Systems and methods for campaign offers and rewards with offer serving engine based on digitized receipt data

• US 8,825,525 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Carpenter, Steven A., Klein, Erik, O'Brien, George, Chastagnol, Franck, Vaidya, Jitendra, Tihon, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US13/713,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.33
• US Class Current: 705/14.48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• 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 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A campaign offers and rewards system includes an offer serving engine that provides offers or rewards. An analytics engine, with data intelligence, identifies receipt line items and ties the line items, including uniform price code (“UPC”), stock keeping unit (“SKU”) or product short name from different receipts to create a list of products and services not matched to advertisers. A redemption engine is in communication with a database that includes a reward budget. The redemption engine assists in controlling the redemption of rewards in view of the reward budget and in response to a communication from the analytics engine.

Claims

1. A method implemented at a server computer, the method comprising:

selecting, by the server computer, an offer, the offer including an agreement to provide a compensation to a user in exchange for the user purchasing a good or service;

identifying, by the server computer, a plurality of users;

determining, by the server computer, for each of the plurality of users, a redemption probability for the user, the redemption probability representing a likelihood that the user will redeem the offer if presented with the offer, wherein the redemption probabilities of the plurality of users are not all the same;

selecting, by the server computer, a subset of the plurality of users to receive the offer, wherein selecting includes computing, based on the redemption probability, an expected total cost if each user in the subset is presented with the offer and requiring that the expected total cost is less than or equal to a total campaign budget; and

presenting the offer to the selected subset of the plurality of users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the offer includes presenting the offer concurrently to each user in the selected subset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer is presented to mobile devices belonging to the users in the selected subset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the redemption probability for a particular user is based at least in part on characteristics of the particular user, including at least one of a past purchase history associated with the particular user and a past offer redemption history associated with the particular user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the past purchase history includes one or more of the following:

a digitized receipt, an online purchase transaction, or a purchase-related email.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the plurality of users includes identifying users who have not previously purchased the good or service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the offer to at least one additional user of the plurality of users if the users in the selected subset do not consume the total campaign budget after a period of time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

limiting the offer such that the offer is no longer redeemable once the total campaign budget has been consumed.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a digital image of a physical receipt, the digital image generated by a camera or scanner and associated with a user in the selected subset;

processing, at the server computer, the digital image to extract data therefrom;

determining, at the server computer, whether the extracted data indicates that the user has purchased the good or service; and

providing the compensation to the user when the data indicates that the user has purchased the good or service.

10. A computer-readable storage memory device having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method comprising:

selecting, by the server computer, an offer, the offer including an agreement to provide a compensation to a user in exchange for the user purchasing a good or service;

identifying, by the server computer, a plurality of users;

determining, by the server computer, for each of the plurality of users, a redemption probability for the user, the redemption probability representing a likelihood that the user will redeem the offer if presented with the offer, wherein the redemption probabilities of all of the plurality of users are not the same;

selecting, by the server computer, a subset of the plurality of users to receive the offer, wherein selecting includes computing, based on the redemption probability, an expected total cost if each user in the subset is presented with the offer and requiring that the expected total cost is less than or equal to a total campaign budget; and

presenting the offer to the selected subset of the plurality of users.

11. The computer-readable storage memory device of claim 10, wherein presenting the offer includes presenting the offer concurrently to each user in the selected subset.

12. The computer-readable storage memory device of claim 10, wherein the offer is presented to mobile devices belonging to the users in the selected subset.

13. The computer-readable storage memory device of claim 10, wherein determining the redemption probability for a particular user is based at least in part on characteristics of the particular user, including at least one of a past purchase history associated with the particular user and a past offer redemption history associated with the particular user.

14. The computer-readable storage memory device of claim 13, wherein the past purchase history includes one or more of the following:

a digitized receipt, an online purchase transaction, or a purchase-related email.

15. A computer system comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor coupled to the network interface and configured to;

select an offer, the offer including an agreement to provide a compensation to a user in exchange for the user purchasing a good or service;

identify a plurality of users;

determine, for each of the plurality of users, a redemption probability for the user, the redemption probability representing a likelihood that the user will redeem the offer if presented with the offer, wherein the redemption probabilities of the plurality of users are not all the same;

select a subset of the plurality of users to receive the offer, wherein selecting includes computing, based on the redemption probability, an expected total cost if each user in the subset is presented with the offer and requiring that the expected total cost is less than or equal to a total campaign budget; and

present the offer to the selected subset of the plurality of users.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured such that presenting the offer includes presenting the offer concurrently to each user in the selected subset.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the offer is presented to mobile devices belonging to the users in the selected subset.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured such that determining the redemption probability for a particular user is based at least in part on characteristics of the particular user, including at least one of a past purchase history associated with the particular user or a past offer redemption history associated with the particular user.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the past purchase history includes one or more of the following:

a digitized receipt, an online purchase transaction, or a purchase-related email.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured such that identifying the plurality of users includes identifying users who have not previously purchased the good or service.