E-couponing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10657554-B2
Application number	US-201113087506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2011
Priority date	Oct 18, 2006
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Handling electronic coupons includes accessing information indicating association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user that identifies multiple retail entities associated with the user. Information indicating association of electronic coupons with the user's account may be transmitted to respective computer systems associated with the multiple retail entities. The computer systems may associate electronic coupons with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupons at a retail store upon presentation of a user identifier. When the user redeems an electronic coupon, cancellation information for the electronic coupon may be transmitted to the computer systems of other retail entities associated with the user. Receipt of the cancellation information may cause the respective computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon such that the user is prevented from redeeming the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the corresponding retail entity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
enabling, by at least one processor, a user to associate an account of the user with a first retail entity and a second retail entity selected from a plurality of retail entities;
accessing information indicating an association of an electronic coupon with the account of the user;
sending information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to a first computer system associated with the first retail entity and a second computer system associated with the second retail entity;
receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first retail entity; and
in response to receiving, from the first computer system, the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first retail entity, sending information to the second retail entity indicating the redemption of the electronic coupon.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting an identifier of the electronic coupon and information related to terms of the electronic coupon to the first computer system associated with the first retail entity and to the second computer system associated with the second retail entity prior to accessing information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user, and
wherein sending information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to the first computer system associated with the first retail entity and the second computer system associated with the second retail entity includes transmitting an identifier of the user to the first computer system and the second computer system and the identifier of the electronic coupon such that the information related to the terms of the electronic coupon at the first computer system and the second computer system is associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
accessing information indicating association of a second electronic coupon with the account of the user, the second electronic coupon being redeemable with a first retail store associated with the first retail entity but not redeemable with a second retail store associated with the first retail entity; and
transmitting information indicating association of the second electronic coupon with the account of the user to a computer system associated with the first retail store but not to a computer system associated with the second retail store, wherein receipt of the information indicating association of the second electronic coupon causes the computer system associated with the first retail store to associate the second electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the second electronic coupon with the first retail store.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user redeems the electronic coupon with the first retail entity by presenting at least one of a loyalty card number, a user account number, a user account name, a credit card number, a name, a biometric identifier, or a wireless identification number provided by a device configured to transmit the wireless identification number.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
sending information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to the first computer system associated with the first retail entity and a second computer system associated with a second retail entity includes transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to a plurality of loyalty servers, the plurality of loyalty servers being configured to store information associating the electronic coupon with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupon with the plurality of loyalty servers by presenting a loyalty card to a point-of-sale computer included in the first computer system, and
receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the first retail entity includes receiving, from a first loyalty server of the plurality of loyalty servers, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first loyalty server, the first loyalty server being configured to transmit the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon in response to receiving information, from the point-of-sale computer, indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting the electronic coupon over a network to a user system such that a display of the user computer system is able to display the electronic coupon in a user interface,
wherein receiving the selection of the user includes receiving, over the network, a selection of the electronic coupon made by the user interacting with the user interface displaying the electronic coupon.

7. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory device,
wherein the memory device stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:
enabling a user to associate an account of the user with a first retail entity and a second retail entity selected from a plurality of retail entities;
accessing information indicating an association of an electronic coupon with the account of the user;
transmitting information indicating the association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to a first computer system associated with the first retail entity and a second computer system associated with the second retail entity;
receiving, from the first computer system, information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first retail entity; and
in response to receiving, from the first computer system, the information indicating that the user has redeemed the electronic coupon with the first retail entity, transmitting information to the second retail entity indicating the redemption of the electronic coupon.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:
transmitting an identifier of the electronic coupon and information related to terms of the electronic coupon to the first computer system associated with the first retail entity and to the second computer system associated with the second retail entity prior to accessing information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user,
wherein transmitting information indicating association of the electronic coupon with the account of the user to the first computer system associated with the first retail entity and the second computer system associated with the second retail entity includes transmitting an identifier to the user to the first computer system and the second computer system and the identifier of the electronic coupon such that the information related to the terms of the electronic coupon at the first computer system and the second computer system is associated with the user.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the memory device further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:
accessing information indicating association of a second electronic coupon with the account of the user, the second electronic coupon being redeemable with a first retail store associated with the first retail entity but not redeemable with a second retail store associated with the first retail entity; and
transmitting information indicating association of the second electronic coupon

Assignees

• Hsu Michael Shing Chung
• Murray Michael
• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Hsu Michael Shing-Chung
• Murray Michael

Classifications

• G06Q30/0221

  Re-usable coupons · CPC title

• G06Q30/0236

  Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user · CPC title

• G06Q30/0214

  Referral reward systems · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• G06Q30/0225 Primary

  Avoiding frauds · CPC title