System, method and apparatus for encouraging the undertaking of a preventative treatment

• US 7,739,124 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2000
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Gelman, Geoffrey M., Kobayashi, Michiko, Walker, Jay S., Mayfield, Terry E., Dugan, Brian M., Golden, Andrew P., Jorasch, James A., Palmer, Timothy A., Sammon, Russell Pratt, Dickerson, John B., Tulley, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US09/678,117
• Time in Patent Office: 3,543 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed whereby a customer involved in a transaction is offered a benefit to be applied to the transaction in exchange for undertaking or agreeing to undertake some form of preventative treatment. The transaction may be a purchase of goods or services occurring, for example, over the Internet. In one embodiment, the customer may select an option whereby a third party, such as an insurer of the customer, will provide payment for at least part of the transaction, in exchange for the customer undergoing a preventative treatment. The preventative treatment may include a health treatment screening or test. The payment provided may be determined from an expected future savings in insuring the customer if the preventative treatment is undertaken. Payment may also be conditioned upon the customer'"'"'s agreement to continue his or her insurance coverage with the insurer or to confirm that the preventative treatment was performed. In certain embodiments, the insurer may place a hold against a financial account for the value of the benefit until administration of the preventative treatment is confirmed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a benefit to a customer, comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor, an identification of a customer involved in a transaction with a third party,

wherein the identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

determining, by the controller, a preventative treatment for the customer;

offering a benefit to the customer toward the transaction if the customer adopts the preventative treatment;

receiving, by the controller, an indication that the customer agrees to adopt the preventative treatment; and

providing the benefit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the identification from at least one of:

the customer, a merchant, a web site operator, an acquaintance of the customer, a family member related to the customer, a doctor, a pharmacist, an insurance provider, and a government agency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer is involved in a transaction comprising at least one of:

a purchase of a product, a purchase of a service, an insurance premium, and an online purchase.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer has profile information comprising at least one of:

an age of the customer, a gender of the customer, a geographic location corresponding to a residence of the customer, a medical history of the customer, a medical history of the customer'"'"'s family, an occupation of the customer, a previous preventative treatment adopted by the customer, and at least one preventative treatment not adopted by the customer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventative treatment further comprises at least one of:

a preventative health treatment, a preventative automobile repair, and a preventative home maintenance repair.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the preventative health treatment comprises at least one of:

a blood test, a cancer screening, a blood pressure screening, a teeth-cleaning treatment, a mammogram, a pap smear, a sigmoidoscopy, a colonoscopy, an immunization, a psychiatric examination, a psychological examination, a dental examination and a physical examination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining the preventative treatment based on a list of preventative treatments not undertaken by the customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining the preventative treatment based on a list of preventative treatments not undertaken by the customer within a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining a plurality of preventative treatments, wherein the customer may adopt at least one of said plurality of preventative treatments.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises determining a plurality of preventative treatments, the method further comprising:

comparing a cost associated with each of said plurality of preventative treatments; and

selecting at least one of said plurality of preventative treatments based on said comparing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said selecting further comprises:

selecting a preventative treatment having a lowest cost.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventative treatment corresponds to at least one condition.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a future cost for the at least one condition, wherein the future cost is determined based on a probability of the customer contracting the condition.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a future cost for the at least one condition, wherein the future cost is determined based on a probability of the customer contracting the condition within a predetermined time.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a future cost, wherein the future cost is determined based on total cost for treating the condition.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a confirmation from a third party that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

updating profile information for the customer based on the confirmation.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is provided by an insurer of the customer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the benefit is determined based on a probability that the customer will remain insured by the insurer for a predetermined time.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a security for the benefit from the customer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the security comprises an authorization to charge a financial account in the amount of the benefit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the financial account comprises at least one of:

a checking account, a savings account, a credit card account, and an alternative currency account.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the security is used to reimburse the payment of the benefit when a predetermined condition is not met.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a determination that the preventative treatment was adopted.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a determination that the preventative treatment was adopted within a predetermined time.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a requirement that the customer remain insured by an insurer for a predetermined time.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a requirement that the customer selects an insurance provider.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a treatment provider for the selected preventative treatment.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit comprises at least one of:

a currency amount, an alternate currency amount, a percentage discount on a purchase, and a reduced insurance premium.

