REDISTRIBUTION AND REDEMPTION OF COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES

• US 20090138348A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trout, Robert C., Davis, Marc E., Higgins, Christopher W.
• Application Number:
  US11/944,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138348A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for permitting commercial incentives received by a consumer device to be redistributed to other consumer devices, thereby facilitating the sharing and/or transport of commercial incentives between and among consumers. Systems and methods for distributing and/or redistributing commercial incentives from a node to consumer devices within a local network associated with the node are also described. In both distribution and redistribution scenarios, compensation may be issued to a distributor and/or redistributor upon redemption of a commercial incentive.

Claims

1. A method for redistributing a commercial incentive, comprising:

receiving a commercial incentive by a first consumer device;

storing the commercial incentive locally with respect to the first consumer device;

identifying a second consumer device that is communicatively connected to the first consumer device via a network; and

transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the first consumer device to the second consumer device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a second consumer device that is communicatively connected to the first consumer device via a network comprises:

detecting that the second consumer device is connected to the same proximity network as the first consumer device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a second consumer device that is communicatively connected to the first consumer device via a network comprises:

determining that a consumer associated with the second consumer device is within a social network of a consumer associated with the first consumer device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the first consumer device to the second consumer device comprises:

determining if the second consumer device is eligible to receive the commercial incentive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the first consumer device to the second consumer device comprises:

modifying terms associated with the copy of the commercial incentive prior to transmitting the copy of the commercial incentive to the second consumer device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

remitting a payment amount to a first consumer associated with the first consumer device responsive to the redemption of the copy of the commercial incentive transmitted to the second consumer device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

dynamically determining the payment amount responsive to the transmission of the copy of the commercial incentive from the first consumer device to the second consumer device.

8. A consumer device, comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate over a network;

a local commercial incentive manager connected to the network interface, the local commercial incentive manager configured to receive and store a commercial incentive; and

a commercial incentive redistributor connected to the network interface and to the local commercial incentive manager, the commercial incentive redistributor configured to identify a remote consumer device that is communicatively connected to the consumer device via the network interface, and to transmit a copy of the commercial incentive to the remote consumer device via the network interface.

9. The consumer device of claim 8, wherein the commercial incentive redistributor is configured to detect that the remote consumer device is connected to the same proximity network as the first consumer device.

10. The consumer device of claim 8, wherein the commercial incentive redistributor is configured to determine that a consumer associated with the remote consumer device is within a social network of a consumer associated with the consumer device.

11. The consumer device of claim 8, wherein the commercial incentive redistributor is configured to modify terms associated with the copy of the commercial incentive prior to transmitting the copy of the commercial incentive to the remote consumer device.

12. A method for distributing a commercial incentive, comprising:

receiving a commercial incentive by a network node;

storing the commercial incentive locally with respect to the node;

identifying a consumer device that is communicatively connected to the node via a network; and

transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the node to the consumer device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the commercial incentive by the network node comprises:

receiving the commercial incentive from a commercial incentive engine.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the commercial incentive by the network node comprises:

receiving the commercial incentive engine from a second consumer device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the node to the consumer device comprises:

determining if the consumer device is eligible to receive the commercial incentive.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting a copy of the commercial incentive from the node to the consumer device comprises:

modifying terms associated with the copy of the commercial incentive prior to transmitting the copy of the commercial incentive to the consumer device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

remitting a payment amount to an entity associated with the node responsive to the redemption of the copy of the commercial incentive transmitted to the consumer device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

dynamically determining the payment amount responsive to the transmission of the copy of the commercial incentive from the node to the consumer device.

19. A node, comprising:

a first network interface configured to communicate over a first network;

a second network interface configured to communicate over a sub-network of the first network;

a local commercial incentive manager connected to the first network interface, the local commercial incentive manager configured to receive a commercial incentive from a commercial incentive engine via the first network interface and to store the commercial incentive; and

a commercial incentive distributor connected to the local commercial incentive manager and to the second network interface, the commercial incentive distributor configured to identify a consumer device that is communicatively connected to the node via the second network interface, and to transmit a copy of the commercial incentive to the consumer device via the second network interface.

20. The node of claim 19, wherein the commercial incentive distributor is configured to determine if the consumer device is eligible to receive the commercial incentive.

21. The node of claim 19, wherein the commercial incentive distributor is configured to modify terms associated with the copy of the commercial incentive prior to transmitting the copy of the commercial incentive to the consumer device.

22. A node, comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate over a network;

a local commercial incentive manager connected to the network interface, the local commercial incentive manager configured to receive a commercial incentive from a first consumer device via the network interface and to store the commercial incentive; and

a commercial incentive redistributor connected to the local commercial incentive manager and to the network interface, the commercial incentive redistributor configured to identify a second consumer device that is communicatively connected to the node via the network interface, and to transmit a copy of the commercial incentive to the second consumer device via the network interface.

23. The node of claim 22, wherein the commercial incentive redistributor is configured to determine if the second consumer device is eligible to receive the commercial incentive.

24. The node of claim 22, wherein the commercial incentive redistributor is configured to modify terms associated with the copy of the commercial incentive prior to transmitting the copy of the commercial incentive to the second consumer device.