Method for rule-based gift giving

• US 10,846,725 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GiftYa, LLC
• Original Assignee: GiftYa, LLC
• Inventors: Isaacson, Thomas M., Durham, Ryan C., Ludwig, Adam, Ledbetter, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Holly, John H.
• Application Number:
  US15/650,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20170316440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 705 41, 705 11, 705 35, 705 12, 705 39, 705 1432, 705 44, 705 261, 705 67, 705 64, 705 40, 235380, 235381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method for rule-based gift giving method collects information about life events of one or more friends from one or more social network systems and/or from one or more online profiles. The gathered information may be organized in a news stream format or a calendar items format. The user creates rules including parameters such as monetary value of the gift, identity of the recipient and the life event on which to send the gift. The user may generate a default list of friends who will automatically receive user-selected gifts on user-selected life events. According to another embodiment, the user may generate an on-demand list of friends who will receive gifts on selected life events upon user'"'"'s approval.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

gathering, via a processor and via a social networking system in which users accept friend requests and exchange messages or posts with accepted friends, information about life events of each individual in a list of a plurality of individuals;

presenting on a graphical user interface of the social networking system a life event of an individual from the list of the plurality of individuals;

receiving, at a first time and via the processor and the social networking system, a rule from a giver specifying the individual in the list and the life event;

receiving, via the processor and via the social networking system, an identification of a gift credit for a gift from the giver to the individual;

transmitting an electronic notice to a mobile device associated with the individual, the electronic notice identifying the gift credit from the giver;

monitoring purchases of the individual after the first time and according to the rule for a qualifying purchase of the gift, the purchases being made using a financial account of the individual; and

based on the monitoring and when the individual makes the qualifying purchase of the gift according to the rule, transferring funds, via the processor and at a second time which is later than the first time, from a giver account of the giver to the financial account of the individual to be used as the gift credit toward the qualifying purchase of the gift, wherein the giver account and the financial account of the individual in the list are both registered with a rule-based gift giving system, and wherein the financial account of the individual is a general purpose financial account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the life event comprises one of a birthday, a change of marital status, a change of employer, a change of location, a religious holiday, a national holiday and a graduation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule further comprises a monetary value of the gift as the gift credit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule further comprises one or more attributes of the one or more gifts, the one or more attributes comprising color, dimension, brand, type, size or quantity.

5. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

gathering, via a social networking system in which users accept friend requests and exchange messages or posts with accepted friends, information about life events of each individual in a list of a plurality of individuals;

presenting on a graphical user interface of the social networking system a life event of an individual from the list of the plurality of individuals;

receiving, at a first time and via the social networking system, a rule from a giver specifying the individual in the list and the life event;

receiving, via the social networking system, an identification of a gift credit for a gift from the giver to the individual;

transmitting an electronic notice to a mobile device associated with the individual, the electronic notice identifying the gift credit from the giver;

monitoring purchases of the individual after the first time and according to the rule for a qualifying purchase of the gift, the purchases being made using a financial account of the individual; and

based on the monitoring and when the individual makes the qualifying purchase of the gift according to the rule, transferring funds, at a second time which is later than the first time, from a giver account of the giver to the financial account of the individual in the list to be used as the gift credit toward the qualifying purchase of the gift, wherein the giver account and the financial account of the individual are both registered with a rule-based gift giving system, and wherein the financial account of the individual is a general purpose financial account.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the life event comprises one of a birthday, a change of marital status, a change of employer, a change of location, a religious holiday, a national holiday and a graduation.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the rule further comprises a monetary value of the gift as the gift credit.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the rule further comprises one or more attributes of the one or more gifts, the one or more attributes comprising color, dimension, brand, type, size or quantity.

9. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

gathering, via a social networking system in which users accept friend requests and exchange messages or posts with accepted friends, information about life events of each individual in a list of a plurality of individuals;

presenting on a graphical user interface of the social networking system a life event of an individual from the list of the plurality of individuals;

receiving, at a first time and via the social networking system, a rule from a giver specifying the individual in the list and the life event associated with the individual;

receiving, via the social networking system, an identification of a gift credit for a gift from the giver to the individual;

transmitting an electronic notice to a mobile device associated with the individual, the electronic notice identifying the gift credit from the giver;

monitoring purchases of the individual after the first time and according to the rule for a qualifying purchase of the gift, the purchases being made using a financial account of the individual; and

based on the monitoring and when the individual makes the qualifying purchase of the gift according to the rule, transferring funds, at a second time which is later than the first time, from a giver account of the giver to the financial account of the individual in the list to be used as the gift credit toward the qualifying purchase of the gift, wherein the giver account and the financial account of the individual are both registered with a rule-based gift giving system, and wherein the financial account of the individual is a general purpose financial account.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the life event comprises one of a birthday, a change of marital status, a change of employer, a change of location, a religious holiday, a national holiday and a graduation.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the rule further comprises a monetary value of the gift as the gift credit.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the rule further comprises one or more attributes of the one or more gifts, the one or more attributes comprising color, dimension, brand, type, size or quantity.