U.S. patent application number 14/073933 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-27 for methods and systems for paying with loyalty currency during online payment.
This patent application is currently assigned to BILLEO, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Billeo, Inc.. Invention is credited to Shankar A. Chittoor, Ravindra G. Gore, Allwyn Lobo, Murali B. Subbarao.
Application Number | 20140058821 14/073933 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46753846 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140058821 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Subbarao; Murali B. ; et
al. |
February 27, 2014 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PAYING WITH LOYALTY CURRENCY DURING ONLINE
PAYMENT
Abstract
Methods and systems for paying with loyalty currency at a
merchant website by a user using a browser app are provided. The
user is presented with the loyalty currency balance information
based on the loyalty currency units available in the loyalty
currency account. Thereafter, the user is presented with an option
to pay for the purchase transaction using the loyalty currency. The
user may select the option of paying for the purchase transaction
using the loyalty currency, thereby redeeming the loyalty
points.
Inventors: |
Subbarao; Murali B.;
(Saratoga, CA) ; Chittoor; Shankar A.; (Fremont,
CA) ; Lobo; Allwyn; (Campbell, CA) ; Gore;
Ravindra G.; (Fremont, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Billeo, Inc. |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BILLEO, INC.
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
46753846 |
Appl. No.: |
14/073933 |
Filed: |
November 7, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13041343 |
Mar 4, 2011 |
8612289 |
|
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14073933 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.33 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101;
G06Q 30/0233 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.33 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. A method for paying with loyalty currency during online payment
at any merchant website by a user using a payment assistant plug-in
residing on a browser, the payment assistant plug-in being
independent of any merchant website, the loyalty currency being
provided by one or more program sponsors, the method comprising:
receiving a confirmation from the user to use loyalty currency
units for a purchase transaction at a merchant website; filling
payment methods details using a payment method in a payment form
based on the received confirmation; and presenting a confirmation
message to the user that the purchase transaction has been
completed by paying with loyalty currency at the merchant website,
irrespective of whether the merchant website supports paying with
loyalty currency, wherein the method is implemented on a computing
device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty currency comprises at
least one of loyalty points, membership points, reward points,
mileage points, e-vouchers, coupons, and miles.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: automatically
presenting loyalty currency balance information for the user
corresponding to the one or more program sponsors, wherein the
loyalty currency balance information is presented to the user based
on tracking the one or more websites that the user visits.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: capturing total cost
of items to be purchased by the user at the merchant website.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: converting total cost
of items to be purchased into one or more loyalty currency units
based on a set of one or more conversion rules stored in a
conversion table, wherein the set of conversion rules corresponds
to a program sponsor, wherein each conversion rule corresponds to a
merchant website.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: presenting the user
with at least one loyalty currency payment option based on loyalty
currency balance information, the at least one loyalty currency
payment option is presented to pay for the purchase transaction at
the merchant website using the loyalty currency.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: reporting purchase
transaction information to at least one of the one or more program
sponsors after completing the purchase transaction.
8. The method of claim 3, wherein the loyalty currency balance
information comprises number of loyalty currency units credited to
the user by the one or more program sponsors.
9. The method of claim 3, wherein the user visiting the one or more
merchant websites is presented with the loyalty currency balance
information when the loyalty currency balance is above a
predetermined threshold.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant website belongs to
a predefined list of one or more merchant websites provided by at
least one program sponsor.
11. The method of claim 3, wherein the loyalty currency balance
information is based on aggregated loyalty currency units computed
from one or more loyalty currency corresponding to a program
sponsor for the user.
12. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of conversion rules is
dynamically downloaded from a program sponsor server when the user
initiates the purchase transaction at the merchant website.
13. The method of claim 6, wherein the user is presented with the
at least one loyalty currency payment option when loyalty currency
balance corresponding to a program sponsor is greater than the
number of loyalty currency units required to complete the purchase
transaction.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase transaction is
completed by paying using a combination of one or more loyalty
currency units and at least one payment method.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment methods comprise at
least one of using a credit card, a debit card, a prepaid card, and
a merchant card.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment methods comprise a
virtual prepaid card automatically generated by the payment
assistant plug in real-time having a monetary value equal to the
monetary value of the purchase transaction, wherein the virtual
prepaid card expires at the end of the purchase transaction.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment methods further
comprise at least one of a virtual card number and a virtual bank
number, the virtual card number and/or the virtual bank number
generated corresponding to the one or more payment methods.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the user stores details of the
payment methods on the at least one of the computing device and
over the network, wherein the details of the payment methods
comprise at least one of an account holder name, a credit card
number, a debit card number, a Card Verification Value (CW) number,
an expiration date, a prepaid card number, and a merchant card
number.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the details of the payment
methods are filled in the payment form by accessing the details of
the payment methods from at least one of the computing device and
the network.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically locking
the payment form at the merchant website from user editing
subsequent to filling the payment methods details.
21. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing
completion of the purchase, wherein the merchant website records
the purchase to be completed using the payment methods, wherein the
program sponsor records the purchase to be completed using the
loyalty currency.
22. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more program sponsors
is at least one of a banking institution, a financial institution,
a credit card company, an airline, a super market, and a
convenience store.
23. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment method details are
filled manually by the user in the payment form.
24. A system for paying with loyalty currency during online payment
at any merchant websites by a user using a payment assistant
plug-in residing on a browser, the payment assistant plug-in being
independent of any merchant website, the loyalty currency being
provided by one or more program sponsors, the system comprising: a
processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the
processor is configured to execute the payment assistant plug-in
residing on the browser in the memory, the payment assistant
plug-in comprising: a tracking module configured to: I. track a
user response to at least one loyalty currency payment option
presented to the user, the at least one loyalty currency payment
option is presented to pay for a purchase transaction using the
loyalty currency; and II. receive a confirmation from the user to
use converted loyalty currency units for a purchase transaction at
the merchant website; and a presentation module configured to: I.
present a confirmation message to the user that the purchase
transaction has been completed by paying with loyalty currency at
the merchant website, irrespective of whether the merchant website
supports paying with loyalty currency; wherein the payment
assistant plug-in is connected to a loyalty currency server, the
loyalty currency server hosts one or more rules for operating the
loyalty currency client, Wherein the payment assistant plug-in
interacting with the one or more program sponsors over a
network.
25. The system of claim 21, wherein the tracking module further
configured to: I. track one or more websites the user visits; and
II. capture total cost of items to be purchased by the user at the
merchant website.
26. The system of claim 21, wherein the presentation module further
configured to: I. present to the user in a predefined format at
least one loyalty currency balance information corresponding to the
one or more program sponsors without a user input, when the user
visits the one or more merchant websites; II. present to the user
in the predefined format one or more number of loyalty currency
units corresponding to the one or more program sponsors required
for the purchase transaction.
27. The system of claim 21, further comprising: a currency
converter module configured to convert the total cost of items to
be purchased into the one or more loyalty currency units needed for
completing the purchase transaction, and to provide the number of
one or more loyalty currency units needed for completing the
purchase transaction to the presentation module; a transaction
report module configured to capture the purchase transaction
information and reporting the purchase transaction information to
at least one of the one or more program sponsors; and a sponsor
interface module configured to interface with at least one program
sponsor server and to obtain at least one of: loyalty currency
balance information corresponding to the user; a set of conversion
rules corresponding to a merchant website for converting the total
cost of items to be purchased into loyalty currency units;
information on merchants where the payment by loyalty currency
service is to be provided; a list of users for whom the payment by
loyalty currency service is to be enabled; and a predetermined
threshold of loyalty currency balance required corresponding to the
at least one program sponsor.
28. The system of claim 21, wherein the loyalty currency server
interacts with the payment assistant plug-in and the at least one
program sponsor server over the network.
29. The system of claim 21, further comprising an authentication
module configured to authenticate the user with at least one of the
payment assistant plug and the loyalty currency server.
30. The system of claim 21, further comprising a user profile
module configured to extract one or more user profiles from at
least one of the loyalty currency server and one or more program
sponsors, wherein the information comprises at least one of an
account holder name, a credit card number, a debit card number, a
Card Verification Value (CW) number, an expiration date, a prepaid
card number, and a merchant card number.
31. The system of claim 21, further comprising a targeting module
configured to: select at least one loyalty currency payment option
to be offered to the user when the at least one loyalty currency
balance is greater than number of loyalty currency units required
to complete the purchase transaction; and select the at least one
loyalty currency payment option based on at least one of the
merchant website, the total cost of items to be purchased, the
loyalty currency balance information, and one or more user
preferences.
32. The system of claim 21, further comprising a payment method
module configured to automatically lock a payment form from user
editing subsequent to filling one or more payment method
details.
33. The system of claim 27, wherein the purchase transaction
information comprises at least one of a monetary value of the
purchase transaction and an address of the merchant website at
which the user performed the purchase transaction.
34. A computer program product comprising computer-executable
instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium
for use in connection with a processor-containing system, for
performing steps comprising: receiving a confirmation from a user
to use loyalty currency units for a purchase transaction at a
merchant website; filling payment methods details using a payment
method in a payment form based on the received confirmation; and
presenting a confirmation message to the user that the purchase
transaction has been completed by paying with loyalty currency at
the merchant website, irrespective of whether the merchant website
supports paying with loyalty currency.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/041,343, filed on Mar. 4, 2011, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is generally related to electronic
transactions and, more particularly, is related to paying with
loyalty currency during online payment.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Loyalty systems are conventionally used by various
commercial organizations to increase customer retention as well as
to increase the customer base. Examples of commercial organizations
may be one of a financial institution, a credit card company, an
airline, a super mart, a grocery store, a convenience store, and
the like. Loyalty systems reward a customer with loyalty points in
return for usage of a product or a service marketed by a commercial
organization. For example, several financial institutions that
issue credit cards to customers reward them with loyalty points
when the customer uses a credit card for shopping, dining, and so
forth. The customer is able to redeem the points on the financial
institution's website for goods and services from a variety of
merchants assembled by the financial institution. Further, an
example of a non-financial commercial organization issuing reward
points may be an airline that rewards its customers with travel
miles. The travel miles may be redeemed by the customers for that
airline service when they have a minimum requisite number of travel
miles in their account.
