining if the measurement is within a first predetermined range; and

determining if the measurement is within a second predetermined range; and

and wherein the step of providing a reward comprises;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the first predetermined range; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the second predetermined range.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises:

providing money to the early-adopter purchasers if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each registration includes a corresponding purchase price,

and wherein the step of providing rewards comprises:

for each registration, providing to each corresponding early-adopter purchaser an amount of money based on the corresponding purchase price if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises:

for each registration, providing to each corresponding early-adopter purchaser an amount of money based on the difference between the corresponding purchase price and a current purchase price if the measurement is within a predetermined range.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises:

providing an access code for permitting access to a network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises providing an increased payout on a winning lottery entry.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises:

adjusting an account balance.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises transmitting rewards via electronic mail.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing rewards comprises printing a mailing address.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein each registration includes a registration identifier for uniquely identifying the registration.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each registration identifier includes a product serial number.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein each registration identifier includes a seller identifier for specifying a product seller.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a package, which includes a plurality of products, a package condition and an increased reward;

selecting from the set of early-adopter purchasers a subset of package purchasers, each package purchaser meeting the package condition; and

wherein the step of providing a reward further comprises

providing the increased reward to each package purchaser if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the package condition specifies a number of the plurality of products for which each early-adopter must be registered.

27. The method of claim 1, in which each early-adopter registration represents a purchaser of a predetermined plurality of products.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message indicating the measurement of product success.

29. The method of claim 1, in which the measurement of product success is calculated relatively.

30. A computer-based method for administering a reward program, comprising:

receiving signals indicative of registration information;

generating a registration corresponding to the received registration information;

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

selecting the registration if the registration is an early-adopter registration; and

transmitting signals indicative of the selected registration.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

storing the registration.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining an ordinal position of the registration with respect to a series of registrations; and

determining if the ordinal position of the registration is within a predetermined range of positions.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the ordinal position of the registration indicates the order in which the registration information was received.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

transmitting a message indicating the ordinal position of the registration.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining a date of the registration; and

determining if the date of the registration is before a predetermined date.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining a date of the registration; and

determining if the date of the registration is within a predetermined range of dates.

37. A computer-based method for administering a reward program based on success of at least one of a plurality of products, comprising

storing a series of registrations, each registration corresponding to a purchaser and a product of the plurality of products, each registration thereby defining a registered purchaser of the product;

calculating a measurement of success of a first product of the plurality of products;

determining if the measurement is within a predetermined range;

selecting a set of purchasers who are registered purchasers of the first product and registered purchasers of a second product of the plurality of products; and

providing a reward to each of the set of purchasers if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

38. A computer-implemented method for administering a reward program, comprising:

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the predetermined range of quantities.

39. A computer-implemented method for administering a reward program, comprising:

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

determining if the quantity is within a second predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the first predetermined range of quantities; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the second predetermined range of quantities.

40. A computer-implemented method for administering a reward program, comprising:

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the predetermined range of quantities.

41. A computer-implemented method for administering a reward program, comprising:

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

determining if the quantity is within a second predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the first predetermined range of quantities; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the second predetermined range of quantities.

42. An apparatus for administering a reward program based on a series of registrations, each registration corresponding to a purchaser, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

calculating a measurement of product success;

determining if the measurement is within a predetermined range;

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations which are early-adopter registrations, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of calculating a measurement of product success comprises:

calculating a quantity of product sales.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the measurement of product success is selected from the group consisting of product market share, purchase price, product revenue and product profit.

45. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein each registration of the series of registrations has an ordinal position;

and wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the ordinal position of each registration indicates the order in which corresponding registration information was received.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a randomly selected set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, in which the processor is further operative with the program to perform the step of:

transmitting a message indicating the ordinal position of at least one registration.

49. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein each registration of the series of registrations has a corresponding date.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having dates before a predetermined date.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

selecting from the series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the step of selecting comprises

selecting from the series of registrations a randomly selected set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates.

53. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the set of registrations comprises a first group of registrations and a second group of registrations, and wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser of the first group and a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser of the second group if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

54. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of determining comprises:

determining if the measurement is within a first predetermined range; and

determining if the measurement is within a second predetermined range; and

and wherein the step of providing a reward comprises;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the first predetermined range; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the measurement is within the second predetermined range.

55. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

providing money to the early-adopter purchasers if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

56. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein each registration includes a corresponding purchase price,

and wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

for each registration, providing to each corresponding early-adopter purchaser an amount of money based on the corresponding purchase price if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

for each registration, providing to each corresponding early-adopter purchaser an amount of money based on the difference between the corresponding purchase price and a current purchase price if the measurement is within a predetermined range.

58. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

providing an access code for permitting access to a network.

59. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises

providing an increased payout on a winning lottery entry.

60. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

adjusting an account balance.

61. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises

transmitting a reward via electronic mail.

62. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the step of providing a reward comprises:

printing a mailing address.

63. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein each registration includes a registration identifier for uniquely identifying the registration.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein each registration identifier includes a product serial number.

65. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein each registration identifier includes a seller identifier for specifying a product seller.

66. The apparatus of claim 42, in which the processor is further operative with the program to perform the steps of:

storing

a package, which includes a plurality of products,

a package condition and

an increased reward;

selecting from the set of early-adopter purchasers a subset of package purchasers, each package purchaser meeting the package condition;

and wherein the step of providing a reward further comprises

providing the increased reward to each package purchaser if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the package condition specifies a number of the plurality of products for which each early-adopter must be registered.

68. The apparatus of claim 42, in which each early-adopter registration represents a purchaser of a predetermined plurality of products.

69. The apparatus of claim 42, in which the processor is further operative with the program to perform the step of:

transmitting a message indicating the measurement of product success.

70. The apparatus of claim 42, in which the measurement of product success is calculated relatively.

71. An apparatus for administering a reward program, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

receiving signals indicative of registration information;

generating a registration corresponding to the received registration information;

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

selecting the registration if the registration is an early-adopter registration; and

transmitting signals indicative of the selected registration.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, in which the processor is further operative with the program to perform the step of:

storing the registration.

73. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining an ordinal position of the registration with respect to a series of registrations; and

determining if the ordinal position of the registration is within a predetermined range of positions.

74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the ordinal position of the registration indicates the order in which the registration information was received.

75. The apparatus of claim 73, in which the processor is further operative with the program to perform the step of:

transmitting a message indicating the ordinal position of the registration.

76. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining a date of the registration; and

determining if the date of the registration is before a predetermined date.

77. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the step of selecting comprises:

determining a date of the registration; and

determining if the date of the registration is within a predetermined range of dates.

78. An apparatus for administering a reward program based on success of at least one of a plurality of products, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing

a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

storing a series of registrations, each registration corresponding to a purchaser and a product of the plurality of products, each registration thereby defining a registered purchaser of the product;

calculating a measurement of success of a first product of the plurality of products;

determining if the measurement is within a predetermined range;

selecting a set of purchasers who are registered purchasers of the first product and registered purchasers of a second product of the plurality of products; and

providing a reward to each of the set of purchasers if the measurement is within the predetermined range.

79. An apparatus for administering a reward program, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing

a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the predetermined range of quantities.

80. An apparatus for administering a reward program, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing

a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

determining if the quantity is within a second predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the first predetermined range of quantities; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the second predetermined range of quantities.

81. An apparatus for administering a reward program, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing

a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers; and

providing a reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the predetermined range of quantities.

82. An apparatus for administering a reward program, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor connected to the storage device,

the storage device storing

a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to perform the steps of

calculating a quantity of sales of a predetermined product;

determining if the quantity is within a first predetermined range of quantities;

determining if the quantity is within a second predetermined range of quantities;

selecting from a series of registrations a set of registrations having dates within a predetermined range of dates, the set of registrations thereby defining a set of early-adopter purchasers;

providing a first reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the first predetermined range of quantities; and

providing a second reward to each early-adopter purchaser if the quantity is within the second predetermined range of quantities.