Promotion code validation apparatus and method

• US 9,679,296 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Retailmenot Incorporated (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Retailmenot Incorporated (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemphers, David, Couhault, Christopher, Suvacioglu, Alexandros
• Primary Examiner(s): Delich, Stephanie
• Application Number:
  US13/307,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method including interacting with a promotion code provider programmatically, providing a promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider, and evaluating a response from the promotion code provider. The act of interacting with a promotion code provider can include controlling an interface that simulates user actions, such as but not limited to controlling an in-memory web browser through an API, where the API provides a set of functions for simulating user actions. Accordingly, the method can be used to quickly and easily determine whether one or more promotion codes, such as online coupons, are valid.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

traversing, by one or more computers, a promotion code provider website to obtain a promotion code validation page by processing markup language of the website to programmatically detect controls that provide site navigation and by which the website is traversed, wherein traversing comprises;

determining an exit path from each of a plurality of exit elements of the promotion code provider website based on an end state, wherein at least some of the exit paths comprise a plurality of node webpages within the promotion code provider website and at least some of the end states comprise one of a promotion code entry webpage, a webpage with no exit paths, or an exit path to a previously traversed webpage;

wherein at least some of the exit elements comprise a hyperlink, and wherein traversing the promotion code provider website comprises exploring the promotion code provider website by automatically determining which elements in webpages of the website lead to other webpages and automatically engaging the determined elements to navigate through the promotion code provider website;

assigning scores to each edge in the exit paths based on the respective end state, wherein each edge is a relationship between two node webpages formed by an exit element; and

identifying a path through a plurality of webpages of the promotion code provider website to the promotion code validation page based on the assigned scores;

providing, by one or more computers, the promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider via the identified promotion code validation page;

evaluating, by one or more computers, a response from the promotion code provider; and

identifying, by one or more computers, the promotion code as valid or invalid based on the evaluation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein traversing the promotion code provider website to identify a promotion code validation page includes controlling an in-memory web browser through an application programming interface, wherein the application programming interface provides a set of functions for simulating user actions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider via the identified promotion code validation page comprises automatically entering the promotion code in a promotion entry box of the promotion code validation webpage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating a response from the promotion code provider includes determining whether the promotion code has expired.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the response from the promotion code provider comprises identifying the words in the response by using a dictionary.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the traversing comprises:

determining an entry point at a webpage of the promotion code provider website; and

enumerating the plurality of exit elements from the webpage by programmatically obtaining elements of the webpage and interpreting which elements of the webpage have associated actions that cause a browser to leave the webpage, at least some of the exit elements being exit elements that lead to another webpage in the promotion code provider website.

7. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein exploring the promotion code provider website comprises recursively exploring the promotion code provider website.

8. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the traversing further comprises identifying the end state as a promotion code entry webpage based on a proximity of an interaction element to an input element in the promotion code entry webpage.

9. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein an end state of a promotion code entry page has a different score from the other end states, and wherein assigning scores to each edge in the exit paths comprises:

adjusting scores of nodes in paths that lead to promotion code validation page based on a path length to the promotion code validation webpage.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the traversing comprises:

programmatically and systematically exploring a plurality of paths through the promotion code provider website, wherein;

the plurality of paths are obtained while and as a result of exploring the plurality of paths;

the plurality of paths are based on exit elements programmatically detected in webpages of the promotion code provider website by processing markup language of the respective webpages by detecting control elements in the markup language and determining how to move forward through the site via the identified control elements;

at least some of the paths include exit elements that both lead between webpages of the promotion code provider website and include an input box and an associated input control;

at least a plurality of the paths lead to a promotion code validation webpage; and

selecting a path to the promotion code validation webpage from among the plurality of paths that lead to the promotion code validation webpage based on an amount of webpages in the selected path being less than an amount of webpages in unselected paths.

11. The computerized method of claim 1, comprising:

sending online shoppers offers, at least one of the offers including the promotion code, and at least some of the offers being online coupons.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable memory embodying logic that is operable when executed to effectuate operations comprising:

traverse a promotion code provider website to obtain a promotion code validation page by processing markup language of the website to programmatically detect controls that provide site navigation and by which the website is traversed, wherein traversing the promotion code provider website to obtain a promotion code validation page comprises;

determining an exit path from each of a plurality of exit elements of the promotion code provider website based on an end state, wherein at least some of the exit paths comprise a plurality of node webpages within the promotion code provider website and at least some of the end states comprise one of a promotion code entry webpage, a webpage with no exit paths, or an exit path to a previously traversed webpage;

wherein at least some of the exit elements comprise a hyperlink, and wherein traversing the promotion code provider website comprises exploring the promotion code provider website by automatically determining which elements in webpages of the website lead to other webpages and automatically engaging the determined elements to navigate through the promotion code provider website;

assigning scores to each edge in the exit paths based on the respective end state, wherein each edge is a relationship between two node webpages formed by an exit element; and

identifying a path through a plurality of webpages of the promotion code provider website to the promotion code validation page based on the assigned scores;

provide the promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider using the computer system through a computer network via the identified promotion code validation page;

evaluate a response from the promotion code provider using the computer system; and

identify the promotion code as valid or invalid based on the evaluation.

13. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the logic operable when executed to traverse the promotion code provider website to identify a promotion code validation page includes logic operable when executed to control an in-memory web browser through an application programming interface, wherein the application programming interface provides a set of functions for simulating user actions.

14. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the logic is further operable when executed to provide a promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider via the identified promotion code validation page comprises automatically entering the promotion code in a promotion entry box of the promotion code validation webpage.

15. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the logic operable when executed to evaluate a response from the promotion code provider includes logic operable when executed to determine whether the promotion code has expired.

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the logic operable when executed to evaluate the response from the promotion code provider includes logic operable when executed to identify the words in the response by using a dictionary.

17. An apparatus comprising:

at least one driver module in memory, wherein the driver module is operable to traverse a promotion code provider website to obtain a promotion code validation page by processing markup language of the website to programmatically detect controls that provide site navigation and by which the website is traversed, wherein traversing the promotion code provider website to obtain a promotion code validation page comprises;

determining an exit path from each of a plurality of exit elements of the promotion code provider website based on an end state, wherein at least some of the exit paths comprise a plurality of node webpages within the promotion code provider website and at least some of the end states comprise one of a promotion code entry webpage, a webpage with no exit paths, or an exit path to a previously traversed webpage;

wherein at least some of the exit elements comprise a hyperlink, and wherein traversing the promotion code provider website comprises exploring the promotion code provider website by automatically determining which elements in webpages of the website lead to other webpages and automatically engaging the determined elements to navigate through the promotion code provider website;

assigning scores to each edge in the exit paths based on the respective end state, wherein each edge is a relationship between two node webpages formed by an exit element; and

identifying a path through a plurality of webpages of the promotion code provider website to the promotion code validation page based on the assigned scores;

a monitor in memory to manage the at least one driver;

wherein the driver module contains logic in memory that is operable when executed to effectuate operations comprising;

provide the promotion code to a validation function of the promotion code provider via the identified promotion code validation page;

evaluate a response from the promotion code provider; and

identify the promotion code as valid or invalid based on the evaluation.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the interface is an application programming interface including a set of functions for simulating user actions.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the monitor is operable to dynamically scale a number of driver modules instantiated.