[0004] Typically, commercial organizations provide a limited range
of options for redeeming the loyalty points. For example, several
commercial organizations provide an online store linked to their
websites where the customers may redeem their loyalty points by
buying from the products offered at the online store. However, this
facility of redeeming points at an online store suffers from the
major drawback that only a limited range of products are available
for buying at the online store. A customer not having any need or
interest for the offered range of products might find limited or no
value in the loyalty points. This gradually leads to deterioration
in the customer's perceived value of the loyalty system, which
further diminishes the loyalty to the brand. In an extreme though
plausible scenario, this might lead the customer to switch to
another commercial organization offering a better reward system.
Thus, the purpose of the loyalty system is defeated. Further, when
the loyalty points rewarded by the commercial organization are not
redeemed regularly, the financial liability of the commercial
organization increases, affecting their financial statements.
[0005] Moreover, the link to the online store where the customer
may redeem loyalty points is generally present on the website of
the commercial organization. A customer who intends to redeem the
loyalty points has to exclusively visit the website of the
commercial organization and thereafter begin shopping using a less
acquainted online store interface. The customers well set in their
online shopping habits, with respect to the merchant websites that
they typically visit and the shopping experience that they are
accustomed to, find it counter intuitive to shop at the commercial
organization's online store. Thus, a significant shift in the
shopping habits of the customers is required for the loyalty points
systems to function effectively.
[0006] Alternatively, a particular merchant website may collaborate
with a specific commercial organization, offering a loyalty points
program, for enabling paying with points. Typically, in this
scenario, the customer may purchase products using loyalty points
accumulated with the specific commercial organization for any
product on the merchant website. However, the major limitation of
such an arrangement is that it requires tight integration between
the merchant and the commercial organization. This limits the use
of the loyalty points to a small set of merchant websites.
SUMMARY
[0007] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide
systems for paying with loyalty currency during online payment
using a browser app. Briefly described, in architecture, one
example embodiment of the system, among others, may be implemented
as follows: a loyalty currency client, a tracking module, a
presentation module, a currency converter module, and a transaction
report module.
[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be viewed as
providing methods for paying with loyalty currency during online
payment using a browser app. In this regard, one embodiment of such
a method, among others, may be broadly summarized by the following
steps: presenting without a user input, loyalty currency balance
information for the user corresponding to a program sponsor, when
the user visits the one or more merchant websites. The steps
further include capturing total cost of items being purchased by
the user at a merchant website and converting the total cost of
items into one or more loyalty currency units based on a set of one
or more conversion rules stored in a conversion table. Further, the
user is presented with a loyalty currency payment option based on
loyalty currency balance information for the user. Thereafter, a
payment method details are filled in a payment form based on a user
response to the loyalty currency payment option. Further, purchase
transaction information is reported to the program sponsor after
the purchase has been confirmed by the merchant website.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for paying with
loyalty points during online shopping using a browser app, in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a loyalty currency client, in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a loyalty currency server in
detail, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 4A provides a screenshot of an internet browser running
a browser app, in accordance with an example embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 4B provides a screenshot of an internet browser running
a browser app, in accordance with an example embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0014] FIGS. 4C provides a screenshot of an internet browser
running a browser app, in accordance with an example embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0015] FIGS. 4D provides a screenshot of an internet browser
running a browser app, in accordance with an example embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0016] FIGS. 4E provides a screenshot of an internet browser
running a browser app, in accordance with an example embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for paying with loyalty
points during online shopping using a browser app, in accordance
with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more
fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several
figures, and in which example embodiments are shown. Embodiments of
the claims may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein. The examples set forth herein are non-limiting examples and
are merely examples among other possible examples.
[0019] In light of the above described deficiencies, there is a
need for systems and methods that may facilitate an easier and more
broadly usable system for redeeming of loyalty points, thereby
increasing the customer perceived value of the loyalty program and
the loyalty of the customer to the commercial organization. The
systems and methods should enable the users to redeem their loyalty
points at any merchant website that the user intends to use for
online shopping. Further, there is a need for systems and methods
that may give the user freedom to buy a product of their choice
independent of the availability of the product on a particular
commercial organization's online store for redeeming loyalty
points. Further, there is a need for systems and methods that will
spare the commercial organization the hassles of maintaining an
online store such as maintaining an inventory, regular maintenance
of the website, and so forth. Further, there is a need for systems
and methods that may not require the complex integration between a
merchant website and the commercial organization to enable use of
loyalty points to purchase goods on the merchant site.
[0020] The present disclosure relates to enabling paying with
loyalty currency rewarded by a commercial organization at any
merchant website. However, the current state of the art discloses
that commercial organizations enable redemption of points only on
their online stores. Also, when redemption of points is enabled at
a merchant website, it is only through a tight integration between
the merchant website and the commercial organization. In light of
this, the embodiments of the present disclosure, enable paying with
loyalty currency over any merchant website using a browser app,
without requiring integration between the commercial organization
and the merchant website. Further, the functioning of the browser
app is independent of any merchant website, which implies that the
browser app is not dependent on the design and/or implementation
levels of the merchant websites.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1, a system for paying with loyalty
points during online shopping using a browser app, in accordance
with an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
System 100 includes computing device 102, browser app 104, loyalty
currency client 106, program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c,
loyalty currency server 110, and network 112.
