Method and computer medium for tracking social interactions and targeting offers

• US 8,494,915 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:
  US13/557,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290395A1
• 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 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 recorded information about the user and the recorded information is based upon at least one connection with another member within a social network and feedback provided about a merchant by the member;

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

member feedback related to at least one merchant from the plurality of merchants

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

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

a time period associated with 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 the social network, wherein at least one interaction between the one or more members of the social network is recorded, and the recording tracks a connection between the one or more 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 2, wherein the instructions are further executable to accept an order from one or more members of the social network and to record the connection among members of the social network.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the connection is associated with the time that the offer was purchased, a geographic location of the user by way of a tracked mobile device, and a category associated with the offer.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the connection is associated with a visual display that is represented as a table, chart, graph, tree, map, or color code.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the connection includes a determination of further possible connections to members of the social network of the user that might purchase the offer.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions are further executable to identify the likelihood that one of the possible connections will purchase the offer.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the likelihood is further associated with a degree of influence that one or more members of the social network have on the potential purchaser of the offer.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the influence is visually displayed.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, 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 wherein the degree of influence is stored in at least one user profile.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the member feedback includes a visual display of a time as to when the feedback was provided.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the member feedback is a comment related to the offer.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the member feedback is a comment related to the merchant associated with the offer.

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

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the presentation of the recorded interaction correlates to a purchase of the good or service.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the interaction further correlates to a degree of influence that members in the social network have with regard to the purchase of the good or service.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user also includes demographic information, location, interests, preferences, and comments.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the profile information of the connections of the user is used to influence at least one offer presented to the user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the profile information of connections of the user is used to influence at least one offer presented to at least one member of the social network.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sharing of the offer includes comments associated with the offer, an analysis of common profile information among the members, and a determination that other individuals who share the common profile information should be presented with the offer.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the profile includes past purchases of the user.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the profile includes past purchases among the members of the social network of the user.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to perform a method 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 recorded information about the user, and wherein the recorded information about the user is based upon at least one connection with another member within a social network and feedback provided about a merchant by the member;

presenting an offer to the user based on the identified profile of the user and from 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 the good or service associated with the offer, and

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