U.S. patent application number 14/290573 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for multi-application smart card device software solution for smart cardholder reward selection and redemption.
The applicant listed for this patent is Corinne Bortolin, Jean Elizabeth Farnsworth, James G. Gordon, Chris S. Nelson. Invention is credited to Corinne Bortolin, Jean Elizabeth Farnsworth, James G. Gordon, Chris S. Nelson.
Application Number | 20140278899 14/290573 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44486344 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140278899 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bortolin; Corinne ; et
al. |
September 18, 2014 |
MULTI-APPLICATION SMART CARD DEVICE SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR SMART
CARDHOLDER REWARD SELECTION AND REDEMPTION
Abstract
A system for facilitating reward selection and redemption for a
loyalty program is disclosed. The system includes a point-of-sale
(POS) device that is capable of monitoring and processing a reward
redemption. The POS device informs a participant of the loyalty
program as to what rewards are available for redemption. The
participant is given an opportunity by the POS device to select the
desired reward for redemption. Alternatively, the POS device allows
the participant to defer redemption of the available rewards.
Inventors: |
Bortolin; Corinne; (Half
Moon Bay, CA) ; Farnsworth; Jean Elizabeth; (San
Mateo, CA) ; Nelson; Chris S.; (Bartlett, TN)
; Gordon; James G.; (Singapore, SG) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Bortolin; Corinne
Farnsworth; Jean Elizabeth
Nelson; Chris S.
Gordon; James G. |
Half Moon Bay
San Mateo
Bartlett
Singapore |
CA
CA
TN |
US
US
US
SG |
|
|
Family ID: |
44486344 |
Appl. No.: |
14/290573 |
Filed: |
May 29, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13851723 |
Mar 27, 2013 |
8775241 |
|
|
14290573 |
|
|
|
|
13157251 |
Jun 9, 2011 |
8433608 |
|
|
13851723 |
|
|
|
|
10365711 |
Feb 11, 2003 |
8010405 |
|
|
13157251 |
|
|
|
|
60399000 |
Jul 26, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.33 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/387 20130101;
G06Q 20/20 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0233 20130101;
G06Q 30/0207 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.33 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1-34. (canceled)
35. A method comprising: receiving, by a device, a selection of a
reward option, wherein the device comprises a payment application
and a reward control application; providing, by the device, a
reward option, receiving, by the device, a selection of the reward
option; identifying, by the device, rewards that are available for
redemption; sorting, by the device, the available rewards in a
predetermined order; and providing, by the device, the rewards in
the predetermined order.
36. The method of claim 35 further comprising: providing, by the
device, a payment option, wherein selection of the payment option
invokes the payment application.
37. The method of claim 35, wherein the device is configured to
operate in an offline manner.
38. The method of claim 35 wherein the predetermined order is based
on the values of the rewards.
39. The method of claim 35 wherein the predetermined order is based
on expiration dates of the rewards.
40. The method of claim 35 wherein the device is a point of sale
terminal.
41. The method of claim 35 wherein the predetermined order is based
on the values of the rewards, and if the values of the rewards are
the same, those rewards are sorted according to their expiration
dates.
42. The method of claim 35 further comprising: displaying, by the
device, an option to allow a user to defer one or more of the
rewards.
43. A device comprising a processor and a computer readable medium
coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium comprising
code, executable by the processor to cause the device to implement
a method comprising: receiving a selection of a reward option,
wherein the device comprises a payment application and a reward
control application; providing a reward option, receiving a
selection of the reward option; identifying rewards that are
available for redemption; sorting the available rewards in a
predetermined order; and providing the rewards in the predetermined
order.
44. The device of claim 43 wherein the method further comprises:
providing, by the device, a payment option, wherein selection of
the payment option invokes the payment application.
45. The device of claim 43, wherein the device is configured to
operate in an offline manner.
46. The device of claim 43 wherein the predetermined order is based
on the values of the rewards.
47. The device of claim 43 wherein the predetermined order is based
on expiration dates of the rewards.
48. The device of claim 43 wherein the device is a point of sale
terminal.