[0022] Computing device 102 is used by a user for visiting the
various websites for online shopping. In an embodiment of the
present disclosure, computing device 102 is at least one of a
personal computer (PC), a laptop, a notebook, a mobile phone, a
smart phone, a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and
the like. Further, browser app 104 is installed at computing device
102. Browser app 104 enables the user to pay with loyalty currency
during online shopping at any merchant website by interacting with
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c over network 112. In
an embodiment of the present disclosure, browser app 104 is at
least one of a toolbar, a plug-in, an add-on, an extension and the
like. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, browser
app 104 resides in a browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla
Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and the like. In another
example embodiment of the present disclosure, browser app 104 is a
mobile app that is installed on a mobile device that embeds a
browser such as the one listed above. Further, in an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, the network is the internet.
In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty
currency is provided by one of the program sponsors. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, the program sponsor is at
least one of a banking institution, a credit card company, a
financial institution, an airline, a super market, a grocery store,
a convenience store, and the like. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the loyalty currency includes loyalty points,
membership points, reward points, mileage points, miles and the
like. In another example embodiment of the present invention, the
loyalty currency is any fungible means such as e-vouchers, coupons,
and the like.
[0023] Further, browser app 104 may host loyalty currency client
106. Loyalty currency client 106 tracks the online shopping
behavior of the user which includes tracking the websites the user
visits and identifying merchant websites the user visits for online
shopping and the merchant websites at which the user prefers to use
the loyalty currency. Additionally, loyalty currency client 106
interfaces with program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c using
network 112 for obtaining the loyalty currency balance information
for a user. The operations performed by loyalty currency client 106
have been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0024] Further, program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c
provide the loyalty currency balance information corresponding to a
user to loyalty currency client 106. Additionally, program sponsor
servers 108a, 108b, and 108c provide a set of conversion rules for
converting the total cost of items purchased into loyalty currency
units corresponding to a merchant website that the user intends to
use for redeeming the loyalty points. Further, program sponsor
servers 108a, 108b, and 108c provide a predetermined threshold of
loyalty currency balance required for the user to be able to redeem
the loyalty points. In an example embodiment of the present
invention, the program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c may
provide one or more business rules such as a list of merchant
websites where the loyalty points may be redeemed, a list of
merchant websites where the loyalty points may not be redeemed,
list of type of card members, such as gold card member, platinum
card member, who may avail the loyalty points redeeming service,
the time of the year during which this loyalty points redeeming
service is available, the categories of goods purchased for which
this service is valid, and the like. Additionally, the program
sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c may provide a specific time
frame, such as the time around major holidays, during which the
service will be available. Although three servers 108A, 108B, and
108C are provided in example embodiments, program sponsor server
108 may comprise a single server, two servers, or more than three
servers, as well. Further, loyalty currency server 110 is connected
to loyalty currency client 106. Loyalty currency server 110 hosts
one or more rules for operating loyalty currency client 106.
Loyalty currency server 110 has been explained in detail in
conjunction with the FIG. 3.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 2, loyalty currency client 106 is
shown in detail, in accordance with an example embodiment of the
present disclosure. Loyalty currency client 106 includes
authentication module 202, targeting module 204, user profile
module 206, sponsor interface module 208, tracking module 210,
presentation module 212, currency converter module 214, transaction
report module 216, and payment method module 218.
[0026] User profile module 206 periodically extracts user profile
information from loyalty currency server 110 (refer FIG. 1) and
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c (refer FIG. 1). In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, the user profile
information includes but is not limited to an account holder name,
a credit card number, a debit card number, a Card Verification
Value (CW) number, an expiration date, a prepaid card number, a
merchant card number, and the like. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, user profile module 206 extracts user profile
information corresponding to multiple users. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, user profile module 206
periodically extracts loyalty currency balance information and
predefined threshold corresponding to a user from at least one of
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c. In an embodiment of
the present disclosure, user profile module 206 using web services
extracts loyalty currency balance information and predefined
threshold corresponding to a user from at least one of program
sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c. In an example embodiment of
the present disclosure, user profile module 206 stores the loyalty
balance information and predefined threshold corresponding to at
least one of program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c.
[0027] Authentication module 202 authenticates at least one user
with loyalty currency server 110 at the launch of browser app 104
(refer FIG. 1). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the
user is automatically authenticated with loyalty currency server
110 based on preference settings of the user. Subsequent to
authentication, tracking module 210 is activated for tracking
user's internet surfing activities. Thus, tracking module 210
tracks the activities of the user while the user is visiting one or
more websites. Further, tracking module 210 may track the one or
more merchant websites that the user visits. When the user visits a
merchant website, tracking module 210 may inform targeting module
204. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, tracking
module 210 informs targeting module 204 that the user is visiting
at least one merchant website belonging to a predefined list of
merchant websites. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the predefined list of merchant websites is provided by
at least one of program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c.
