Automated reply generation direct marketing system

• US 20060004642A1
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Licensing, LLC
• Inventors: Libman, Richard Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for automatically preparing customized replies in response to communications from a plurality of clients. To facilitate automation and tracking, each original communication to the client (or each original response from the client) is tagged with a unique label, and replies to client responses are each correspondingly labeled. The system provides individualized replies to each of a variety of response options that a client might exercise in response to a received communication, whether an original communication or a reply to a previous response. The system is applicable to mass marketing communications, and is particularly well suited to the generation of personalized replies to each and every one of a multitude (tens of thousands and up to millions) of communications from clients. The system is also capable of continuing to generate replies to follow-up responses from clients and to thereby maintain an ongoing “conversation” until the client makes a purchase decision, or no longer responds. Communications may be delivered through a variety of means, such as the internet, the mails, by facsimile, on a host communication, etc.

Claims

1. A method for automatically preparing a customized reply to each response communication from a plurality of clients, each response labeled to correspond to a labeled communication sent to each of the plurality of clients, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a plurality of responses, each response comprising a unique label to identify each response as coming from a particular client, each response comprising non purchase response option information;

(b) inputting response option information and corresponding client identification into an automated reply generation system;

(c) preparing a reply specific to each response of the plurality of responses, each reply comprising a label corresponding to the unique label of its corresponding response; and

(d) delivering prepared replies to corresponding clients.

2. A system for automatically (i) preparing customized communications to each of a plurality of clients, the communications each presenting client response options including non purchase response options, and (ii) replying to non purchase responses from clients with customized replies, the method comprising:

(a) using decision information to automatically select variable information about each of a plurality of clients and automatically inserting the variable information about each client into a client communication, the communication comprising client response options;

(b) appending each client communication to a separate host communication to form a plurality of combined communications, each of the combined communications comprising a client identifying label;

(c) delivering each combined communication to a respective one of the plurality of clients;

(d) receiving a plurality of responses, each response comprising an identifying label and response option information;

(e) inputting the response option information of each of the responses into a system for generating customized replies;

preparing a reply to each of the responses, each reply directed to response option information selected by one of the plurality of clients and each reply comprising an identifying label; and

(g) delivering the prepared replies to each of the plurality of clients.

3. A system for automatically preparing customized communications to each of a plurality of clients, each of the communications including a label and non purchase response options, and replying to non purchase responses from clients with customized replies, the method comprising:

(a) using decision information to automatically select variable information about each of a plurality of clients to prepare a customized communication uniquely labeled for each client;

(B) delivering each labeled communication to a respective one of the plurality of clients;

(C) receiving a plurality of responses, each response identified by a label as coming from one of the plurality of clients;

(D) inputting response option information supplied in each of the responses into a system for generating customized replies;

(E) preparing a reply to each of the responses, each reply directed to response option information selected by one of the plurality of clients, each reply labeled to correspond to the label of its corresponding response; and

(F) delivering replies to each of the plurality of clients.