Providing and tracking virtual coupons

• US 9,299,087 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Barnes, James D., Distler, Peter H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US12/017,167
• Time in Patent Office: 2,990 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.49, 705/14.58, 705/14.53, 705/14.64, 705/14.66, 705/14, 455/456.1, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

A method is disclosed for providing and tracking virtual coupons. A proxy for a virtual coupon is provided to a mobile device. The virtual coupon is provided to the mobile device based on a set of conditions in response to a request made via the proxy for the virtual coupon, wherein the request comprises context information. The virtual coupon is deleted in response to an event.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing and tracking virtual coupons, comprising:

receiving, by a coupon server, a request to provide a mobile device with a proxy for a virtual coupon, the proxy comprising redemption information associated with the virtual coupon;

providing, by the coupon server, the proxy for the virtual coupon to the mobile device, wherein the virtual coupon is capable of redemption at one or more redemption locations;

determining, by the mobile device, a location of the proxy provided to the mobile device by determining a location of the mobile device, wherein establishing the location of the proxy comprises executing a location fix technology for at least one of an advanced forward link triangulation, a global positioning system, and a hybrid location fix technology;

subsequent to providing the proxy and prior to receiving a request for the virtual coupon, determining, by the mobile device, whether the location of the mobile device is the one or more redemption locations;

sending, by the mobile device, a report indicating that the mobile device is at the one or more redemption locations in response to determining that the location of the mobile device is the one or more redemption locations;

in response to receiving the report and subsequent to providing the proxy, determining, by the coupon server, a usage pattern of a mobile device user of the mobile device by analyzing information including information in the report, the information including the one or more locations visited by the mobile device, the one or more redemption locations visited by the mobile device, and a time for each corresponding visit to the one or more locations and the one or more redemption locations;

subsequent to the sending of the report and determining the usage pattern, receiving the request for the virtual coupon from the mobile device, wherein the request is made via the proxy, wherein the request comprises context information that includes a location associated with the mobile device when the request was made;

in response to receiving the request;

analyzing, by the coupon server, the usage pattern determined from the report to determine the virtual coupon and a virtual coupon value of the virtual coupon; and

providing, by the coupon server, the virtual coupon to the mobile device based on a set of conditions comprising at least one of a date, a day in a week, a time, a location, a number of available uses, a number of available uses at a specific location, and a number of available uses by the mobile device, wherein the virtual coupon is redeemed at the one or more redemption locations; and

promoting the mobile device to delete the virtual coupon in response to an event.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a specified location fix technology is available for execution at a first time; and

executing a specified location fix technology at a second time in response to a determination that the specified location fix technology is not available for execution at the first time, wherein the second time is based on an availability of the specific location fix technology.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the usage pattern of the mobile device user comprises at least one of determining how long the mobile device user waited after receiving the proxy before visiting the one or more redemption locations, how often the mobile device user visited the one or more redemption locations before requesting the virtual coupon, how often the mobile device user returned to the one or more redemption locations before requesting the virtual coupon.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the proxy and the virtual coupon are associated with a promotion and further comprising determining, by the coupon server, the effectiveness of the promotion based on the determined usage pattern before receiving the request for the virtual coupon.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising changing the value of the virtual coupon based on the location associated with the mobile device when the request was made.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing an advertisement to the mobile device based on the determined usage pattern.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the proxy comprises information about the virtual coupon, but does not comprise everything required for redeeming the virtual coupon.

8. A system for providing and tracking virtual coupons, comprising:

a mobile device configured to;

receive a proxy for a virtual coupon from a coupon server, wherein the virtual coupon is capable of redemption at one or more redemption locations, and wherein the proxy comprises redemption information associated with the virtual coupon,

determine a location of the proxy provided to the mobile device by determining a location of the mobile device, wherein establishing the location of the proxy comprises executing a location fix technology for at least one of an advanced forward link triangulation, a global positioning system, and a hybrid location fix technology,

subsequent to providing the proxy and prior to sending a request for the virtual coupon, determine whether the location of the mobile device is the one or more redemption locations, and

send a report indicating that the mobile device is at the one or more redemption locations in response to determining that the location of the mobile device is the one or more redemption locations, and

the coupon server comprising a non-transitory memory and a processor, the virtual coupon server configured to;

receive a request to provide the mobile device with the proxy for the virtual coupon,

provide the proxy to the mobile device in response to the request for the proxy,

in response to receiving the report and subsequent to providing the proxy, determine a usage pattern of a mobile device user of the mobile device by analyzing information including information in the report, the information including the one or more locations visited by the mobile device, the one or more redemption locations visited by the mobile device, and a time for each corresponding visit to the one or more locations and the one or more redemption locations,

subsequent to the sending of the report and determining the usage pattern, receive the request for the virtual coupon from the mobile device, wherein the request is made via the proxy and comprises context information that includes a location associated with the mobile device when the request was made,

in response to receiving the request;

analyze the usage pattern determined from the report to determine the virtual coupon and a virtual coupon value of the virtual coupon, and

provide the virtual coupon to the mobile device based on a set of conditions comprising at least one of a date, a day in a week, a time, a location, a number of available uses, a number of available uses at a specific location, and a number of available uses by the mobile device, wherein the virtual coupon is redeemed at the one or more redemption locations.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the usage pattern of the mobile device user comprises at least one of determining how long the mobile device user waited after receiving the proxy before visiting the one or more redemption locations, how often the mobile device user visited the one or more redemption locations before requesting the virtual coupon, how often the mobile device user returned to the one or more redemption locations before requesting the virtual coupon.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the proxy and the virtual coupon are associated with a promotion, and wherein the coupon server is further configured to determine the effectiveness of the promotion based on the determined usage pattern before receiving the request for the virtual coupon.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the value of the virtual coupon is changed based on the location associated with the mobile device when the request was made.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the coupon server is further configured to provide an advertisement to the mobile device based on the determined usage pattern.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the proxy comprises information about the virtual coupon, but does not comprise everything required for redeeming the virtual coupon.