Further, tracking module 210 may capture total cost of items to be
purchased including shipping cost and taxes, if any, by the user at
a merchant website. Tracking module 210 may provide the information
corresponding to the total cost of items to be purchased including
shipping cost and taxes, if any, to currency converter module 214
through targeting module 204. Additionally, tracking module 210 may
track a user response to at least one loyalty currency payment
option presented to the user by presentation module 212.
[0028] Presentation module 212 presents the user with loyalty
currency balance information corresponding to a program sponsor
without a user input. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information includes
number of loyalty currency units credited to the user by the
program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information corresponds to
more than one program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information is
based on aggregated loyalty currency units awarded by the same
program sponsor corresponding to different products or services
subscribed by the user. For example, the program sponsor is a
financial institution that issues credit cards and the user owns
two different credit cards issued by the same financial
institution. In accordance with the loyalty currency balance
calculation rules, the loyalty currency balance corresponding to
the program sponsor is a sum of the loyalty points awarded to the
user on the different credit cards issued by the same program
sponsor. The loyalty currency balance information may be presented
to the user in a predefined format. Further, in an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module 212
presents the user with the loyalty currency balance information
corresponding to a program sponsor, when the loyalty currency
balance is above a predefined threshold. The predefined threshold
is provided by the program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, presentation module 212 may obtain the loyalty
currency balance information and the predefined threshold from
sponsor interface module 208 through targeting module 204. In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module
212 may obtain the loyalty balance information and predefined
threshold from user profile module 206. Further, presentation
module 212 may present to the user one or more number of loyalty
currency units corresponding to the one or more program sponsors in
a purchase transaction.
[0029] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,
presentation module 212 receives the information corresponding to
the number of loyalty currency units corresponding to one or more
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c used for the purchase
transaction from currency converter module 214 and presents the
number of loyalty currency units to the user. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module 212
presents a confirmation for the user that the choice for paying
using the loyalty currency has been accepted and a prompt for the
user to complete the purchase transaction. Subsequent to the user
completing the purchase transaction, presentation module 212 may
inform the user that the purchase transaction will be recorded as a
loyalty points purchase transaction. Further, in an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module 212 may
also display on the browser a loyalty program name, a logo to
identify the sponsoring organization, name of the card member,
and/or the payment card associated with the loyalty system.
Further, presentation module 212 may also display a marketing or
instructive message explaining the prompt or an opt out or turn-off
message on the browser.
[0030] Payment method module 218 automatically populates payment
method details in a payment form. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the payment method details are filled in
manually by a user in the payment form. Further, payment method
module 218 may lock the payment form subsequent to automatic
filling of payment method details to prevent the user from editing
one or more fields of the payment form. In an example embodiment of
the present disclosure, the payment method details may include but
are not limited to an account holder name, a credit card number, a
debit card number, a Card Verification Value (CW) number, an
expiration date, a prepaid card number, a merchant payment number,
and the like. Additionally, payment method module 218 may gather
payment method details from sponsor interface module 208 through
targeting module 204. In another example embodiment of the present
disclosure, a virtual card number or a virtual bank number is
generated corresponding to one of the payment method details listed
above, thereby enhancing security by not sharing the actual payment
method details with the merchant website. Further, this also
provides the benefit of obtaining exact transaction details by the
browser app 104.
[0031] Sponsor interface module 208 interfaces with at least one of
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c for obtaining the
loyalty currency balance information corresponding to a user. In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interface
module 208, using a web service, periodically extracts loyalty
currency balance information and predefined threshold corresponding
to a user from at least one of program sponsor servers 108a, 108b,
and 108c. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,
sponsor interface module 208 provides the loyalty currency
information to targeting module 204. Additionally, sponsor
interface module 208 obtains a set of conversion rules from one of
program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c corresponding to a
merchant website for converting the total cost of items purchased
into loyalty currency units. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the set of conversion rules is obtained when
the user visits the corresponding merchant website for online
shopping. In another example embodiment of the present disclosure,
the set of conversion rules corresponding to the various merchant
websites in the predefined list of merchant websites is obtained at
the launch of browser app 104. In yet another example embodiment of
the present disclosure, the set of conversion rules is dynamically
downloaded from one of program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and
108c. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor
interface module 208 provides the set of conversion rules to
currency converter module 214. Further, sponsor interface module
208 may also obtain information corresponding to the predetermined
threshold of loyalty currency balance required for providing the
user with an option for online shopping using loyalty currency.
Sponsor interface module 208 may obtain this information from one
of program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interface module 208
provides the information corresponding to the predetermined
threshold to targeting module 204. In an example embodiment of the
present invention, the program sponsor servers 108a, 108b, and 108c
may provide sponsor interface module 208 one or more of a list of
merchant websites where the loyalty points may be redeemed, a list
of merchant websites where the loyalty points may not be redeemed,
list of type of card members, such as gold card member, platinum
card member, who may avail the loyalty points redeeming service,
and the like. Additionally, the program sponsor servers 108a, 108b,
and 108c may provide sponsor interface module 208 a specific time
frame, such as the time around major holidays, during which the
service will be available. Thereafter, sponsor interface module 208
may provide the above obtained information to targeting module
204.
