Method and system for implementing a search engine with reward components and payment components

• US 20050240472A1
• Filed: 02/19/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for implementation of product searches via a search engine over a networked computer system such as the Internet. In particular, a user may execute a search for product offers that are accompanied with reward components (e.g. reward points, rebates, coupons, etc.) and/or those that allow payment in whole or in part with payment components (e.g. reward points, rebates, coupons, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for executing an online search over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:

a. accessing from a user computing device a search entry web element from a search engine web site running on a search engine computer adapted to allow a user to enter a search term associated with a desired product inquiry;

b. a user initiating a search by operating said user computing device to enter a search term into an input field on said search entry web element, said search term associated with a desired product inquiry;

c. the user computing device transmitting said search term to said search engine web site over a computer network;

d. the search engine web site using said search term to perform a search for web pages matching said search term in accordance with search criteria;

e. the search engine web site returning to said user a plurality of links to web pages determined by said search engine web site to match said search term in accordance with said search criteria;

f. the user computing device connecting with a merchant web site associated with a selected link;

the user executing a transaction to purchase a desired product from the merchant web site, wherein said transaction comprises tendering at least partial payment for said desired product with a payment component previously accumulated by said user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected link is selected by the user from the plurality of links.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected link is selected by the search engine web site

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said search criteria comprises a payment component filter that provides for display to said user of links to web sites that will allow payment with a payment component.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the payment component comprises reward points.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the payment component comprises a rebate.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the payment component comprises a discount coupon.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the payment component comprises a cash equivalent tender.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein said payment component filter provides that links to web sites that will allow payment with a payment component are displayed to the user with highlighted indicia.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein said payment component filter disallows display of links to those web sites that do not allow payment with a payment component.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein said user selects said payment component filter prior to initiating a search.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said payment component filter is selectable by selecting a designated button control displayed on said search entry web element.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said search criteria comprises a product purchase filter that requires display to said user of links to those web sites that will allow a user to purchase a product associated with the search term.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said product purchase filter provides that links to web sites that will allow a user to purchase a product associated with the search term are displayed to the user with highlighted indicia.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said product purchase filter disallows display of links to those web sites that do not allow a user to purchase a product associated with the search term.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprises an availability filter that provides for display to said user of links to web sites that can provide a desired product based on date and time based availability criteria.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprises an usability filter that provides for display to said user of links to web sites that can provide a desired product based on usability criteria.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said search criteria comprises an optimal value filter that provides for display to said user of links to web sites that provide optimal purchase value to the user for the desired product as determined by the search engine web site.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the optimal purchase value is determined by the search engine web site in accordance with value criteria.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the value criteria is provided to the search engine web site by the user.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said value criteria comprises the purchase price of the product.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein said value criteria comprises the availability of a reward component provided by the merchant along with the purchase of the product.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the reward component provided by the merchant along with the purchase of the product comprises reward points.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the reward component provided by the merchant along with the purchase of the product comprises a rebate.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the reward component provided by the merchant along with the purchase of the product comprises a discount.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the reward component provided by the merchant along with the purchase of the product comprises a cash equivalent tender.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein the links to web sites that provide optimal purchase value to the user for the desired product are ranked in order by the search engine web site as determined by the amount of value provided to the user for the desired product.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the search engine web site automatically links the user'"'"'s computing device browser to the web site that provides the best value for purchase of the desired product.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein said search criteria comprises a charitable donations filter that provides for display to said user of links to web sites that donate value to a charitable organization as part of the purchase price of the product.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein said search entry web element comprises a web page.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein said search entry web element comprises a toolbar associated with a browser program executed on the user computing device, said toolbar comprises a plurality of user-selectable button controls.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein at least one of said user-selectable button controls is a search criteria selection button adapted to manage at least part of said search criteria.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said search criteria selection button is adapted to manage a payment component filter that requires display to said user of links to only those web sites that will allow payment with a payment component.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said search criteria selection button is adapted to manage a product purchase only filter that requires display to said user of links to only those web sites that will provide for a user to purchase a product associated with the search term.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein at least one of said user-selectable button controls is a payment component payment button adapted to allow tendering of at least partial payment for said desired product with a payment component previously accumulated by said user.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said payment component payment button is a reward points payment button adapted to allow tendering of at least partial payment for said desired product with reward points previously accumulated by said user.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein, when said user selects said reward points payment button on said toolbar, a points payment process is executed, said points payment process comprising the steps of:

i. a points payment request transmitted from the user computing device to the search engine web site;

ii. the search engine web site arranging for the redemption of reward points from a reward point account stored on a reward point server on behalf of the user in order to at least partially pay the merchant for the selected product.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the search engine web site arranges for redemption of reward points from a reward point account held by the user by the steps of:

1. communicating with the reward server computer to determine the number of reward points held in the reward point account on behalf of the user;

2. redeeming reward points from the reward point account on behalf of the user, wherein the number of reward points in the reward point account is decreased by the reward server computer and consideration for said redemption is conveyed from said reward server computer to said search engine computer; and

3. said search engine computer arranges for payment to said merchant in exchange for the selected product on behalf of the user.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said points payment process comprises the search engine web site arranging for the redemption of reward points from a plurality of reward point accounts stored on a plurality of reward point servers on behalf of the user in order to at least partially pay the merchant for the selected product.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the reward point account stored on the reward point server stores reward points previously earned by the user for transactions between the user and an associated reward points issuing entity.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein the reward point account stored on the reward point server stores reward points previously exchanged from other reward point servers that each store reward points previously earned by the user for transactions between the user and an associated reward points issuing entity.

42. The method of claim 1 wherein a user profile database is stored on the search engine computer, said user profile database comprising a profile associated with the user, and further wherein the search engine web site uses the profile associated with the user along with the search term to perform a search for web pages matching said search term in accordance with search criteria and the profile associated with the user.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the user profile database comprises user product preference data.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the user profile database comprises user demographic information.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the search engine web site uses the user profile to make alternate product searches and transmit alternate product suggestions to said user computing device based on results obtained from said alternate product searches.