PROMOTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND SMARTPHONE APPLICATION

• US 20120220277A1
• Filed: 02/27/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Gonynor
• Original Assignee: David Gonynor
• Inventors: Gonynor, David
• Application Number:
  US13/035,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target

Abstract

A smartphone application for use by a user on a smartphone with geolocation capabilities, where the smartphone application has a user interface; the user interface indicates business customers in a geographical range from the user, where the business customers includes businesses contracting with an application controller; where the businesses contracting with an application controller includes promotion codes indicating the types of offers users can expect; where the user interface indicates offers from the business customers in the geographical range from the user; where the offers are not indicated if the offers are not valid at the time when the smartphone application is executed; and where offers will automatically renew based on the time frame set for the offer to be available again after redemption limits have been achieved.

Claims

1. A smartphone application for use by a user on a smartphone with geolocation capabilities:

wherein said smartphone application comprises a user interface;

wherein said user interface indicates locations in a geographical range from the user, wherein locations comprise locations operated by business customers contracting with an application controller;

wherein said user interface indicates offer types from the locations in the geographical range from the user;

wherein said locations are selectable by the user;

wherein if the location is selected, said user interface indicates offers associated with said offer types;

wherein said offers are not indicated if said offers are not valid at a time when the location is selected by the user;

wherein said offers are not indicated if said offers are not redeemable at the time when the location is selected;

wherein said user interface indicates whether said offers have redemption limits; and

wherein said user interface provides redemption codes for said offers if said offers have redemption limits.

2. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein said business customers are selected from a group consisting of restaurants, bars, and stores.

3. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smartphone application allows the user to select favorite locations from among the locations and wherein said smartphone application allows the user to review offers from said favorite locations regardless of whether said favorite location is in the geographical range from the user.

4. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smartphone application allows users to select alert locations from among the locations indicating that the user opts to receive messages from said alert locations.

5. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 4, wherein said message receipt is via SMS.

6. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smartphone application accepts demographic information from the user for registration with said smartphone application.

7. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 6, wherein said smartphone application allows the user to opt to receive targeted offers from said businesses based on the demographic information.

8. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smartphone application allows the user to enter the geographical range.

9. The smartphone application as claimed in claim 1, wherein if said offers have redemption limits, said offers are redeemable at the locations when the user displays said redemption code on the smartphone.

10. A computerized promotion management software system comprising a server, a network connection, a computer readable medium in communication with the server, and an offer software product stored on the computer readable medium and executable by the server, wherein said offer software product comprises:

receipt code for receiving input from a business customer through the network connection, wherein the input comprises;

locations operated by the business customer;

groupings of the locations;

offers;

any offer restrictions on the offers;

times when the offers are valid;

offer types of the offers;

whether the offers have redemption limits;

any redemption limits on the offers; and

a time frame indicating when the offers will be available again if the redemption limits are reached; and

distribution code for distributing offers to a user comprising;

geolocation code for receiving geolocation information for the user;

location code for compiling a list of the locations within a geographical range from the user;

offer code for compiling a list of offers and offer types associated with the offers, wherein the offers on the list are available for redemption at a time that said distribution code is executed; and

presentation code for presenting the lists of locations, types of offers, and offers to an application for use by the user.

11. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said offer software product further comprises tracking code for tracking at least a number of times the user has redeemed the offer and a total number of users that have redeemed the offer.

12. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said distribution code further comprises discontinuation code that prevents inclusion of an offer from the list of offers if the offer is subject to a redemption limit and the redemption limit has been met as indicated by said tracking code.

13. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said offer software product further comprises opt in opt out code for allowing a location operated by the business customer that operates more than one location to opt into and opt out of offers created for the location by the business customer.

14. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said offer software product further comprises:

inactive code for allowing the business customer to set an offer created for a grouping of locations as inactive; and

active code for allowing locations within the grouping of locations to review inactive offers and select and activate inactive offers that the locations desire to offer.

15. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said offer software product further comprises template code for creating templates of offers.

16. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said offer software product further comprises social networking code for distributing offers via social networking websites.

