Systems and methods to process an offer campaign based on ineligibility

• US 9,477,967 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spears, Joseph, Carlson, Mark, Stan, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Sittner, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US13/766,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals

Abstract

In one aspect, a computing apparatus is configured to represent offer rules based on requirements for the detection of predefined types of events and actions scheduled to be performed in response to the detection of each occurrence of the events. The events are independent from each other in processing and are linked via prerequisite conditions and/or ineligibility conditions to formulate the requirements of an offer campaign. In one embodiment, the ineligibility of a user, participating in the offer campaign, to meet the requirements of a first event leads to the monitoring of a second event that has a prerequisite condition formulated based on the ineligibility of the user to meet the requirements of the first event; and the second event provides an alternative path within the offer campaign when the user cannot meet the requirements of the first event.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a computing apparatus comprising;

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payments are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payments are made;

a communication portal coupled with the transaction handler and configured to communicate with computing devices outside the electronic payment processing network, the communication portal further configured to provide a user interface to merchants for creating offer campaigns, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a computing action specified by one of the merchants to invoke when an event satisfying requirements of a record is detected;

a rule engine configured to receive, from the communication portal, a set of records for an offer campaign specified by a merchant computing device, each record specifying requirements for an event and a computing action to be performed in response to an account holder meeting the requirements for the event, wherein each record in the set of records identifies a set of conditions to match an event to be completed by the account holder participating in the offer campaign, wherein the set of records includes a first record identifying a first event, and a second record identifying a second event corresponding to an occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event, wherein events relevant to the offer campaign include purchases by consumers, and the transaction handler is configured to detect the purchases;

a data warehouse, coupled with the transaction handler and the rule engine, configured to store;

the set of records,

communication references in connection with identifiers of the consumer accounts, wherein authorization communications within the electronic payment processing network for the payments identify the consumer accounts using the identifiers of the consumer accounts, the data warehouse further storing transaction data recording the payments processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network, and

account data identifying a plurality of account features of the consumer accounts, each respective account feature of the plurality of account features to provide a respective benefit to a holder of a respective consumer account; and

monitoring, by the transaction handler, communications in the electronic payment processing network for the payments in the consumer account to obtain first transaction data;

based at least in part on the first transaction data, monitoring, by the rule engine, occurrences of events relevant to the offer campaign to detect events completed by the account holder in accordance with the set of records;

detecting, by the rule engine in accordance with the second record, the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event; and

in response to the detection by the rule engine of the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event;

instructing, by the rule engine, the communication portal to communicate with a computing device of the account holder using a communication reference that is associated with an identifier of the account holder in the data warehouse, including providing, by the communication portal outside the electronic payment processing network, to the computing device of the account holder with a notification to be generated, wherein the notification is configured to present a user interface to display the notification, and

instructing, by the rule engine, the data warehouse to store data indicating completion of the second event by the account holder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of records specifies, for the offer campaign, a set of events linked via at least one prerequisite condition and at least one ineligibility condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one condition specified for the first event is identified in the first record;

and the second record includes a reference to the first record for the ineligibility condition; and

the method further comprises;

processing, by the computing apparatus, the first record to identify one or more conditions that represent the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer campaign includes a first budget for a plurality of users participating in the offer campaign;

and the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event is a result of the first budget being reached.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is required to be completed within a predetermined time period;

and the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event is a result of an expiration of the predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second record specifies a notification action;

and

the notification is in accordance with the notification action specified in the second record.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the notification is by way of at least one of:

SMS, email, telephone call, webpage, direct mail, social network site, or digital wallet.

8. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to;

monitor, by a transaction handler, communications in an electronic payment processing network for payments in a consumer account to obtain first transaction data;

based at least in part on the first transaction data, monitor, by a rule engine, occurrences of events relevant to an offer campaign to detect events completed by an account holder in accordance with a set of records, wherein the set of records includes a first record identifying a first event, and a second record identifying a second event;

detect, by the rule engine in accordance with the second record, an occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event; and

in response to the detection by the rule engine of the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event;

instruct, by the rule engine, a communication portal to communicate with a computing device of the account holder using a communication reference that is associated with an identifier of a consumer account of the account holder stored in a data warehouse, including providing, by the communication portal outside the electronic payment processing network, to the computing device of the account holder with a notification, wherein the notification is configured for presentation in a user interface to display the notification, and

instruct, by the rule engine, the data warehouse to store data indicating completion of the second event by the account holder, the second event corresponding to an occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event;

wherein the transaction handler is configured in the electronic payment processing network to interconnect issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payments are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payments are made;

wherein the communication portal is coupled with the transaction handler and configured to communicate with computing devices outside the electronic payment processing network, the communication portal further configured to provide a user interface to merchants for creating offer campaigns, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a computing action specified by one of the merchants to invoke when an event satisfying requirements of a record is detected;

wherein the rule engine is configured to receive, from the communication portal, the set of records for the offer campaign as specified by a merchant computing device, each record specifying requirements for an event and a computing action to be performed in response to the account holder meeting the requirements for the event, wherein each record in the set of records identifies a set of conditions to match an event to be completed by the account holder when participating in the offer campaign, wherein the transaction handler is configured to detect the purchases;

wherein the data warehouse is coupled with the transaction handler and the rule engine, and the data warehouse is configured to store;

the set of records,

communication references in connection with identifiers of the consumer accounts, wherein authorization communications within the electronic payment processing network for the payments identify the consumer accounts using the identifiers of the consumer accounts, the data warehouse further storing transaction data recording the payments processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network, and

account data identifying a plurality of account features of the consumer accounts, each respective account feature of the plurality of account features to provide a respective benefit to a holder of a respective consumer account.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of records specifies, for the offer campaign, a set of events linked via at least one prerequisite condition and at least one ineligibility condition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one condition specified for the first event is identified in the first record;

and the second record includes a reference to the first record for the ineligibility condition; and

the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to process the first record to identify one or more conditions that represent the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the offer campaign includes a first budget for a plurality of users participating in the offer campaign;

and the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event is a result of the first budget being reached.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first event is required to be completed within a predetermined time period;

and the occurrence of ineligibility of the account holder to complete the first event is a result of an expiration of the predetermined time period.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the events relevant to the offer campaign include purchases by consumers, and the transaction handler is configured to detect the purchases.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor comprises a first processor, and the communication portal includes the first processor.

15. A non-transitory computer-storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to:

receive a set of records for an offer campaign, each record in the set of records identifying a set of conditions to match an event to be completed by a user participating in the offer campaign, wherein the set of records includes a first record identifying a first event, and a second record identifying a second event corresponding to an occurrence of ineligibility of the user to complete the first event;

monitor, by a transaction handler, communications in an electronic payment processing network for payments in an account of the user to obtain first transaction data;

based at least in part on the first transaction data, monitor, by a rule engine, occurrences of events relevant to an offer campaign to detect events completed by the user in accordance with the set of records;

detect, by the rule engine in accordance with the second record, an occurrence of ineligibility of the user to complete the first event; and

in response to the detection by the rule engine of the occurrence of ineligibility of the user to complete the first event;

instruct, by the rule engine, a communication portal to communicate with a computing device of the user via a communication reference that is associated with an identifier of an account of the user stored in a data warehouse, including providing, by the communication portal outside the electronic payment processing network, a notification for display in a user interface of the computing device, and

instruct, by the rule engine, the data warehouse to store data indicating completion of the second event by the user.