Incentive network for distributing incentives on a network-wide basis and for permitting user access to individual incentives from a plurality of network servers

• US 9,595,047 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Amjadi, Kamran
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US14/086,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20140081752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/224, 709/228, 709/203, 709/232, 705/67
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods for distributing incentives on a network-wide basis and for permitting user access to individual incentives from any network server are provided. A method performed by a server for accessing incentives may include receiving an access request from a device associated with a user and connected to a network, transmitting identifying information corresponding to the access request to a host, receiving incentive information from the host reflecting available incentives corresponding to the identifying information, and transmitting a network document, including the incentive information, to the device associated with the user in response to the access request.

Claims

1. A system for providing targeted incentives to a user in a webpage having content associated with a plurality of servers that provide content, comprising:

a network server comprising one or more processors programmed by one or more computer program instructions to;

receive a request, from a user device, for a web document, wherein the request is received via an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the network server;

obtain first content from a first server via a first IP address associated with the first server;

obtain second content from a second server via a second IP address associated with the second server;

obtain, from the user device, subscription information associated with a user, wherein the subscription information indicates that the user is interested in receiving targeted incentives;

obtain incentive information associated with the subscription information; and

generate composite content that includes the first content, the second content and the incentive information; and

cause the composite content to be transmitted to the user device responsive to the request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to:

transmit the subscription information to a host server device, wherein the incentive information is determined at the host server device based on the subscription information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscription information comprises a subscriber identification that identifies a user, and wherein the incentive information is associated with the subscriber identification such that the incentive information is targeted for the user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the subscriber identification is associated with a subscriber account that stores the incentive information such that the incentive information is pre-stored at the subscriber account in association with the subscriber identification.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the subscriber account comprises demographic information of the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to:

attempt to obtain the subscription information from the user device; and

when the subscription information is not available from the user device, provide a tool used to obtain the subscription information, wherein the subscription information is obtained based on the provided tool.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the tool comprises a form used to receive user input, wherein the subscription information is obtained based on the user input.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to:

cause the subscription information obtained based on the user input to be stored at the user device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first content comprises a first web document from the first server, and wherein the first server comprises a first web server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second content comprises a second web document from the second server, and wherein the second server comprises a second web server.

11. A computer implemented method for providing targeted incentives to a user in a webpage having content associated with a plurality of servers that provide content, the method being implemented on a computer having one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors programmed by computer program instructions, a request, from a user device, for a web document, wherein the request is received via an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the network server;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, first content from a first server via a first IP address associated with the first server;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, second content from a second server via a second IP address associated with the second server;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, from the user device, subscription information associated with a user, wherein the subscription information indicates that the user is interested in receiving targeted incentives;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, incentive information associated with the subscription information; and

generating, by the one or more processors, composite content that includes the first content, the second content and the incentive information; and

causing, by the one or more processors, the composite content to be transmitted to the user device responsive to the request.

12. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the one or more processors, the subscription information to a host server device, wherein the incentive information is determined at the host server device based on the subscription information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the subscription information comprises a subscriber identification that identifies a user, and wherein the incentive information is associated with the subscriber identification such that the incentive information is targeted for the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the subscriber identification is associated with a subscriber account that stores the incentive information such that the incentive information is pre-stored at the subscriber account in association with the subscriber identification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the subscriber account comprises demographic information of the user.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprising:

attempting, by the one or more processors, to obtain the subscription information from the user device; and

when the subscription information is not available from the user device, providing, by the one or more processors, a tool used to obtain the subscription information, wherein the subscription information is obtained based on the provided tool.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the tool comprises a form used to receive user input, wherein the subscription information is obtained based on the user input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprising:

causing, by the one or more processors, the subscription information obtained based on the user input to be stored at the user device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first content comprises a first web document from the first server, and wherein the first server comprises a first web server.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the second content comprises a second web document from the second server, and wherein the second server comprises a second web server.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the subscription information comprises obtaining the subscription information based on a cookie stored at the user device.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the first content comprises content relating to weather and the second content comprises content relating to sports.