Method and system for providing sellers access to selected consumers

• US 8,751,292 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Del Favero, James Robert, Gevelber, Lisa Cohen, Flora, John Reed
• Primary Examiner(s): Lemieux, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US11/875,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,426 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for providing sellers access to desirable consumers includes a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers whereby financial transaction data for various consumers is obtained from one or more sources using a computing system implemented financial management system. The consumers'"'"' financial transaction data is then used by a provider of marketing and advertising tools to categorize consumers. Sellers are then charged for access to the consumers based on the consumer'"'"'s category and/or historical financial transaction data and/or based on the consumer'"'"'s eventual business with the seller as indicated by monitoring the consumers'"'"' financial transaction data.

Claims

1. A system for providing sellers access to desirable consumers comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories having stored therein instructions which when executed by the one or more processors perform a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers comprising;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with a consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system, the first set of financial data comprising historical transactions involving the consumer but not involving a given seller;

analyzing the first set of financial data to determine a desirability category associated with the consumer, the desirability category indicating a degree of desirability of the consumer with respect to the given seller, based on the historical transactions, wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe on specific products or services, further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe in a specific category of store, and further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has bought products or services from a particular seller more than a threshold number of times over a defined time frame;

providing the given seller access to the consumer and charging the given seller a first fee for that access, the first fee being based at least in part on the desirability category associated with the consumer;

obtaining a second set of financial data associated with the consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system;

analyzing the second set of financial data associated with the consumer to identify one or more financial transactions between the given seller and the consumer, resulting in identified transactions; and

charging the given seller a second fee for providing the given seller access to the consumer, the second fee being based, at least in part, on the identified transactions, the system being configured to further determine at least a portion of the second fee from a tiered system wherein the second fee is a first fee amount based on the consumer doing a first threshold amount of business with the seller, and wherein, in the tiered system, the second fee is a second fee amount higher than the first fee amount, based on the consumer doing a second threshold amount of business with the seller, the second threshold amount being higher than the first threshold amount.

2. The computing system implemented process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 1, wherein;

the computing system implemented financial management system is a computing system implemented personal financial management system.

3. The computing system implemented process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 1, wherein;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with the consumer using a computing system implemented financial management system comprises obtaining at least part of the consumer'"'"'s financial data from two or more of the following sources;

a bank;

a debit card account;

a credit union;

or

a credit card account.

4. The computing system implemented process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 1, wherein;

providing the given seller access to a consumer comprises providing the given seller advertisement space.

5. The computing system implemented process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 4, wherein;

providing the given seller advertisement space comprises providing the given seller advertisement space in one of the following venues;

a website on a network;

a network search engine site;

a computing system implemented application;

a database.

6. A computer program product for providing a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers comprising:

a nontransitory computer readable medium;

and computer program code, encoded on the computer readable medium, comprising computer readable instructions for;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with a consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system, the first set of financial data comprising historical transactions involving the consumer but not involving a given seller;

analyzing the first set of financial data to determine a desirability category associated with the consumer, the desirability category indicating a degree of desirability of the consumer with respect to the given seller, based on the historical transactions associated with the consumer, wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe on specific products or services, further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe in a specific category of store, and further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has bought products or services from a particular seller more than a threshold number of times over a defined time frame;

providing the given seller access to the consumer and charging the given seller a first fee for that access, the first fee being based at least in part on the desirability category associated with the consumer;

obtaining a second set of financial data associated with the consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system;

analyzing the second set of financial data associated with the consumer to identify one or more financial transactions between the given seller and the consumer, resulting in identified transactions; and

charging the given seller a second fee for providing the given seller access to the consumer, the second fee being based, at least in part, on the identified transactions, the system being configured to further determine at least a portion of the second fee from a tiered system wherein the second fee is a first fee amount based on the consumer doing a first threshold amount of business with the seller, and wherein, in the tiered system, the second fee is a second fee amount higher than the first fee amount, based on the consumer doing a second threshold amount of business with the seller, the second threshold amount being higher than the first threshold amount.

7. The computer program product for providing a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 6, wherein;

the computing system implemented financial management system is a computing system implemented personal financial management system.

8. The computer program product for providing a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 6, wherein;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with the consumer using a computing system implemented financial management system comprises obtaining at least part of the consumer'"'"'s financial data from two or more of the following sources;

a bank;

a debit card account;

a credit union;

or

a credit card account.

9. The computer program product for providing a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 6, wherein;

providing the given seller access to a consumer comprises providing the given seller advertisement space.

10. The computer program product for providing a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 9, wherein;

providing the given seller advertisement space comprises providing the given seller advertisement space in one of the following venues;

a website on a network;

a network search engine site;

a computing system implemented application;

a database.

11. A system for providing sellers access to desirable consumers comprising:

a computing system implemented financial management system; and

a processor for implementing at least a portion of a process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers, the process for providing sellers access to desirable consumers comprising;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with a consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system, the first set of financial data comprising historical transactions involving the consumer but not involving a given seller;

analyzing the first set of financial data to determine a desirability category associated with the consumer, the desirability category indicating a degree of desirability of the consumer with respect to the given seller, based on the historical transactions, wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe on specific products or services, further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has spent more than a threshold amount of money in a predefined timeframe in a specific category of store, and further wherein the degree of desirability is higher if the consumer has bought products or services from a particular seller more than a threshold number of times over a defined time frame;

providing the given seller access to the consumer and charging the given seller a first fee for that access, the first fee being based at least in part on the desirability category associated with the consumer with respect to the given seller;

obtaining a second set of financial data associated with the consumer from a computing system implemented financial management system;

analyzing the financial data associated with the consumer to identify one or more financial transactions between the given seller and the consumer, resulting in identified transactions; and

charging the given seller a second fee for providing the given seller access to the consumer, the second fee being based, at least in part, on the identified transactions, the system being configured to further determine at least a portion of the second fee from a tiered system wherein the second fee is a first fee amount based on the consumer doing a first threshold amount of business with the seller, and wherein, in the tiered system, the second fee is a second fee amount higher than the first fee amount, based on the consumer doing a second threshold amount of business with the seller, the second threshold amount being higher than the first threshold amount.

12. The system for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 11, wherein;

providing the given seller access to the consumer comprises providing the seller advertisement space on one of the following venues;

a website on a network;

a network search engine site;

a computing system implemented application;

a database.

13. The system for providing sellers access to desirable consumers of claim 11, wherein;

obtaining a first set of financial data associated with the consumer using a computing system implemented financial management system comprises obtaining at least part of the consumer'"'"'s financial data from two or more of the following sources;

a bank;

a debit card account;

a credit union;

or

a credit card account.