Method and architecture for multi-level commissioned advertising on a computer network

• US 6,289,318 B1
• Filed: 03/24/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Click Sales Incorporated (Keynetics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keynetics Incorporated
• Inventors: Barber, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/275,696
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/40, 235/380, 235/384, 707/2, 707/5
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

A method and architecture for rewarding a merchant that operates a server on a computer network, and in particular on the Internet, when a consumer accesses the server and later access a server of a paying merchant, i.e. a merchant who has agreed to provide a reward to one or more of the merchants the consumer accessed on the way, in tracing a course through the network, to accessing the paying merchant. The invention involves having a service operate servers, on the computer network, that automatically distribute any reward provided by a paying merchant. The method is not intended to reward all merchants visited by a consumer on the way to a paying merchant; it distributes rewards only approximately, trading off accuracy for a lower burden of computation.

Claims

1. A method, for use on a computer network, for distributing a reward from a paying merchant to participating merchants, the paying merchant and participating merchants all operating servers connected to the computer network, the reward to be distributed after a consumer visits a web site of the paying merchant, the method comprising the steps of:

a) recording each access by the consumer of a participating merchant web site, including access by the consumer of the paying merchant web site;

b) accepting referral points issued by the paying merchant when a consumer accesses a pre-determined web site of the paying merchant; and

c) distributing to participating merchants the referral points according to criteria that limit the number of participating merchants, the criteria including a requirement that the consumer have visited a web site of a participating merchant before visiting the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant; and

wherein the distributing to participating merchants is calculated based on a pre-agreed pass-on percentage for each participating merchant, the pass-on percentage indicating what percentage of any referral points the participating merchant agrees to pass on to other participating merchants who satisfy the criteria for receiving a portion of the referral points.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the criteria include a requirement that the consumer visit a participating merchant within a pre-determined time before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the criteria include a requirement that after last visiting a participating merchant before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant, the consumer not visit more than a pre-determined number of other participating merchants in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.

4. An architecture, for use on a computer network, for distributing a reward from a paying merchant to participating merchants, the paying merchant and participating merchants all operating servers connected to the computer network, the reward to be distributed after a consumer visits a web site of the paying merchant, the architecture comprising:

a) means for recording each access by the consumer of a participating merchant web site, including access by the consumer of the paying merchant web site;

b) means for accepting referral points issued by the paying merchant when a consumer access a pre-determined web site of the paying merchant;

c) means for distributing to participating merchants the referral points according to criteria that limits the number of participating merchants, the criteria including a requirement that the consumer have visited a web site of a participating merchant before visiting the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant;

wherein the means for distributing to participating merchants uses a pre-agreed pass-on percentage for each participating merchant, the pass-on percentage indicating what percentage of any referral points the participating merchant agrees to pass on to other participating merchants who satisfy the criteria for receiving a portion of the referral points.

5. The architecture of claim 4, wherein the criteria includes a requirement that the consumer visit a participating merchant within a pre-determined time before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.

6. The architecture of claim 4, wherein the criteria includes a requirement that after last visiting a participating merchant before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant, the consumer not visit more than a pre-determined number of other participating merchants in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.

7. An architecture, for use on a computer network, for executing a service of distributing a reward from a paying merchant to participating merchants, the paying merchant and participating merchants all operating servers connected to the computer network, the reward to be distributed after a consumer visits a web site of the paying merchant, the architecture comprising:

a) a checkpoint server, for recording each access by the consumer of a participating merchant web site, including access by the consumer of the paying merchant web site;

b) an accounting server, for accepting referral points issued by the paying merchant when a consumer accesses a pre-determined web site of the paying merchant, and for distributing to participating merchants the referral points according to criteria that limit the number of participating merchants, the criteria including a requirement that the consumer have visited a web site of a participating merchant before visiting the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant; and

c) a merchant database server, for hosting a database of information about each participating merchant needed in performing the service, the information including a pass-on percentage, and for a paying merchant also a number of referral points the paying merchant agrees to issue for distribution to participating merchants whenever a consumer visits an indicated web site of the paying merchant.

8. The architecture of claim 7, wherein the criteria include a requirement that the consumer visit a participating merchant within a pre-determined time before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.

9. The architecture of claim 7, wherein the criteria include a requirement that after last visiting a participating merchant before the consumer visits the pre-determined web site of the paying merchant, the consumer not visit more than a pre-determined number of other participating merchants in order for the participating merchant to be awarded a portion of the referral points.