System for marketing campaign specification and secure digital coupon redemption

• US 10,096,039 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Kramer, James F., Ning, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan P
• Application Number:
  US14/052,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11-912
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Product vendors are provided with a system for performing a marketing campaign to mobile communication device users, providing offers as instruments, such as digital coupons, to a selected group of users of the mobile communication devices and validating the integrity of the instruments. The invention has two phases: the selection of the components of the instrument from a menu provided by a social networking organization; and validating the instrument upon redemption from the product vendor. In the first phase, the product vendor selects elements from the menu relevant to the campaign, such as timing, nature of the offer, targeting of the recipients, etc. In the second phase, the instrument is encoded as to the marketing campaign and an arbitrary designation which initiates a pattern as the instrument is redeemed. The product vendor inspects the instrument to ensure that the encoding is correct during the redemption process.

Claims

1. A system for validating the proper use of an instrument presented on a mobile communication device associated with a user for redemption of said instrument, said system comprising:

a data processor configured to;

access data comprising information of said user and a marketing campaign associated with said instrument;

originate said instrument; and

validate said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a sequence designator of said instrument, the sequence designator determined by;

upon determination that no other instrument in a family of instruments has been redeemed, choosing, at random, an initial sequence generator for the family of instruments from a range of sequence designators; and

upon determination that a previous instrument in the family of instruments has been redeemed, incrementing a previous sequence designator in accordance with a predetermined pattern; and

sending said sequence designator to said mobile communication device; and

said mobile communication device having a user interface configured for display of an unredeemed instrument having no sequence designator and, upon redemption, a redeemed instrument having the sequence designator, the mobile communication device configured to;

cause display of the unredeemed instrument;

transmit to said data processor said data indicating redemption of said instrument; and

update user interface to display said sequence designator on said display of said mobile communication device.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said instrument is a digital coupon;

said sequence designator is a number; and

said mobile communication device is further configured to display said number on said display after said instrument is validated.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is selected on said mobile communication device, said data processor is further configured to provide said number to an award provider.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data processor is further configured to;

validate said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a time of redemption of said instrument; and

sending said time of redemption to said mobile communication device; and

said mobile communication is further configured to display said time of redemption on said display of said mobile communication device.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said instrument is a digital coupon and said mobile communication device is further configured to display said time of redemption after said instrument is validated.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is selected on said mobile communication device, said data processor is further configured to provide said time of redemption to an award provider.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data processor is further configured to;

validate said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a time since redemption of said instrument; and

sending said time since redemption to said mobile communication device; and

said mobile communication is further configured to display said time since redemption on said display of said mobile communication device.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said instrument is a digital coupon and said mobile communication device is further configured to display said time since redemption after said instrument is validated.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is selected on said mobile communication device, said data processor is further configured to provide said time since redemption to an award provider.

10. A computer program product for validating the proper use of an instrument presented on a mobile communication device associated with a user for redemption of said instrument comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

accessing data comprising information of said user and a marketing campaign associated with said instrument;

originating said instrument; and

validating said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a sequence designator of said instrument, the sequence designator determined by;

upon determination that no other instrument in a family of instruments has been redeemed, choosing, at random, an initial sequence generator for the family of instruments from a range of sequence designators; and

upon determination that a previous instrument in the family of instruments has been redeemed, incrementing a previous sequence designator in accordance with a predetermined pattern; and

sending said sequence designator to said mobile communication device, said mobile communication device having a user interface configured for display of an unredeemed instrument having no sequence designator and, upon redemption, a redeemed instrument having the sequence designator, the mobile communication device configured to;

cause display of the unredeemed instrument;

transmit to said data processor said data indicating redemption of said instrument; and

update user interface to display said sequence designator on said display of said mobile communication device.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein:

said instrument is a digital coupon;

said sequence designator is a number; and

wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for causing display of said number on said display after said instrument is validated.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is received from said mobile communication device, the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for providing said number to an award provider.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

validating said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a time of redemption of said instrument; and

sending said time of redemption to said mobile communication device; and

said mobile communication is further configured to display said time of redemption on said display of said mobile communication device.

14. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said instrument is a digital coupon and said mobile communication device is further configured to display said time of redemption after said instrument is validated.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is selected on said mobile communication device, said data processor is further configured to provide said time of redemption to an award provider.

16. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

validating said instrument upon receiving data indicating redemption of said instrument by;

determining a time since redemption of said instrument; and

sending said time since redemption to said mobile communication device; and

said mobile communication is further configured to display said time since redemption on said display of said mobile communication device.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said instrument is a digital coupon and wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for causing display of said time since redemption after said instrument is validated.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein when a request to verify said digital coupon is received from said mobile communication device, the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for providing said time since redemption to an award provider.