System and method for administering marketing programs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9569789-B2
Application number	US-201213477806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2012
Priority date	Jul 18, 2006
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A system and method provide rewards or loyalty incentives to transaction account customers. The system includes a computing platform comprising application programming interfaces that enable users to define marketing programs. The system thus enables an efficient, automated and extensible platform for creating, managing and executing rewards and other marketing related programs.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a payment processing computer and via an offer setup API, partner access preferences for an external partner system,
wherein the offer setup API is from a plurality of APIs;

authorizing, by the payment processing computer and via the Offer Setup API, the external partner system based on the partner access preferences in response to information from the external partner system conforming with predefined business rules,
wherein partner access preferences define that the external user is authorized to initiate an offer setup request in accordance with a business rule associated with the external partner system;

creating, by the payment processing computer and via the offer setup API, an offer setup tool;
determining, by the payment processing computer, user access preferences in response to an input from the external partner system via a partner registration API;
granting, by the payment processing computer, access to the offer setup tool for the external partner system in response to the authorizing;
receiving, by the payment processing computer, an offer setup request via the offer setup tool;
parsing, by the payment processing computer, the offer setup request into a plurality of first offer parameters;
validating, by the payment processing computer, the first offer parameter based on the predefined business rules associated with the external user for creating an offer;
approving, by the payment processing computer, the offer setup request in response to the validating;
creating, by the payment processing computer, a first offer comprising the first offer parameter,
wherein the first offer is associated with a reward program and wherein the first offer comprises a reward;

registering, by the payment processing computer and in response to the creating, a transaction account with a rewards program system;
linking, by the payment processing computer, the transaction account to a reward program identifier that indicates that the transaction account is associated with the rewards program system, in response to the registering the transaction account with the rewards program system,
wherein the transaction account is accessed by the reward program that is configured to distribute offers from an offer database to the transaction account;

authorizing, by an authorization server of the payment processing computer, a transaction with a merchant system in response to a consumer system initiating the transaction with the merchant system using the transaction account,
wherein the authorization is based on a first amount of credit associated with the transaction account;

reducing, by the payment processing computer, an amount of available credit for the transaction account by a transaction amount included with the authorization;
receiving, by the payment processing computer and in response to the authorizing, transaction information for the transaction from the merchant system for the transaction between the merchant system and the consumer system;
identifying, by the payment processing computer and in response to the authorizing, the merchant system as an identified merchant system based on the transaction originating with the merchant system;
accessing, by the payment processing computer and in response to the authorizing, a plurality of offers associated with a plurality of merchants;
selecting, by the payment processing computer and in response to the accessing, a subset of the plurality of offers associated with the identified merchant system;
analyzing, by the payment processing computer and in response to the selecting, the transaction amount and a transaction date to determine that the transaction information qualifies for a reward in accordance with the first offer of the subset of offers;
determining, by the payment processing computer and in response to the selecting, the reward based on the offer parameters, an attribute of the transaction account, the transaction information, a type of the offer, and a rule;
applying, by the payment processing computer, the reward as a credit to the transaction in the transaction account during a settlement operation;
adjusting, by the payment processing computer, the amount of the available credit for the transaction account, in response to the applying the reward;
linking, by the payment processing computer, the reward with the transaction information associated with the transaction and based on the registering the transaction account with the rewards program system;
generating, by the payment processing computer, a record of the reward associated with the transaction account used to conduct the transaction, wherein the record of the reward is associated with a charge associated with the transaction information corresponding to the transaction; and
displaying, by the payment processing computer, an indicator of an amount of the reward on a statement in connection with the charge corresponding to the transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the payment processing computer and via an enrollment API, and from a plurality of APIs, an enrollment setup request, wherein the enrollment setup request comprises an enrollment parameter for enrollment of at least one of a transaction account and a population.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the population is enrolled in response to the population satisfying the enrollment parameter, wherein the enrollment parameter is a spending behavior, and wherein the population is defined by a spending behavior.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transaction account is enrolled in response to the transaction account information satisfying the enrollment parameter and wherein the enrollment parameter is a spend behavior.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the spending behavior is defined by an offering merchant.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating, by the payment processing computer and via an enrollment API, an enrollment page and a referral link for the rewards program system,
wherein the referral link is configured to be communicated electronically to potential reward program participants, and
wherein the enrollment page is linked to a reward program engine that is configured to analyze offers, transactions and credit rewards;

selecting, by the payment processing computer and in response to inputs from the offer setup tool and via the offer setup API, a group of transaction accounts; and
transmitting, by the payment processing computer and via the enrollment API, the referral link to a group of users associated with the group of transaction accounts.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
approving, by the payment processing computer, the enrollment setup request;
parsing, by the payment processing computer, the enrollment setup request into the enrollment parameter; and
associating, by the payment processing computer, at least one of the transaction account and the population with at least one of the first offer and the second offer in response to the approval and based on the first enrollment parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising transmitting, by the payment processing computer, a notification associated with at least one of the first offer and the second offer to at least one of an owner of the transaction account and the population, in response to the associating at least one of the transaction account and the population.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the payment processing computer, a population comprising a plurality of transaction accounts that comply with first offer criteria, wherein the first offer parameter comprise the first offer criteria.

Assignees

• Durvasula Sastry
• Gebb Luke
• Koul Priyadarshini
• Morris Michael
• Newhouse Sherree
• Puranik Manjushri
• Roen Scott
• Russo Jennifer
• Tiku Sripriya
• Wilmes Robert
• Wolf David
• Muthukrishnan Sathish
• American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc

Inventors

• Durvasula Sastry
• Gebb Luke
• Koul Priyadarshini
• Morris Michael
• Newhouse Sherree
• Puranik Manjushri
• Roen Scott
• Russo Jennifer
• Tiku Sripriya
• Wilmes Robert
• Wolf David
• Muthukrishnan Sathish

Classifications

• G06Q30/0251 Primary

  Targeted advertisements · CPC title

• G06Q30/0207

  Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates · CPC title

• G06Q20/387

  Payment using discounts or coupons (relating to marketing G06Q30/02) · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• G06Q30/0234

  Rebates after completed purchase · CPC title