Verification of redemption of an electronic offer

• US 9,824,371 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Kramer, James F., Ning, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Mong-Thuy
• Application Number:
  US14/803,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20160048863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4567, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A system can determine that a mobile device, located at a physical place of business transmits a first electronic communication for redemption of an electronic offer at the physical place of business. The system can further detect a second electronic communication transmitted from the mobile device, which indicates a first identifier. The first identifier can be associated with a verifier of the electronic offer (e.g., a staff member) at the physical place of business. The system can further determine, based on analysis of the first identifier, a second identifier (e.g., contact data, a telephone number, etc.), that corresponds to the verifier, without providing the second identifier to the mobile device. The system can further electronically transmit, utilizing the second identifier, a third electronic communication that indicates information about the redemption of the electronic offer.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a network communication device configured to communicate via a network; and

a memory storage unit configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations to,

determine, via a position-sensing device, that a mobile device is located at a geographic location associated with a physical place of business,

detect, via the network communication device, a first electronic communication transmitted from the mobile device for redemption of an electronic offer associated with the physical place of business,

detect, via the network communication device, a second electronic communication transmitted from the mobile device after the first electronic communication, wherein the second electronic communication indicates a first identifier associated with a verifier of the electronic offer at the physical place of business,

determine, based on analysis of the first identifier, a second identifier that corresponds to a second device associated with the verifier without providing the second identifier to the mobile device,

electronically transmit, utilizing the second identifier, a third electronic communication to the second device via the network, wherein the third electronic communication indicates information about the redemption of the electronic offer;

provide, for presentation via the mobile device, a listing of verifier identifiers associated with the physical place of business; and

detect, via the second electronic communication, a selection of the first identifier from the listing of the verifier identifiers in response to user input by the verifier via the mobile device;

determine that the first identifier corresponds to one of a plurality of staff members of the physical place of business; and

determine that the first identifier is associated with one of a plurality of mobile telephone numbers associated with the plurality of staff members, wherein the second identifier is the one of the plurality of mobile telephone numbers, wherein the second device is a mobile telephone of one of the plurality of staff members, and wherein the third electronic communication is transmitted via a telecommunication network to the second device using the one of the plurality of mobile telephone numbers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the listing of verifier identifiers comprise telephone extension numbers assigned to the plurality of staff members.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory storage unit is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations to:

before the third electronic communication is transmitted, provide a first graphic of the electronic offer for presentation via the mobile device, wherein the first graphic specifies that the electronic offer is unredeemed; and

after the third electronic communication is transmitted, cause the first graphic of the electronic offer to change to a second graphic that indicates that the electronic offer is redeemed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory storage unit is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations to determine that the mobile device performs an electronic check-in operation at the geographic location, wherein the electronic check-in operation indicates that the mobile device is located in the physical place of business.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the third electronic communication comprises redemption information for the electronic offer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the redemption information comprises one or more of a date when the electronic offer was redeemed, a time when the electronic offer was redeemed, a location where the electronic offer was redeemed, a name of the physical place of business, and a description of one or more of a product or service that was redeemed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory storage unit is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations to:

receive login credentials sent from the mobile device, wherein the login credentials are for a first member account subscribed to an electronic service;

log in the first member account using the login credentials;

determine member information about the first member account in response to detection of the first electronic communication; and

include the member information in the third electronic communication.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the third electronic communication indicates an authenticity of the electronic offer by a second member account subscribed to the electronic service, wherein the second member account is associated with the physical place of business.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory storage unit is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations to, after the third electronic communication is transmitted, store in the second member account an indication that the electronic offer is redeemed by the first member account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the position-sensing device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the position-sensing device comprises one or more of a telecommunication location device, a wireless network location device, and a network communication identification device.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a mobile communication unit configured to communicate with one or more mobile devices via a network; and

a non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising,

determining, via a position-sensing device, that a first mobile device is located at a geographic location associated with a physical place of business,

detecting, via the mobile communication unit, a first electronic communication transmitted from the first mobile device for redemption of an electronic offer associated with the physical place of business,

detecting, via the mobile communication unit, a second electronic communication transmitted from the first mobile device after the first electronic communication, wherein the second electronic communication indicates a staff identifier at the physical place of business,

determining, based on analysis of the staff identifier, contact data associated with the staff identifier without providing the contact data to the first mobile device,

electronically transmitting a third electronic communication, via the network, using the contact data, wherein the third electronic communication indicates information about the redemption of the electronic offer for verification at the physical place of business;

providing, for presentation via the mobile device, a listing of verifier identifiers associated with the physical place of business; and

detecting, via the second electronic communication, a selection of the first identifier from the listing of the verifier identifiers in response to user input by the verifier via the mobile device;

determining that the first identifier corresponds to one of a plurality of staff members of the physical place of business; and

determining that the first identifier is associated with one of a plurality of mobile telephone numbers associated with the plurality of staff members, wherein the second identifier is the one of the plurality of mobile telephone numbers, wherein the second device is a mobile telephone of one of the plurality of staff members, and wherein the third electronic communication is transmitted via a telecommunication network to the second device using the one of the plurality of mobile telephone numbers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, said non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising one or more of electronically transmitting, via a telecommunications network, the third electronic communication to a second mobile device associated with the staff identifier or transmitting, via a communication network, an email message to an email address associated with the staff identifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, said non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

electronically determining, from a memory storage device associated with the apparatus, information about a member of an electronic service, wherein the information is stored in a user account associated with the first mobile device;

incorporating the information about the member into a text message; and

transmitting, as the third electronic communication, the text message to the one of a plurality of mobile telephone numbers.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the information includes a picture of the member for verification that the member is located at the physical place of business.