Method and apparatus for electronic message (coupon) distribution

• US 20070150339A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thumb-Find International Incorporated
• Inventors: Bandekar, Keshav, Retter, Dale
• Application Number:
  US11/317,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150339A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system and method for creating and retrieving coupons using an electronic coupon database includes registering coupons with the database by a vendor, and then registering cell phones, also with the database; so that cell phones subsequently can request coupons from the database. The coupons are encrypted and sent to the requesting registered cell phone, which then decrypts the coupons for display and redemption at a point of sale. Provision is made to prevent the transfer of coupons from the requesting cell phone to some other cell phone in the system.

Claims

1. An electronic coupon system including:

a vendor coupon database for storing unique coupon identifiers for a plurality of coupons;

means for comparing the identifier of a coupon presented on a cell phone for redemption with the coupon identifiers in the coupon database to provide an output based on the comparison results; and

means responsive to the output of the comparing means for accepting or rejecting a presented coupon.

2. An electronic coupon system according to claim 1 further including means for modifying the vendor coupon database responsive to acceptance of a presented coupon.

3. An electronic coupon system according to claim 2 wherein the means for modifying the vendor coupon database includes removing the identifier of an accepted coupon from the database.

4. An electronic coupon system according to claim 3 wherein the means for modifying the vendor coupon database increments the redemption count for the plurality of coupons upon acceptance of a presented coupon.

5. An electronic coupon system according to claim 1 further including means for deleting coupons from the coupon database upon acceptance of coupons.

6. An electronic coupon system according to claim 5 further including means for removing an accepted coupon from the cell phone.

7. An electronic coupon system according to claim 1 wherein the means for modifying the vendor coupon database includes removing the identifier of an accepted coupon from the database.

8. An electronic coupon system according to claim 1 wherein the means for modifying the vendor coupon database increments the redemption count for the plurality of coupons upon acceptance of a presented coupon.

9. An electronic coupon system according to claim 1 further including means for removing an accepted coupon from the cell phone.

10. A coupon retrieval system including in combination:

means for registering a cell phone in a system database;

means for registering vendor information and coupon information in the system database;

means for supplying a coupon from the database to a registered cell phone user upon request initiated by the cell phone user.

11. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 10 wherein the means for registering cell phone in the system database includes means for equipping a registered cell phone with a unique private key, and wherein the means for supplying a coupon from the database to a registered cell phone user encrypts such coupon information with the unique private key associated with the registered cell phone.

12. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 11 further including means for precluding transference of coupon information in the system database from one registered cell phone to another registered cell phone in the system.

13. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 11 further including means for modifying the coupon information in the system database upon supplying of a coupon from the database to a registered cell phone user.

14. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 10 further including means for modifying the coupon information in the system database upon supplying of a coupon from the database to a registered cell phone user.

15. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 12 further including means for modifying the coupon information in the system database upon supplying of a coupon from the database to a registered cell phone user.

16. A coupon retrieval system including in combination:

a coupon delivery source;

a cell phone registered with the coupon delivery source and having a unique identification number associated with coupons to be received thereby from the coupon delivery source.

17. A coupon retrieval system according to claim 16 wherein coupons to be received by the cell phone are encrypted and the cell phone includes means for decrypting the encrypted coupons.

18. A method for creating and retrieving coupons including establishing a coupon database;

supplying coupon information for coupons to be redeemed from the coupon database by a vendor;

registering cell phones with the coupon database for enabling registered cell phones subsequently to obtain coupons from the database;

providing registered cell phones with unique decryption codes;

supplying encrypted coupon information to a registered cell phone upon request for such a coupon from the registered cell phone to the coupon database;

encrypting the coupon information with the unique encryption code for the requesting cell phone; and

decrypting a received requested coupon at the registered cell phone for subsequent presentation and redemption.

19. A method according to claim 18 further including removal of a requested coupon from the requesting registered cell phone following redemption of the coupon.

20. A method according to claim 18 further including modifying the coupon database upon redemption of a coupon by a requesting registered cell phone.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the modifying of the coupon database comprises removing a coupon from the coupon database.