Method and apparatus for merchant search and offer presentation

• US 8,655,381 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Maitland, Jill
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US12/053,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code, and means for receiving a search request from a user operating a wireless device, determining at least one of a location and a desired search location of the user, determining a search response based on a user profile and the at least one of a location and a desired search location, and transmitting a response to the wireless device. In some embodiments, the response includes at least one of an offer and a display sequence selected based at least in part on the user profile.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a communication device coupled to the processor, the communication device in communication with a network; and

a medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to;

receive a search request from a user transmitted over said network;

determine at least one of a location of the user and a desired search location of the user;

determine a plurality of segments into which the user may be grouped, the plurality of segments being defined based on aggregated historical payment transaction data processed by a payment network for a plurality of users;

determine a search response based on;

a user profile of the user, the aggregated historical payment transaction data defining the plurality of segments into which the user is grouped, and the at least one of a location of the user and a desired location of the user, wherein said user profile;

is created based on data associated with a plurality of payment transactions previously conducted by the user and groups the user into at least one of the plurality of segments; and

send the search response, over said network, to a mobile device associated with the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said search response includes information identifying at least a first merchant matching the search request and at least one offer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of payment transactions are transactions using a payment account associated with said user and registered in said system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said data associated with said plurality of payment transactions include data identifying a date of each transaction, a merchant category associated with each transaction, and an amount of each transaction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said user profile includes at least one purchase characteristic identifier associated with said user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one purchase characteristic identifier is selected from a plurality of purchase characteristic identifiers characterizing a purchasing profile of said user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said purchasing profile of said user is derived from data identifying a plurality of historical transactions entered into by said user using a payment account.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said user profile further includes preference data selected by said user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said preference data includes at least one of a location preference and a merchant category preference.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile comprises at least one of a category preference, information identifying user browsing habits, a location preference, and a saved search.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining a location of the user comprises at least one of:

locating a latitude and longitude of the mobile device associated with the user by a global positioning system; and

receiving location preference record associated with said user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining a response comprises:

determining at least one merchant located within a predefined radius of the at least one of a location of the user and a desired search location of the user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein sending the response comprises:

sending a response to a client application of said mobile device.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from said mobile device, a request for an offer code; and

transmitting, to said mobile device, the offer code.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a search request from a user transmitted over a network;

determining at least one of a location of the user and a desired search location of the user;

determining a plurality of segments into which the user may be grouped, the plurality of segments being defined based on aggregated historical payment transaction data processed by a payment network for a plurality of users;

determining a search response based on;

a user profile of the user, the aggregated historical payment transaction data defining the plurality of segments into which the user is grouped, and the at least one of a location of the user and a desired search location of the user, wherein said user profile;

is created based on data associated with a plurality of payment transactions previously conducted by the user and groups the user into at least one of the plurality of segments; and

sending the search response, over said network, to a mobile device associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said search response includes information identifying at least a first merchant matching the search request and at least one offer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said plurality of payment transactions are transactions using a payment account associated with said user.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said user profile includes at least one purchase characteristic identifier associated with said user, wherein said at least one purchase characteristic identifier is selected from a plurality of purchase characteristic identifiers characterizing a purchasing profile of said user.