Methods and systems for providing a targeted merchant funded rebate or rewards program

• US 8,156,000 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TuitionFund LLC
• Original Assignee: TuitionFund LLC
• Inventors: Thompson, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, James W
• Application Number:
  US13/300,167
• Time in Patent Office: 144 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.34
• US Class Current: 705/14.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

The present invention relates to facilitating retail transactions between participating enrolled members and participating merchants who fund rebate offers targeted to enrolled members based upon a member'"'"'s past account purchase transaction information, spending habits or member profile information, on qualifying purchases. Account purchase transaction information of merchants funding rebates is monitored by one or more processors at a location(s) other than the participating merchant'"'"'s location to determine whether a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant, and whether such transaction entitles the member to a merchant funded rebate or reward. The remote monitoring and determining gives the rebate program transparency; no special purpose cards/accounts, or loyalty cards need to be presented by the member and no additional checkout procedures or special equipment are needed by the participating merchants. The rebates or rewards earned can be applied to various accounts, financial instruments or obligations.

Claims

1. A method of providing a merchant funded rebate program, the method comprising:

enrolling at least one participating member account, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online internet-based and point of sale purchases;

associating at least one rebate account with each participating member;

utilizing at least one participating member'"'"'s account purchase transaction information, spending habits, or member profile information to assist at least one current or prospective participating merchant in designing and offering to fund a qualifying rebate offer to said at least one participating member;

receiving account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating member account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitoring said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one merchant funding rebates, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate;

determining, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

calculating, using at least one processor, an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a participating member'"'"'s earned sum is applied to at least one rebate account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the earned sum may be applied as a credit to an account, an offset to an account, or as a credit or an offset to an instrument accepted as a means of payment.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the rebate account is selected from a group, including mutual funds, savings accounts, bond funds, stock index funds, money market accounts, annuities, any other investment grade securities or equities allowed by law, a charitable donation account, or a loan payment account.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating information needed to apply at least a portion of the earned sum in a participating member'"'"'s associated rebate account towards indebtedness owed to banks and other financial institutions, commercial loan companies, state or federal government lending agencies, and private organizations.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising managing said rebate account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount applied to a rebate account is an amount equal to or less than said calculated earned sum.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a merchant funds varying rebate rates to incentivize certain sales.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

commingling or aggregating rebates earned by multiple participating members; and

generating information needed to apply the aggregated rebates to a rebate account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a party becomes an enrolled member by said party providing information relating to one or more accounts to be used by the enrolled member for purchases.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a participating member'"'"'s enrolled account is either a credit card related account, a debit card related account, or a checking account related account.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a participating member'"'"'s enrolled account and the rebate account associated with the member are the same account.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor that tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information is associated with a tracking entity that is in communication with a rebate network manager, and

wherein said tracking entity may provide further additional member tracking information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor that tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information is located at the banking facility or other facility which processes the applicable qualifying card account(s) or other qualifying account(s) transactions.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing cookies to obtain information about a participating member or a potentially qualifying transaction of a participating member.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

advertising or promoting a participating merchant, the rebate program, or a specific rebate offer from a funding merchant to at least one participating member.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the advertising or promotion is disseminated to at least one participating member using push technology.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the advertising or promotion is requested by at least one participating member using pull technology.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

marketing information relating to enrolled members, merchants associated with the rebate program, or their purchase or sale activity to a third party, subject to the program'"'"'s privacy policies.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of monitoring and determining are performed by the same entity.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of tracking as well as monitoring and determining are performed by the same entity.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a participating merchant funding rebates deposits funds at such time as agreed upon by a rebate network manager and a participating merchant into an account held by the rebate network manager or another entity to fund the rebates earned by enrolled members making qualifying purchases from a participating merchant.

23. A system for providing a merchant funded rebate program, the rebate program including participating members, at least one enrolled account for a participating member, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online internet-based and point of sale purchases with at least one merchant funding rebates, and at least one rebate account in which to apply rebates earned by participating members, the system comprising:

at least one participating merchant offering to fund a rebate, directed to a participating member based upon the member'"'"'s account purchase transaction information, spending habits or member profile information, for a qualifying purchase made by a participating member from said participating merchant using an enrolled member account;

a plurality of networked processors located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, said plurality of network processors configured to

receive account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitor said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate; and

determine for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

at least one processor configured to calculate an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said processor or processors configured to monitor and said processor or processors configured to determine are associated with the same entity.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein said processor or processors configured to track as well as said processor or processors configured to monitor and determine are associated with the same entity.

26. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer code configured to perform the steps of:

enrolling at least one participating member account, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online Internet-based and point of sale purchases;

associating at least one rebate account with each participating member;

utilizing at least one participating member'"'"'s account purchase transaction information, spending habits, or member profile information to assist at least one current or prospective participating merchant in designing and offering to fund a qualifying rebate offer to said at least one participating member;

receiving account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating member account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitoring said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one merchant funding rebates, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate;

determining, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

calculating, using at least one processor, an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.

