Methods of anti-spam marketing through personalized referrals and rewards

• US 7,774,229 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stripe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: R-Coupon.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kleckner, James E., Fraley, Robert A., Dernehl, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez; Raquel
• Application Number:
  US11/217,871
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.1, 705/14.16, 705/14.23, 705/14.39, 705/14.51, 705/14.67, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A marketing method comprising a Provider offering a potential reward to a first party in exchange for promotional assistance of forwarding a first e-mail message to a second party comprising a personalized referral for the marketable entity, a first set of data comprising a first serial number and a first URL link. A first Web site corresponding to the first URL link is created which provides information on the referenced marketable entity and an offer to transact. The first set of data in the first e-mail message is correlated to a first set of database data within a digital database controlled by the Provider. The first e-mail message is forwarded from the Provider to the first party. The first e-mail message is forwarded from the first party directly to the second party without giving any identifying information about the second party to the Provider.

Claims

1. A method of marketing a marketable entity selected from a group consisting of goods and services, the method comprising the steps of:

a. offering a potential reward from a Provider to a first party in exchange for promotional assistance of the first party, the promotional assistance comprising assistance in a forwarding of a first e-mail message to a second party, the first e-mail message comprising a personalized referral for the marketable entity, a first set of data comprising a first serial number and a first URL link;

b. creating a first Web site corresponding to the first URL link, the first Web site providing information on the referenced marketable entity and an offer to transact for the referenced marketable entity;

c. correlating the first set of data in the first e-mail message to a first set of database data within a digital database controlled by the Provider, including data within the database relating to the potential reward offered to the first party in exchange for promotional assistance;

d. forwarding the first e-mail message from the Provider to the first party; and

e. configuring the first e-mail message to be forwarded from the first party directly to the second party,

wherein the first party does not give any identifying information about the second party to the Provider.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first e-mail message comprises a token in the form of a first icon.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first party directly forwards the first e-mail message to the second party via an e-mail account of the first party, without assistance from the Provider.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of forwarding the first e-mail message from the Provider to the first party is preceded by the steps of:

a. designating a limit of how many times that the first party can forward the first e-mail message; and

b. informing the first party of the limit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of forwarding the first e-mail message from the Provider to the first party is preceded by the steps of:

a. entering at least a portion of the personalized referral for the marketable entity by the first party into the digital database of the Provider; and

b. incorporating the portion of the personalized referral into the first e-mail message.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of entering the personalized referral for the marketable entity by the first party into the digital database of the Provider is preceded by the step of selecting a direct mail option on the first Web site by the first party.

7. The method according to claim 6, the step of selecting the direct mail option on the first Web site by the first party being preceded by the steps of:

a. selecting a referral e-mail address option on the first Web site by the first party; and

b. entering an e-mail address of the second party by the first party into the database controlled by the Provider.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of entering an e-mail address of the second party by the first party into the database controlled by the Provider is preceded by the steps of:

a. establishing an account on the first Web site by the first party; and

b. entering a designated password by the first party recognizable by the database controlled by the Provider, to allow the first party to add data into the database.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of forwarding the first e-mail message from the first party directly to the second party is accomplished via an e-mail server utilized by the first party.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

1. attempting to access the first Web site by the second party;

2. evaluating an authorization of the second party to access the first Web site based on the correlation of the first set of data in the first e-mail message to the first set of database data within the database; and

3. evaluating validity of the forwarding of the first e-mail message to the second party, based upon whether the first party has reached a limit of how many times that the first party is permitted to forward the first e-mail message.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

1. validating the forwarding of the first e-mail message to the second party;

2. directing the second party to the first Web site that provides information on the referenced marketable entity and an offer to transact for the referenced marketable entity; and

3. advancing a counter to keep track of how many times the first party has forwarded the first-email message.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

1. invalidating the forwarding of the first e-mail message based on the limit having been reached;

2. informing the second party that the coupon is invalid because the first party exceeded the limit of how many times the first party is permitted to forward the first e-mail message;

3. providing an alternative offer to transact for the referenced marketable entity to the second party, through which the first party does not receive a reward; and

4. informing the first party that the first party exceeded the limit of how many times the first party is permitted to forward the first e-mail message.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first e-mail message further comprises an coupon code recognizable by the database controlled by the Provider.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the coupon code comprises a field of check characters used in validating the first e-mail message.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the coupon code comprises a unique offer number corresponding to an offer that has been issued within the limit designated to the first party.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of issuing a reward to select parties according to a constant rewards distribution approach.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the constant rewards distribution approach wherein the reward in total remains constant, regardless of how many parties receive a portion of the reward.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the constant rewards distribution approach further comprises a tracking system which allows for the Provider to identify the select parties who will be rewarded prior to distribution of the reward.

19. A method of marketing a marketable entity selected from a group consisting of goods and services comprising the steps of:

a. transacting through an electronic information network for a first marketable entity by a first party;

b. offering a reward to a first party through the electronic information network to assist in recommending a second marketable entity substantially similar to the first marketable entity to a second party wherein the recommendation results in a transaction;

c. forwarding an e-mail from the Provider to the first party, the e-mail comprising a recommendation for the second marketable entity and a URL link to a Web site; and

d. configuring the e-mail from the first party directly to the second party,

whereby the first party does not give any identifying information about the second party to the Provider.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

a. accessing the Web site by the second party;

b. entering an e-mail address by the second party into a database controlled by the Provider; and

c. offering a reward to the second party to assist in recommending the marketable entity to a third party wherein the recommendation results in a transaction.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of issuing a reward to select parties according to a constant rewards distribution approach.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the constant rewards distribution approach wherein the reward in total remains constant, regardless of how many parties receive a portion of the reward.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the constant rewards distribution approach further comprises a tracking system which allows for the Provider to identify the select parties who will be rewarded prior to distribution of the reward.