17. The computerized promotion management software system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said offer software product further comprises texting code for sending offers to users that have opted to receive offers from a location regardless of the user'"'"'s geolocation, wherein said texting code comprises:

user contact information code for receiving user contact information when a user selects a location from whom to receive offers;

texting input code for receiving input from the business customer, wherein the input received by said texting input code comprises a message for users who select a location from whom to receive offers, when to send the message, what grouping of locations will send messages if at least one location from the grouping is selected by the user for message receipt, and what locations will send messages if selected by the user for message receipt;

opt out code for allowing locations to opt out of sending messages to users that have selected the location for message receipt; and

sending code for sending the message to the users that have selected the location for message receipt.

18. An offer distribution system software product for the creation of offers and distribution of said offers via a smartphone application, said offer distribution system software product comprising:

an offer software product storable on a computer readable medium and executable by a server, comprising;

receipt code for receiving input from a business customer through the network connection, wherein the input comprises;

locations operated by the business customer;

groupings of the locations;

offers;

any offer restrictions on said offers;

times when said offers are valid;

offer types of said offers;

whether said offers have redemption limits;

any redemption limits on said offers; and

a time frame indicating when said offers will be available again if the redemption limits are reached;

distribution code for distributing said offers to a user comprising;

geolocation code for receiving geolocation information for the user;

location code for compiling a list of the locations within a geographical range from the user;

offer code for compiling a list of said offers and said offer types associated with the offers, wherein said offers on the list are available for redemption at a time that said distribution code is executed; and

presentation code for presenting said lists of locations, said types of offers, and said offers to a smartphone application for use by the user;

tracking code for tracking at least a number of times the user has redeemed said offer and a total number of users that have redeemed said offer;

discontinuation code that prevents inclusion of said offer from said list of offers if said offer is subject to a redemption limit and the redemption limit has been met as indicated by said tracking code;

opt in opt out code for allowing a location operated by the business customer that operates more than one location to opt into and opt out of said offers created for the location by the business customer;

inactive code for allowing the business customer to set said offer created for a grouping of locations as inactive;

active code for allowing locations within the grouping of locations to review inactive offers and select and activate inactive offers that the locations desire to offer;

template code for creating templates of offers; and

texting code for sending offers to users that have opted to receive offers from a location regardless of the user'"'"'s geolocation, wherein said texting code comprises;

user contact information code for receiving user contact information when the user selects a location from whom to receive said offers;

texting input code for receiving input from the business customer, wherein the input received by said texting input code comprises a message for users who select a location from whom to receive offers, when to send the message, what grouping of locations will send messages if at least one location from the grouping is selected by the user for message receipt, and what locations will send messages if selected by the user for message receipt;

opt out code for allowing locations to opt out of sending messages to users that have selected the location for message receipt; and

sending code for sending the message to the users that have selected the location for message receipt; and

a smartphone software product stored on a smartphone readable medium and executable as said smartphone application by a smartphone with geolocation capabilities, wherein said smartphone software product comprises;

user interface code for providing a user interface on the smartphone;

geolocation code for identifying and indicating locations within a geographical range from a user, wherein locations comprise locations input by the business customer executing said receipt code of said offer software product;

offer type code for indicating said offer types available at locations within the geographical range from the user;

location selection code for allowing the user to select a location;

offer code for indicating said offers corresponding to said offer types indicated as available at the location selected by the user, wherein said offers are not indicated if said offers are not valid at a time when the user selects the location from said list of locations within the geographical range and said offers are not indicated if said offers are not redeemable at the time when the user selects the location from said list of locations within the geographical range;

alert code for allowing the user to opt in to receive said messages from locations selected by the user;

registration code allowing users to register for a service;

redemption code for providing the user with a code on the smartphone that is redeemable at a location with the display of the code on the smartphone; and

favorites codes for allowing the user to select favorite locations from the locations, wherein the user can see offers from favorite locations regardless of the user'"'"'s geolocation.

19. The offer distribution system software product as claimed in claim 18, wherein the sending of said sending code of said texting code of said offer software product and the receiving of said alert code of said smartphone software product is via SMS.

20. The offer distribution system software product as claimed in claim 18, further comprising social networking code for distributing offers via social networking websites.