Marketing systems and methods that preserve consumer privacy

• US 6,285,983 B1
• Filed: 03/19/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lend Lease Corporation Limited (Lendlease Group)
• Original Assignee: Lend Lease Corporation Limited (Lendlease Group)
• Inventors: Jenkins, Elwyn D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gravini, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US09/272,123
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/10, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• 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 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Real-time marketing systems and methods are provided for creating marketing profiles and for directing customized offers to consumers while preserving consumer privacy. The systems and methods permit marketers to communicate offers directly to consumers without marketer knowledge of consumer identity. The systems and methods abstract from consumer profile records and securely index the class records created thereby to individual consumers. Without knowledge of consumer identity, marketers can frame real-time offers according to a marketing profile describing elements of the class records and then direct those offers to individual consumers.

Claims

1. A computer-based marketing system for directing customized offers to consumers, the marketing system comprising:

a secure server comprising;

an individual records database of individual records derived from a consumer data set; and

a first communications facility that enables the secure server to communication offers with individual consumers;

a marketing server in communication with the secure server, comprising;

a classes database of class records derived from an abstraction of the individual records database, wherein said classes database identifies individual records of said individual records database to which electronic offers are to be sent based on a user-selected marketing profile, and

the said class records are devoid of information specifying the identify of the consumers associated with the class records; and

a second communication facility that provides access by marketers to the marketing server; and

a third communications facilities that enables the marketing server to communication with the secure server;

wherein the secure server, in response to instructions received from the marketing server, communicates offers to individual consumers.

2. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 1 wherein the consumer data set comprises data collected from on-line consumer activity.

3. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 1 further comprising a search results database to store marketing profiles.

4. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 1 wherein the secure server is adapted to receive responses to the offers from consumers.

5. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 1 wherein the secure server includes software for applying data mining tools to the individual records database.

6. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 1 further comprising an index that traces class records in the classes database to individual records in the individual records database.

7. A computer-based marketing system for directing customized offers to consumers while preserving consumer privacy, the marketing system comprising:

a secure server comprising;

a first communications facility that communicates with a consumer data set derived from consumer data;

an individual records database of individual records derived from the consumer data set; and

a second communications facility that enables the secure server to communicate with individual consumers;

a marketing server in communication with the secure server comprising;

a classes database of class records derived from an abstraction of the individual records database, wherein said classes database identifies individual records of said individual records database to which electronic offers are to be sent based on a user-selected marketing profile;

marketing profiles describing elements of the classes database; and

a third communications facility that provides access by marketers to the marketing server, and

a fourth communications facility that enables the marketing server to communicate with the secure server;

wherein the secure server, in response to instructions received from the marketing server, communicates offers to individual consumers; and

wherein information identifying individual consumers is shielded from the marketing server and from marketers by the secure server.

8. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 7 wherein the data repositories comprise third-party data repositories.

9. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 7 wherein the consumer data set comprises data collected from on-line consumer activity.

10. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 7 further comprising an index that traces class records in the classes database to individual records in the individual records database.

11. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 7 wherein the secure server includes software for applying data mining tools to the individual records database.

12. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 7 wherein the secure server receives responses from consumers.

13. A method of directing customized offers to consumers, the method comprising the steps of:

creating individual records in an individual records database by aggregating consumer data;

generating class records in a classes database, the class records generating step comprising the steps of;

abstracting the individual records to create class records;

creating an index tracing the class records to the individual records wherein the index is not accessible by the classes database;

creating marketing profiles describing elements of the classes database in response to a request from a marketer;

generating an offer to individual consumers in response to offer initiation by a marketer; and

communicating the offer to individual consumers.

14. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of processing consumer responses to the offer.

15. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 14 further comprising the step of updating individual records and class records as consumer responses to the offer are processed.

16. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 14 further comprising the step of updating individual records and class records in response to a marketer request and as consumer responses to the offer are processed.

17. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 wherein the communicating step comprises communicating the offer electronically to individual consumers.

18. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 wherein the communicating step comprises communicating the offer electronically to individual consumers via an electronic mail message.

19. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 18 wherein the communicating step comprises communicating the offer electronically to individual consumers by serving a web page.

20. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of collecting consumer data from at least one data repository, the consumer data including a consumer identifier.

21. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 20 wherein the consumer data collecting step comprises collecting consumer data from at least one on-line data repository.

22. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of storing marketing profiles in a search results database.

23. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of using data mining tools to help marketers frame their requests.

24. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of updating individual records and class records as additional consumer behavior data is obtained.

25. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of forwarding offer responses from individual consumers to the marketer.

26. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the step of updating individual records and class records in response to a marketer request and as additional consumer behavior data is aggregated.

27. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of

collecting consumer data from at least one on-line data repository, the consumer data including a consumer identifier;

using data mining tools to help marketers frame their requests;

storing marketing profiles in a search results database;

updating individual records and class records in response to a marketer request and as additional consumer behavior data is aggregated;

processing consumer responses to the offer;

updating individual records and class records in response to a marketer request and as consumer responses to the offer are processed; and

forwarding consumer responses to marketers;

wherein the index creating step comprises creating an index tracing the class records to the individual records, wherein the index is not accessible by the classes database; and

wherein the communicating step comprises communicating the offer electronically to individual consumers.

28. A method of directing customized offers to consumer, the method comprising the steps of:

creating an individual records database including a plurality of individual records that describe consumer behavior;

storing the individual records database on a secure server;

abstracting in the secure server the individual records in the individual records database to generate class records that are stored in a class records database on a marketing server, wherein the step of abstracting generates class records devoid of information identifying individual consumers, and wherein each of the class records is traceable to a corresponding individual record;

identifying in the marketing server a subset of individual records associated with consumers to whom communications are to be directed based on a marketing profile submitted by a marketer;

identifying in the secure server a subset of individual records by tracing the subset of class records to individual records; and

generating in the secure server a communication to those consumers who are associated with the identified subset of individual records.

29. The method of directing customized offers to consumers according claim 28 further comprising the step of forwarding offer responses from individual consumers to the marketer.

30. A computer-based marketing system for directing customized offers to consumers, the marketing system comprising:

means for organizing an individual records database containing individual records from a variety of consumer data sources;

means for generating class records in a classes database, the class records generating means further comprising means for abstracting the individual records to create class records;

means for creating a marketing profile describing elements of the classes database in response to a request from a marketer; and

means for generating offers to individual consumers described by the marketing profile in response to offer initiation by a marketer;

wherein the abstracting means eliminates all individual consumer identifying information from the class records in order to preserve consumer privacy.

31. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for accessing a plurality of consumer data sources.

32. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for communicating with individual consumers.

33. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for communicating with the marketer.

34. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for applying data mining tools to the individual records database.

35. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for indexing the class records to the individual records, wherein the indexing means is not accessible by the marketer.

36. The computer-based marketing system according to claim 30 further comprising means for forwarding offer responses from individual consumers to the marketer.

37. A computer program product for directing customized offers to consumers, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer readable program code means for organizing an individual records database containing individual records from a variety of consumer data sources;

computer readable program code means for generating class records in a classes database, the class records generating means further comprising means for abstracting the individual records to create class records;

computer readable program code means for creating a marketing profile describing elements of the classes database in response to a request from a marketer; and

computer readable program code means for generating offers to individual consumers described by the marketing profile in response to offer initiation by a marketer,

wherein the computer readable program code abstracting means eliminates al individual consumer identifying information from the class records in order to preserve consumer privacy.