System, method, and code for providing promotions in a network environment

• US 7,366,682 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EPiphany Incorporated (Infor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: EPiphany Incorporated (Infor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Singh, Ujjwal, Chan, Su, Katiyar, Dinesh, Belani, Eshwar
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINTER, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/566,202
• Time in Patent Office: 2,916 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/50, 705/1, 705/10, 705/26, 707/10, 707/104
• US Class Current: 705/14.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, techniques are disclosed for providing promotions to users of communication networks, such as the Internet. Information related to a plurality of promotions, including promotions information and rules associated with the promotions, are stored at a promotions management system. The promotions management system receives a query from a vendor system requesting promotions to be shown to a user browsing a particular item at the web site of the vendor. The promotions management system responds to the query by determining a set of promotions to be presented to the user based on the information contained in the query, the information related to the promotions, and other information accessible to the promotions management system. The promotions in the set of promotions are then presented to the user.

Claims

1. In a network environment comprising one or more first computer processing systems for a plurality of promoter systems, a second computer processing system including a vendor system, a third computer processing system including a promotions management system, and a fourth computer processing system including a user system, each computer processing system coupled to a communication network, a method of providing a set of promotions to a user when the user accesses a web page via the fourth computer processing system including the user system, the web page being stored at a vendor web site hosted by the second computer processing system including the vendor system and including information related to an item, the method comprising:

sending promotions information and rules associated with the promotions from the one or more first computer processing systems for the plurality of promoter systems to the third computer processing system over the communication network, the third computer processing system includes the promotions management system, wherein a rule associated with the promotions requires determination of the set of promotions based on price, name, category or manufacturer of the item available for purchase from the vendor system via the user system;

storing the promotions information and rules associated with a plurality of promotions at the third computer processing system including the promotions management system;

generating a promotions query at the second computer processing system including the vendor system for the item available for purchase from the vendor system via the user system, the promotions query including item-related information and user-related information;

communicating the promotions query from the second computer processing system including the vendor system to the third computer processing system including the promotions management system over the communication network;

determining at the third computer processing system including the promotions management system, in response to receiving the promotions query, the set of promotions for the item from the plurality of promotions based on the promotions query, and the promotions information and the rules associated with the promotions, by assigning a matching score to each promotion from the plurality of promotions based on the promotions query and user and vendor information and the rules associated with the plurality of promotions;

prioritizing the plurality of promotions based on the matching scores and identifying the top scoring promotions to be included in the set of promotions;

communicating the set of promotions for the item from the third computer processing system including the promotions management system to the second computer processing system including the vendor system over the communication network; and

providing the set of promotions for the item from the second computer processing system including the vendor system to the fourth computer processing system including the user system over the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a rule associated with a promotion comprises at least one constraint specifying an attribute and a condition associated with the attribute.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotions query includes a query identifier uniquely identifying the promotions query, and vendor identification information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the promotions query at the vendor system comprises:

determining the item-related information;

determining the user-related information;

determining context information indicating a context in which the user accesses the web page; and

including the item-related information, the user-related information, and the context information in the promotions query.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the context information comprises information indicating the user'"'"'s level of interest in the item.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotions query includes promotions-related constraints, each promotions-related constraint including an attribute of the promotion and a condition associated with the attribute of the promotion.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotions query includes promoter-related constraints, each promoter-related constraint including an attribute of a promoter and a condition associated with the attribute of the promoter.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of promotions further comprises:

determining additional user and vendor related information based on the information included in the promotions query.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein prioritizing the plurality of promotions comprises assigning higher priorities to promotions which provide higher revenues to a provider of the promotions management system.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein prioritizing the plurality of promotions comprises:

receiving bid information for the plurality of promotions; and

prioritizing the plurality of promotions based on the bid information.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the set of promotions to the user comprises providing the set of promotions to the user before the user has purchased the item.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the set of promotions to the user comprises displaying the set of promotions on the web page accessed by the user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the set of promotions are displayed on the web page as URL links.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the set of promotions are displayed on the web page in an activated form.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the set of promotions are displayed on the web page in an inactivated form.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving a first signal at the vendor system indicating purchase of the item by the user;

in response to the first signal, receiving a message at the promotions management system to activate the promotions included in the set of promotions;

activating the promotions included in the set of promotions at the promotions management system; and

providing the set of activated promotions to the user.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving a second signal at the promotions management system indicating selection of an activated promotion from the set of promotions by the user; and

in response to the second signal, directing the user to a web site hosted by a promoter system offering the activated promotion selected by the user.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising

building a consolidated user profile for the user at the promotions management system based on user-related information accessible to the promotions management system and on user profiles stored by the vendor system and the promoter systems.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving a third signal at the promotions management system indicating that the user has returned the purchased item;

in response to the third signal, determining the set of promotions associated with the item; and

invalidating the promotions included in the set of promotions.

20. In a network environment comprising one or more first computer processing systems for a plurality of promoter systems, a second computer processing system including a vendor system, a third computer processing system including a promotions management system, and a fourth computer processing system including a user system, each computer processing system coupled to a communication network, a method of providing a set of promotions to a user when the user accesses a web page via the fourth computer processing system including the user system, the web page being stored at a vendor web site hosted by the second computer processing system including the vendor system and including information related to an item, the method comprising:

sending promotions information and rules associated with the promotions from the one or more first computer processing systems for the plurality of promoter systems to the third computer processing system over the communication network, the third computer processing system includes the promotions management system;

storing the promotions information and rules associated with a plurality of promotions at the third computer processing system including the promotions management system;

generating a promotions query at the second computer processing system including the vendor system for the item available for purchase from the vendor system via the user system, the promotions query including item-related information and user-related information;

communicating the promotions query from the second computer processing system including the vendor system to the third computer processing system including the promotions management system over the communication network;

determining at the third computer processing system including the promotions management system, in response to receiving the promotions query, the set of promotions for the item from the plurality of promotions based on the promotions query, and the promotions information and the rules associated with the promotions, by receiving constraint information from the vendor system, assigning a matching score to each promotion from the plurality of promotions based on the promotions query and user and vendor information and the rules associated with the plurality of promotions;

determining additional user and vendor related information based on the information included in the promotions query;

prioritizing the plurality of promotions based on the matching scores and identifying the top scoring promotions to be included in the set of promotions, wherein matching the information included in the promotions query and the additional user and vendor information with the promotions information and with the rules associated with the plurality of promotions comprises, for each promotion;

assigning a first match score by matching the rule associated with the promotion, the information included in the promotions query, and the additional user and vendor related information;

assigning a second match score based on an expected return provided by the promotion;

assigning a third match score by matching the constraint information received from the vendor system with the promotions information and promoter information, the promoter information comprising information about promoters offering the plurality of promotions; and

prioritizing the plurality of promotions based on the matching by generating a combined match score for each promotion based on the first match score, the second match score, and the third match score assigned to the promotion;

communicating the set of promotions for the item from the third computer processing system including the promotions management system to the second computer processing system including the vendor system over the communication network; and

providing the set of promotions for the item from the second computer processing system including the vendor system to the fourth computer processing system including the user system over the communication network.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising storing bid information for the plurality of promotions at the third processing system including the promotions management system, and wherein assigning the second match score comprises assigning the second match score based on the bid information.

22. A computer-implemented method of providing a set of promotions to a user, the method comprising:

receiving promotions information for a plurality of promotions and rules associated with the plurality of promotions;

receiving vendor configured constraints;

receiving a query including constraint information, information related to an item, and information about the user interested in purchasing the item;

determining additional user and vendor related information based on the information included in the query;

determining a set of promotions from the plurality of promotions based on the information contained in the query, the additional vendor and user related information, the promotions information, and the rules associated with the promotions;

by;

assigning a score to each promotion in the plurality of promotions based on the query, the promotions information, the additional user and vendor related information, and the rules associated with the promotions;

wherein assigning the score to each promotion comprises, for each promotion;

assigning a first match score by matching the rule associated with the promotion and the information included in the promotions query;

assigning a second match score based on an expected return provided by the promotion;

assigning a third match score by matching the vendor configured constraints with the promotions information; and

assigning the score for the promotion based on the first match score, the second match score, and the third match score;

determining a subset of promotions from the plurality of promotions based on the scores assigned to the promotions; and

generating the set of promotions to include the subset of promotions;

providing the set of promotions to the user;

receiving a first signal indicating purchase of the item by the user;

in response to the first signal, activating the promotions included in the set of promotions associated with the purchased item; and

providing the set of activated promotions to the user.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising

receiving bid information for the plurality of promotions, and wherein assigning the second match score comprises assigning the second match score based on the bid information for the promotion.