Promotion data and codes supporting redemption processing

• US 8,463,409 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2012
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enpulz LLC
• Inventors: Winslade, Christopher C., Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/450,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 700/17, 700/83, 707/705, 707/732, 707/738, 707/740, 707/769
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 : Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 : Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance

Abstract

An online sales/automatic rebate and coupon redemption system provides online customers automatic retrieval and redemption of all applicable rebates and coupons during purchase. Purchase orders from customers are selectively fulfilled and products are shipped to the customers either by the system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption or by other merchant or manufacturer environments. The system purchases from merchants using applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system makes it possible to automatically retrieve coupons and rebates for items in a shopping cart during the activity of an online purchase at an electronic mall or an online merchant site. The system provides coupons to potential customers via email, based on customer profile, geographical information, etc. Manufacturers and merchants can update coupon value and content based on ongoing sales and volume of customer activity.

Claims

1. A network infrastructure supporting advertising interactions with a plurality of buyer devices via Internet, the network infrastructure comprising:

a promotion capture service that provides first interface data to a first software application of a first promoter system, the promotion capture service receives from the first software application of the first promoter system a first group of promotion data, the first group of promotion data having first web page link data, first price reduction data, first limitation data, and a first identifier code, the first group of promotion data relating to a good or a service of a first seller;

a promotion database that stores the first group of promotion data and a second group of promotion data, the second group of promotion data having second web page link data, second price reduction data, second limitation data, and a second identifier code;

a promotion access service that provides second interface data to a second software application of a first of the plurality of buyer devices of a first buyer, the promotion access service receives from the second software application of the first of the plurality of buyer devices first buyer input, and the promotion access service delivers, in response to the first buyer input, first promotion element data to the first of the plurality of buyer devices, the first promotion element data being constructed from at least a portion of the first group of promotion data that includes the first identifier code by accessing the promotion database; and

a redemption control element that is used to determine whether to complete a redemption attempt by the first buyer, the redemption attempt being related to at least a portion of the first promotion element data.

2. The network infrastructure of claim 1, wherein the redemption control element is applied at least in part in a dispensing process associated with the delivery of the first promotion element data.

3. The network infrastructure of claim 1, further comprising a seller system of the first seller, and wherein the redemption control element resides at least in part on the seller system.

4. The network infrastructure of claim 3, wherein the redemption control element resides in a first part on the seller system and in a second part that is active during a dispensing process.

5. The network infrastructure of claim 3, wherein the redemption control element resides in a first part on the seller system and in a second part that receives a first communication via the Internet from the first part.

6. The network infrastructure of claim 5, wherein the first communication comprising a verification communication.

7. A network infrastructure supporting advertising interactions with a plurality of user devices via Internet, the network infrastructure comprising:

a promotion capture service that supports a first interface to a first software application;

a promotion database;

the promotion capture service storing first promotion data received via the first interface, the first promotion data having first web page link data, a first price reduction offer, and a first identifier code;

a promotion access service that selectively retrieves promotion information from the promotion database, the promotion information including at least a first portion of the first promotion data;

the promotion access service delivers via the Internet the promotion information to support a visual presentation to a first user of a first of the plurality of user devices; and

a verification service that receives a verification communication relating to an attempted redemption by the first user, the verification communication including at least a portion of the promotion information.

8. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the delivery by the promotion access service comprising coordinating with a web server system to integrate at least part of the first promotion data and web page data, and the visual presentation comprising a web page constructed based on the integration.

9. The network infrastructure of claim 8, wherein the web server system is a third party web server system.

10. The network infrastructure of claim 9, wherein the third party web server system is a non-seller system.

11. The network infrastructure of claim 7, further comprising an accounting system that establishes billing based on a number of times the first promotion data is accessed.

12. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the first interface comprises a program interface.

13. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the first interface comprises a hypertext interface.

14. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the at least the portion of the first promotion data includes the first identifier code.

15. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the verification service responds to the verification communication at least in part by accessing the promotion database to attempt verification.

16. The network infrastructure of claim 15, wherein the first promotion data also includes a first limitation, and the verification attempt involves at least a consideration of the first limitation.

17. The network infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the verification service delivers a verification response to confirm applicability of the first price reduction offer.

18. A network infrastructure supporting advertising interactions with a plurality of user devices via Internet, the network infrastructure comprising:

a promotion capture service that supports a first interface to a first software application;

a promotion database;

the promotion capture service storing first promotion data received via the first interface, the first promotion data having first web page link data, a first price reduction offer, and a first identifier code;

a promotion access service that selectively retrieves promotion information from the promotion database, the promotion information including at least a first portion of the first promotion data;

the promotion access service delivers via the Internet the promotion information to support a visual presentation to a first user of a first of the plurality of user devices;

a merchant system that receives an redemption attempt initiated by the first user relating to the first promotion data; and

wherein a verification process is performed before the first price reduction offer is applied, the verification process involving a consideration of at least part of the first promotion data.

19. The network infrastructure of claim 18, wherein the delivery by the promotion access service comprising coordinating with a web server system to integrate at least part of the first promotion data and web page data, and the visual presentation comprising a web page constructed based on the integration.

20. The network infrastructure of claim 18, further comprising an accounting system that establishes billing based on a number of times the first promotion data is accessed.

21. The network infrastructure of claim 18, further comprising an accounting system that charges a transaction fee.

22. The network infrastructure of claim 18, wherein the first interface comprises a hypertext interface.

23. The network infrastructure of claim 18, wherein the merchant system performs at least a portion of the verification process.

24. The network infrastructure of claim 18, wherein the at least the part of the first promotion data considered includes the first identifier code.