Demographic information gathering and incentive award system and method

• US 7,240,022 B1
• Filed: 05/19/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MyPoints.com, Inc. (Prodege)
• Original Assignee: MyPoints.com, Inc. (Prodege)
• Inventors: Muller, Craig, Bistriceanu, Virgil
• Primary Examiner(s): Diaz; Susanna M.
• Application Number:
  US09/080,946
• Time in Patent Office: 3,332 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1, 705/10, 705/26, 705/27, 709/203, 709/218
• US Class Current: 705/14.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system and method provides web site proprietors with demographics information about the users who visit their web sites, and provides web site visitors with incentive awards (i.e., points) in exchange for providing the demographics information and interacting with the web sites in a predefined manner. Users complete a questionnaire designed to solicit various demographics data of interest to web site proprietors. A profile is then associated with user identification information and stored on a server. The identification information is also stored on the user'"'"'s local device to identify the user on subsequent visits to participating sites. Users visit the web sites of one or more participating web site proprietors. In so doing the participating user will be awarded points that can be redeemed for products or services at a later date. The system automatically awards points to deserving users without requiring the users to manually leave the web site awarding the points. Periodically, the system develops a report for each participating web site proprietor providing a demographics profile of the participating users that interacted with the web site in predefined ways. The system also provides redemption sites where participating users can visit to convert the points accumulated into products or services.

Claims

1. A distributed information gathering system for use with at least two web sites on the Internet, the system comprising:

a plurality of independent participating web sites providing a plurality of content information;

a profile server including a database storing a plurality of client profiles wherein each of the plurality of client profiles is established by a participating client;

a transaction server communicatively connected to the profile server and the plurality of independent participating web sites, the transaction server configured to receive an information request from one of the plurality of independent participating web sites initiated by the participating client at one of the plurality of independent participating web sites, wherein the information request includes a request to retrieve content from a web server that is independent of the transaction server and the profile server, the content including a different one of the plurality of participating web sites, the transaction server further including;

a control circuit communicatively coupled to the profile server and the transaction server and programmed to execute;

a demographics routine to determine client demographic information based on the received information request initiated by the participating client at one of the plurality of participating web sites and the client profile corresponding to the participating client, wherein the received information request is stored on the transaction server and the client profile is stored on the profile server;

an incentive award routine to award incentive points to the participating client in response to the received information request initiated by the participating client at one of the plurality of participating web sites, to store the awarded incentive points on the profile server for future redemption by the participating client, to award the incentive award on a first visit to one of the plurality of participating web sites, and to award a second incentive award for a subsequent visit if the subsequent visit occurs after a predetermined period of time; and

a redirection routine to send a redirection message to the participating website at which the participating client initiated the information request that redirects the participating client to the different one of the plurality of participating web sites, where in the redirection message is sent from the transaction server.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the size of the incentive award is defined by one of the plurality of participating web sites.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the incentive award routine awards the incentive award in response to a task.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the task is responding to a question.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transaction server comprises software executed as a part of one of the plurality of participating web sites.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the profile server comprises software executed as a part of one of the plurality of participating web sites.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the redirection messages comprises a network address corresponding to one of the plurality of participating web sites.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the profile server organizes the plurality of client profiles to identify a profile specific network location.

9. The system as described in claim 8, wherein the redirection message comprises a network address corresponding to the profile specific network location of one of the plurality of participating web sites.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of participating web sites comprise a network communicatively connected through the Internet.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the information request originates from a personal computer communicatively connected to the plurality of independent participating web sites.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of client profiles comprise a plurality of encrypted client profiles.

13. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the transaction server is configured to receive and process the plurality of encrypted client profiles.

14. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein transaction server further includes a display routine for displaying incentive information to a non-participating client in response to the request for content information from one of the participating distributed web sites.

15. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the incentive award routine stores awarded incentive points for future redemption by the participating client as an accumulation of incentive points earned by different actions of the participating client.

16. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the incentive award routine stores awarded incentive points for future redemption by the participating client as an accumulation of incentive points earned by actions of the participating client at different ones of the independent participating web sites.

17. A method of gathering information from a plurality of participating distributed web sites comprising:

creating a client profile in a profile database to identify the preferences of a participating client;

requesting at one of the plurality of participating distributed web sites, content information from a different one of the plurality of participating web sites;

receiving the request for content information intended for the different one of the plurality of participating distributed web sites at a transaction server communicatively connected to the plurality of participating distributed web sites and the profile database, wherein the request for content information is initiated by the participating client at one of the plurality of participating distributed web sites, wherein the transaction server is independent of the different one of the plurality of participating web sites;

verifying that the request for content information was initiated by one of the participating clients;

determining client demographic information based on the request for content information initiated by the participating client at one of the participating distributed web sites and the client profile corresponding to the participating client;

awarding an incentive award to the participating client in response to the information request including storing the awarded incentive points for future redemption by the participating client, wherein the incentive award is awarded on a first visit to one of the plurality of participating web sites and a second incentive award is awarded for a subsequent visit if the subsequent visit occurs after a predetermined period of time; and

sending a redirection message to the participating web site at which the participating client initiated the information request that redirects the participating client to the content information on the different one of the plurality of participating distributed web sites.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising transmitting a representation of the requested content information.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the representation comprises a web page address.

20. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the representation comprises a web page.

21. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein receiving the request for content information comprises receiving a transport protocol message.

22. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein the requested content information comprises web page information.

23. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein the requested content comprises a web page address.

24. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the client profile includes one or more of the group consisting of a network address, an identification number, and a user name.

25. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising determining whether the participating client is associated with a predefined client profile type.

26. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising transmitting an e-mail message to the participating client.

27. The method as defined in claim 26, wherein transmitting the e-mail messages comprises composing the e-mail message based on a predefined client profile associated with the participating client.

28. The method as defined in claim 27, wherein composing the e-mail message comprises selecting an e-mail message from a plurality of predefined e-mail messages.

29. The method as defined in claim 26, wherein transmitting an e-mail message comprises composing the e-mail message based on the request for content information.

30. The method as defined in claim 29, wherein composing the e-mail message comprises selecting an e-mail message from a plurality of e-mail messages.

31. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising storing the client profile in a relational database.

32. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein the client profiles comprise demographic information associated with participating client.

33. The method as described in claim 31, further comprising requesting identification information.

34. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein requesting identification information comprises requesting encrypted identification information.

35. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein the identification information comprises one or more of the group consisting of a network address, an identification number, and a user name.

36. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein receiving the request for content information comprises receiving a network address.

37. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein receiving the request for content information comprises receiving web page information.

38. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein receiving the request for content information comprises receiving a transport protocol message.

39. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising displaying incentive information to a non-participating client in response to the request for content information from one of the participating distributed web sites.

40. The method as described in claim 17, wherein storing awarded incentive points for future redemption by the participating client includes storing awarded incentive points as an accumulation of incentive points earned by different actions of the participating client.

41. The method as described in claim 17, wherein storing awarded incentive points for future redemption by the participating client includes storing awarded incentive points as an accumulation of incentive points earned by actions of the participating client at different ones of the independent participating web sites.