Electronically clipping coupons

• US 8,914,821 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Jianju
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Application Number:
  US13/187,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer readable media, and apparatuses for electronically clipping coupons are presented. In one aspect, a user request to electronically clip a vendor coupon may be received at a user device, where the vendor may be different from a supplier of the content. Account information associated with the user may be identified. Thereafter, information identifying the electronically clipped coupon and the account information may be transmitted to the vendor. The vendor subsequently may allow the user to redeem the clipped coupon the next time that the user visits the vendor and presents matching account information to the vendor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a central computing device, a request from a user to electronically clip a displayed first coupon associated with a first party;

responsive to the request to electronically clip the displayed first coupon, identifying a second party proximate to the first party based on the location from the first party and electronically clipping a second coupon associated with a second party; and

associating the displayed first coupon and the second coupon with account information related to a user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the user request, displaying, via the user device, the displayed first coupon, wherein the displayed first coupon is related to content currently displayed via the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronically clipping the displayed first coupon to allow the displayed first coupon to be redeemed at a location associated with the first party upon presentation of the account information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the displayed first coupon to be available for electronic clipping by the user after the user consumes at least a part of a particular content item associated with the displayed first coupon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating the displayed first coupon and the second coupon with the account information comprises associating the displayed first coupon and the second coupon with the account information related to a permissibility of the user device to access content comprising linear television programming.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting content to the user device; and

configuring the displayed first coupon to trigger the user device to buffer the content while the displayed first coupon interrupts the content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the displayed first coupon to be modifiable in appearance by the user device according to a user profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the second party comprises:

searching an electronic map to identify other businesses within a first predetermined distance from the first party;

determining whether any other businesses were identified within the first predetermined distance; and

searching the electronic map to identify other businesses within a second predetermined distance when no other businesses were identified within the first predetermined distance.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to electronically clipping the displayed first coupon, storing, in a backend system, information identifying the displayed first coupon in association with payment account information of the user such that the displayed first coupon is redeemable when the backend system receives the payment account information from the first party in response to receipt of the payment account information from the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first party, payment account information provided by the user to obtain goods or services from the first party;

using the received payment account information to identify matching payment account information that is used to pay a service provider to provide content for the user; and

determining whether the matching payment account information is associated with information indicating that the displayed first coupon has been electronically clipped.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a start location of the user;

mapping a route from the start location of the user to the first party based on first location information of the first party; and

electronically clipping one or more additional coupons for one or more additional parties along the route.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the start location of the user comprises determining an address included within the account information.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing a message to be displayed to the user to inform the user that the one or more additional coupons have been clipped.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a content provider device, a request from a user to electronically clip a displayed first coupon associated with a first business located at a first location;

electronically clipping the displayed first coupon in response to the request;

using location information of the first business to identify a second business located proximate to the first business;

electronically clipping a second coupon associated with the second business;

receiving an inquiry, from the first business or the second business, inquiring whether the user has clipped any coupons; and

transmitting, to at least one of the first business and the second business, information related to the displayed first coupon or the second coupon in response to receiving the inquiry.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying account information related to the user after receiving the request from the user; and

associating the displayed first coupon and the second coupon with the account information upon electronically clipping the displayed first coupon and the second coupon.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying one or more additional businesses located proximate to the first business; and

electronically clipping one or more additional coupons associated with the one or more additional businesses different from the first business and the second business.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the account information when the user is given permission to access content of a content provider.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a location of the user based on network configuration information.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein using location information of the first business to identify the second business located proximate to the first business comprises:

mapping a travel route from a location of the user to the first business; and

identifying a business located along the travel route as the second business.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring

the displayed first coupon to be displayed to the user concurrently with linear television programming.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a first party, information related to a first electronic coupon associated with content;

transmitting the content to a user device;

receiving, at a content provider device from the user device, a request to electronically clip the first electronic coupon displayed on a display device;

receiving location information specifying one or more locations at which the first electronic coupon is redeemable;

using the location information to identify one or more second parties for which one or more second electronic coupons are redeemable;

storing, by the content provider device, information related to the first electronic coupon and the one or more second electronic coupons in association with account information of the user device; and

receiving a request to redeem at least one coupon from among the first electronic coupon and the one or more second electronic coupons.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising clipping the first electronic coupon in response to a selection by the user via the user device to which the content provider transmits the content.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising making the first electronic coupon available to the user after the user consumes at least a part of the content.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein using the location information to identify the one or more second parties for which the one or more second electronic coupons are redeemable comprises:

identifying a set of parties that are proximately located within a predetermined range from the one or more locations; and

determining whether one or more parties of the set of parties are associated with any electronic coupons.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein using the location information to identify the one or more second parties for which the one or more second electronic coupons are redeemable comprises:

mapping a route from a location of the user to at least one of the one or more locations at which the first electronic coupon is redeemable; and

identifying the one or more second parties as having locations along the route.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the content comprises transmitting an advertisement.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising redeeming the at least one coupon in response to receiving the request to redeem the at least one coupon.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein redeeming the at least one coupon comprises:

determining that the first electronic coupon or at least one of the one or more second electronic coupons has been clipped for a user; and

transmitting data indicating that the user has clipped the first electronic coupon or at least one of the one or more second electronic coupons.