[0032] Targeting module 204 selects a loyalty currency payment
option to be offered to the user when the loyalty currency balance
is greater than the number of loyalty currency units required for
completing a purchase transaction. In a scenario when the user has
multiple loyalty currency accounts with more than one loyalty
currency balance greater than the number of loyalty currency units
required to complete the purchase transaction, targeting module 204
may select the loyalty currency payment option to be presented.
Targeting module 204 may select the loyalty currency payment option
based on the merchant website, the total cost of items, the loyalty
currency balance information, and user preferences. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, the user preferences are
derived from previous online activities of the user tracked by
tracking module 210. In another scenario, when the loyalty currency
balance of the user is less than number of loyalty currency units
required for completing a purchase transaction, targeting module
204 may select an option to be provided to the user which entails
paying for the items to be purchased using a combination of real
currency units and loyalty currency units. Therefore, the user may
choose to pay the partial purchase amount using the loyalty
currency units and the remaining purchase amount using the real
currency units. In still another scenario, targeting module 204 may
select an option to be provided to the user which entails paying
for the items to be purchased using a combination of real currency
units and loyalty currency units, when the loyalty currency balance
of the user is not less than number of loyalty currency units
required for completing a purchase transaction. In such a scenario,
the user may inquire about the amount of the purchase that may be
paid using a specified number of loyalty points. The user may
thereafter pay for that amount using the loyalty points and the
remaining amount of the purchase using real currency.
[0033] Currency converter module 214 receives the set of conversion
rules from sponsor interface module 208 and the total cost of items
to be purchased by the user at a merchant website from tracking
module 210. Currency converter module 214 then converts the total
cost of items to be purchased into equivalent number of loyalty
currency units using the set of conversion rules. Thereafter,
currency converter module 214 provides the equivalent number of
loyalty currency units to targeting module 204. Further, in a
scenario when the user intends to pay for the items to be purchased
using a combination of real currency units and loyalty currency
units, currency converter module 214 provides the amount of the
purchase that may be paid using a specified number of loyalty
points.
[0034] Transaction report module 216 captures purchase transaction
information and reports the purchase transaction information to the
corresponding program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the purchase transaction information includes
but is not limited to a monetary value of the purchase transaction
and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the merchant website at
which the user performed the purchase transaction, user
identification, number of loyalty units redeemed, information
related to partial or complete payment done through loyalty points,
and the like. The program sponsor based on the received report
takes appropriate action at its end to debit loyalty points from
the loyalty points balance of the user and to apply a credit to the
real currency purchase.
[0035] In the various example embodiments of the present
disclosure, targeting module 204 acts as an interface between all
the modules such as authentication module 202, user profile module
206, sponsor interface module 208, tracking module 210,
presentation module 212, currency converter module 214, and
transaction report module 216. The interfacing performed by
targeting module 204 entails determining a context from the
information received from a first module and determining a suitable
response to the context. Based on the determined response,
targeting module 204 may direct a module to perform a suitable
action. In an example, when presentation module 212 interacts with
tracking module 210, the communication is performed through
targeting module 204. Targeting module 204 determines the context
from the information received from tracking module 210. For
example, if tracking module 210 informs targeting module 204 that
the user is visiting a merchant website, targeting module 204 acts
upon this information and directs presentation module 212 to
display loyalty points balance information to the user. Thereafter,
tracking module 210 may record the user reaction to the balance
information presented to the user. In another example, when sponsor
interface module 208 communicates with presentation module 212, the
communication is performed through targeting module 204.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 3, loyalty currency server 110 is
shown in detail, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure. Loyalty currency server 110 includes server assisting
module 302, server presentation module 304, server user profile
module 306, server currency converter module 308, server sponsor
interface module 310, server transaction report module 312 and
server targeting module 314.
[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, server assisting
module 302, server presentation module 304, server user profile
module 306, server currency converter module 308, server sponsor
interface module 310, server transaction report module 312 and
server targeting module 314 may be located in loyalty currency
server 110. In such a scenario, server presentation module 304,
server user profile module 306, server currency converter module
308, server sponsor interface module 310, server transaction report
module 312 and server targeting module 314 perform similar
functionalities as performed by their counterparts explained in
conjunction with FIG. 2 above. For example, server presentation
module 304 stores the various presentation designs and styles that
will be invoked when requested by presentation module 212. Further,
server assisting module 302 performs the authentication
functionalities when requested by authentication module 202. Server
currency converter module 308 converts the real currency units into
loyalty currency units when requested by currency converter module
214. Server sponsor interface module 310 interfaces with program
sponsors 108a, 108b, and 108c for accessing data in aggregate
format corresponding to all users, or for a specific user. In an
embodiment of the present invention, server sponsor interface
module 310 maintains the `single sign-on` mechanism to securely
exchange information with program sponsors 108a, 108b, and 108c.
