Method and apparatus for defining routing of customers between merchants

• US 7,496,523 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Jorasch, James A., Van Luchene, Andrew S., Mik, Magdalena
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYAT, BRADLEY B
• Application Number:
  US11/399,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1, 705/10, 705/16, 705/17, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/14.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0219 based on funds or budget
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A server or Internet service provider computer selects a soliciting merchant and an outputting merchant based on various factors. In one embodiment, the soliciting merchant is selected is its activity rate (e.g. sales rate) is low. The outputting merchant provides offers for bonuses to customers on behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is provided to the customer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant. Thus, the soliciting merchant benefits from the increased patronage such offers encourage.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating an offer for a bonus, comprising:

determining a soliciting merchant, the soliciting merchant comprising a merchant participating in a system for providing an offer for a bonus;

determining an outputting merchant, the outputting merchant also comprising a merchant participating in a system for providing an offer for a bonus;

determining that the soliciting merchant is experiencing a period of low activity; and

creating an entry upon determining that the soliciting merchant is experiencing a period of low activity, the entry usable for outputting an offer to a customer of the outputting merchant and including an indication of the soliciting merchant and the outputting merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer for a bonus not yet earned by the customer, the bonus to be earned in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry is an entry in a database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting an instruction for an offer to be output to a customer of the outputting merchant.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the step of determining a soliciting merchant comprises:

selecting based on at least one of

a current time,

an activity rate of the soliciting merchant,

a priority of the soliciting merchant,

an availability of the soliciting merchant,

a merchant class of the soliciting merchant, and

a number of offers provided on behalf of the soliciting merchant.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining the priority of the soliciting merchant based on at least one of;

an amount of funds paid by the soliciting merchant,

a current time,

a predetermined rule, and

an activity rate of the soliciting merchant.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the step of determining a soliciting merchant comprises:

measuring an activity rate of the soliciting merchant;

selecting the soliciting merchant if the activity rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the step of measuring an activity rate of the soliciting merchant comprises:

measuring an number of transactions per predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 7 in which the step of measuring an activity rate of the soliciting merchant comprises:

determining a number of sales of a predetermined product.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, based on the entry, an offer to be provided to a customer of the outputting merchant, the offer being for a predetermined product to be provided to the customer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the step of determining an outputting merchant comprises:

selecting the outputting merchant from a set of outputting merchants based on at least one of;

a current time,

an activity rate of the outputting merchant,

redemption of offers provided by the outputting merchant,

an availability of the outputting merchant,

a priority of the outputting merchant, and

a merchant class of the outputting merchant.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising

determining the priority of the outputting merchant based on an amount of funds paid by the outputting merchant.

13. The method of claim 11 in which the step of selecting an outputting merchant comprises:

determining a redemption of offers that were previously output by the outputting merchant.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the step of determining a redemption of offers comprises:

determining a first amount of offers that were previously output by the outputting merchant; and

determining a percentage of the offers that were redeemed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the outputting merchant if the redemption is greater than a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 11 in which the step of selecting an outputting merchant comprises:

determining a redemption of offers that were previously output by each of a plurality of outputting merchants; and

selecting an outputting merchant having a maximal redemption of offers.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a customer identifier that identifies a customer consummating a transaction at the outputting merchant; and

causing, based on the entry, an offer to be output to the customer if the customer identifier is included within a set of predetermined customer identifiers.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transaction data representing a transaction of a customer with the outputting merchant;

determining a criterion for the outputting merchant; and

outputting, based on the entry and if the transaction satisfies the criterion, an offer during the transaction.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the criterion is based on:

transaction data for the customer,

an age of the customer, and

a credit card identifier of the customer.

20. An apparatus for facilitating an offer, 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 method of claim 1.

21. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for facilitating an offer, the instructions comprising:

the method of claim 1.