27. A method of providing a merchant funded rebate program, the method comprising:

enrolling at least one participating member account, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online internet-based and point of sale purchases;

associating at least one rebate account with each participating member;

having at least one participating merchant offering to fund a rebate for a qualifying purchase made by a participating member from said participating merchant using an enrolled member account;

receiving account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating member account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitoring said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one merchant funding rebates, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate;

determining, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

calculating, using at least one processor, an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein a participating member'"'"'s earned sum is applied to at least one rebate account.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the earned sum may be applied as a credit to an account, an offset to an account, or as a credit or an offset to an instrument accepted as a means of payment.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the rebate account is selected from a group, including mutual funds, savings accounts, bond funds, stock index funds, money market accounts, annuities, any other investment grade securities or equities allowed by law, a charitable donation account, or a loan payment account.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

generating information needed to apply at least a portion of the earned sum in a participating member'"'"'s associated rebate account towards indebtedness owed to banks and other financial institutions, commercial loan companies, state or federal government lending agencies, and private organizations.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising managing said rebate account.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein an amount applied to a rebate account is an amount equal to or less than said calculated earned sum.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein a merchant funds varying rebate rates to incentivize certain sales.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

commingling or aggregating rebates earned by multiple participating members; and

generating information needed to apply the aggregated rebates to a rebate account.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein a party becomes an enrolled member by said party providing information relating to one or more accounts to be used by the enrolled member for purchases.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein a participating member'"'"'s enrolled account is either a credit card related account, a debit card related account, or a checking account related account.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein a participating member'"'"'s enrolled account and the rebate account associated with the member are the same account.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor that tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information is associated with a tracking entity that is in communication with a rebate network manager, and

wherein said tracking entity may provide further additional member tracking information.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor that tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information is located at the banking facility or other facility which processes the applicable qualifying card account(s) or other qualifying account(s) transactions.

41. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

utilizing cookies to obtain information about a participating member or a potentially qualifying transaction of a participating member.

42. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

utilizing a participating member'"'"'s account purchase transaction information, spending habits, or member profile information obtained in connection with the rebate program to assist a current or prospective participating merchant in designing a qualifying rebate offer to at least one participating member.

43. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

advertising or promoting a participating merchant, the rebate program, or a specific rebate offer from a funding merchant to at least one participating member.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the advertising or promotion is disseminated to at least one participating member using push technology.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the advertising or promotion is requested by at least one participating member using pull technology.

46. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

marketing information relating to enrolled members, merchants associated with the rebate program, or their purchase or sale activity to a third party, subject to the program'"'"'s privacy policies.

47. The method of claim 27, wherein said steps of monitoring and determining are performed by the same entity.

48. The method of claim 27, wherein said steps of tracking as well as monitoring and determining are performed by the same entity.

49. The method of claim 27, wherein a participating merchant funding rebates deposits funds at such time as agreed upon by a rebate network manager and a participating merchant into an account held by the rebate network manager or another entity to fund the rebates earned by enrolled members making qualifying purchases from a participating merchant.

50. A system for providing a merchant funded rebate program, the rebate program including participating members, at least one enrolled account for a participating member, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online internet-based and point of sale purchases with at least one merchant funding rebates, at least one rebate account in which to apply rebates earned by participating members, and at least one participating merchant funding rebates for qualifying purchases made by a participating member from said participating merchant using a participating member'"'"'s enrolled account, the system comprising:

a plurality of networked processors located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, said plurality of network processors configured to

receive account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitor said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate; and

determine for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

at least one processor configured to calculate an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein said processor or processors configured to monitor and said processor or processors configured to determine are associated with the same entity.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein said processor or processors configured to track as well as said processor or processors configured to monitor and determine are associated with the same entity.

53. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer code configured to perform the steps of:

enrolling at least one participating member account, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both online internet-based and point of sale purchases;

associating at least one rebate account with each participating member;

having at least one participating merchant offering to fund a rebate for a qualifying purchase made by a participating member from said participating merchant using an enrolled member account;

receiving account purchase transaction information from at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates and tracks account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant funding rebates, and including purchase transaction information for at least one enrolled participating member account and at least one non-enrolled account;

monitoring said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one merchant funding rebates, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, to determine whether or not a purchase transaction was consummated between an enrolled member and a particular participating merchant funding a rebate;

determining, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of the merchant funding the rebates, for those purchase transactions determined to be consummated by an enrolled member with a particular participating merchant, whether the purchase was a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a merchant funded rebate; and

calculating, using at least one processor, an earned sum due an enrolled member based on at least one qualifying purchase with at least one participating merchant funding rebates.