System and method for a merchant loyalty system

• US 8,639,568 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Propulsion Remote Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Voltmer, Theodore S., Ramsey, Samuel Martin, Jackson, Glyn Philip, de Boer, Elts
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US13/442,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.1, 705/14.17, 705/14.34
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• 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 system and method for implementing a merchant loyalty program is disclosed. The invention includes receiving purchase data, wherein the purchase data comprises a consumer account code, a purchase amount, and a service establishment code; associating the service establishment code with a merchant proprietor rewards account code; calculating a reward amount based on the purchase amount; and, crediting a merchant proprietor reward account with at least a portion of said reward amount.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, at a computer system, information associated with a rewards account of a first merchant, wherein the rewards account is configured to receive rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by the first merchant and rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by customers of the first merchant;

receiving, at the computer system, a first set of information relating to one or more purchases made by the first merchant from one or more other merchants;

crediting, at the computer system, the rewards account of the first merchant with a first reward amount based on the first set of information;

receiving, at the computer system, a second set of information relating to one or more purchases from the first merchant made by one or more customers of the first merchant; and

crediting, at the computer system, the rewards account of the first merchant with a second reward amount based on the second set of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of information relates to one or more purchases made using a type of charge card associated with the rewards account of the first merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more card accounts are associated with the rewards account of the first merchant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of information relates to purchases made using a first of the two or more card accounts, and wherein the second set of information relates to purchases made using a second of the two or more card accounts.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising crediting a manufacturer rewards account based on a manufacturer code associated with an item being purchased by the first merchant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information includes at least a first purchase amount and a transaction account code that are associated with a first purchase, wherein the transaction account code identifies the first merchant, and wherein crediting the rewards account of the first merchant with the first reward amount is based at least in part on the first purchase amount and the transaction account code.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second set of information includes at least a second purchase amount and a service establishment code that are associated with a second purchase, wherein the service establishment code identifies the second purchase as being made from the first merchant, and wherein crediting the rewards account of the first merchant with the second reward amount is based at least in part on the second purchase amount and the service establishment code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information relates to a first purchase made by the first merchant, and wherein crediting the rewards account of the first merchant with the first reward amount includes determining the first reward amount as a portion of a total reward amount for the first purchase.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer system determining, based on merchant information related to the first merchant and customer information related to the one or more customers, that the rewards account is eligible to be credited with the second reward amount.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

store, at a computer system, information associated with a rewards account of a first merchant, wherein the rewards account is configured to receive rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by the first merchant and rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by customers of the first merchant;

receive, at the computer system, a first set of information relating to one or more purchases made by the first merchant from one or more different merchants;

credit, at the computer system, the rewards account of the first merchant with a first reward amount based on the first set of information;

receive, at the computer system, a second set of information relating to one or more purchases from the first merchant made by one or more customers of the first merchant; and

credit, at the computer system, the rewards account of the first merchant with a second reward amount based on the second set of information.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the program instructions executable to credit the rewards account of the first merchant with the first reward amount uses a transaction account code within the first set of information, wherein the transaction account code specifies that the first merchant made the purchase.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the program instructions executable to credit the rewards account of the first merchant with the second reward amount uses a service establishment code within the second set of information, wherein the service establishment code specifies that the purchase was made from the first merchant.

13. A computing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, if executed by the computing system, cause the computing system device to;

store information for a rewards account of a first merchant, wherein the rewards account is configured to receive rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by the first merchant and rewards amounts resulting from purchases made by customers of the first merchant;

receive a first set of information related to a purchase made by the first merchant from a second merchant;

credit the rewards account of the first merchant with a first reward amount based on the first set of information;

receive a second set of information related to a purchase made from the first merchant by a customer of the first merchant;

and

credit the rewards account of the first merchant with a second reward amount based on the second set of information.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the computing system to:

calculate an additional reward amount for one or more additional purchases made at the first merchant; and

credit the additional reward amount to the rewards account of the first merchant.