Promoting offers through social network influencers

• US 8,494,914 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valentine Communications LLC
• Original Assignee: Ewinwin Incorporated
• Inventors: Mesaros, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): PALAVECINO, KATHLEEN GAGE
• Application Number:
  US13/556,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20130117086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided to facilitate buying and selling products utilizing social pricing. Sellers initiate sale of a product with volume discounts for a limited time. In other words, the more people that buy a product, the lower the price for the group. Buyers have a real incentive to become prosumers that not only purchase a product but also promote purchase by others. A social pricing system brokers interaction between sellers and buyer groups, and provisions mechanisms to aid promotion of products by consumers utilizing social networks and other online activities.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for presenting an offer for a good or service, the method comprising:

identifying the location of both a user and a plurality of merchants associated with offers for one or more goods or services;

selecting a plurality of offers based on the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants;

identifying a profile of the user, wherein the profile is based upon recorded information about the user including at least one stored preference and a past purchase;

presenting an offer to the user based on the profile of the user and the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants, wherein the offer presentation includes;

a map for a particular geographic area that identifies the location of a merchant for the offer,

a retail list price of a good or service associated with the offer,

a time of expiration of the offer, and

a price for the good or service that is discounted from the retail list price; and

sharing the offer with one or more members of a social network, wherein at least one interaction between the one or more members of the social network is recorded thereby tracking a connection between the one or members of the social network with respect to the offer.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to accept an order for the offer from the user when the user accepts terms and conditions associated with the offer.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to accept an order from one or more members of the social network.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further executable to identify a connection that exists between the one or more members of the social network that placed an order and the user.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with the merchant for the offer.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with a product or service category for the offer.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with the time that the offer was purchased.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with a geographical location of the offer.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with the social network.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with a degree of influence one member of the social network has with respect to another member of the social network and where the influence is stored to at least one user profile.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is visually displayed.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the connection is associated with a visual display that is selected from a group consisting of a table, chart, graph, tree, map, or color code.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection is associated with feedback related to the offer.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the feedback is a comment related to the offer.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the feedback is a comment related to the merchant associated with the offer.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the connection includes a determination of further possible connections to members of the social network of the user that might purchase the offer.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further executable to identify the likelihood that one of the possible connections will purchase the offer.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the likelihood is further associated with an influence that one or more members of the social network have on a potential purchaser of the offer.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the influence is visually displayed.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one recorded interaction is presented in the context of a table, chart, graph, tree, map, or color coded display.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the presentation of the at least one recorded interaction correlates to a purchase of the good or service.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one recorded interaction further correlates to an influence of members in the social network with regard to the purchase of the good or service.

23. A method for presenting an offer for a good or service, the method comprising:

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor effectuates the identification of the location of both a user and a plurality of merchants associated with offers for one or more goods or services;

executing instructions stored in memory thereby selecting a plurality of offers based on the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants;

identifying a profile of the user stored in memory, wherein the profile is based upon recorded information about the user, including at least one preference by the user and a past purchase;

presenting an offer to the user based on the identified profile of the user and the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants, wherein the presentation of the offer includes;

a map for a particular geographic area that identifies the location of a merchant for the offer,

a retail list price of a good or service associated with the offer, and

a time of expiration of the offer, and

a price for the good or service that is discounted from the retail list price; and

sharing the offer with one or more members of a social network by way of a network connection to a communications medium, wherein at least one interaction between the one or more members of the social network is recorded in memory, thereby tracking a connection between the one or members of the social network with respect to the offer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the instructions are further executable to accept an order from one or more members of the social network and identifying a connection that exists between the one or more members of the social network that placed an order and the user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the connection is associated with a degree of influence one member of the social network has with respect to another member of the social network.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one recorded interaction is presented in the context of a table, chart, graph, tree, map, or color coded display.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the presentation of the at least one recorded interaction correlates to a purchase of the good or service.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one recorded interaction further correlates to an influence of at least one member of the social network with regard to the purchase of the good or service by at least one other member and where profile information of both members is recorded and becomes part of the profile information for each member.

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to present an offer for a good or service, the method comprising:

identifying the location of both a user and a plurality of merchants associated with offers for one or more goods or services;

selecting a plurality of offers based on the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants;

identifying a profile of the user, wherein the profile is based upon at least one preference by the user and a past purchase;

presenting an offer to the user based on the profile of the user and the plurality of offers based on the identified location of both the user and the plurality of merchants, wherein the offer presentation includes;

a map for a particular geographic area that identifies the location of a merchant for the offer.

a retail list price of a good or service associated with the offer, and

a time of expiration of the offer, wherein a price paid for the good or service is discounted from the retail list price; and

sharing the offer with one or more members of a social network, wherein;

at least one interaction between the one or more members of the social network is recorded, the recording tracks a connection between the one or members of the social network with respect to the offer, the at least one recorded interaction is presented in the context of a table, chart, graph, tree, map, or color coded display, the presentation of the at least one recorded interaction correlates to a purchase of the good or service, and the at least one recorded interaction further correlates to influence of members in the social network with regard to the purchase of the good or service.