Application customizable to enable administrators of loyalty programs to control communications to members

• US 8,543,616 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Machiraju, Rama Rao Pakasasana
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US12/138,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Application customizable to enable administrators of various reward/loyalty programs to control communications to members. In one embodiment, an administrator is enabled to configure various rules corresponding to an event with the application of the rules to a member information identifying which ones of multiple contents is to be sent to which of the members using which one of different channels. The rules are then stored in a non-volatile memory. On identifying the occurrence of the event, the rules, and the member information are examined to determine that a first and a second content are to be sent respectively to a first and a second member using a first and second channel. Accordingly, the first content is sent to the first member using the first channel and the second content is sent to the second member using the second channel.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating administrators to control communications to corresponding a plurality of members of loyalty programs, said method comprising:

maintaining a member information containing the details of each of said a plurality of members of a loyalty program;

enabling an administrator of said loyalty program to configure a plurality of events and a respective set of rules associated with each of said plurality of events, wherein each of said plurality of events represents a potential interaction between said loyalty program and users of said loyalty program,

wherein a plurality of rules corresponding to an event are received from said administrator, each rule specifying a corresponding criteria in the form of a set of conditions, said event being one of said plurality of events in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria specified in a first set of rules when examined against said member information of each member identifies whether the member is to be sent a communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a second set of rules when examined against said member information identifies which ones of a plurality of contents is to be sent as the corresponding communication for each of the members identified based on said first set of rules in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a third set of rules when examined against said member information of said loyalty program identifies which one of a plurality of channels is to be used for sending each communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein said first set of rules, said second set of rules and said third set of rules are separate sets and contained in said plurality of rules for said event;

storing said plurality of rules in a non-volatile memory;

identifying a single occurrence of said event of said loyalty program configured by said administrator;

examining the corresponding criteria specified in each of said plurality of rules against said member information of each of said plurality of members,

wherein said examining of said first set of rules determines that a first member and a second member are to be sent respective communications,

wherein said examining of said second set of rules determines that a first content is to be sent to said first member and a second content is to be sent to said second member,

wherein said examining of said third set of rules determines that a first channel is to be used to send said first content to said first member and that a second channel is to be used to send said second content to said second member,

wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents, said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members and said first channel and said second channel are contained in said plurality of channels; and

sending said first content to said first member using said first channel and said second content to said second member using said second channel based on said examining in response to an input that said event has occurred,

wherein said examining and said sending are performed in response to said identifying of said single occurrence of said event,

wherein said administrator controls the respective specific contents to be sent to the corresponding member based on said second set of rules and also controls the respective specific channels using which respective communications are sent based on said third set of rules for each of said plurality of events of said loyalty program,

wherein different administrators of different loyalty programs are enabled to configure corresponding rules to control the events, and the specific corresponding members to receive communications for each event, the content of each communication and the channel of communication,

wherein said event comprises one of assessment, enrolment, voucher redemption, loyalty units purchase, and statement request,

wherein said administrator specifies all of said plurality of rules for said event in a single user interface displayed to said administrator on a display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member by a relationship, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said third rule is contained in said first set of rules and specifies a criteria which matches the member information of said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said single occurrence of said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member,

wherein said sending sends a fourth content to said fourth member as originating from an organization corresponding to said loyalty program in response to said single occurrence of said event occurring in relation to said third member and said member information specifying that said third member is related to said fourth member.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said fourth rule indicates that said fourth member is to be sent communication only upon the member information corresponding to said third member satisfying a condition specified as the corresponding criteria in said fourth rule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said fourth member is a parent and said third member is a child of said parent, and wherein said condition comprises checking the age of said child.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said fourth member is a contact person in a business entity associated with said loyalty program and said condition comprises a change of level of said third member based on the number of loyalty units accumulated by said third member in a period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said third set of rules indicates that one of said plurality of channels is a default channel,

wherein said default channel is determined to be said corresponding channel if the member information of the corresponding member contained in said set of members does not satisfy the corresponding criteria of the remaining ones of said third set of rules other than said one of said third set of rules.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the corresponding criteria for one of said second set of rules is based on a type of content, and wherein the corresponding criteria for one of said third set of rules is based on a type of channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said member information further contains the details of a recipient who is not a member of said loyalty program,

wherein said administrator is enabled to configure rules for identifying which of said plurality of contents is to be sent to said recipient and which of said plurality of channels is to be used for said sending to said recipient,

wherein said examining said plurality of rules and said member information determines that a fifth content is to be sent to said recipient using a fifth channel, said fifth content being contained in said plurality of content and said fifth channel being contained in said plurality of channels,

wherein said sending sends said fifth content to said recipient using said fifth channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of contents represents a corresponding document stored as a file, and wherein each of said first content and said second content respectively represents a first document stored as a first file and a second document stored as a second file, wherein said sending sends said first document to said first member and said second document to said second member.

