Delivery, organization, and redemption of virtual offers from the internet, interactive-TV, wireless devices and other electronic means

• US 8,140,386 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey W. Mankoff
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey W. Mankoff
• Inventors: Mankoff, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAMPAGNE, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US13/226,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 196 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.17, 705/14.26, 700/90
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• 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 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for redeeming virtual coupons by associating the coupons with a consumer and a payment system associated with the consumer. In some embodiments, the method includes distributing the enabled promotional offers, from one or more source sites, via the electronic contact addresses for the plurality of consumers, such that the promotional offers can be electronically accepted by at least some of the particular consumers with whom they are identified without redeeming the accepted offers. The method further includes electronically receiving a redemption of the promotional offer by means of the consumer'"'"'s presentment of the associated payment system for purchasing the subject matter of the accepted promotional offer.

Claims

1. A method of distributing promotional offers to consumers, the method comprising:

establishing a list of electronic contact addresses for a plurality of consumers;

creating a plurality of enabled promotional offers, each enabled promotional offer including validation information that identifies it with a particular consumer;

distributing the enabled promotional offers, from one or more source sites, via the electronic contact addresses for the plurality of consumers, wherein the enabled promotional offers can be electronically accepted by at least some of the particular consumers with whom they are identified without redeeming the accepted offers;

upon the electronic acceptance of at least one of the enabled promotional offers by at least one consumer, placing the unredeemed accepted promotional offer in a coupon database associated with the at least one consumer;

establishing or maintaining an association of the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database with the at least one consumer'"'"'s payment system; and

electronically receiving a redemption of the accepted promotional offer by means of the consumer'"'"'s presentment of the associated payment system for purchasing the subject matter of the accepted promotional offer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing or maintaining further comprises establishing or maintaining the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database with the at least one consumer'"'"'s payment system at a marketer site.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing or maintaining further comprises establishing or maintaining the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database with the at least one consumer'"'"'s payment system at a matching agent site.

4. The method of claim 1 and further comprising establishing the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database associated with the at least one consumer'"'"'s payment system upon the at least one consumer'"'"'s electronic first acceptance of the enabled promotional offer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein to accept the enabled promotional offer and place the accepted promotional offer in the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database requires that the at least one consumer associate a payment system with the consumer'"'"'s coupon database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one consumer'"'"'s coupon database was previously existing when the enabled promotional offer was distributed to the at least one consumers.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising associating the coupon database with the at least one consumer'"'"'s payment system upon the consumer'"'"'s acceptance of the enabled promotional offer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the payment system is selected from the group consisting of:

credit cards, debit cards, electronic payment accounts, consumer billing systems, cell-phone-based electronic payment systems, and PDA-based electronic communication systems.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the form of distributing the enabled promotional offers is chosen from the group consisting of:

emails, banner ads, interactive television, cell phones, satellite phones, land-based phones, PDA-based wireless devices, and electronic kiosks.

10. The method of claim 1 and further comprising detecting the plurality of consumers'"'"' locations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the enabled promotional offers are distributed to at least some of the detected consumers according to the consumers'"'"' detected locations.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the enabled promotional offers are distributed to at least some of the detected consumers according to the time of the consumers'"'"' detected presence.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the method of detecting the consumer'"'"'s location is selected from the group consisting of:

use of a satellite-based positioning system;

use of triangulation from land-based radio transmission;

detection of which transmission tower is communicating with a consumer'"'"'s cell-based electronic device; and

detection of a communication hub communicating with a consumer'"'"'s local-area-network-based electronic device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the times at which certain offers are made to consumers are according to consumers'"'"' stored preferences associated with the consumers'"'"' coupon databases.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the times at which certain offers are made to consumers are according to advertisers'"'"' preferences.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the values of at least some of the promotional offers diminish with time.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the values diminish with time relative to the times the offers were distributed.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the values diminish with time relative to the times the offers were accepted.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the values of the promotional offers diminish with time in steps shorter than a single day.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the diminishing-value promotional offers are made to consumers according to their geographic locations.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the electronic contact addresses are Internet addresses and wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via the Internet.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the electronic contact addresses are interactive television addresses and wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via interactive television.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the electronic contact addresses are cellular phone numbers and wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via cellular phone network communications.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the electronic contact addresses are satellite communication network addresses and wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via a satellite communication network.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more different source sites comprise at least one source site selected from the group consisting of:

a list owner source site;

a list manager source site;

a card-matching agent source site;

a retailer source site;

a marketer source site;

an advertiser source site;

a product manufacturer source site;

an entity source site desiring to make a promotional offer; and

a wireless communications provider source site.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more source sites comprise a first entity source site and a second entity source site.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more source sites can be associated with an electronic address or a physical address.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the coupon database is established in a coupon server.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein at least one consumer purchase is cleared through a credit card server, and further comprising the credit card server communicating with the coupon server to determine whether the at least one consumer has an accepted promotional offer to be redeemed by the purchase.

30. The method of claim 1 and further comprising sending an email to the consumer notifying of the successful redemption of the redeemed promotional offer.

31. A method of distributing promotional offers to consumers, the method comprising:

establishing a list of electronic contact addresses for a plurality of consumers;

creating a plurality of enabled promotional offers, each enabled promotional offer including validation information that identifies it with a particular consumer;

establishing a coupon database for each of the plurality of consumers;

registering a payment system for each of the plurality of consumers;

distributing the enabled promotional offers, from one or more source sites, to the electronic contact addresses for the consumers with whom the promotional offers are identified, wherein the enabled promotional offer can be electronically accepted by the identified consumer without redeeming the offers;

upon the electronic acceptance of the enabled promotional offer by the identified consumer, placing the unredeemed accepted promotional offer in the coupon database associated with that consumer; and

electronically receiving a redemption of the accepted promotional offer by means of the consumer'"'"'s presentment of the associated payment system for purchasing the subject matter of the accepted promotional offer.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the payment system is selected from the group consisting of:

credit cards, debit cards, electronic payment accounts, consumer billing systems, cell-phone-based electronic payment systems, and PDA-based electronic communication systems.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the form of distributing the enabled promotional offers is chosen from the group consisting of:

emails, banner ads, interactive television, cell phones, satellite phones, land-based phones, PDA-based wireless devices, and electronic kiosks.

34. The method of claim 31 and further comprising detecting the plurality of consumers'"'"' locations, and wherein the promotional offer is distributed to at least some of the detected consumers according to the consumers'"'"' detected locations.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the method of detecting the consumer'"'"'s location is selected from the group consisting of:

use of a satellite-based positioning system;

use of triangulation from land-based radio transmission;

detection of which transmission tower is communicating with a consumer'"'"'s cell-based electronic device; and

detection of a communication hub communicating with a consumer'"'"'s local-area-network-based electronic device.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein at least some of the electronic contact addresses are selected from the group consisting of:

Internet addresses, wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via the Internet;

interactive television addresses, wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via interactive television;

cellular phone numbers, wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via cellular phone network communications; and

satellite communication network addresses, wherein the distributing of the promotional offers is at least in part via a satellite communication network.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more different source sites comprise at least one source site selected from the group consisting of:

a list owner source site;

a list manager source site;

a card-matching agent source site;

a retailer source site;

a marketer source site;

an advertiser source site;

a product manufacturer source site;

an entity source site desiring to make a promotional offer; and

a wireless communications provider source site.

38. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more source sites comprise a first entity source site and a second entity source site.

39. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more source sites can be associated with an electronic address or a physical address.