49. The device of claim 43 wherein the predetermined order is based
on the values of the rewards, and if the values of the rewards are
the same, those rewards are sorted according to their expiration
dates.
50. The method of claim 43 wherein the method further comprises:
displaying, by the device, an option to allow a user to defer one
or more of the rewards.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 60/399,000, entitled "MULTI-APPLICATION SMART CARD DEVICE
SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR SMART CARDHOLDER REWARD SELECTION AND
REDEMPTION", filed on Jul. 26, 2002, the disclosures of which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to reward selection
and redemption in a loyalty program. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a method and system for facilitating reward
selection and redemption in a loyalty program.
[0003] Under conventional practice, participants in a smartcard- or
electronic-based loyalty program generally receive their rewards
automatically without being given any opportunity to decide whether
they wish to receive or redeem such rewards. Typically, once a
participant's reward level has reached a specific threshold that
entitles the participant to receive his/her reward, the reward is
automatically given out to the participant. The participant is not
offered a chance to choose whether to redeem or defer the reward.
Due to practical constraints, automatic reward redemption may be
desirable in certain situations, such as, a situation where the
reward to be given is relatively small. In other situations,
however, automatic reward redemption may lead to customer
dissatisfaction. For example, if a participant is entitled to
receive a reward in the form of a substantial discount for a future
purchase and this discount is automatically applied without first
consulting the participant, the participant may feel dissatisfied
by the missed opportunity to fully take advantage of the reward
which s/he has earned. Such dissatisfaction may eventually impact
participation in a loyalty program. As more and more participants
become unhappy with the way rewards are redeemed, these
participants are less likely to continue to participate in the
loyalty program which, in turn, leads to loss of business.
[0004] Hence, it would be desirable to provide a method and system
that is capable of facilitating reward selection and redemption in
a loyalty program to improve customer satisfaction.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A system for facilitating reward selection and redemption
for a loyalty program is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the
system includes a point-of-sale (POS) device that is capable of
monitoring and processing a reward redemption. The POS device
informs a participant of the loyalty program as to what rewards are
available for redemption. The participant is given an opportunity
by the POS device to select the desired reward for redemption.
Alternatively, the POS device allows the participant to defer
redemption of the available rewards.
[0006] Reference to the remaining portions of the specification,
including the drawings and claims, will realize other features and
advantages of the present invention. Further features and
advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and
operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are
described in detail below with respect to accompanying drawings,
like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar
elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0008] FIGS. 2-15 are simplified schematic diagrams illustrating
operations of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention in the form of one or more exemplary
embodiments will now be described. FIG. 1 is a simplified block
diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention. This exemplary embodiment is a system 10 that includes a
point-of-sale (POS) device 12 and a host computer 14. The POS
device 12 and the host computer 14 are connected to each other via
a communication link 16. The communication link 16 includes a
dialup connection, a dedicated connection such as a T1 line, a
computer network and the like.
[0010] The POS device 12 further includes a reward control
application 18. In one exemplary implementation, the reward control
application 18 is implemented as control logic and/or modules using
computer software. As will be further described below, the reward
control application 18 directs the POS device 12 to process pending
transactions for reward purposes and allows a participant in a
loyalty program to view the rewards that are available for
redemption and choose when to redeem such rewards.
[0011] The POS device 12 also includes other components and/or
applications (not shown) that may be needed to facilitate
completion of transactions. For example, the POS device 12 may
include a payment application (not shown) that facilitates payment
for a transaction. Where appropriate, the reward control
application 18 interacts with these other components and/or
applications to properly monitor and control redemption of rewards
relating to the loyalty program. It should be realized by a person
of ordinary skill in the art that the components and/or
applications included in the POS device 12 may be implemented in a
modular or integrated manner. In other words, the respective
functionality of these components and/or applications may be
implemented and distributed amongst one or more modules within the
POS device 12.
[0012] In one exemplary embodiment, the POS device 12 is equipped
to function in cooperation with a smartcard 20. The smartcard 20
includes one or more applications. One of these applications
includes, for example, a loyalty application that relates to a
loyalty program of which the smartcard-holder is a participant. The
loyalty application may include information relating to the loyalty
program and the smartcard-holder. As will be further described
below, the applications and information stored in the smartcard 20
are used by the reward control application 18 to facilitate reward
redemption.