30. The method of claim 1, in which providing the benefit comprises receiving a confirmation that the preventative treatment has been adopted.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is provided to a third party involved in a transaction with the customer.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the benefit based on an expected future cost.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a present value of a future cost associated with the preventative treatment; and

determining the benefit based on the present value.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is provided in at least one installment payment.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is provided to one of:

a party referring the customer and a party identified by the customer.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is provided by at least one of:

an insurer, a group of insurers, a physician, an employer, a family member of the customer, a government agency, a drug manufacturer, a medical equipment manufacturer, an automobile repair center and a maintenance provider.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a medical statistic of the customer with the identification.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification does not include a name of the customer.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventative treatment comprises an agreement to avoid the undertaking of a hazardous activity.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventative treatment comprises an educational assignment regarding a condition.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the educational assignment comprises at least one of:

attendance of an educational seminar and reading educational literature.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises determining a preventative treatment based on profile information corresponding to the customer.

43. The method of claim 1,

wherein the third party is a third party merchant;

and

wherein offering the benefit to the customer toward the transaction if the customer adopts the preventative treatment comprises;

after receiving the identification of the customer involved in the transaction with the third party merchant, offering the benefit to the customer toward the transaction between the customer and the third party merchant if the customer adopts the preventative treatment.

44. The method of claim 1,

wherein the third party is a third party merchant;

and

wherein offering the benefit to the customer toward the transaction if the customer adopts the preventative treatment comprises;

in response to receiving the identification of the customer involved in the transaction with the third party merchant, offering the benefit to the customer toward the transaction between the customer and the third party merchant if the customer adopts the preventative treatment.

45. An apparatus for providing a benefit to a customer, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in operative communication with the processor, the memory including a plurality of processing instructions for directing the processor to;

receive an identification of a customer involved in a transaction,

wherein the identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

identify a preventative treatment for the customer;

offer a benefit to the customer toward the transaction if the customer adopts the preventative treatment;

receive an indication that the customer agrees to adopt the preventative treatment; and

provide the benefit.

46. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method, performed by a computer, for providing a benefit to a customer, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of a customer involved in a transaction,

wherein the identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

identifying a preventative treatment for the customer; and

offering a benefit to the customer toward the transaction if the customer adopts the preventative treatment;

receiving an indication that the customer agrees to adopt the preventative treatment; and

providing the benefit.

47. A method for providing a benefit, comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor, a first identification of a transaction involving a customer,

wherein the first identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

transmitting, by the controller, a second identification of a preventative treatment to be adopted by the customer;

receiving, by the controller, an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

providing, via the controller, a benefit to the customer toward the transaction.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the identification from at least one of:

the customer, a merchant, a web site operator, an acquaintance of the customer, a family member related to the customer, a doctor, a pharmacist, an insurance provider, and a government agency.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein said transaction comprises at least one of:

a purchase of a product, a purchase of a service, an insurance premium, and an online purchase.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the profile information comprises at least one of:

an age of the customer, a gender of the customer, a geographic location corresponding to a residence of the customer, a medical history of the customer, a medical history of the customer'"'"'s family, an occupation of the customer, a previous preventative treatment adopted by the customer, and at least one preventative treatment not adopted by the customer.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the preventative treatment further comprises at least one of:

a preventative health treatment, a preventative automobile repair, and a preventative home maintenance repair.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the preventative health treatment comprises at least one of:

a blood pressure screening, a teeth-cleaning treatment, a mammogram, a pap smear, a sigmoidoscopy, a colonoscopy, an immunization, a psychiatric examination, a psychological examination, a dental examination and a physical examination.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining the preventative treatment based on a list of preventative treatments not undertaken by the customer.

54. The method of claim 47, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining the preventative treatment based on a list of preventative treatments not undertaken by the customer within a predetermined time.

55. The method of claim 47, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises:

determining a plurality of preventative treatments, wherein the customer may adopt at least one of said plurality of preventative treatments.

56. The method of claim 47, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises determining a plurality of preventative treatments, the method further comprising:

comparing a future cost associated with each of said plurality of preventative treatments; and

selecting at least one of said plurality of preventative treatments based on said comparing.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein said selecting further comprises:

selecting a preventative treatment having at least one of;

a lowest cost and a highest savings.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the preventative treatment corresponds to at least one condition.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the future cost is determined based on a probability of the customer contracting the condition.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the future cost is determined based on a probability of the customer contracting the condition within a predetermined time.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein the future cost is determined based on a total cost for treating the condition.

62. The method of claim 47, wherein said adopting comprises an agreement by the customer to undertake the preventative treatment.

63. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

receiving a confirmation from a third party that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer.

64. The method of claim 63, further comprising:

updating profile information corresponding to the customer based on the confirmation.

65. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided by an insurer of the customer.

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising:

determining a future cost based on a probability that the customer will remain insured by the insurer for a predetermined time; and

selecting a preventative treatment based on the future cost.

67. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

receiving a security for the benefit from the customer.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the security comprises an authorization to charge a financial account in the amount of the benefit.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the financial account comprises at least one of:

a checking account, a savings account, a credit card account, and an alternative currency account.

70. The method of claim 67, wherein the security is used to reimburse the payment of the benefit when a predetermined condition is not met.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a determination that the preventative treatment was adopted.

72. The method of claim 70, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a determination that the preventative treatment was adopted within a predetermined time.

73. The method of claim 70, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a requirement that the customer remain insured by an insurer for a predetermined time.

74. The method of claim 70, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a requirement that the customer selects an insurance provider.

75. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

assigning a treatment provider for the selected preventative treatment.

76. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit comprises at least one of:

a currency amount, an alternate currency amount, a percentage discount on a purchase, and a reduced insurance premium.

77. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided to the customer.

78. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided to the customer after receipt of a confirmation that the preventative treatment has been adopted.

79. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided to a third party involved in the transaction.

80. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

determining the benefit based on an expected future cost.

81. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

determining an expected present value of a future cost; and

determining the benefit based on the present value.

82. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided in at least one installment payment.

83. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided to at least one of:

a party referring the customer, and a party identified by the customer.

84. The method of claim 47, wherein the benefit is provided by at least one of:

an insurer, a group of insurers, a physician, an employer, a family member of the customer, a government agency, a drug manufacturer, a medical equipment manufacturer, an automobile repair center and a maintenance provider.

85. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

receiving a medical statistic of the customer with the identification.

86. The method of claim 47, wherein the identification does not include a name of the customer.

87. The method of claim 47, wherein the preventative treatment comprises an agreement to avoid the undertaking of a hazardous activity.

88. The method of claim 47, wherein the preventative treatment comprises an educational assignment regarding a condition.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein the educational assignment comprises at least one of:

attendance of an educational seminar and reading educational literature.

90. The method of claim 47, wherein said determining a preventative treatment further comprises determining a preventative treatment based on profile information corresponding to the customer.

91. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for providing a benefit, the method comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor, a first identification of a transaction involving a customer,

wherein the first identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

transmitting, by the controller, a second identification of a preventative treatment to the customer;

receiving, by the controller, an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

providing, via the controller, a benefit to the customer toward the transaction.

92. An apparatus for providing a benefit, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in operative communication with the processor, the memory for storing a plurality of processing instructions directing the processor to;

receive a first identification of a transaction involving a customer,

wherein the first identification comprises at least one of;

an identifier associated with the customer and a name of the customer;

transmit a second identification of a preventative treatment to the customer;

receive an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

provide a benefit to the customer toward the transaction.

93. A method for providing a benefit, comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor, a first identification of a transaction between a customer and a third party;

determining, by the controller, a preventative treatment and a benefit;

transmitting, by the controller, a second identification of the preventative treatment and a third identification of the benefit to the customer;

receiving, by the controller, an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

providing the benefit toward the transaction between the customer and the third party in response to said indication.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein a value for the benefit is determined from an expected future cost corresponding to the preventative treatment.

95. A method for providing a benefit to a customer, comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor and associated with at least one insurer, an identification of a customer involved in a transaction with a third party merchant, the transaction being via a web site of the third party merchant;

after receiving the identification of the customer involved in the transaction with the third party merchant,

selecting, by the controller comprising at least one processor and associated with the at least one insurer, a preventative treatment for the customer;

after receiving the identification of the customer involved in the transaction with the third party merchant,

offering, by the controller comprising at least one processor and associated with the at least one insurer, a benefit to the customer toward the transaction between the customer and the third party merchant in exchange for the customer agreeing to adopt the preventative treatment;

receiving, by the controller comprising at least one processor and associated with the at least one insurer, an indication that the customer agrees to adopt the preventative treatment; and

providing the benefit toward the transaction between the customer and the third party merchant.

96. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for providing a benefit, the method comprising:

receiving, by a controller comprising at least one processor, a first identification of a transaction between a customer and a third party;

determining, by the controller, a preventative treatment and a benefit;

transmitting, by the controller, a second identification of the preventative treatment and a third identification of the benefit to the customer;

receiving, by the controller, an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

providing the benefit toward the transaction between the customer and the third party in response to said indication.

97. An apparatus for providing a benefit, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in operative communication with the processor, the memory for storing a plurality of processing instructions directing the processor to;

receive a first identification of a transaction between a customer and a third party;

determine a preventative treatment and a benefit;

transmit a second identification of the preventative treatment and a third identification of the benefit to the customer;

receive an indication that the preventative treatment has been adopted by the customer; and

provide the benefit toward the transaction between the customer and the third party in response to said indication.