10. A machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions causing a system administrators of loyalty programs to control communications to a plurality of members of loyalty programs using a corresponding system, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said system causes said system to perform the actions of:

maintaining a member information containing the details of each of said plurality of members of a loyalty program;

enabling an administrator of said loyalty program to configure a plurality of events, and a respective set of rules associated with each of said plurality of events, wherein said plurality of events are potential events that can occur during administration of said loyalty program,

wherein a plurality of rules corresponding to an event are received from said administrator, each rule specifying a corresponding criteria in the form of a set of conditions, said event being one of said plurality of events in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria specified in a first set of rules when examined against said member information of each member identifies whether the member is to be sent a communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a second set of rules when examined against said member information identifies which ones of a plurality of contents is to be sent as the corresponding communication for each of the members identified based on said first set of rules in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a third set of rules when examined against said member information of said loyalty program identifies which one of a plurality of channels is to be used for sending each communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein said first set of rules, said second set of rules and said third set of rules are separate sets and contained in said plurality of rules for said event;

storing said plurality of rules in a non-volatile memory;

identifying a single occurrence of said event of said loyalty program configured by said administrator;

examining the corresponding criteria specified in each of said plurality of rules against said member information of each of said plurality of members,

wherein said examining of said first set of rules determines that a first member and a second member are to be sent respective communications,

wherein said examining of said second set of rules determines that a first content is to be sent to said first member and a second content is to be sent to said second member,

wherein said examining of said third set of rules determines that a first channel is to be used to send said first content to said first member and that a second channel is to be used to send said second content to said second member,

wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents, said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members and said first channel and said second channel are contained in said plurality of channels; and

sending said first content to said first member using said first channel and said second content to said second member using said second channel based on said examining in response to an input that said event has occurred,

wherein said examining and said sending are performed in response to said identifying of said single occurrence of said event,

wherein said administrator controls the respective specific contents to be sent to the corresponding member based on said second set of rules and also controls the respective specific channels using which respective communications are sent based on said third set of rules for each of said plurality of events of said loyalty program,

wherein different administrators of different loyalty programs are enabled to configure corresponding rules to control the events, and the specific corresponding members to receive communications for each event, the content of each communication and the channel of communication,

wherein said event comprises one of assessment, enrolment, voucher redemption, loyalty units purchase, and statement request,

wherein said administrator specifies all of said plurality of rules for said event in a single user interface displayed to said administrator on a display screen.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member by a relationship, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said third rule is contained in said first set of rules and specifies a criteria which matches the member information of said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said single occurrence of said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies a condition specified as the corresponding criteria in said fourth rule,

wherein said sending sends a fourth content to said fourth member in response to said single occurrence of said event occurring in relation to said third member and said member information corresponding to said third member satisfying said condition.

12. A computing system comprising:

an application server to maintain a member information containing the details of each of a plurality of members of a loyalty program;

an administrator system to enable an administrator of said loyalty program to configure a plurality of events, and a respective set of rules associated with each of said plurality of events, wherein said plurality of events are potential events that can occur during administration of said loyalty program,

wherein a plurality of rules corresponding to an event are received from said administrator, each rule specifying a corresponding criteria in the form of a set of conditions, said event being one of said plurality of events in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria specified in a first set of rules when examined against said member information of each member identifies whether the member is to be sent a communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a second set of rules when examined against said member information identifies which ones of a plurality of contents is to be sent as the corresponding communication for each of the members identified based on said first set of rules in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein the set of conditions for the corresponding criteria in a third set of rules when examined against said member information of said loyalty program identifies which one of a plurality of channels is to be used for sending each communication in administration of said loyalty program,

wherein said first set of rules, said second set of rules and said third set of rules are separate sets and contained in said plurality of rules for said event;

a configuration storage to store said plurality of rules; and

a server cluster operable to;

identify a single occurrence of said event of said loyalty program configured by said administrator;

examine the corresponding criteria specified in each of said plurality of rules configured by said administrator against said member information of each of said plurality of members,

wherein said examining of said first set of rules determines that a first member and a second member are to be sent respective communications,

wherein said examining of said second set of rules determines that a first content is to be sent to said first member and a second content is to be sent to said second member,

wherein said examining of said third set of rules determines that a first channel is to be used to send said first content to said first member and that a second channel is to be used to send said second content to said second member,

wherein said first content and said second content are contained in said plurality of contents, said first member and said second member are contained in said plurality of members and said first channel and said second channel are contained in said plurality of channels; and

send said first content to said first member using said first channel and said second content to said second member using said second channel based on said examining in response to an input that said event has occurred,

wherein said examining and said sending are performed in response to said identifying of said single occurrence of said event,

wherein said administrator controls the respective specific contents to be sent to the corresponding member based on said second set of rules and also controls the respective specific channels using which respective communications are sent based on said third set of rules for each of said plurality of events of said loyalty program,

wherein different administrators of different loyalty programs are enabled to configure corresponding rules to control the events, and the specific corresponding members to receive communications for each event, the content of each communication and the channel of communication,

wherein said event comprises one of assessment, enrolment, voucher redemption, loyalty units purchase, and statement request,

wherein said administrator specifies all of said plurality of rules for said event in a single user interface displayed to said administrator on a display screen.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein said member information specifies that a third member is related to a fourth member by a relationship, said third member and said fourth member being contained in said plurality of members,

wherein said plurality of rules includes a third rule and a fourth rule associated with said third member,

wherein said third rule is contained in said first set of rules and specifies a criteria which matches the member information of said third member,

wherein said fourth rule indicates that communication is to be sent to said fourth member when said single occurrence of said event is identified occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfies a condition specified as the corresponding criteria in said fourth rule,

wherein server cluster sends a fourth content to said fourth member in response to said single occurrence of said event occurring in relation to said third member and the member information corresponding to said third member satisfying said condition.