[0013] In one exemplary embodiment, the reward control application
18 operates in a standalone or offline manner. In other words, the
reward control application 18 by itself is able to handle reward
redemption requested by a smartcard-holder. Statistics and other
accounting and historical information is periodically transmitted
from the POS device 12 to the host computer 14 via the
communication link 16 for settlement and accounting purposes.
However, it should be understood that, alternatively, the reward
control application 18 may also function in cooperation with the
host computer 14 to handle reward redemption.
[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the option to accept or defer
the redemption of an earned reward has two configuration options.
The first option is to configure at the loyalty program level and
the second option is to configure at the POS device level on the
host computer 14. In one exemplary implementation, the POS device
level settings and the loyalty program level settings reside in the
POS device 12. At the program level, there are two set up options.
One option is that the program is defined as auto redemption only.
The second option is that the program is manual redemption capable.
For programs that are set up for auto redemption, the POS device 12
is configured to offer only auto redemption (regardless of the POS
setting). For programs that are set up for manual redemption, the
POS device 12 controls whether the POS device 12 actually displays
the manual redemption or auto redemption option, i.e., either
option is available.
[0015] The reward control application 18 operates in the following
exemplary manner to control the POS device 12 in order to handle
reward selection and redemption. Referring to FIG. 2, the POS
device 12 initially displays two options for selection. The
selection can be made by either the smartcard-holder or a store
clerk handling the transaction. The two options are the payment
option and the reward option. If the payment option is selected,
then the POS device 12 simply processes the transaction as a
payment using, for example, a payment application. That is, this
transaction is not to be counted for reward purposes in the loyalty
program.
[0016] On the other hand, if the reward option is selected, then
the reward control application 18 is invoked. Optionally, the POS
device 12 may be configured to invoke the reward control
application 18 once the smartcard 20 is inserted into the POS
device 12.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates what the POS device 12 will show on its
display when the reward option is selected. When the reward option
is selected, the pending transaction is to be counted for reward
purposes in the loyalty program. Three options are displayed for
selection, namely, the sale option, the void option and the refund
option.
[0018] The sale option is selected when the transaction is a sale
and information from this sale is to be collected for reward
purposes. The void option is selected when the pending transaction
is to be voided. A number of situations may arise requiring the
pending transaction to be voided. This may happen when, for
example, incorrect transactional information has been entered. The
refund option is selected when a previously executed transaction is
to be reversed. A number of situations may arise requiring the
previously executed transaction to be reversed. This may happen
when, for example, a customer returns a previously purchased item,
hence, prompting the need to reverse the previously executed
transaction. In one exemplary embodiment, reward attributed to the
previously executed transaction that is to be reversed is not
deducted or retracted. However, it should be understood that, in
other embodiments, rewards resulted from previously executed
transactions that are to be reversed may be treated differently
depending on the design and/or rules of the specific loyalty
program. Optionally, additional information may be displayed in a
toggled manner by the POS device 12 when the reward option is
selected. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to showing
the three options that are available, the POS device 12 may also
display the current time and date.
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates the situation where the sale option as
shown in FIG. 3 is selected. At this point, the POS device 12
prompts for the sale or purchase amount to be entered. In an
exemplary embodiment, the purchase amount is entered before any
available, redeemable rewards are displayed. This is done because
in some situations the purchase amount may have an immediate impact
on the rewards that are available for redemption. For example, if
one type of reward is designed to give a customer an immediate
discount when the total transaction amount for a single transaction
exceeds a certain predetermined threshold, then it would be
necessary to ascertain the total transaction amount to determine
whether the immediate discount is to be applied for that
transaction.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 6, after the purchase amount is entered,
the POS device 12 prompts the smartcard-holder or the store clerk
to insert the smartcard 20 into the POS device 12 for access, if
the smartcard 20 has not been inserted already.
