Systems and methods for providing a user incentive program using circuit chip technology

• US 9,152,973 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Warner, Shannon L., Black, Marc R., Mellas, Lisa, Mazour, James L., Viswanathan, Rajkumar, Salters, Michael D., Berg, Glenda L., Bailey, Ann Elizabeth, Greeder, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vig, Naresh
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US13/942,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.29, 705/14.36, 705/14.39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a loyalty and rewards system that implements a user incentive program using smart card technology are provided. A loyalty system allows a user to systematically search, identify, store, and redeem electronic coupons and rebates associated with products from a large number of providers and manufactures. The loyalty system also integrates the activities associated with the user incentive program (e.g., coupon collection, storage, and redemption, etc.), with existing payment methods (e.g., charging a credit card, etc.) using smart card technology. Thus, the loyalty system allows the user to obtain savings and otherwise participate in the user incentive program without adding time consuming and tedious processing that is normally associated with coupon and rebate programs.

Claims

1. A method for providing a loyalty and rewards system that implements a user incentive program using circuit chip technology, the method comprising:

maintaining a website that is programmed to administer the user incentive program, the website providing user access to a plurality of selectable features of the user incentive program, wherein one of the selectable features comprises electronic coupons redeemable at a POS terminal;

upon selection of find coupons, the website displaying a list of electronic coupons that are currently available for download to a circuit chip, the circuit chip including a memory storing user identification and incentive program information;

enabling the user to select electronic coupons from the list of electronic coupons;

saving the electronic coupons selected by the user to the circuit chip;

processing items for purchase selected by the user at the POS terminal;

the POS terminal accessing the user'"'"'s circuit chip and comparing the items for purchase with the electronic coupons saved to the circuit chip;

the POS terminal identifying any of the electronic coupons that are applicable to the items for purchase; and

the POS terminal automatically applying the applicable electronic coupons, wherein at least one of the electronic coupons saved to the circuit chip is a one time use electronic coupon, and wherein the method further comprises the POS terminal automatically removing the one time use electronic coupon from the circuit chip upon redemption.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the POS terminal comprises one of an electronic register at a retail store and a virtual register at an online store.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing the user from downloading the one time use electronic coupon after redemption.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating award points with one of the items for purchase or with a completed transaction; and

saving the award points to the circuit chip.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing user access to the plurality of selectable features comprises providing access to features including associating credit card accounts, applying for a store credit card, viewing transactions, and making payments.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the circuit chip resides in an access point including one of a personal computer, a cellular telephone, and a personal digital assistant.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting a maximum liability parameter for one of the electronic coupons;

incrementing a maximum liability counter each time the one of the electronic coupons is downloaded; and

when the maximum liability parameter is reached for the one of the electronic coupons according to the maximum liability counter, the website removes the one of the electronic coupons from the list of electronic coupons.

8. A method for providing a loyalty and rewards system that implements a user incentive program using circuit chip technology, the method comprising:

accessing a circuit chip including a memory storing user identification and incentive program information;

the system apportioning the memory into a plurality of memory slots and assigning a system generated sponsor code to each of the plurality of memory slots, respectively;

maintaining a website that is programmed to administer the user incentive program, the website providing user access to a plurality of selectable features of the user incentive program, wherein one of the selectable features comprises electronic coupons, the electronic coupons being associated with a coupon sponsor;

upon selection of find coupons, the website displaying a list of electronic coupons that are currently available for download to the circuit chip;

enabling the user to select electronic coupons from the list of electronic coupons;

identifying a reserved memory slot by its sponsor code and automatically saving the selected electronic coupons in the reserved memory slot of the circuit chip corresponding to the coupon sponsor based on the sponsor code;

processing items for purchase selected by the user at a POS terminal;

the POS terminal accessing the circuit chip and comparing the items for purchase with the electronic coupons saved to the circuit chip;

the POS terminal identifying any of the electronic coupons that are applicable to the items for purchase; and

the POS terminal automatically applying the applicable electronic coupons, wherein at least one of the electronic coupons saved to the circuit chip is a one time use electronic coupon, and wherein the method further comprises the POS Terminal automatically removing the one time use electronic coupon from the circuit chip upon redemption.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the system limiting an amount of memory space in the circuit chip memory available to one sponsor.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

processing a transaction with items selected for purchase by the user, wherein the transaction is associated with one or more promotional offers, the promotional offers being associated with an offer sponsor; and

automatically storing the one or more promotional offers in the memory slots of the circuit chip corresponding to the offer sponsor based on the sponsor code.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising storing a circuit chip ID in the circuit chip memory, and automatically storing the one or more promotional offers in a database accessible by the circuit chip ID.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the apportioning step comprises apportioning an open bucket in the memory to prevent the user from using all of the memory and thereby allowing certain sponsor to always have space available in the memory.