Method and system for digital coupons distributed via a television program

• US 9,143,249 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quotient Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Bova, Alfred T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US13/110,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 705/14.1, 705/14.13, 705/14.14, 705/14.23, 705/14.49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A method for distributing digital coupons via a television program, such as a commercial, are described. The method includes enabling insertion of a visual indicator into a television program that advertises a product. The television program is presented to users, such that the visual indicator is indicative of a coupon offer being available for the product being advertised. The method includes enabling addition of the coupon offer to the first user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with a first retailer. The method includes enabling addition of the coupon offer to the second user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with a second retailer. The coupon offer is available for redemption at the first and second retailers.

Claims

1. A method implemented using one or more computers, comprising:

enabling insertion of a visual indicator into a television commercial that advertises a product available at point-of-sales affiliated with a first retailer and at point-of-sales affiliated with a second retailer that is different than the first retailer, wherein the television commercial is presented to a first user and a second user, wherein the indicator is indicative of a coupon offer being available for the product;

enabling addition of the coupon offer to the first user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with the first retailer, wherein the coupon offer is available for redemption at the point-of-sales affiliated with the first retailer; and

enabling addition of the coupon offer to the second user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with the second retailer, wherein the coupon offer is available for redemption at the point-of-sales affiliated with the second retailer;

wherein a first computer of the one or more computers encodes the television commercial with signals indicating one or more of;

a position, a size, and a duration of the visual indicator;

wherein the visual indicator includes two images, a first image is displayed to both the first user and the second user, and a second image is displayed with a first price point offer to the first user and a second price point offer to the second user, wherein the first price point offer is different from the second price point offer;

wherein a second computer of the one or more computers encodes the visual indicator with the first price point offer displayed with the second image for insertion in the television commercial, and a third computer of the one or more computers encodes the visual indicator with the second price point offer displayed with the second image for insertion in the television commercial.

2. The method of claim 1, the enabling insertion of an indicator into a television commercial further comprising:

encoding the television commercial with signals indicating a start time and an end time of the indicator during the duration of the television commercial.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator comprises a graphic image comprising a price point offer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

enabling targeting of the first user with the coupon offer, wherein the coupon is offered to the first user based at least on a transaction history of the first user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transaction history includes one or more coupons previously redeemed by the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling redemption of the coupon offer at a point of sale location associated with the first retailer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the first user to select the first retailer from a list of retailers where the coupon offer can be redeemed.

8. A system comprising one or more server computers configured to execute programmed instructions that cause:

enabling insertion of a visual indicator into a television program that describes a product available at point-of-sales affiliated with a first retailer and at point-of-sales affiliated with a second retailer that is different than the first retailer, wherein the television program is presented to a first user and a second user, wherein the indicator is indicative of a coupon offer being available for the product;

enabling addition of the coupon offer to the first user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with the first retailer, wherein the coupon offer is available for redemption at the point-of-sales affiliated with the first retailer; and

enabling addition of the coupon offer to the second user'"'"'s loyalty card associated with the second retailer, wherein the coupon offer is available for redemption at the point-of-sales affiliated with the second retailer;

wherein a first computer of the one or more computers encodes the television commercial with signals indicating one or more of;

a position, a size, and a duration of the visual indicator;

wherein the visual indicator includes two images, a first image is displayed to a both the first user and the second user, and a second image is displayed with a first price point offer to the first user and a second price point offer to the second user, wherein the first price point offer is different from the second price point offer;

wherein a second computer of the one or more computers encodes the visual indicator with the first price point offer displayed with the second image for insertion in the television commercial, and a third computer of the one or more computers encodes the visual indicator with the second price point offer displayed with the second image for insertion in the television commercial.

9. The system of claim 8, the enabling insertion of an indicator into a television program further comprising:

encoding the television program with signals indicating a start time and an end time of the indicator during the duration of the television program.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the visual indicator comprises a graphic image comprising a price point offer.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

enabling targeting of the first user with the coupon offer, wherein the coupon is offered to the first user based at least on a transaction history of the first user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction history includes one or more coupons previously redeemed by the first user.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling redemption of the coupon offer at a point of sale location associated with the first retailer.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling the first user to select the first retailer from a list of retailers where the coupon offer can be redeemed.