Server transaction report module 312 collects information, in
aggregate format corresponding to all users, or for a specific
user, from transaction module 216, and sends the information to
program sponsors 108a, 108b, and 108c. Further, server user profile
module 306 periodically provides the user information upon a
request by user profile module 206.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E screenshots of
an internet browser with browser app running are shown in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4A includes balance information box 402. FIG. 4B includes
payment information box 404. FIG. 4C includes loyalty currency
option box 406. FIG. 4D includes confirmation box 408 and payment
form 410. FIG. 4E includes transaction completion box 412.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 4A, balance information box 402 may
include loyalty currency balance information. The loyalty currency
balance information is displayed on the browser by presentation
module 212 (refer FIG. 2) as explained in detail in conjunction
with FIG. 2 above. Further, presentation module 212 may also
display on the browser a loyalty program name, a logo to identify
the sponsoring organization, name of the card member, and the
payment card associated with the loyalty system among other
information. Further, presentation module 212 may also display a
marketing or instructive message explaining the prompt or an
opt-out or turn-off message on the browser.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 4B, payment information box 404
includes the total cost of items being purchased by the user. The
total cost of items to be purchased is tracked by tracking module
210 and sent to currency converter module 214. In an embodiment of
the present disclosure, a total cost of items to be purchased by
the user may include shipping costs and taxes, as applicable, in
addition to the cost of items.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 4C, loyalty currency option box 406
may include an option for the user to pay for the total cost of
items being purchased using the loyalty currency. The option to pay
using the loyalty currency may be presented to the user by
presentation module 212 when the loyalty currency balance
information is greater than the number of loyalty currency units
required to complete the purchase transaction as explained in
detail in conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 4D, confirmation box 408 may include a
confirmation for the user that the choice for paying using the
loyalty currency has been accepted and a prompt for the user to
complete the purchase transaction. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, confirmation box 408 is presented to the user
by presentation module 212. Further, payment form 410 may include
the payment method details.
[0043] Referring now to FIG. 4E, transaction completion box 412 may
include a confirmation for the user relating to the payment details
such as the payment mode in which the transaction has been
performed. The payment mode may include payment performed
completely using loyalty currency units or a combination of real
currency units and loyalty currency units.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart is provided
illustrating a method for paying with loyalty currency at one or
more merchant websites by a user using a browser app, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 will now be
explained in detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and
4E.
[0045] In block 502, a user is presented with loyalty currency
balance information corresponding to a program sponsor. In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, loyalty currency
balance information is presented in balance information box 402. In
an example embodiment of the present disclosure, loyalty currency
includes at least one of a loyalty points, membership points,
reward points, mileage points, miles, e-vouchers, coupons, and the
like. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty
currency balance information includes number of loyalty currency
units credited to the user by the one or more program sponsors. In
an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the program
sponsor is at least one of a banking institution, a financial
institution, a credit card company, an airline, a super market, a
grocery store, and a convenience store. In an example embodiment of
the present disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information is
based on aggregated loyalty currency units awarded by the same
program sponsor corresponding to different products or services
subscribed by the user.
[0046] For example, this is the case in a scenario when the program
sponsor is a financial institution that issues a credit card and
the user owns two different credit cards issued by the same
financial institution. In accordance with the loyalty currency
balance calculation rules, the loyalty currency balance
corresponding to the program sponsor is a sum of the loyalty points
awarded to the user on the different credit cards issued to the
user by the same financial institution. The loyalty currency
balance information is presented to the user in a predefined
format. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a
presentation module, such as presentation module 212, presents the
user with the loyalty currency balance information corresponding to
a program sponsor, when the loyalty currency balance is above a
predefined threshold. The predefined threshold is provided by the
program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information is presented
to the user when the user visits a merchant website. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currency balance
information is presented to the user when the user visits a
merchant website that belongs to a predefined list of merchant
websites. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a
tracking module, such as tracking module 210, informs presentation
module 212 that the user is visiting one of a merchant website
through targeting module 204. Thereafter, presentation module 212
may present the user with the loyalty balance information. In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module
212 may obtain the loyalty balance information and predefined
threshold from user profile module 206 through targeting module
204. Thereafter, presentation module 212 may present the user with
the loyalty balance information.
[0047] In block 504, total cost of items to be purchased at a
merchant website is captured. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the total cost of items to be purchased by the
user at a merchant website, as displayed in payment information box
404, is captured by tracking module 210.
[0048] In block 506, the total cost of items to be purchased is
converted into loyalty currency units based on a set of conversion
rules stored in a conversion table by a currency converter module,
such as a currency converter module 214. In an example embodiment
of the present disclosure, the conversion table is stored at a
computing device. In another example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the set of conversion rules is dynamically downloaded
from a program sponsor server by currency converter module 214 when
the user initiates a purchase transaction at a merchant website. In
yet another example embodiment of the present disclosure, the set
of currency conversion rules is obtained from a program sponsor
server by a sponsor interface module, such as a sponsor interface
module 208 as explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2. In an
example embodiment of the present disclosure, the total cost of
items to be purchased is provided to currency converter module 214
by tracking module 210 through targeting module 204.
[0049] In block 508, the user is presented with the loyalty
currency payment option in loyalty currency option box 406
corresponding to at least one program sponsor. The loyalty currency
payment option may be presented based on the loyalty currency
balance information. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the loyalty currency payment option is presented to the
user when the loyalty currency balance corresponding to a program
sponsor is greater than the number of loyalty currency units
required to complete the purchase. In a scenario when the user has
multiple accounts with different program sponsors, one or more
loyalty currency payment options may be provided to the user. The
loyalty currency balances which are greater than the number of
loyalty currency units required to complete the transaction may be
presented to the user as buying options. In an example embodiment
of the present disclosure, targeting module 204 selects the program
sponsor corresponding to which the loyalty currency payment option
is to be presented to the user when the user has multiple loyalty
currency accounts having loyalty currency balances greater than
required to complete the purchase transaction. Targeting module 204
may select the loyalty currency payment option based on the
merchant website, the total cost of items to be purchased, the
loyalty currency balance information, and one or more user
preferences, in which the user preferences are derived from
previous online activities of the user tracked by tracking module
210.
