Reverse couponing

• US 9,373,120 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Nagarajan, Srinath, Donlan, Matthew Laine
• Primary Examiner(s): STOLTENBERG, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US13/553,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for reverse couponing. An exemplary apparatus is configured to determine user information and account information associated with a user; adjust offer information associated with an offer based on the user information and the account information, wherein the offer enables the user to receive at least one of a discount or a rebate on a purchase from a merchant; and transmit the adjusted offer to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reverse couponing, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory comprising a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, wherein the volatile memory and the non-volatile memory are independent of each other;

at least one processor; and

a first module stored in the non-volatile memory, executable by the at least one processor, and configured to cause the at least one processor to;

electronically receive a first input information associated with a user, wherein the first input information comprises user information associated with a user logged into an online banking website, the user information comprising account information associated with the user'"'"'s financial institution account and personal information associated with the user;

store the first input information in a queue associated with the volatile memory until a second input information is received, wherein queuing further comprises reorganizing the first input information into the volatile memory;

receive second input information associated with the user, wherein the second input information comprises social network information associated with the user;

store the second input information in the queue associated with the volatile memory, wherein queuing the second input information further comprises reorganizing the second input information into the volatile memory; and

determine a user profile based on at least the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory;

a second module stored in the non-volatile memory, executable by the at least one processor, and configured to cause the at least one processor to;

determine offer information associated with an offer based on at least the user profile determined using the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory, the offer being associated with a variable discount or a rebate;

adjust the offer information associated with the offer based on the user information and the account information, wherein the offer enables the user to receive at least one of a discount or a rebate on a purchase from a merchant associated with a financial institution, wherein adjusting the offer information comprises increasing the discount or the rebate, wherein adjusting further comprises;

determining that the user is not excluded from receiving at least one offer based on at least a first user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant associated with a predetermined category code is not excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a first merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the first user exclusion rule and the first merchant exclusion rule are applied before the purchase is executed by the user;

establish a communication link with a mobile device of the user, wherein establishing further comprises creating a wireless data channel with the mobile device of the user;

transmit, via the established communication link, the offer to the user for display on the mobile device of the user; and

determine that the user has executed the purchase with the merchant, wherein determining further comprises;

determining that the user is excluded from receiving the offer for the purchase based on at least a second user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant is excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a second merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the second user exclusion rule and the second merchant exclusion rule are applied after the purchase is executed by the user and before the purchase is settled at a predetermined future settlement date; and

apply the at least one offer to the purchase executed by the user at the predetermined future settlement date based on at least determining that the user and the offer from the merchant are not excluded at the time of the execution of the purchase and are excluded at the predetermined future settlement date.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining the user information and the account information associated with the user comprises determining a purchase transaction to be executed by the user within a predetermined period of time in the future.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module is further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

determine the offer is activated based on a preconfigured user preference prior to executing a transaction qualifying for the offer at a physical point of sale terminal of the merchant;

determine execution of the transaction qualifying for the offer at the physical point of sale terminal, wherein the merchant and the user are not alerted, at the point of sale terminal, about the discount or rebate on the transaction.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises a stored value card associated with a merchant or an electronic coupon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting an amount or a percentage of the discount or the rebate associated with a purchase transaction.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a type of purchase transaction for which the offer can be used.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises changing a merchant for which the offer can be used.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the offer is transmitted to the user based on at least one of the user information or the account information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the module is configured to determine whether to transmit the offer to the user based on the at least one of the user information or the account information prior to adjusting the offer information associated with the offer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein after the user executes a purchase transaction associated with the offer, the offer and the purchase transaction are processed as part of a batch processing operation, wherein the batch processing operation comprises processing a plurality of financial institution accounts.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the account information comprises a transaction history associated with the user'"'"'s financial institution account, and wherein the transaction history comprises at least one of a type of a transaction, a frequency associated with the transaction, an amount associated with the transaction, or a merchant associated with the transaction, and wherein the user information comprises personal information associated with at least one of the user, a family member of the user, or a friend of the user, wherein the personal information comprises at least one of demographic information, salary information, contact information, residence address information, job profile information, or education information.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the offer is presented via at least one of a user interface associated with the user'"'"'s financial institution account, a user interface associated with the user'"'"'s social network account, email, or text message.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the offer is presented to the user on a portable mobile communication device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer to receive at least one of the discount or the rebate on at least one of:

a purchase previously made by the user, a purchase from a merchant from which the user previously made a purchase, an alternative to the purchase previously made by the user, an alternative to the purchase from the merchant from which the user previously made a purchase, or a product or service related to a purchase previously made by the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the purchase comprises at least one of:

at least one purchase associated with a predetermined period, at least one purchase associated with a predetermined amount, an aggregate of a plurality of purchases, or a largest purchase.

16. A method for reverse couponing, the method comprising:

electronically receiving, using a computing device processor, a first input information associated with a user, wherein the first input information comprises user information associated with a user logged into an online banking website, the user information comprising account information associated with the user'"'"'s financial institution account and personal information associated with the user;

storing, using a computing device processor, the first input information in a queue associated with the volatile memory until a second input information is received, wherein queuing further comprises reorganizing the first input information into the volatile memory;

receiving, using a computing device processor, second input information associated with the user, wherein the second input information comprises social network information associated with the user;

storing, using a computing device processor, the second input information in the queue associated with the volatile memory, wherein queuing the second input information further comprises reorganizing the second input information into the volatile memory; and

determining, using a computing device processor, a user profile based on at least the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory;

determining, using a computing device processor, offer information associated with an offer based on at least the user profile determined using the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory, the offer being associated with a variable discount or a rebate;

adjusting, using a computing device processor, offer information associated with the offer based on the user information and the account information, wherein the offer enables the user to receive at least one of a discount or a rebate on a purchase from a merchant associated with a financial institution, wherein adjusting the offer information comprises increasing the discount or the rebate, wherein adjusting further comprises;

determining that the user is not excluded from receiving at least one offer based on at least a first user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant associated with a predetermined category code is not excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a first merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the first user exclusion rule and the first merchant exclusion rule are applied before the purchase is executed by the user;

establishing, using a computing device processor, a communication link with a mobile device of the user, wherein establishing further comprises creating a wireless data channel with the mobile device of the user;

transmitting, using a computing device processor, the offer to the user for display on the mobile device of the user; and

determining, using a computing device processor, that the user has executed the purchase with the merchant, wherein determining further comprises;

determining that the user is excluded from receiving the offer for the purchase based on at least a second user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant is excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a second merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the second user exclusion rule and the second merchant exclusion rule are applied after the purchase is executed by the user and before the purchase is settled at a predetermined future settlement date; and

applying, using a computing device processor, the at least one offer to the purchase executed by the user at the predetermined future settlement date based on at least determining that the user and the offer from the merchant are not excluded at the time of the execution of the purchase and are excluded at the predetermined future settlement date.

17. A computer program product for reverse couponing, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of codes for causing a computer to;

electronically receive a first input information associated with a user, wherein the first input information comprises user information associated with a user logged into an online banking website, the user information comprising account information associated with the user'"'"'s financial institution account and personal information associated with the user;

store the first input information in a queue associated with the volatile memory until a second input information is received, wherein queuing further comprises reorganizing the first input information into the volatile memory;

receive second input information associated with the user, wherein the second input information comprises social network information associated with the user;

store the second input information in the queue associated with the volatile memory, wherein queuing the second input information further comprises reorganizing the second input information into the volatile memory; and

determine a user profile based on at least the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory;

determine offer information associated with an offer based on at least the user profile determined using the first input information and the second input information stored in the queue associated with the volatile memory, the offer being associated with a variable discount or a rebate;

adjust the offer information associated with the offer based on the user information and the account information, wherein the offer enables the user to receive at least one of a discount or a rebate on a purchase from a merchant associated with a financial institution, wherein adjusting the offer information comprises increasing the discount or the rebate, wherein adjusting further comprises;

determining that the user is not excluded from receiving at least one offer based on at least a first user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant associated with a predetermined category code is not excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a first merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the first user exclusion rule and the first merchant exclusion rule are applied before the purchase is executed by the user;

establish a communication link with a mobile device of the user, wherein establishing further comprises creating a wireless data channel with the mobile device of the user;

transmit, via the established communication link, the offer to the user for display on the mobile device of the user; and

determine that the user has executed the purchase with the merchant, wherein determining further comprises;

determining that the user is excluded from receiving the offer for the purchase based on at least a second user exclusion rule; and

determining that the offer from the merchant is excluded from being presented to the user based on at least a second merchant exclusion rule;

wherein the second user exclusion rule and the second merchant exclusion rule are applied after the purchase is executed by the user and before the purchase is settled at a predetermined future settlement date; and

apply the at least one offer to the purchase executed by the user at the predetermined future settlement date based on at least determining that the user and the offer from the merchant are not excluded at the time of the execution of the purchase and are excluded at the predetermined future settlement date.