Digital content provided to a user at a physical location

• US 9,754,276 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scipioni, German Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell, Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): KASSIM, HAFIZ A
• Application Number:
  US13/333,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1438, 705 141, 705 144, 705 1427
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

A method for providing a promotion to a user to do commerce at a physical location includes offering a right to a particular piece of digital content to the user as an incentive to a commercial transaction that occurs at least partly at the physical location, discerning that the user is located at the physical location, and in response to the discerning, interacting with the user to provide the digital content to the user on a mobile device associated with the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a server machine through a network from a Global Positioning System (GPS) device included in a mobile device, first GPS location information;

analyzing, by the server machine, the first GPS location information to determine that the first GPS location information corresponds to a physical location;

providing, by the server machine through the network for display via a graphical user interface presented on the mobile device and in response to determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location, a first offer to access online digital content;

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a first acceptance of the first offer;

streaming, by the server machine through the network for display on the mobile device in response to both determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location and to receiving the first acceptance, the online digital content;

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to streaming the online digital content for display on the mobile device, second GPS location information;

analyzing, by the server machine, the second GPS location information to determine that the second GPS location information corresponds to the physical location;

continuing to stream, by the server machine through the network for display on the mobile device in response to determining that the second GPS information corresponds to the physical location, the online digital content;

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to receiving the second GPS location information, third GPS location information;

analyzing, by the server machine, the third GPS location information to determine that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location;

preventing, by the server machine in response to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, the mobile device from accessing the online digital content; and

sending, by the server machine through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and subsequent to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, a second offer to access to the online digital content while away from the physical location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the online digital content comprises at least one of online digital music, an online digital movie, or an online digital book.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises an e-reader and the online digital content comprises an e-book.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

sending, by the server machine through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and in response to receiving the second acceptance, a third offer to access the online digital content while away from the physical location in exchange for performing a commercial transaction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device, mobile device user information; and

determining, by the server machine using the mobile device user information, a loyalty program membership status of a user of the mobile device, wherein the first offer is provided in response to determining both the loyalty program membership status of the user and that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device, via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

facilitating, by the server machine through the network with the mobile device in response to receiving the second acceptance, the copying of the online digital content to the mobile device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

facilitating, by the server machine in response to receiving the second acceptance, a purchase of the online digital content via the mobile device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is an offer to access a plurality of different content, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, the first acceptance that includes a selection from the plurality of different content to access the online digital content.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, through a network from a Global Positioning System (GPS) device included in a mobile device, first GPS location information;

analyzing the first GPS location information to determine that the first GPS location information corresponds to a physical location;

providing, through the network for display via a graphical user interface presented on the mobile device and in response to determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location, a first offer to access online digital content;

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a first acceptance of the first offer;

streaming, through the network for display on the mobile device in response to both determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location and to receiving the first acceptance, the online digital content;

receiving, through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to streaming the online digital content for display on the mobile device, second GPS location information;

analyzing the second GPS location information to determine that the second GPS location information corresponds to the physical location;

continuing to stream, through the network for display on the mobile device in response to determining that the second GPS information corresponds to the physical location, the online digital content;

receiving, through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to receiving the second GPS location information, third GPS location information;

analyzing the third GPS location information to determine that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location;

preventing, in response to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, the mobile device from accessing the online digital content; and

sending, through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and subsequent to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, a second offer to access the online digital content while away from the physical location.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

facilitating, in response to receiving the second acceptance, a purchase of the online digital content via the mobile device.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

sending, through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and in response to receiving the second acceptance, a third offer to access the online digital content while away from the physical location in exchange for performing a commercial transaction.

12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

facilitating, through the network with the mobile device in response to receiving the second acceptance, the copying of the online digital content to the mobile device.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the mobile device comprises an e-reader and the online digital content comprises an e-book.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first offer is an offer to access a plurality of different content, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, the first acceptance that includes a selection from the plurality of different content to access the online digital content.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device, mobile device user information;

determining, using the mobile device user information, a loyalty program membership status of a user of the mobile device, wherein the first offer is provided in response to determining both the loyalty program membership status of the user and that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the online digital content comprises at least one of online digital music, an online digital movie, or an online digital book.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, through a network from a Global Positioning System (GPS) device included in a mobile device, first GPS location information;

analyzing the first GPS location information to determine that the first GPS location information corresponds to a physical location;

providing, through the network for display via a graphical user interface presented on the mobile device and in response to determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location, a first offer to access online digital content;

receiving, by the server machine through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a first acceptance of the first offer;

streaming, through the network for display on the mobile device in response to both determining that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location and to receiving the first acceptance, the online digital content;

receiving, through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to streaming online digital content for display on the mobile device, second GPS location information;

analyzing the second GPS location information to determine that the second GPS location information corresponds to the physical location;

continuing to stream, through the network for display on the mobile device in response to determining that the second GPS information corresponds to the physical location, the online digital content;

receiving, through the network from the GPS device included in the mobile device subsequent to receiving the second GPS location information, third GPS location information;

analyzing the third GPS location information to determine that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location;

preventing, in response to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, the mobile device from accessing the online digital content; and

sending, through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and subsequent to determining that the third GPS location information does not correspond to the physical location, a second offer to access to the online digital content while away from the physical location.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

facilitating, in response to receiving the second acceptance, a purchase of the online digital content via the mobile device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device via the graphical user interface, a second acceptance of the second offer; and

sending, through the network for display on the mobile device via the graphical user interface and in response to receiving the second acceptance, a third offer to access the online digital content while away from the physical location in exchange for performing a commercial transaction.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, through the network from the mobile device, mobile device user information;

determining, using the mobile device user information, a loyalty program membership status of a user of the mobile device, wherein the first offer is provided in response to determining both the loyalty program membership status of the user and that the first GPS location information corresponds to the physical location.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the online digital content comprises at least one of online digital music, an online digital movie, or an online digital book.