Differential rewards with dynamic user profiling

• US 6,571,216 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Garg, Rahul, Modani, Natwar, Mittal, Parul Alok
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMPAGNE, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US09/483,603
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

A methodology and system allows a plurality of reward scheme owners to give differential rewards, through a plurality of reward distribution agents, to various users based on the user profile. The reward scheme owner may be a seller, a manufacturer, a sales promotion agent or even an intermediary. Similarly, the reward distribution agent may be an on-line or a physical retailer, a broker, a seller or an intermediary. Also the users may be consumers, businesses, brokers or other intermediaries. In one specific case, a reward scheme owner defines a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential reward scheme giving different rewards to different users. The reward scheme owner communicates these to a central reward scheme database server. The reward scheme owners may or may not advertise these schemes. The user visits an online or a physical store. The store acting as a reward distribution agent dynamically profiles the user, queries the central reward scheme database server if the user profile meets the criterion for one or more rewards and offers the applicable rewards to the user. The store later receives reimbursement for the rewards offered to various users, from the reward scheme owners. This methodology and system may be used for offering targeted or differential discounts on different products and services, offering different promotional schemes on different combination of products, giving loyalty points, electronically distributing prizes, free samples, product warranties, tie-in promotions, cross selling, up selling, premiums, memberships, card discounts, organizing contests, sweepstakes, games and offering other similar rewards.

Claims

1. An on-line system of giving differential rewards to users by an electronic system comprising:

a central reward scheme database server, including a database for storing reward schemes, wherein a reward scheme consists of the details of the reward and criteria for offering the reward to a user, the reward specified being given only to a user or class of users satisfying the criteria for offering the reward to a user, thereby being differential in nature, wherein the details of the reward comprise information describing the nature and quantitative measure of the reward being offered, and the criteria for offering the reward to a user comprise user profiles which are based on multi-valued attributes, wherein the attributes include non-quantitative and fuzzy user attributes, nonuser specific attributes, and the user'"'"'s voice and physical actions, and wherein the rewards include discount on a product or service, loyalty points, freebies, product warranties, tie-in promotions, cross selling, up selling, and premiums;

multiple reward scheme owners, each of said reward scheme owners defining a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential reward scheme giving different rewards to different users, the reward schemes being communicated to the central reward scheme database server by the reward scheme owners;

a plurality of reward scheme creation equipment used to define a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential offer which is to be made to the user satisfying an offer'"'"'s targeting parameters; and

multiple reward distribution agents each of which, when visited by a user, dynamically profiles the user, queries the central reward scheme database server to determine if the user meets a criterion for one or more rewards and offers the applicable rewards to the user.

3. The on-line system of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s physical actions include facial and body expressions of the user.

2. An on-line method of giving differential rewards to users by an electronic system comprising the steps of:

storing reward schemes in a central reward scheme database server wherein a reward scheme consists of the details of the reward and criteria for offering the reward to a user, the reward specified being given only to a user or class of users satisfying the criteria for offering the reward to a user, thereby being differential in nature, wherein the details of the reward comprise information describing the nature and quantitative measure of the reward being offered, and the criteria for offering the reward to a user comprise user profiles which are based on multi-valued attributes, wherein the attributes include non-quantitative and fuzzy user attributes, nonuser specific attributes, and the user'"'"'s voice and physical actions, and wherein the rewards include discount on a product or service, loyalty points, freebies, product warranties, tie-in promotions, cross selling, up selling, and premiums;

defining by multiple reward scheme owners a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential reward scheme giving different rewards to different users, the reward schemes being communicated to the central reward scheme database server by the reward scheme owners;

providing a plurality of reward scheme creation equipment used to define a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential offer which is to be made to the user satisfying an offer'"'"'s targeting parameters; and

dynamically profiling a user by a reward distribution agent, when visited by the user, and querying the central reward scheme database server to determine if the user meets a criterion for one or more rewards and offering the applicable rewards to the user.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the user'"'"'s physical actions include facial and body expressions of the user.

5. An on-line system of giving differential rewards to users by an electronic system comprising:

a central reward scheme database server, including a database for storing reward schemes, wherein a reward scheme consists of the details of the reward and criteria for offering the reward to a user, the reward specified being given only to a user or class of users satisfying the criteria for offering the reward to a user, thereby being differential in nature, wherein the details of the reward comprise information describing the nature and quantitative measure of the reward being offered, and the criteria for offering the reward to a user comprise user profiles which are based on multi-valued attributes, wherein the attributes are derived from a combination of attributes generated by data mining and on-line dynamic profiling of the user and include non-quantitative and fuzzy user attributes and nonuser specific attributes and wherein the user'"'"'s credit rating is an attribute derived from data mining of the user'"'"'s past purchases, and wherein the rewards include discount on a product or service, loyalty points, freebies, product warranties, tie-in promotions, cross selling, up selling, and premiums;

multiple reward scheme owners, each of said reward scheme owners defining a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential reward scheme giving different rewards to different users, the reward schemes being communicated to the central reward scheme database server by the reward scheme owners;

a plurality of reward scheme creation equipment used to define a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential offer which is to be made to the user satisfying an offer'"'"'s targeting parameters; and

multiple reward distribution agents each of which, when visited by a user, dynamically profiles the user, queries the central reward scheme database server to determine if the user meets a criterion for one or more rewards and offers the applicable rewards to the user.

6. An on-line method of giving differential rewards to users by an electronic system comprising the steps of:

storing reward schemes in a central reward scheme database server wherein a reward scheme consists of the details of the reward and criteria for offering the reward to a user, the reward specified being given only to a user or class of users satisfying the criteria for offering the reward to a user, thereby being differential in nature, wherein the details of the reward comprise information describing the nature and quantitative measure of the reward being offered, and the criteria for offering the reward to a user comprise user profiles which are based on multi-valued attributes, wherein the attributes are derived from a combination of attributes generated by data mining and on-line dynamic profiling of the user and include non-quantitative and fuzzy user attributes and nonuser specific attributes and wherein the user'"'"'s credit rating is an attribute derived from data mining the user'"'"'s past purchases, and wherein the rewards include discount on a product or service, loyalty points, freebies, product warranties, tie-in promotions, cross selling, up selling, and premiums;

defining by multiple reward scheme owners a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential reward scheme giving different rewards to different users, the reward schemes being communicated to the central reward scheme database server by the reward scheme owners;

providing a plurality of reward scheme creation equipment used to define a plurality of reward schemes, including at least one differential offer which is to be made to the user satisfying an offer'"'"'s targeting parameters; and

dynamically profiling a user by a reward distribution agent, when visited by the user, and querying the central reward scheme database server to determine if the user meets a criterion for one or more rewards and offering the applicable rewards to the user.