Determining offers for a geofenced geographic area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10664857-B2
Application number	US-201313928833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2013
Priority date	Jun 11, 2012
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a computer-implemented process for determining offers for a geofenced geographic area. After a mobile user device traverses a geofence, merchants associated with a geofence having a geofence identifier are identified. Candidate offers associated with the merchants are identified and ranked according to ranking criteria. The ranked candidate offers are transmitted to a mobile user device. The ranked candidate offers are cached on the mobile user device and presented to the user via an offers notification. The user may view and redeem an offer by selecting the offers notification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for determining relevant offers for a geofenced geographic area with a server system while conserving battery power in a mobile user device with which the server system communicates, the method comprising:
receiving, via a network, with the server system, from a native application executing on the mobile user device, a request for geofences in an area of the mobile user device, the request comprising a geolocation of the mobile user device determined based on wireless signals received by the mobile user device;
selecting a plurality of local geofences, via a processor, from a database of geofences, based on proximity between the geofences and the geolocation of the mobile user device;
sending, via the network, the plurality of local geofences to the native application executing on the mobile user device;
receiving, via the network, from the native application executing on the mobile user device, a request for offers, the request comprising a geofence identifier associated with a geofence among the plurality of local geofences previously sent to the mobile user device, the geofence defining a perimeter corresponding to one or more retail stores, the request arising from a program different from the native mobile application executing on the mobile user device detecting traversal of the geofence by the mobile user device;
identifying, via a processor, one or more merchants based on an association of the one or more merchants with the geofence;
identifying, via a processor, a plurality of candidate offers associated with the one or more merchants;
selecting, via a processor, one or more offers based on ranking the plurality of candidate offers; and
sending, via the network, the one or more selected offers to the mobile user device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein identifying a plurality of candidate offers comprises expediting data retrieval by:
querying a cache server, wherein the cache server maintains a cache of offers stored in random access memory of the cache server, the cache of offers having a subset of a larger set of offers, the larger set of offers including copies of at least some of the subset of offers, wherein the subset of offers are each associated with a hash key value calculated based on a respective parameter of the respective offer among the subset and paired with a respective addresses of the respective offer in the random access memory; and
identifying responsive offers with the cache server from among the subset of offers based on the query.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the one or more offers comprises ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on an offers engine user profile associated with a user of an offers engine, the user profile comprising a history of user activity.

4. The computer-implemented of claim 3 , wherein the user activity comprises previously selected offers, merchants, categories, or any combination thereof.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting one or more offers comprises ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on a seasonality factor, wherein the one or more candidate offers comprises an in-store coupon having an image of a machine-readable code that is scannable at a point of sale.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the plurality of local geofences comprises selecting the plurality of geofences based on geolocations of the mobile user device over a set of points in time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the one or more offers comprises:
retrieving from a user profile of a user associated with the mobile user device information about a set of offers previously selected by the user; and
ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on the retrieved information.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable memory storing instructions for determining relevant offers for a geofenced geographic area with a server system while conserving battery power in a mobile user device with which the server system communicates, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, via a network, from a native application executing on a mobile user device, a request for geofences in an area of the mobile user device, the request comprising a geolocation of the mobile user device determined based on wireless signals received by the mobile user device;
selecting a plurality of local geofences, via a processor, from a database of geofences, based on proximity between the geofences and the geolocation of the mobile user device;
sending, via the network, the plurality of local geofences to the native application executing on the mobile user device;
receiving, via the network, from the native application executing on the mobile user device, a request for offers, the request comprising a geofence identifier associated with a geofence among the plurality of local geofences previously sent to the mobile user device, the geofence defining a perimeter corresponding to one or more retail stores, the request arising from a program different from the native mobile application executing on the mobile user device detecting traversal of the geofence by the mobile user device;
identifying, via a processor, one or more merchants based on an association of the one or more merchants with the geofence;
identifying, via a processor, a plurality of candidate offers associated with the one or more merchants;
selecting, via a processor, one or more offers based on ranking the plurality of candidate offers; and
sending, via the network, the one or more selected offers to the mobile user device.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable memory of claim 8 , wherein identifying a plurality of candidate offers comprises:
querying a cache server, wherein the cache server maintains a cache of offers stored in random access memory of the cache server, the cache of offers having a subset of a larger set of offers, the larger set of offers including copies of at least some of the subset of offers, wherein the subset of offers are each associated with a hash key value calculated based on a respective parameter of the respective offer among the subset and paired with a respective addresses of the respective offer in the random access memory; and
identifying responsive offers with the cache server from among the subset of offers based on the query.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable memory of claim 8 , wherein selecting the one or more offers comprises ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on an offers engine user profile associated with a user of an offers engine, the user profile comprising a history of user activity.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable memory of claim 10 , wherein the user activity comprises previously selected offers, merchants, categories, or any combination thereof.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable memory of claim 8 , wherein selecting one or more offers comprises ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on a seasonality factor, wherein the one or more candidate offers comprises an in-store coupon having an image of a machine-readable code that is scannable at a point of sale.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable memory of claim 8 , wherein selecting one or more offers comprises:
retrieving from a user profile of a user associated with the mobile user device a set of offers previously selected by the user; and
ranking the plurality of candidate offers based on the retrieved offers.

Assignees

• Retailmenot Inc

Inventors

• Faith John Newman
• Zilkha Eithan
• Duty Christopher Matthew

Classifications

• G06Q30/0222 Primary

  During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions · CPC title

• G06Q30/0269

  based on user profile or attribute · CPC title

• G06Q30/0267

  Wireless devices · CPC title

• G06Q30/0256

  User search · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title