System and method for automated generation of communications involving products or services

• US 8,458,052 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Licensing, LLC
• Inventors: Libman, Richard Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US13/191,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.4, 705/14.49, 705 1452- 1453, 705 1466- 1467, 705 261- 272, 705/36.R
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• 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 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for automatically preparing customized replies in response to communications from a plurality of clients. To facilitate automation and tracking, each original communication to the client (or each original response from the client) is tagged with a unique label, and replies to client responses are each correspondingly labeled. The system provides individualized replies to each of a variety of response options that a client might exercise in response to a received communication, whether an original communication or a reply to a previous response. The system is applicable to mass marketing communications, and is particularly well suited to the generation of personalized replies to each and every one of a multitude (tens of thousands and up to millions) of communications from clients. The system is also capable of continuing to generate replies to follow-up responses from clients and to thereby maintain an ongoing “conversation” until the client makes a purchase decision, or no longer responds. Communications may be delivered through a variety of means, such as the internet, the mails, by facsimile, on a host communication, etc.

Claims

1. A method of using a computing system for automatically outputting one or more client communications presenting an offer relating to one or more financial products or services specific to one or more clients, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving incoming data at an interface, the data pertinent to offers relating to one or more financial products or service for a plurality of distinct clients;

using a processor associated with the interface to obtain variable data from the incoming data specific to a particular client based on decision information selected from the group of information particular to the offers, client information, financial product information, and ancillary information;

inserting, by the processor, the variable data specific to the client into at least one client communication generated for the particular client; and

automatically outputting through an output module associated with the processor a single communication for the particular client comprising a host vehicle and the client communication, the host vehicle containing host information for the particular client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client communication comprises an offer portion, a product/service information portion and a fulfillment portion, wherein the product/service information portion comprises data pertaining to the financial product or service enabling the client to make an informed decision regarding the financial product or service, and wherein the fulfillment portion enables the client to obtain the financial product or service, or informs the client on how to obtain the financial product or service, or informs the client on how to obtain information relating to the financial product or service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein any one or more of the offer portion, the product/service information portion and the fulfillment portion include the variable data.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

using an output preparing means to receive the single communication and prepare an electronic form of the single communication.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the output preparing means comprises a remote computing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the using, inserting, and outputting steps are repeated for the plurality of distinct clients to successively output single communications, wherein the successively generated client communications contain different variable data specific to each of the plurality of distinct clients.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the using step and the generating step are performed within a single automated process.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the using step further comprises the step of:

calculating certain variable data specific to a particular client from any of the incoming data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting step further comprises:

automatically adjusting a format of the single client communication depending on information specific to the particular client, the information selected from the group of information particular to the offers, client information, financial product information, and ancillary information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering on one or more financial products or services specific to one or more clients relates to a primary communication contained in the host vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular one of the products or services offered relates to products or services referred to or contained in a primary communication transmitted via the host vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface receives incoming host information specific to the plurality of distinct clients.

13. A system for outputting communications containing offerings relating to one or more financial services specific to one or more clients, the system comprising:

an interface coupled to a computing system configured to receive data pertinent to offers relating to one or more financial products or service for a plurality of distinct clients;

a memory containing decision information selected from the group of information particular to the offers, client information, financial product information, and ancillary information;

a processor coupled to the interface and the memory, the processor programmed to;

obtain variable data from the interface specific to a particular client based on decision information obtained from the memory;

insert the variable data into at least one client communication generated for the particular client; and

an output module coupled to the processor configured to automatically output a single communication for the particular client comprising a host vehicle and the at least one client communication, the host vehicle containing host information for the particular client.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising an output preparing means to receive the single communication and prepare an electronic form of the single communication.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the output preparing means is remote to the computing system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the output preparing means is coupled to the processor.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a second memory configured for access by the computer, the second memory containing the host information for the plurality of distinct clients.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second memory is remote to the computing system.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising a third memory configured for access by the computing system, the third memory containing the data pertinent to offers relating to one or more financial products or service for a plurality of distinct clients.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the third memory is remote to the computing system.