System and method for tiered filtering of purchase transactions

• US 7,890,367 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Ariff, Fauziah, Thomas, Tracey R., Senghore, Medina J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US11/742,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.28, 705/143, 705/14.38
• US Class Current: 705/14.28
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/6562 Manganese
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/8913 Cobalt and noble metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0205 in several steps
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0226 Oxidation of the substrate, e.g. anodisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0219 based on funds or budget
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0228 On-line clearing houses
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0232 Frequent usage rewards other than merchandise, cash or travel
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• 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 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 : Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 : Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 : Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A filtering module to process purchase transaction data received from a retailer POS is disclosed. Merchant information is used to filter purchase transactions by determining whether the purchase transaction qualifies an initiating purchaser for a reward. The retailer POS transmits purchase data from a merchant to a host, wherein the purchase data includes retailer data, transaction data and a retailer item identifier, and wherein the retailer item identifier enables the host to determine a manufacturer item identifier. The retailer POS then receives a determination that the merchant is a qualifying merchant when the purchase data corresponds to the loyalty program data and causes the host to issue loyalty awards based on the manufacturer item identifier and the loyalty program data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for facilitating a merchant loyalty program, said method including:

transmitting, by a computer-based merchant system, purchase data to a loyalty host, wherein said purchase data includes retailer data, transaction data and a retailer item identifier, wherein said retailer item identifier is associated with a manufacturer item identifier, and wherein said retailer data includes a retailer identifier and said retailer item identifier, and wherein said manufacturer item identifier is part of manufacturer data associated with a manufacturer;

receiving, by the computer-based merchant system, a determination of a qualifying merchant in response to said purchase data corresponding to loyalty program data; and

receiving, by the computer-based merchant system, loyalty awards based on said manufacturer item identifier and said loyalty program data, wherein said manufacturer item identifier is obtained based on said retailer item identifier, and wherein said loyalty awards are determined based on at least one of said retailer item identifier, said manufacturer item identifier and a group of merchants.

2. A computer implemented method including:

receiving, by a computer-based system for facilitating a loyalty program, purchase data, wherein said purchase data includes retailer data, transaction data and a retailer item identifier, wherein said retailer item identifier is associated with a manufacturer item identifier, and wherein said retailer data includes a retailer identifier and said retailer item identifier, and wherein said manufacturer item identifier is part of manufacturer data associated with a manufacturer;

determining, by the computer-based system, a qualifying merchant in response to said purchase data corresponding to loyalty program data;

obtaining, by the computer-based system, said manufacturer item identifier based on said retailer item identifier;

determining, by the computer-based system, loyalty awards based on at least one of said retailer item identifier, said manufacturer item identifier and a group of merchants; and

transmitting, by the computer-based system and to said qualifying merchant, loyalty awards based on said manufacturer item identifier and said loyalty program data.

3. The method of claim 2, further including issuing loyalty awards to at least one of:

said manufacturer, said qualifying merchant and a customer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said manufacturer item identifier is a Universal Product Code (UPC).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said retailer item identifier is a Stock Keeping Unit (SKU).

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said retailer data further includes at least one of:

a merchant classification code, a merchant consortium code, and a merchant location code.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said loyalty program data further includes at least one of:

a merchant identifier, a merchant classification code, a merchant consortium code, a merchant location code, program start date, program end date, a customer classification code, and a customer location code.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein said purchase data further includes at least one of:

a customer identifier, a retailer identifier, a retailer item identifier, loyalty program information, a merchant classification code, a merchant consortium code, a merchant location code, a transaction amount, a payment vehicle, a date, a number of items purchased, and an employee identifier.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said purchase data further includes a purchase transaction instrument, wherein said purchase transaction instrument includes at least one of:

cash, check, charge card, credit card, debit card, prepaid card, stored value card, loyalty card, contactless card, RFID card, and gift card.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said loyalty awards are at least one of:

a coupon, a gift certificate, a gift card, reward points, cash, entertainment package, a product, and a service.

11. The method of claim 2, further including issuing loyalty awards based on a ratio determined by at least one of:

a retailer, a group of retailers, said manufacturer, and a third-party provider.

12. The method of claim 2, further including issuing loyalty awards based on at least one of:

a date on which a customer made a purchase, a frequency of purchases, a quantity of purchases, a consumer profile, purchase history, loyalty point balance and a total purchase price.

13. The method of claim 2, further including informing at least one of:

said manufacturer, said qualifying merchant and a customer when said loyalty points are issued.

14. The method of claim 2, further including generating invalidating data in response to said purchase data not corresponding to said loyalty program data.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein said purchase data is extracted from a transaction file constructed by said qualifying merchant.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein said transmitting further includes transmitting loyalty rewards to at least one of a customer and a manufacturer.

17. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for facilitating a loyalty program that, in response to execution by a computer-based system, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the computer-based system, purchase data, wherein said purchase data includes retailer data, transaction data and a retailer item identifier, wherein said retailer item identifier is associated with a manufacturer item identifier, and wherein said retailer data includes a retailer identifier and said retailer item identifier, and wherein said manufacturer item identifier is part of manufacturer data associated with a manufacturer;

determining, by the computer-based system, a qualifying merchant in response to said purchase data corresponding to loyalty program data;

obtaining, by the computer-based system, said manufacturer item identifier based on said retailer item identifier;

determining, by the computer-based system, loyalty awards based on at least one of said retailer item identifier, said manufacturer item identifier and a group of merchants; and

transmitting, by the computer-based system and to said qualifying merchant, loyalty awards based on said manufacturer item identifier and said loyalty program data.