[0021] Once the smartcard 20 is inserted into the POS device 12,
the POS device 12 begins to process the pending transaction for
reward purposes. The processing includes, for example, checking
whether the smartcard-holder is entitled to participate in the
loyalty program offered by the sponsoring party. The sponsoring
party may include, for example, a merchant, an issuer, a credit
card association and other business entity. Since the POS device 12
is specific to a particular merchant, the reward control
application 18 may further include rules and regulations that are
specific to corresponding loyalty programs sponsored by the
particular merchant and/or any other sponsoring parties. While the
pending transaction is being processed, the POS device 12 displays
a message, as shown in FIG. 7.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, once the pending transaction is
processed, the POS device 12 displays information relating to one
or more rewards that are available for redemption. Information
relating to a reward may include, for example, the type of reward
that is available and the expiration date. In an exemplary
embodiment, the rewards are displayed in a predetermined order. For
example, the rewards may be displayed in a descending order based
on the respective values of the rewards. In another example, the
displayed rewards are sorted based upon the closest reward
expiration date to the farthest reward expiration date. In yet
another example, if the respective dollar amounts of the rewards
are the same for both rewards, the POS device 12 allows an
additional sort to display the rewards based on expiration dates. A
person of ordinary skill in the art will know how to implement the
desired reward display orders.
[0023] In addition to displaying the available rewards, the POS
device 12 is configured to allow a reward selection to be made for
redemption. Depending on the rewards that are available for
redemption, a participant may select one or more of the rewards for
redemption. Alternatively, the participant may decide to defer or
save the available rewards for use on other subsequent occasions,
if applicable.
[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates the situation where the participant
decides to select one of the available rewards for redemption. The
POS device 12 transmits the appropriate information to update the
contents of the smartcard 20 and displays a message informing the
participant that the selected reward is being processed.
[0025] After the selected reward has been processed, the POS device
12 displays an appropriate congratulatory message, as shown in FIG.
11. Different types of messages may be displayed by the POS device
12. These messages may be customized to suit a corresponding
loyalty program. For example, some messages may include information
on the parties sponsoring the loyalty program such as, a merchant,
an issuer and/or a credit card association. These messages are
defined at the host computer 14 and may be uploaded from the host
computer 14 to the POS device 12. Optionally, these messages may be
defined locally at the POS device 12.
[0026] In the event that the participant decides to defer
redemption of the available rewards, the POS device 12 accordingly
displays a message indicating that no reward has been selected, as
shown in FIG. 12.
[0027] Consequently, at the end of reward processing, the
participant has either selected one reward for redemption or
deferred the available rewards for redemption at a later time.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 13, once reward processing is concluded,
the reward control application 18 passes control to a payment
application (not shown) residing in the POS device 12. The payment
application completes payment for the transaction. The payment
progress is displayed by the POS device 12 as shown in FIGS. 14 and
15. It should be understood that the transaction payment process is
commonly known in the industry and that a person of ordinary skill
in the art will know of ways and/or methods to implement the
payment application to achieve the payment process.
[0029] The following is a further illustration of the present
invention. A smartcard-holder has a smartcard with a loyalty
application and a payment application. The smartcard-holder is
ready to perform a purchase transaction at merchant #1 which has a
POS device that includes the reward control application 12 as
described above. The smartcard-holder has made previous purchases
at merchant #1 and has already earned a reward for a 15% purchase
discount on a purchase of $25 dollars or more at merchant #1. The
smartcard-holder makes a purchase today of $35 at merchant #1 and
earns an instant reward of $5 off a purchase of $30 or more at
merchant #1. The POS device is configured to sort the rewards on
the basis of highest to lowest dollar amount earned and then
display the sorted rewards and selection or deferral options to the
smartcard-holder.
[0030] The smartcard-holder views the POS device display and the
first reward displayed would be for a 15% discount which results in
$5.25 off of the $35 purchase amount. The second reward displayed
to the smartcard-holder would be for $5 off of the $35 purchase
amount. The smartcard-holder would have the option to select to
redeem one of the rewards or to defer the redemption of both of the
earned rewards.
[0031] It is understood that the examples and embodiments described
herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various
modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to
persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit
and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims.
All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are
hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes in their
entirety.
* * * * *