Promotion generation engine for a money transfer system

• US 9,751,006 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MoneyGram International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MoneyGram International Incorporated
• Inventors: Zouiten, Yassir, Sletten, Dorilyn Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US14/172,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 463 31- 42, 705 35, 705 43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A money transfer system is promoted by providing a user access to a game or contest generated by a promotions engine computer. The user is directed to a customer relations portal accessible via an access device to participate in the game or contest. The customer relations portal comprising a server configured to manage the game or contest and associated with the promotions engine computer. A response is received from the user at the server related to the user'"'"'s participation in the game or contest. The server determines whether the user is to receive a reward or prize based on the response from the user, and an output is provided to the user on the access device indicating whether the user is to receive the reward or prize.

Claims

1. A promotions engine computer for promoting money transfers, the promotions engine computer comprising:

a user interface;

a processor communicatively coupled to the user interface, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive, from the user interface, user login information associated with a user of the user interface, the user login information including a code received for participating in a money transfer transaction;

transmit, to a server, the login information;

receive, from the server, a customized game or contest in response to the user login information, the customized game or contest being dependent on a user profile associated with the user login information;

output, to the user interface, the received game or contest to the user interface;

receive, from the user interface, one or more responses in response to outputting the game or contest to the user interface; and

output, to the user interface, an indication as to whether the received one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or prize, wherein the reward or prize is at least one of;

a discount for using money transfer transaction services of a financial services organization, complimentary products offered by the financial services organization and complimentary services offered by the financial services organization.

2. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform money transfer transaction services via a financial services organization.

3. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, the processor or server being further configured to determine whether the received one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or price.

4. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, the processor or server being configured to determine whether the one or more responses are one of a first predetermined number of responses to be received and wherein whether the one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or prize is based, at least in part, on whether the one or more responses are one of the first predetermined number of responses to be received.

5. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, wherein the user profile includes at least one of:

the user'"'"'s personal interests, one or more of the user'"'"'s demographic groups, the user'"'"'s education level, the user'"'"'s career, information about the user'"'"'s family and the user'"'"'s shopping habits.

6. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, wherein the customized game or contest depends on at least one of:

the date the user login information is received and an event having a date near the date the user login information is received.

7. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, the processor or server being configured to determine whether the user qualifies for a consolation prize when the one or more received responses does not qualify the user for a reward or prize;

and the processor being further configured to output, to the user interface, an indication of a consolation prize when the user qualifies for the consolation prize.

8. The promotion engine computer of claim 1, the processor being further configured to output, to the user interface, the reward or prize when the user shares the game or contest with another.

9. A computer-implemented method for promoting money transfers comprising:

receiving, from a user interface, user login information associated with a user of the user interface, the user login information including a code received for participating in a money transfer transaction;

transmitting, to a server, the login information;

receiving, from the server, a customized game or contest in response to the user login information, the customized game or contest being dependent on a user profile associated with the user login information;

outputting, to the user interface, the received game or contest to the user interface;

receiving, from the user interface, one or more responses in response to outputting the game or contest to the user interface; and

outputting, to the user interface, an indication as to whether the received one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or prize, wherein the reward or prize is at least one of;

a discount for using money transfer transaction services of a financial services organization, complimentary products offered by the financial services organization and complimentary services offered by the financial services organization.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the user interface facilitates performing money transfer transaction services via a financial services organization.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining, via a processor or the server, whether the received one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or price.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the one or more responses are one of a first predetermined number of responses to be received and wherein whether the one or more responses qualifies the user for a reward or prize is based, at least in part, on whether the one or more responses are one of the first predetermined number of responses to be received.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the user profile includes at least one of:

the user'"'"'s personal interests, one or more of the user'"'"'s demographic groups, the user'"'"'s education level, the user'"'"'s career, information about the user'"'"'s family and the user'"'"'s shopping habits.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the customized game or contest depends on at least one of:

the date the user login information is received and an event having a date near the date the user login information is received.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the user qualifies for a consolation prize when the one or more received responses does not qualify the user for a reward or prize;

and outputting, to the user interface, an indication of a consolation prize when the user qualifies for the consolation prize.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, outputting, to the user interface, the reward or prize when the user shares the game or contest with another.

17. A computer-implemented method for promoting money transfers comprising:

receiving, by a server from a promotions engine computer, a promotional code that was transmitted to a user in response to the user participating in a customized game or contest, the customized game or contest having been provided to the user based on a user profile associated with the user;

determining, by the server, a reward or prize that corresponds to the promotional code;

generating, by the server, a redemption certificate that a user can use to redeem the reward or prize; and

transmitting, from the server to a device, the redemption certificate.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the device is at least one of:

a computer for sending money transfers, a computer for receiving money transfers, a phone and a computer on which a user can access a customized game or contest associated with the promotional code.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, the method further comprising transmitting, from the server to a device, the promotional code, wherein the device is at least one of:

a computer for sending money transfers, a computer for receiving money transfers, a phone and a computer on which a user can access a customized game or contest associated with the promotional code.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, the method further comprising:

associating, by the server, the generation and transmission of the user redemption certificate with the user profile.