[0050] In a scenario in which the loyalty currency balance is less
than the number of loyalty currency units required to complete the
purchase transaction and is greater than the predefined threshold,
the user is presented with the loyalty currency payment option. The
user may then pay for the purchase transaction using a combination
of loyalty currency units and one of a regular payment method such
as a debit card, credit card, merchant card, and a prepaid
card.
[0051] In block 510, payment method details are filled in payment
form box 410 based on a user response to the loyalty currency
payment option without the user input. In an example embodiment of
the present disclosure, the payment details are filled in the
payment form box 410 by payment method module 218. Exemplary
payment method details may be an account holder name, a credit card
number, a debit card number, a Card Verification Value (CW) number,
an expiration date, a prepaid card number, and a merchant payment
number among other information. In an embodiment of the present
disclosure, the payment methods details are filled by accessing the
payment methods details from either the computing device or the
network. Examples of accessing the payment methods details from the
network may include digital wallet applications.
[0052] Further, when the loyalty currency issuing institution is a
non-financial institution, for example when the program sponsor is
an airline issuing travel miles, the payment method may not be one
of the regular payment methods such as a debit card, a credit card,
a merchant card, and a prepaid card. In such a scenario, a virtual
prepaid card may be generated by browser app 104. The virtual
prepaid card may have a monetary value equal to the monetary value
of the purchase transaction and the virtual prepaid card may expire
at the end of the purchase transaction. Further, in an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, confirmation box 408 is
presented to the user informing the user that the choice of paying
with loyalty currency has been accepted and then prompting the user
to complete the transaction. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, confirmation box 408 is presented to the user
by presentation module 212. In an example embodiment of the present
disclosure, the payment method details are filled manually by the
user in payment form box 410.
[0053] Further, in an example embodiment of the present disclosure,
subsequent to filling the payment method details, payment form box
410 is locked to prevent the user from editing fields in payment
form box 410. Further, payment form box 410 may be locked by
payment method module 218.
[0054] In block 512, purchase transaction information is reported
to a corresponding program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the
present disclosure, the purchase transaction information includes
but is not limited to a monetary value of the purchase transaction,
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the merchant website at which the
user performed the purchase transaction, user identification,
number of loyalty currency units redeemed, information related to
partial or complete payment done through loyalty points, and the
like. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the
purchase transaction information is reported to the program sponsor
by transaction report module, such as transaction report module 216
In a scenario in which the payment has been done using a virtual
prepaid card, more specific and precise information about the
completed transaction may be reported to the program sponsor by
transaction report module 216.
[0055] Further, in an example embodiment of the present disclosure,
the merchant website records the purchase transaction to be
completed using one or more payment methods such as a debit card, a
credit card, a merchant payment card, a prepaid card. In an example
embodiment of the present disclosure, the program sponsor records
that the purchase transaction is completed using the loyalty
currency and debits loyalty points from the user's loyalty points
balance and applies a credit for the real currency purchase.
Thereafter the method may terminate.
[0056] The flow chart of FIG. 5 shows the architecture,
functionality, and operation of a possible implementation of
loyalty currency payment software. In this regard, each block may
represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises
one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some
alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may
occur out of the order noted in FIG. 5. For example, two blocks
shown in succession in FIG. 5 may in fact be executed substantially
concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse
order, depending upon the functionality involved. Any process
descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood as
representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include
one or more executable instructions for implementing specific
logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate
implementations are included within the scope of the example
embodiments in which functions may be executed out of order from
that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in
reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. In
addition, the process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should
be understood as representing decisions made by a hardware
structure such as a state machine.
[0057] The logic of the example embodiment(s) can be implemented in
hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In example
embodiments, the logic is implemented in software or firmware that
is stored in a memory and that is executed by a suitable
instruction execution system. If implemented in hardware, as in an
alternative embodiment, the logic can be implemented with any or a
combination of the following technologies, which are all well known
in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for
implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational
logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. In addition, the scope of the
present disclosure includes embodying the functionality of the
example embodiments disclosed herein in logic embodied in hardware
or software-configured mediums.
[0058] Software embodiments, which comprise an ordered listing of
executable instructions for implementing logical functions, can be
embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in
connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing
system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the
instructions. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable
medium" can be any means that can contain, store, or communicate
the program for use by or in connection with the instruction
execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable
medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic,
magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor
system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non
exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the
following: a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access
memory (RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic),
an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory)
(electronic), and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM)
(optical). In addition, the scope of the present disclosure
includes embodying the functionality of the example embodiments of
the present disclosure in logic embodied in hardware or
software-configured mediums.
[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described in
detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions
and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *