U.S. patent application number 17/147169 was filed with the patent office on 2021-07-08 for promotion offering system.
The applicant listed for this patent is GROUPON, INC.. Invention is credited to Amit AGGARWAL, Suneel GUPTA, Jeffrey Alan HOLDEN, Dan NAWARA, David THACKER.
Application Number | 20210209650 17/147169 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005464490 |
Filed Date | 2021-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210209650 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
AGGARWAL; Amit ; et
al. |
July 8, 2021 |
PROMOTION OFFERING SYSTEM
Abstract
In a promotion offering system, a consumer is more likely to
purchase a promotion offering if the consumer finds the promotion
to be interesting or fits a need of the consumer. In order to
provide a more intelligent selection process for selecting
promotions that are desirable to the consumer, a method and a
promotion offering system for implementing the method are provided
that takes into consideration a number of different factors
associated with a consumer, including locations and deal types that
are known or predicted to be of interest to the consumer, when
determining one or more promotions to present to the consumer.
Inventors: |
AGGARWAL; Amit; (Palo Alto,
CA) ; GUPTA; Suneel; (Palo Alto, CA) ; HOLDEN;
Jeffrey Alan; (Palo Alto, CA) ; NAWARA; Dan;
(Palo Alto, CA) ; THACKER; David; (Palo Alto,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GROUPON, INC. |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005464490 |
Appl. No.: |
17/147169 |
Filed: |
January 12, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13829581 |
Mar 14, 2013 |
10929889 |
|
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17147169 |
|
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|
61695857 |
Aug 31, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0269
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1-76. (canceled)
77. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one
memory storing instructions that, with the at least one processor,
cause the apparatus to: receive, from a consumer device, a
promotions search query comprising a search term and an identifying
consumer attribute; retrieve, from a consumer profiles repository
based on at least the identifying consumer attribute, consumer
profile data representing a consumer; retrieve, from a promotion
inventory repository based on at least the search term, a set of
promotions; generate, based on at least the set of promotions, an
electronic correspondence comprising a plurality of positions
arranged such that at least one position is viewable upon opening
of the electronic correspondence and at least one or more other
positions require scrolling down the electronic correspondence to
view, the generation of the electronic correspondence comprising:
position each promotion of the set of promotions in accordance with
a distance from at least one location from which the consumer
device accesses a promotion system, including positioning a first
promotion having a shortest distance from the at least one location
from which the consumer device accesses the promotion system in the
at least one first position, and a second promotion having a
greater distance from at least one location from which the consumer
device accesses the promotion system in the at least one or more
other positions; and transmit, to the consumer via at least an
interactive display of the consumer device, the electronic
correspondence configured as a real-time webpage content
presentation.
78. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the at least one memory
storing the instructions that, with the at least one processor,
further cause the apparatus to: store, to a consumer profiles
repository, the consumer profile data comprising one or more
consumer attributes of a name, age, location, gender, email domain,
internet protocol address, occupation, educational background, or
consumer behavior data.
79. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the at least one memory
storing the instructions that, with the at least one processor,
further cause the apparatus to: store, to a promotion inventory
repository, promotion data comprising one or more promotion
attributes of a merchant identifier, promotion location, promotion
amount or price range, promotion category, promotion sub-category,
promotion discount, promotion discount price range, likely
promotion purchase time, promotion time or promotion time period,
or redemption time.
80. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the promotions search query
is selected by the consumer via a consumer interface associated
with the consumer device.
81. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the at least one memory
storing the instructions that, with the at least one processor,
further cause the apparatus to: identify, based on consumer
behavior data stored in the consumer profiles repository, a
particular location from where the consumer is accessing the
promotion system consistently within a recognizable time
period.
82. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein the at least one memory
storing the instructions that, with the at least one processor,
further cause the apparatus to: modify the consumer profile data to
include the particular location as the at least one location from
which the consumer device accesses the promotion system.
83. The apparatus of claim 79, wherein the at least one memory
storing the instructions that, with the at least one processor,
further cause the apparatus to: select an initial set of promotions
based on the promotion data stored in the promotion inventory
repository and the received consumer profile data representing the
consumer; determine a distance between a promotion location and the
at least one location from which the consumer device accesses the
promotion system; select, by the processor, a subset of the initial
set of promotions, each of the subset of the initial set of
promotions having an associated promotion location within a
predetermined distance of the at least one location from which the
consumer device accesses the promotion system.
84. The apparatus of claim 79, wherein the promotion data further
comprises one or more deal types associated with a promotion, and
wherein the consumer profile data further comprises one or more
deal types associated with the consumer.
85. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein the consumer behavior data
comprises previously accepted and rejected promotion offerings.
86. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer
readable medium storing computer readable instructions, the
computer readable instructions configured, when executed by at
least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
receive, from a consumer device, a promotions search query
comprising a search term and an identifying consumer attribute;
retrieve, from a consumer profiles repository based on at least the
identifying consumer attribute, consumer profile data representing
a consumer; retrieve, from a promotion inventory repository based
on at least the search term, a set of promotions; generate, based
on at least the set of promotions, an electronic correspondence
comprising a plurality of positions arranged such that at least one
position is viewable upon opening of the electronic correspondence
and at least one or more other positions require scrolling down the
electronic correspondence to view, the generation of the electronic
correspondence comprising: position each promotion of the set of
promotions in accordance with a distance from at least one location
from which the consumer device accesses a promotion system,
including positioning a first promotion having a shortest distance
from the at least one location from which the consumer device
accesses the promotion system in the at least one first position,
and a second promotion having a greater distance from at least one
location from which the consumer device accesses the promotion
system in the at least one or more other positions; and transmit,
to the consumer via at least an interactive display of the consumer
device, the electronic correspondence configured as a real-time
webpage content presentation.
87. The computer program product of claim 86, wherein the computer
readable instructions are further configured, when executed by the
at least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
store, to a consumer profiles repository, the consumer profile data
comprising one or more consumer attributes of a name, age,
location, gender, email domain, internet protocol address,
occupation, educational background, or consumer behavior data.
88. The computer program product of claim 86, wherein the computer
readable instructions are further configured, when executed by the
at least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
store, to a promotion inventory repository, promotion data
comprising one or more promotion attributes of a merchant
identifier, promotion location, promotion amount or price range,
promotion category, promotion sub-category, promotion discount,
promotion discount price range, likely promotion purchase time,
promotion time or promotion time period, or redemption time.
89. The computer program product of claim 86, wherein the
promotions search query is selected by the consumer via a consumer
interface associated with the consumer device.
90. The computer program product of claim 86, wherein the computer
readable instructions are further configured, when executed by the
at least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
identify, based on consumer behavior data stored in the consumer
profiles repository, a particular location from where the consumer
is accessing the promotion system consistently within a
recognizable time period.
91. The computer program product of claim 90, wherein the computer
readable instructions are further configured, when executed by the
at least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
modify the consumer profile data to include the particular location
as the at least one location from which the consumer device
accesses the promotion system.
92. The computer program product of claim 88, wherein the computer
readable instructions are further configured, when executed by the
at least one processor, to cause the at least one processor to:
select an initial set of promotions based on the promotion data
stored in the promotion inventory repository and the received
consumer profile data representing the consumer; determine a
distance between a promotion location and the at least one location
from which the consumer device accesses the promotion system;
select, by the processor, a subset of the initial set of
promotions, each of the subset of the initial set of promotions
having an associated promotion location within a predetermined
distance of the at least one location from which the consumer
device accesses the promotion system.
93. The computer program product of claim 88, wherein the promotion
data further comprises one or more deal types associated with a
promotion, and wherein the consumer profile data further comprises
one or more deal types associated with the consumer.
94. The computer program product of claim 90, wherein the consumer
behavior data comprises previously accepted and rejected promotion
offerings.
95. A computer implemented method, comprising: receiving, from a
consumer device, a promotions search query comprising a search term
and an identifying consumer attribute; retrieving, from a consumer
profiles repository based on at least the identifying consumer
attribute, consumer profile data representing a consumer;
retrieving, from a promotion inventory repository based on at least
the search term, a set of promotions; generating, based on at least
the set of promotions, an electronic correspondence comprising a
plurality of positions arranged such that at least one position is
viewable upon opening of the electronic correspondence and at least
one or more other positions require scrolling down the electronic
correspondence to view, the generation of the electronic
correspondence comprising: positioning each promotion of the set of
promotions in accordance with a distance from at least one location
from which the consumer device accesses a promotion system,
including positioning a first promotion having a shortest distance
from the at least one location from which the consumer device
accesses the promotion system in the at least one first position,
and a second promotion having a greater distance from at least one
location from which the consumer device accesses the promotion
system in the at least one or more other positions; and
transmitting, to the consumer via at least an interactive display
of the consumer device, the electronic correspondence configured as
a real-time webpage content presentation.
96. The computer implemented method of claim 95, further
comprising: storing, to a consumer profiles repository, the
consumer profile data comprising one or more consumer attributes of
a name, age, location, gender, email domain, internet protocol
address, occupation, educational background, or consumer behavior
data; and storing, to a promotion inventory repository, promotion
data comprising one or more promotion attributes of a merchant
identifier, promotion location, promotion amount or price range,
promotion category, promotion sub-category, promotion discount,
promotion discount price range, likely promotion purchase time,
promotion time or promotion time period, or redemption time.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority to
U.S. application Ser. No. 13/829,581, filed Mar. 14, 2013, which
claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/695,857,
filed Aug. 31, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby
incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present description relates to offering promotions
associated with a product or a service. This description more
specifically relates to a process, and a system for implementing
the process, for utilizing multiple system features in order to
select one or more promotions for a consumer that matches the
consumer's interest.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Merchants typically offer promotions to consumers from time
to time in order to generate more business. The promotions offered
may be in the form of discounts, deals, rewards or the like. The
promotions are presented to consumers with the hope that the
consumer will purchase them. However, it may be difficult to
accurately select promotions for presentation to the consumer that
the consumer will be interested in. Oftentimes, a number of
promotions that are irrelevant to the consumer will be presented
before a promotion that interests the consumer is presented.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A system and method is disclosed for providing an efficient
selection of promotions for presentation to a consumer that is
based on a plurality of features.
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, a method is
provided for selecting a promotion for presentation to a consumer
in an electronic correspondence, the method comprising: generating
an initial determination on whether to present the promotion to the
consumer, wherein the promotion is associated with one or more deal
types; accessing one or more deal types from a consumer profile of
the consumer; determining whether any of the deal types from the
consumer profile match any of the deal types associated with the
promotion; adjusting the initial determination based on whether any
of the deal types from the consumer profile match any of the deal
types associated with the promotion, and selecting the promotion
for presentation in the electronic correspondence based on the
adjusted initial determination.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method is provided for selecting one or more promotions for
presentation to a consumer in an electronic correspondence, the
method comprising: accessing a favorite places location from a
consumer profile of the consumer; determining a distance of each
promotion from a plurality of promotions from the favorite places
location; selecting a promotion from the plurality of promotions to
include in the electronic correspondence based on the distance of
the promotion from the favorite places location.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method is provided for arranging the results from a search request,
the method comprising: receiving search term inputs; performing a
search operation based on the search term inputs; returning one or
more promotions as a result of the search operation based on the
search term inputs, wherein each promotion from the search result
is associated with one or more deal types; accessing one or more
deal types from a consumer profile or the consumer; determining
whether any of the deal types from the consumer profile match any
of the deal types associated with the promotions from the search
result; arranging the promotions from the search result based on
whether any of the deal types from the consumer profile match any
of the deal types associated with the promotions from the search
result, and presenting the arrangement of promotions from the
search result.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method is provided for arranging the results from a search request,
the method comprising: receiving search term inputs; performing a
search operation based on the search term inputs; returning one or
more promotions as a result of the search operation based on the
search term inputs; accessing a favorite places location from a
consumer profile of the consumer; determining a distance of each
promotion from the search result from the favorite location;
arranging each promotion from the search result based on a distance
of each promotion from the favorite places location, and presenting
the arrangement of promotions from the search result.
[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, an
apparatus is provided for selecting a promotion for presentation to
a consumer in an electronic correspondence, the apparatus
comprising: a storage unit configured to store a consumer profile
of the consumer, wherein the consumer profile includes one or more
deal types associated with the consumer; and a processor configured
to: generate an initial determination on whether to present the
promotion to the consumer, wherein the promotion is associated with
one or more deal types; access the consumer profile and identifying
the one or more deal types associated with the consumer; determine
whether any of the deal types identified from the consumer profile
match any of the deal types associated with the promotion; adjust
the initial determination based on whether any of the deal types
identified from the consumer profile match any of the deal types
associated with the promotion, and select the promotion for
presentation in the electronic correspondence based on the adjusted
initial determination.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, an
apparatus is provided for selecting one or more promotions for
presentation to a consumer in an electronic correspondence, the
apparatus comprising: a storage unit configured to store a consumer
profile of the consumer, wherein the consumer profile includes one
or more favorite places locations associated with the consumer; and
a processor configured to: access a favorite places location from
the consumer profile; determine a distance of each promotion from a
plurality of promotions from the favorite places location; select a
promotion from the plurality of promotions to include in the
electronic correspondence based on the distance of the promotion
from the favorite places location.
[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, an
apparatus is provided for arranging the results from a search
request, the apparatus comprising: a storage unit configured to
store a consumer profile of a consumer, the consumer profile
including one or more deal types associated with the consumer; an
interface configured to receive search term inputs; a processor
configured to: perform a search operation based on the search term
inputs; return one or more promotions as a result of the search
operation based on the search term inputs, wherein each promotion
from the search result is associated with one or more deal types;
access one or more deal types from the consumer profile; determine
whether any of the deal types from the consumer profile match any
of the deal types associated with the promotions from the search
result; arrange the promotions from the search result based on
whether any of the deal types from the consumer profile match any
of the deal types associated with the promotions from the search
result, and control a presentation of the arrangement of promotions
from the search result.
[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, an
apparatus is provided for arranging the results from a search
request, the apparatus comprising: a storage unit configured to
store a consumer profile of a consumer, the consumer profile
including one or more favorite places locations associated with the
consumer; an interface configured to receive search term inputs; a
processor configured to: perform a search operation based on the
search term inputs; return one or more promotions as a result of
the search operation based on the search term inputs; access a
favorite places location from the consumer profile; determine a
distance of each promotion from the search result from the favorite
location; arrange each promotion from the search result based on a
distance of each promotion from the favorite places location, and
control a presentation of the arrangement of promotions from the
search result.
[0013] Other systems, methods, and features will be, or will become
apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the
following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all
such additional systems, methods, and features included within this
description, be within the scope of the disclosure, and be
protected by the following claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0014] The present invention may be better understood with
reference to the following drawings and description. Non-limiting
and non-exhaustive descriptions are described with reference to the
following drawings. The components in the figures are not
necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon
illustrating principles. In the figures, like referenced numerals
may refer to like parts throughout the different figures unless
otherwise specified.
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a representation of a promotion system
for intelligently selecting promotions for presentation to
consumers in the promotion system;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart describing an overview of a
process for analyzing a promotion and determining a number of deal
type tags to assign to the promotion, according to the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 3A illustrates a flow chart describing an overview of a
process for determining the effect of one or more deal types being
associated with a consumer will have during the selection of one or
more promotions for presentation to the consumer, according to the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 3B illustrates a flow chart that describes an overview
of a process for arranging the presentation of search results from
a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of deal types
associated with the consumer, according to the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 4A illustrates a flow chart describing an overview of a
process for analyzing an effect of a previous presentation of a
promotion to a consumer, according to the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 4B illustrates a flow chart describing a process for
inputting a consumer's "favorite places" location in the consumer's
profile, according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 5A illustrates a flow chart describing an overview of a
process for determining the effect of one or more "favorite places"
locations included in a consumer profile will have during the
selection of one or more promotions for presentation to the
consumer, according to the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5B illustrates a flow chart that describes an overview
of a process for arranging the presentation of search results from
a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of "favorite
places" locations that are associated with the consumer, according
to the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6A illustrates a flow chart describing an overview of a
process for determining the effect of one or more deal type(s)
associated with a consumer and one or more "favorite places"
locations included in the consumer's profile will have during the
selection of one or more promotions for presentation to the
consumer, according to the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 6B illustrates a flow chart that describes an overview
of a process for arranging the presentation of search results from
a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of "favorite
places" locations and a number of deal types that are associated
with the consumer, according to the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart describing a process for
timing a presentation of one or more promotions to a consumer,
according to the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates a general computer system, programmable
to be a specific computer system, which may represent any of the
computing devices referenced herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] The present invention as described herein may be embodied in
a number of different forms. Not all of the depicted components may
be required, however, and some implementations may include
additional, different, or fewer components from those expressly
described in this disclosure. Variations in the arrangement and
type of the components may be made without departing from the
spirit or scope of the claims as set forth herein.
[0028] The present invention relates to a promotion system, such as
the promotion system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, where merchants are
able to offer promotions on their products (e.g., goods, meals,
trips, etc.) and/or services to the promotion system, the promotion
system performs an analysis based on a variety of factors to select
promotions for presentation to consumers within the promotion
system, and the consumers receive promotions that are predicted to
be of interest to the consumer from the analysis. Further
descriptions of the present invention are provided in more detail
below.
[0029] A promotion in the promotion system 100 may include any type
of reward, discount, coupon, credit, deal, voucher or the like used
toward part (or all) of the purchase of a product or a service. The
promotion may also include merchandise goods that are being offered
for sale. For instance, goods promotions may include offers for
sale of clothing, electronic devices, school supplies, jewelry,
sporting goods, kitchen goods, cosmetic goods and the like. The
list of possible promotions is not exhaustive, and has been
provided for illustrative purposes only. A promotion may
essentially be anything that can be offered for sale by a merchant.
Promotions may be offered as part of a larger promotion program, or
the promotion may be offered as a stand-alone one-time
promotion.
[0030] In an effort to better distinguish and identify the
promotion, the promotion may be identified by one or more
attributes, such as the merchant offering the promotion (e.g., "XYZ
coffee shop"), the location of the promotion, the amount or price
range of the promotion, the category of the promotion (such as a
restaurant promotion, a spa promotion, a travel promotion, a local
promotion, etc.), the sub-category of the promotion (such as a
Japanese restaurant, a Massage promotion, a Caribbean cruise
promotion, and a local farmer's market promotion, etc.), amount of
discount offered by the promotion, a price range that includes the
value of a discount offered by the promotion, time at which the
promotion is likely to be purchased by a consumer (e.g., a
breakfast meal promotion may have a greater likelihood of being
purchased by a consumer in the morning time), time at which the
promotion is redeemable (e.g., a breakfast meal promotion may only
be redeemable during breakfast hours), time or time period for
which the promotion is related to (e.g., a breakfast meal promotion
is related to a morning time period), or the like. Any one of the
described attributes may then be used to define a corresponding
promotion category. The promotion category and/or subcategory may
be utilized during a process for selecting one or more promotions
to present to the consumer, as will be described in further detail
below.
[0031] The consumer in the promotion system 100 may be identified
by one or more profiles, or sub-profiles, where each profile or
sub-profile includes one or more consumer attribute that describes
the consumer. Consumer attributes may include, but are not limited
to, the consumer's name, consumer's age, consumer's location,
consumer's gender, consumer's tenure using the promotion system,
consumer's email domain, consumer's IP address, consumer's
occupation, consumer's educational background, consumer's
previously accepted and/or rejected promotion program offerings,
consumer's gender and the like. The consumer attributes may be
inputted into the consumer's profile by the consumer, or collected
by components within the promotion system 100 and inputted into the
consumer's profile.
[0032] With respect to a location based consumer attribute, the
consumer's profile may identify one or more "favorite places",
which are locations associated with the consumer. For example, the
"favorite places" that are associated with the consumer may
correspond to any one of the locations described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/411,502, incorporated by reference herein
in its entirety. The consumer's "favorite places" may include the
consumer's home location, work location, favorite neighborhood
within a city location, parent's house location, school location,
vacation location, and the like. The consumer's "favorite places"
may be comprised of locations that are relatively close in
proximity to the consumer's home location, but may also extend to
non-local places such as past and/or future vacation locations,
cities that friends and/or family live in locations, business trip
locations and the like. The consumer may input the consumer's
favorite places into the consumer's profile. Alternatively, the
promotion system 100 may perform an analysis of the consumer's past
behavior to determine one or more suggested "favorite places" that
may be added to the consumer's profile. In addition, time periods
during which the consumer may be located at the corresponding
"favorite places" locations may be identified in the consumer's
profile, according to the consumer's input. The promotion system
100 may also determine predictions of when the consumer may be
located at the consumer's favorite places (based on an analysis on
the consumer's past behavior or based on rules associated with the
designated "favorite place") and include this information into the
consumer's profile, as discussed in more detail below.
[0033] The consumer may additionally select one or more specific
consumer-focused deal types (DTs) for inclusion in the consumer's
profile. The DTs may be defined in one of several ways.
[0034] In one embodiment, DTs are defined as a taxonomy different
from categories/subcategories. In particular,
categories/subcategories are one type of taxonomy or
classification, and DTs are another distinct type of taxonomy or
classification.
[0035] In another embodiment, DTs are defined based on the
structure of the taxonomy. For example, categories/subcategories
may be defined as a hierarchy with multiple layers. More
specifically, the categories/subcategories include at least two
levels, one level defining categories and a sub-level defining the
subcategories. In contrast, the DTs may be defined as a single
layer without multiple levels. More specifically, the DTs may have
a horizontal relationship with one another, but not a vertical
relationship owing to the single layer hierarchy.
[0036] In still another embodiment, the DTs may be defined with
respect to, or independent of, categories and/or subcategories. In
one aspect, the definition of the DTs may be dependent on a
category and/or subcategory. For example, one of the DTs may
comprise "adrenaline". The DT for "adrenaline" may be defined based
on a look-up table that correlates to particular subcategories,
such as the subcategory "hot air balloons", the subcategory
"skydiving", the subcategory "scuba diving", etc. In this way, the
DTs may be defined based on multiple categories and/or
subcategories.
[0037] In another aspect, the definition of the DTs may be
independent of category and/or subcategory. For example, the DTs
may be manually assigned to be associated with one or more certain
promotions. The certain promotions, in turn, will be associated to
one or more promotion categories. In this way, the assignment of
the DTs is not based on a direct correlation with promotion
categories or subcategories but rather a direct correlation to one
or more promotions that are manually assigned to the DT. Further, a
DT may be indirectly associated to promotion categories or
subcategories through an association with a corresponding
promotion. Similarly, a promotion category or subcategory may not
be directly related to a DT, but rather may be related to one or
more promotions. The one or more promotions may, in turn, be
associated with one or more DTs. In this way a promotion category
or subcategory may be indirectly associated with one or more
DTs.
[0038] In yet another embodiment, the DTs may be based on one or
more aspects of the consumer to which the DT is assigned. For
example, one or more DTs may also be suggested to be associated
with the consumer based on the consumer's past behavior within the
promotion system 100. In this way, a DT is distinct from any one
promotion category, and serves to define one or more aspects of the
consumer. More particularly, the DT is indicative of one or more
aspects of the consumer, whereas the categories/subcategories are
indicative of one or more aspects of the merchant. For instance, a
DT is indicative of a characteristic of the consumer, such as a
description of a personality or trait of the consumer, a
description of an interest or pursuit of the consumer, and/or a
description of an activity or action of the consumer.
[0039] In still another embodiment, both the DTs and the
categories/subcategories are defined based on the merchant, but
defined based on different aspects of the merchant. As discussed
above, for example, the category of the promotion may comprise a
restaurant promotion, a spa promotion, a travel promotion, a local
promotion, and the respective sub-category of the promotion may
comprise a Japanese restaurant, a Massage promotion, a Caribbean
cruise promotion, and a local farmer's market promotion. In
contrast, the DTs may include "family friendly", which may comprise
a "family friendly" restaurant, "family friendly" Japanese
restaurant, etc. So that the DTs describe an aspect of the merchant
which is separate from the category and/or subcategory
description.
[0040] In yet another embodiment, the DTs are distinguished from
categories/subcategories in their application and/or use. For
example, the DTs may be assigned to a promotion in a different way
from the assigning of the category/subcategory of the promotion. As
another example, the DTs may be used in a different way from the
category/subcategory in determining whether to present the
promotion to the consumer. More specifically, the
category/subcategory may be used in one step (such as the initial
estimate of the probability of acceptance of the promotion) and the
DTs may be used in another step (such as to determine a correction
factor), as discussed in more detail below.
[0041] A DT may include, for example, a food interest group,
outdoors interest group, home improvement interest group,
children's related interest group, pampering and leisure interest
group, pet enthusiast's interest group, healthy life style interest
group, extreme sports interest group, traveling interest group,
music and concert interest group and car enthusiast interest group
among others. The examples given for DT are merely for illustration
purposes. Other DTs are contemplated.
[0042] In order to use DTs for selecting promotions, the promotions
may be assigned or associated with one or more DTs (such as by
assigning a tag indicating an association to a corresponding DT).
The promotion may be associated with a DT either automatically or
manually. For example, the promotion offering system 102 may
automatically assign a DT based on one or more attributes
descriptive of the promotion and one or more attributes descriptive
of the DT. More specifically, a promotion may be associated with a
DT if the promotion shares one or more same, or similar, attributes
as the DT. In this way, the promotion offering system 102 is able
to tailor the presentation of promotions to the consumer by
selecting promotions that are tagged with one or more DTs that
match the DTs of the consumer, as described in more detail
below.
[0043] The DTs that are selected by the consumer, or suggested by
the promotion offering system 102, may be incorporated into the
consumer's profile. The associated DT information from the consumer
profile may then be referenced when determining one or more
promotions to present to the consumer, as described below.
[0044] The promotion offering system 102 is configured to offer the
consumer one or more promotions. The offer of the promotion may be
in an electronic correspondence, which may take the form of an
email, SMS text message, webpage inbox message, VOIP voice message,
real-time webpage content presentation, mobile push notifications
or other similar types of electronic correspondences. Depending on
the type of electronic correspondence, the electronic
correspondence may be presented to the consumer via a push (e.g.,
email) or pull (e.g., webpage).
[0045] In previous promotion systems consumers have been presented
with an unintelligent mix of promotions that included promotions of
little interest to the consumer. However, using DTs enables
intelligent selection of the promotions to present to the consumer.
For example, the promotion offering system may utilize one or more
of the promotion and consumer attributes, promotion
categories/sub-categories, consumer profile, consumer-focused deal
type and the like. In so doing, the consumer is more likely to be
interested in the presented promotions.
[0046] The electronic correspondence may include one or more
promotions that are intended to be viewed by a specific consumer.
In order for the promotion offering system 102 to select the one or
more promotions for the electronic correspondence, the promotion
offering system 102 may determine whether to offer promotion(s) to
the specific consumer. For instance, the promotion offering system
may determine whether to present promotion(s) by assigning a score
according to any one of the methods disclosed in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/411,502 and U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/644,352, both of which are incorporated by
reference herein in their entirety. The promotion score may be, for
example, an indication of a probability that the consumer will
purchase the respective promotion. In addition or alternatively,
the promotion score may be a representation of a relevance the
respective promotion has with the consumer. The promotion score may
be generated based on a combination of at least one of information
identifying consumer and/or promotion attributes, consumer
profiles/sub-profiles, consumer focused deal types and information
identifying the past performance of promotions.
[0047] After promotions are assigned their respective promotion
scores, the highest scoring promotions may be selected for
inclusion in the electronic correspondence. The number of
promotions for inclusion in the electronic correspondence may be
set such that only the top number n of promotions having the
highest promotion scores are included.
[0048] In addition, the electronic correspondence may be generated
to have a number of positions within the electronic correspondence.
Each position within the electronic correspondence may be
designated with a level of desirability. For example, positions
that are closer to the top of the electronic correspondence may be
assigned a higher level of desirability than positions that are
lower down on the electronic correspondence. This is because a
consumer that views the electronic correspondence has a greater
likelihood of viewing promotions that are displayed at the top of
the electronic correspondence than promotions that are displayed
closer to the bottom of the electronic correspondence. This
behavior is exemplified by a consumer opening up an email and
viewing promotions at the top of the email, but then losing
interest in the contents of the email as the consumer scrolls
progressively down the email. In this way, promotions having higher
promotion scores may be assigned to positions within the electronic
correspondence that have a higher level of desirability.
[0049] Prior processes selected promotions for presentation to a
consumer without sufficient relevant information to make an
informed selection of promotions. Oftentimes, promotions were
selected manually by sales people that did not have access to more
focused information related to the promotion and to the consumer.
However, using DTs enables better selection of promotions for
consumers, as discussed in more detail below.
[0050] FIG. 1 illustrates an overview for a promotion system 100
configured to offer promotions for promotion programs. The
promotion system 100 includes a promotion offering system 102,
which communicates via one or more networks 122 with consumers,
such as consumer 1 (124) to consumer N (126), and with merchants,
such as merchant 1 (118) to merchant M (120). The network 122 may
include one or more wired networks, wireless networks, or
combinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular
telephone network, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, or WiMax network.
Further, the network may be a public network, such as the Internet,
a private network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof,
and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or
later developed including, but not limited to TCP/IP based
networking protocols.
[0051] The promotion offering system 102 includes an analytical
model 104 that is in communication with databases 110, 112, 114,
116. The analytical model 104 may include one or more components
for accessing information identifying DT(s) that are associated
with a consumer, and analyzing promotions within the promotion
system 100 in view of the identified DT(s) to determine one or more
promotion(s) to present to the consumer.
[0052] The analytical model 104 may also include one or more
components for accessing information identifying "favorite places"
locations from the consumer's profile, and analyzing promotions
within the promotion system 100 in view of the "favorite places"
locations to determine one or more promotion(s) to present to the
consumer.
[0053] The analytical model 104 may also include one or more
components for accessing past performance data and generating a
promotion score for each promotion (with the promotion score being
a representation of a probability that a particular consumer will
accept the promotion, and/or a representation of a relevance of the
promotion to the consumer). The promotion score may then be
referenced when determining whether to select the promotion for
presentation to the consumer within an electronic correspondence.
The promotion score may also be referenced when determining a
position within the electronic correspondence to assign to the
promotion.
[0054] The analytical model 104 may also include one or more
components for processing a promotion search request from the
consumer. In order to achieve this, the analytical model is capable
of receiving the consumer's search term inputs, performing a search
of promotions based on the consumer's search term inputs, and
presenting the appropriate search results. The analytical model 104
may further adjust the search results based on other factors such
as deal types and "favorite places" locations that are associated
with the consumer. Further description is provided below.
[0055] To perform the various analyses, the analytical model 104
communicates with multiple databases that are part of (or work in
conjunction with) the promotion offering system 102 such as a
promotion inventory database 110, consumer profiles database 112,
historical data database 114 and promotion rules and definitions
database 116. With respects to the particular consumer, the
analytical model 104 may access the databases 110, 112, 114 and 116
in order to obtain specific information on the particular consumer
and the various promotions in the promotion system 100. As
described throughout this disclosure, various information (e.g.,
attribute information, consumer profile, DT, etc.) may be
associated or assigned to a promotion and a consumer in the
promotion system 100. The obtained information may then be utilized
in order to determine whether to select a promotion for
presentation to a consumer (e.g., the information is used to
generate promotion scores for each promotion with respect to the
particular consumer). The obtained information may also be
referenced to adjust the generated promotion score, and/or
referenced to select one or more promotions for presentation to the
consumer.
[0056] The promotion inventory database 110 is configured to store
data detailing various promotions and promotion programs that are
available for offer in the promotion offering system 102. In order
to input promotion program information into the promotions program
database 110, merchants may optionally communicate via the networks
122 with the promotion offering system 102 to input the information
detailing the various promotion program offerings. The promotion
inventory database 110 may also include a repository of deals, such
as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/460,745, incorporated
by reference in its entirety. The repository of deals includes one
or more promotions that may be available for selection to present
to a consumer. When compared to the other promotions in the
promotion inventory database 110, the promotions in the repository
of deals may be available for a prolonged period of time. For
instance, whereas other promotions may typically have a shelf life
of 2 months before expiring, promotions in the repository of deals
may be allowed to be available until a merchant expressly notifies
the promotion system 100 to cease offering the promotion. In this
way, even though a particular type of promotion may not be found in
the rest of the promotion inventory, the promotion offering system
102 may rely on the repository of deals to consistently have a
collection of promotions from which to select from.
[0057] In some embodiments, a promotion in the promotion inventory
database 110 may be part of a first repository of deals and
featured during an initial feature period. As part of the first
repository of deals, the promotion may be publicly available for
selection and presentation to a consumer in the promotion system
100 during the initial feature period. After the initial feature
period passes, the promotion may be included as part of a second
repository of deals. However, not all promotions that pass their
initial feature period need be selected for inclusion in the second
repository of deals. In one embodiment, the deals that are included
in the second repository of deals are not publicly available by
some (or all) of the consumers.
[0058] In selecting a deal to present to the consumer, the
analytical model 104 may first examine deals from the first
repository of deals (which are currently in the initial period). In
the event that a score associated with a deal in the first
repository is sufficient to present to the consumer, the analytical
model 104 may select the deal for presentation. However, in the
event that the analytical model 104 does not find a deal in the
first deal repository (e.g., the score for the deals in the first
deal repository is below a predetermined threshold), the analytical
model 104 may examine deals in the second deal repository. In this
way the second repository of deals offers a supplemental inventory
of promotions from which the promotion offering system 102 may
select promotions for presentation to a consumer.
[0059] In some embodiments, the repository of deals may be
comprised of multiple deal repositories. For instance, a first
repository of deals may include promotions that are offered to
consumers for a shorter period of time (such as up to 1 week) and a
second repository of deals may include promotions that are offered
to consumers for a longer period of time (such as up to 6 months).
In some embodiments, the second repository of deals may be stored
in any one of the other databases 112, 114, 116, or alternatively
stored as part of a separate database not illustrated.
[0060] The consumer profiles database 112 includes profiles for the
consumers, consumer 1 (124) to consumer N (126), that are included
in the promotion system 100. The consumer profiles may include any
combination of the possible information described above. In turn,
the information found in a consumer's profile may be referenced as
part of an analysis for determining which promotions to present to
the consumer.
[0061] The historical data database 114 includes information
detailing the past performance of promotion offerings that have
been presented in the promotion offering system 102 in previous
times. The past performance data may include, but is not limited
to, rates of acceptances of specific promotion programs, revenue
generated from the sale of each promotion, attributes of consumers
that accepted or rejected specific promotion programs, and the
like. The historical data database 114 may also include information
detailing the past behavior of a specific consumer. For instance,
the historical data database 114 may include information detailing
a past promotion purchasing history for the consumer. The past
promotion purchasing history may identify amounts spent by the
consumer, times at which the consumer bought promotions, merchants
from whom the consumer bought from, locations from which the
consumer bought, locations of the promotions the consumer bought,
distance of the promotion from the consumer when the consumer
bought, and the like.
[0062] The promotion rules and definitions database 116 includes
information detailing, for example, rules to be applied during the
analysis for selecting one or more promotions for presentation to
the consumer. A rule may be applied during the selection of the one
or more promotions that determines a specific time period during
which the consumer is to be presented with the selected
promotion(s). For instance, a rule may state that the consumer is
only allowed to be presented with a promotion during times the
consumer is located, or predicted to be located, at one of the
consumer's "favorite places" locations.
[0063] A rule may also be applied during the selection of the one
or more promotions that determines a type of promotion that is
presented to the consumer based on the location, or predicted
location, of the consumer. For instance, the consumer's location
may be known (e.g., the consumer checks into a "favorite place", or
by a default consumer "favorite places" location). The consumer's
current location may also be predicted by the promotion offering
system 102, for example, according to information identifying
previous times at which the consumer was located at a particular
"favorite places" location. In either case, the consumer's
location, either known or predicted, may be associated to a
"favorite place" identified in the consumer's profile. The
"favorite place" will in turn be identified as being associated
with one or more attributes, and in turn the associated attributes
may be referenced to select one or more promotions that share the
one or more attributes of the current "favorite place" location of
the consumer.
[0064] Alternatively or in addition, a rule may state that the
consumer may be presented with a promotion offering when the
consumer's profile is detected to have been changed or updated.
This rule may act as a trigger for initiating a new search for
and/or a new presentation of promotions to the consumer when the
promotion offering system 102 detects an amendment to an existing
consumer profile (e.g., amending of or adding to the existing
consumer profile) or the creation of a new consumer profile. The
promotion(s) that are selected for presentation to the consumer may
further be associated with the new input (e.g., new "favorite
place", or new deal type that the consumer has indicated is
interested in) into the consumer's profile. For instance, a new
deal type that is inputted into the consumer's profile may be
detected by the promotion offering system 102, and this input may
trigger the promotion offering system to select one or more
promotions related to the new deal type to present to the consumer.
The presentation of the newly selected promotion(s) may be
immediate, or alternatively may be at a later previously scheduled
time.
[0065] The promotion rules and definition database 116 also
includes information detailing, for example, definitions for each
of the consumer focused deal types described above. As described
above, each deal type may be defined based on one or more promotion
attribute or promotion category/sub-category. For instance, a food
interest deal type may be associated with restaurant promotions,
wine tasting promotions, cooking class promotions, tickets to a
cooking show promotion, kitchen goods promotions and the like based
on one or more promotion attribute or category/subcategory. In this
way, the DT attributes for the food interest deal type may be
defined to identify a plurality of promotions from across a
plurality of promotion categories to tag as being associated with
the food interest deal type. The consumer may then select the food
interest deal type as an interest. Moving forward, promotions that
are tagged with the food interest deal type may be given a reward
factor (e.g., adjust the promotion score to a greater value), thus
increasing a probability that the promotion will be selected for
presentation to the consumer.
[0066] Although FIG. 1 has been illustrated to show separate
databases 110, 112, 114 and 116, FIG. 1 has been illustrated for
demonstrative purposes only, and it is contemplated to have the
databases 110, 112, 114 and 116 arranged in any combination of one
or more memories/storage units.
[0067] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart 200 describing an overview
of a process for analyzing a promotion and determining whether to
assign one or more deal type tags to the promotion. Each deal type
tag identifies a corresponding deal type that is defined in the
promotion system 100, such that each deal type tag that is assigned
to the promotion will identify the promotion as being associated
with the corresponding deal type.
[0068] At 201, a promotion is accessed. Each deal type tag
identifies a corresponding deal type, such that each deal type tag
that is assigned to the promotion will identify the promotion as
being associated with the corresponding deal type. Specifically, at
201 the promotion is accessed in order to determine whether to
associate a first deal type (DT) with the promotion. One example of
accessing the promotion is to access attributes of the
promotion.
[0069] At 202, attributes of the first deal type are accessed. An
attribute of a deal type may be any information that describes a
characteristic of the deal type as described above.
[0070] At 203, the promotion's attributes are compared to the
attributes of the deal type. At 204, a determination is made
whether to associate the promotion with the DT based on the
comparison. For instance, the promotion may be associated with the
deal type if one or more attributes of the first deal type are
found to match up with one or more attributes, categories or any
other information describing the promotion. If the deal type is
determined to be associated with the promotion, then a deal tag
that identifies the deal type is assigned to the promotion.
[0071] At 205, a determination is made whether there is another
deal type that is defined in the promotion system 100 left to
consider for association with the promotion. Each deal type that is
considered according to the process described in flow chart 200 may
be the result of an input from the consumer. The consumer may input
selections of deal types that are of interest to the consumer,
which are then include in the consumer's profile. In this way each
of the consumer's deal type selections may be considered.
[0072] If another deal type is determined to be left for
consideration, then at 206 a next deal type is accessed. The next
deal type is then considered for association with the promotion at
203.
[0073] When there are no longer any deal types left for
consideration with respect to the promotion, the process described
by flow chart 200 may end. By the end of the process described by
flow chart 200, the promotion will be assigned deal tags that
identify the deal types that are associated with the promotion.
[0074] The process described in flow chart 200 is made for
exemplary purposes only. Other variations on the process for
assigning the appropriate deal tags to the promotions of promotion
system 100 are contemplated. For instance, according to some
embodiments, the process may be implemented from the standpoint of
a deal type. In these embodiments, a first deal type may be
accessed, and then promotions in the promotion offering system 102
may be iteratively accessed to determine all of the promotions that
are to be associated with the first deal type (the determination on
whether to associate the first deal type with the promotions will
be according to what is described at 203). After the promotions
that are determined to be associated to the first deal type are
assigned the appropriate deal type tag, a next deal type may be
accessed.
[0075] Alternatively, the deal types may be associated with a
promotion using manual input. For example, an operator of the
promotion offering system 102 may determine which deal type(s) to
assign to a promotion, and tag the promotion accordingly.
[0076] FIG. 3A illustrates a flow chart 300A describing an overview
of a process for determining how the association of one or more
deal types with a consumer will affect the selection of one or more
promotions for presentation to the consumer. The promotion(s) may
be presented to the consumer via transmission (e.g., for an email,
SMS text message, etc.) or display (e.g., for a webpage) of an
electronic correspondence. The flow chart 300A is described from
the standpoint of selecting one or more promotions for including in
a new electronic correspondence for presentation to the
consumer.
[0077] At 301, a promotion is analyzed. The analysis of the
promotion may comprise one of many types of calculations. One
example of a calculation is to generate a promotion score to assign
to the promotion. The promotion score may be calculated according
to any one of the methods described above. Examples of promotion
scores are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/411,502, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0078] At 302, the promotion is analyzed to determine one or more
deal types that are associated with the consumer and also
associated with the promotion. As described above with reference to
flow chart 200, a deal type may be associated with a promotion if
one or more attributes of the deal type are found to match up with
one or more attributes, categories or any other information
describing the promotion. The deal type(s) that are associated with
the consumer may be accessed from the consumer's profile.
[0079] At 303, the promotion score calculated at 301 may be
adjusted. The adjustment may be based on several things. For
example, the adjustment may be based on the determination of a
number of consumer associated deal types that are also associated
with the promotion. For instance, the greater the number of
consumer associated deal types that are also associated with the
promotion may increase the promotion score of the promotion. And
conversely, the fewer number of consumer associated deal types that
are also determined to be associated with the promotion may
decrease the promotion score of the promotion, or at least increase
the promotion score to a lesser extent. In this way, the number of
consumer associated deal types that are also associated with the
promotion may behave as a correction factor on the promotion score
that was calculated independently at 301.
[0080] Alternatively, the promotion score calculated at 301 may not
be specifically tied to an exact number of consumer associated deal
types that are also associated with the promotion. Instead, the
promotion score may be adjusted based on a relationship between the
specific deal type associated with the consumer and the promotion.
For example, the promotion score may be adjusted based on a
determination of the level of importance by the consumer towards
each of the deal types. In particular, some deal types may be more
important to the consumer than other deal types. The promotion
score may be adjusted based on the level of importance of the
specific deal type vis-a-vis to the consumer. Therefore, the
absolute number of deal types that are shared by a promotion and
the consumer may not be the only factor in determining the adjusted
score of the promotion in view of the consumer. For instance, each
deal type may further be assigned a level of importance that is
selected by the consumer. In this way, the consumer may for example
select, and more specifically, rank each of the deal types selected
by the consumer. For example, if a first promotion is associated
with 2 deal types that are selected by the consumer and a second
promotion is associated with only a single deal type selected by
the consumer, the second promotion may still have a higher adjusted
promotion score than the first promotion if the single deal
associated with the second promotion has a higher importance
ranking as selected by the consumer than the two deal types that
are associated with the first promotion.
[0081] In some embodiments, the importance rankings for the deal
types associated with the consumer may be determined automatically
by the promotion offering system 102. In this way, after each of
the deal types that are associated with the consumer are selected,
the consumer offering system 102 may determine an importance
ranking for each of the selected deal types. For instance, the
promotion offering system 102 may reference past performance data
related to the consumer in order to assign an importance ranking to
each deal type selected to be associated with the consumer. For
example, deal types that are more frequently accessed (e.g.,
consumer purchasing promotions associated to these deal types) by
the consumer may be assigned an importance ranking that is higher
than an importance ranking assigned to deal types that are less
frequently accessed.
[0082] FIG. 3A illustrates one example of adjusting the analysis of
whether to present a promotion to a consumer based on the deal
types. In particular, the adjustment is based on the number of deal
types that the consumer shares with the promotion. For example, the
promotion score is adjusted more if the consumer shares multiple
deal types with the promotion than a single deal type to reflect
that more shared deal types increases the likelihood of selection
of the promotion to present to the consumer. In an alternate
embodiment, the analysis whether to present the promotion to the
consumer may be adjusted based on what deal types are shared
between the consumer and the promotion. In particular, different
deal types may affect the analysis differently. For example, a
first deal type, which may be designated by the consumer or the
promotion offering system 102 as more important (e.g., as indicated
by the importance ranking), may be given a greater weight if
matched to the promotion than if a second deal type, which is
designated of lesser importance, is matched to the promotion.
[0083] At 304, a determination is made whether to present the
promotion to the consumer based on the adjusted promotion score
from 303. In some embodiments, all promotions having a promotion
score greater than a threshold value may be selected for inclusion
in the electronic correspondence. In such embodiments, the
promotion may be selected for inclusion in the electronic
correspondence if the adjusted promotion score at least meets the
set threshold value.
[0084] In some embodiments, only a set number (e.g., n number) of
promotions may be selected for inclusion in the electronic
correspondence. In such embodiments, the promotion may be selected
for inclusion in the electronic correspondence if the adjusted
promotion score is within the top n promotion scores that have been
calculated for consideration in the electronic correspondence.
[0085] In some embodiments, only promotions that that share at
least a set number of deal types with the consumer may be selected
for inclusion in the electronic correspondence. For instance, only
promotions that are associated with at least one common deal type
as the consumer may be selected for inclusion in the electronic
correspondence.
[0086] Although not expressly illustrated in flow chart 300A, in
some embodiments a message may be generated that identifies one or
more factors that allowed a promotion in the electronic
correspondence to be selected for inclusion. The message may be
generated for one or more of the promotions included in the
electronic correspondence. A factor may correspond to any one of
the determining factors for selecting a promotion for inclusion in
the electronic correspondence described as being analyzed at 304
above. The message informs the consumer on why the consumer is
receiving a particular promotion offering.
[0087] FIG. 3B illustrates a flow chart 300B that describes an
overview of a process for arranging the presentation of search
results from a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of
deal types associated with the consumer. Flow chart 300B is
described from the standpoint of a consumer executing a pull-type
search in which the consumer inputs a search term(s) for locating
one or more desired promotions, and in response to the input of
search terms, is presented with the search results (e.g., display
search results on a webpage).
[0088] At 310, a consumer's search term inputs are received. The
search term inputs may, for example, be an effort by the consumer
to search and find certain promotions within the promotion system
100.
[0089] At 311, a search operation is performed based on the
consumer's search term inputs. The search results from the search
operation are then returned. The search results may, for example,
be a list of promotions from the promotion system 100 that matches
a certain level of similarity with the description provided by the
consumer's search term input. In some embodiments, the consumer's
search term inputs may be deal type related in that the search term
input indicates a search for promotions that are associated with
one or more deal types. According to these embodiments, the search
results will return promotions that are associated with the one or
more deal types identified in the consumer's search term input.
[0090] At 312, deal type(s) that are associated with the consumer
are accessed. For instance, the consumer's profile may be accessed
to identify the deal type(s) that have been selected by the
consumer to be associated with the consumer. According to the
embodiments where the consumer's search term input indicates a
search for promotions associated with specific deal types, 312 may
be skipped as the relevant deal types have already been
accessed.
[0091] After accessing the deal type(s) that are associated with
the consumer, at 313, the promotions from the search result are
arranged for presentation based on the deal type(s) that are
associated with the consumer. For instance, the arrangement of
promotions may be based on the number of consumer associated deal
type(s) that that are also associated with a promotion from the
search result. The arrangement at 313 seeks to assign promotions
from the search result into positions on the medium for presenting
the search results (e.g., webpage). Referencing the webpage for
illustrative purposes, positions that are higher up on the webpage
may have a higher level of desirability than positions on the
webpage that are further down. This is because consumer are
believed to spend more time viewing promotions that are found
higher up on the webpage, and progressively spend lesser time on
promotions further down the webpage.
[0092] In some embodiments, the number of deal types shared by a
promotion from the search result and the consumer may impact the
position of the promotion within the arrangement at 313. For
instance, from the promotions in the search result, those
promotions that are associated with a greater number of deal types
that are also associated with the consumer may be assigned to
positions in the arrangement with a higher level of desirability
(e.g., higher up on the webpage) when compared to those promotions
that are associated with a fewer number of deal types that are also
associated with the consumer.
[0093] In some embodiments, only promotions from the search result
that are associated with a threshold number of deal types that are
also associated with the consumer may be selected for the
arrangement at 313. In this way, it is possible that one or more
promotions from the search result may not be included in the
arrangement at 313 if a threshold number of associated deal types
is not shared with the consumer. For instance, only promotions from
the search result that are associated with at least one deal type
that is also associated to the consumer may be selected in the
arrangement at 313.
[0094] Any combination of the rules for arranging the promotions
from the search result described above may be implemented at
313.
[0095] In addition, some embodiments may apply additional search
result arrangement rules that reference an attribute of the
consumer. For instance, promotions from the search result may
further be filtered such that the arrangement at 313 only includes
those promotions associated with a gender that matches the
consumer's gender. If the promotions from the search result include
a spa promotion that is associated with a female gender, the spa
promotion may be included in the arrangement at 313 if the consumer
is a female, but may not be included in the arrangement if the
consumer is a male. Alternatively, a promotion may not be totally
excluded from the arrangement if a gender associated with the
promotion does not match the consumer, but the promotion may
nonetheless be assigned to a position within the arrangement having
a lower level of desirability if the promotion's gender association
does not match the gender of the consumer.
[0096] Another example of an additional search result arrangement
rule that may be further applied after the arrangement of
promotions according to any one or more of the deal type related
rules, is related to a distance of the promotion from the consumer.
Thus according to some embodiments, after arranging the promotions
from the search result according to any combination of the deal
type related rules above, a distance of the promotion from the
consumer may be determined to further adjust the arrangement at
313. For instance, promotions that are closer in distance to the
consumer may be assigned to positions in the arrangement that have
a higher level of desirability than promotions that are further
away in distance from the consumer. The consumer's distance may be
referenced, for example, from any one of the consumer's "favorite
places" in the consumer's profile.
[0097] According to the embodiments where the consumer's search
term input indicates a search for promotions that are associated
with one or more deal types, the promotions from the search result
may be arranged with reference to an attribute of the consumer. For
example, the consumer's gender may be accessed from the consumer's
profile and the promotions from the search result may be arranged
to include promotions that are associated with the consumer's age,
while leaving out promotions that are not associated with the
consumer's age. Alternatively, promotions that are not associated
with the consumer's age may nonetheless be assigned to a position
within the arrangement having a lower level of desirability if the
promotion's gender association does not match the gender of the
consumer.
[0098] Another example of arranging the promotions from the search
result may be made with reference to the consumer's location. A
distance of the promotion from the consumer may be determined to
adjust the arrangement at 313. For instance, promotions that are
closer in distance to the consumer may be assigned to positions in
the arrangement that have a higher level of desirability than
promotions that are further away in distance from the consumer. The
consumer's distance may be referenced, for example, from any one of
the consumer's "favorite places" in the consumer's profile.
[0099] Although the consumer attribute corresponding to gender and
location have been specifically mentioned, it is contemplated to
reference other consumer attributes when arranging the promotions
from the search result.
[0100] At 314, the arrangement of promotions from the search result
is presented. For instance, the promotions from the search result
may be displayed according to the arrangement determined at 313 on
a webpage for the consumer's viewing.
[0101] Although not expressly illustrated in flow chart 300B, in
some embodiments a message may be generated that identifies one or
more factors that determined the position within the electronic
correspondence that was assigned to a promotion in the electronic
correspondence. The message may be generated for one or more of the
promotions included in the electronic correspondence. A factor may
correspond to any one of the determining factors for assigning a
position within the electronic correspondence to assign a
promotion, as described as being analyzed at 313 above.
[0102] FIG. 4A illustrates a flow chart 400A describing a process
for inputting a consumer's "favorite places" in the consumer's
profile.
[0103] At 401, a consumer profile of a consumer is accessed.
[0104] At 402, a consumer input is received from the consumer that
identifies a "favorite places" for inclusion in the consumer's
profile.
[0105] At 403, the "favorite places" that is identified by the
consumer input is included in the consumer profile.
[0106] At 404, a determination is made whether there is another
consumer input. The consumer input may identify another "favorite
places" that the consumer desires to include in the consumer
profile.
[0107] If another consumer input is received at 404, then at 405
the new "favorite places" identified by the consumer input is
included in the consumer profile.
[0108] By following the process described in flow chart 400A, the
consumer may input one or more "favorite places" into the
consumer's profile.
[0109] FIG. 4B illustrates a flow chart 400B describing a process
for suggesting a consumer's "favorite place" based on the past
behavior of the consumer. The suggested "favorite places" may then
be included in the consumer's consume profile.
[0110] At 410, a consumer profile of a consumer is accessed.
[0111] At 411, the consumer's past behavior is analyzed.
Information describing the consumer's past behavior may be accessed
from any one of the databases 110, 112, 114, 116 described within
the promotion offering system 102.
[0112] At 412, a "favorite place" is suggested for the consumer
based on the analysis of the consumer's past behavior at 411. For
instance, the consumer's past behavior may indicate that the
consumer frequently accesses the promotion system 100 from a
certain location in the morning. After analyzing this past
behavior, the analytical model 104, for example, may suggest that
the consumer add the certain location as a workplace "favorite
places". This suggestion may be based on information that indicates
the consumer is accessing the promotion system 100 form this
certain location consistently at a recognizable time (e.g., morning
time that corresponds to the start of a typical workday) and within
a recognizable time period (e.g., within the workweek of Monday
through Friday). And from this past behavior information, the
certain location can be interpreted as the consumer's workplace and
a suggestion to include the consumer's workplace as a "favorite
place" in the consumer profile may be made at 412. As another
example, the analytical model 104 may analyze the consumer's past
behavior and notice that the consumer frequently purchases travel
deals to a certain city. Then based on this observation of the
consumer's past purchasing behavior, a suggestion may be made to
include the city as a "favorite place" in the consumer's profile.
In this way, any accessible information that describes the
consumer's past behavior that is mentioned throughout this
disclosure may be referenced to decide on a suggested "favorite
place" for the consumer.
[0113] In some embodiments, the suggested "favorite place" from 412
may be automatically included in the consumer's profile.
[0114] In other embodiments, the consumer may be presented with the
choice of whether to include the suggested "favorite place" in the
consumer's profile. In this way, the suggested "favorite place"
will only be included in the consumer profile if approved by the
consumer.
[0115] At 413, a determination is made whether the consumer's past
behavior can warrant another suggested "favorite place" for the
consumer. If another suggested "favorite place" can be made, then
at 414 the next suggested "favorite place" is provided based on the
consumer's past behavior.
[0116] By following the process described in flow chart 400B,
suggested "favorite places" that are based on the consumer's past
behavior may be included in the consumer's profile.
[0117] FIG. 5A illustrates a flow chart 500A describing an overview
of a process for determining the effect one or more "favorite
places" included in a consumer profile may have during the
selection of one or more promotions for presentation to the
consumer. The selected promotions may be presented to the consumer
via transmission (e.g., for an email, SMS text message, etc.) or
display (e.g., for a webpage) of an electronic correspondence. The
flow chart 500A is described from the standpoint of selecting one
or more promotions for including in a new electronic correspondence
for presentation to the consumer.
[0118] At 501, a first "favorite place" is accessed from a
consumer's profile.
[0119] At 502, a promotion score for each promotion that is being
considered for inclusion in the electronic correspondence is
calculated. The promotion score may be calculated according to any
one of the methods described above. The promotion score(s)
calculated at 502 are based on the first "favorite place" accessed
at 501. As one example, promotion scores are based on the distance
between the first "favorite place" and the location of the
promotion, with a higher score assigned to a shorter distance. As
another example, a promotion that is located within a threshold
distance from the first "favorite place" may be assigned a
promotion score that allows the promotion to be included in the
electronic correspondence, whereas a promotion that is not located
within the threshold distance from the first "favorite place" may
be assigned a promotion score that prevents the promotion from
being included in the electronic correspondence. In this way,
promotions that are not located within the threshold distance from
the first "favorite place" will be excluded from the electronic
correspondence.
[0120] In some embodiments, a promotion's distance from the first
"favorite place" may be directly correlated to the promotion's
score calculated at 502. For instance, a promotion's promotion
score may be calculated to be progressively higher as the location
of the promotion becomes closer to the location of the first
"favorite place".
[0121] At 503, the promotion scores calculated at 502 are
referenced in order to select a top number (e.g., n) of promotions
for selection in the electronic correspondence to be presented to
the consumer. For instance, the electronic correspondence may be
generated to include a predetermined number of promotions.
Alternatively, the electronic correspondence may be generated to
include a set number of promotions per each "favorite place" that
is considered. In either case, the top n number of promotions
having the highest promotion scores will be selected at 503 for
inclusion in the electronic correspondence with reference to the
first "favorite place".
[0122] At 504, a determination is made whether there is another
"favorite place" in the consumer's profile to consider. If another
"favorite place" is found in the consumer's profile, at 505 the
next "favorite place" is accessed. Then the process at 502 and 503
are repeated for the next "favorite place". For example, a consumer
may have a home "favorite place" and a work "favorite place". Flow
chart 500A may iterate for each of "favorite place".
[0123] At 506, the promotion(s) selected for each of the accessed
"favorite places" are presented to the consumer. If more than one
"favorite place" was considered during the process described by
flow chart 500A, then each "favorite place" may be assigned its own
area in the electronic correspondence. For instance, the top number
n of promotions that are selected at 503 with respect to the first
"favorite place" may be displayed in a first area in the electronic
correspondence dedicated to the first "favorite place". Then, the
top m number of promotions that are selected at 503 with respect to
the next "favorite place" may be displayed in a next area in the
electronic correspondence dedicated to the next "favorite place",
and so on.
[0124] Although not expressly illustrated in flow chart 500A, in
some embodiments a message may be generated that identifies one or
more factors that allowed a promotion in the electronic
correspondence to be selected for inclusion. The message may be
generated for one or more of the promotions included in the
electronic correspondence. A factor may correspond to any one of
the determining factors for selecting a promotion for inclusion in
the electronic correspondence described as being analyzed at 503
above. The message informs the consumer on why the consumer is
receiving a particular promotion offering.
[0125] FIG. 5B illustrates a flow chart 500B that describes an
overview of a process for arranging the presentation of search
results from a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of
"favorite places" that are associated with the consumer. Flow chart
500B is described from the standpoint of a consumer inputting a
search term for locating one or more desired promotions, and being
presented with the search results (e.g., display search results on
a webpage).
[0126] At 510, a consumer's search term inputs are received. The
search term inputs may, for example, be an effort by the consumer
to search and find certain promotions within the promotion offering
system 102.
[0127] At 511, a search operation is performed based on the
consumer's search term inputs. The search results from the search
operation are then returned. The search results may, for example,
be a list of promotions from the promotion system 100 that matches
a certain level of similarity with the description provided by the
consumer's search term input.
[0128] At 512, a "favorite place" is accessed from the consumer
profile. For instance, the consumer's profile may be accessed to
identify one or more "favorite places" that have been inputted into
the consumer profile.
[0129] In some embodiments, one of the "favorite places" found in
the consumer's profile may be designated as the default "favorite
place" that is accessed by default at 512. In such embodiments, the
consumer may provide a consumer input to select another "favorite
place", either from an existing "favorite place" in the consumer
profile or a new "favorite place", which will be accessed at
512.
[0130] After accessing the consumer profile in order to obtain the
"favorite place", at 513 the promotions from the search result are
arranged for presentation based on the "favorite place" that is
accessed from the consumer profile. For instance, the arrangement
of promotions from the search result may be limited to those
promotions that are determined to be within a threshold distance
from the "favorite places" location. In this way, those promotions
from the search result that are not within the threshold distance
from the "favorite place" will not be included as part of the
arrangement at 513.
[0131] In some embodiments, the arrangement at 513 will seek to
assign promotions from the search result into positions on the
medium for presenting the search results (e.g., webpage).
Referencing the webpage for illustrative purposes, those positions
that are higher up on the webpage may have a higher level of
desirability than positions on the webpage that are further down.
This is because consumer are believed to spend more time viewing
promotions that are found higher up on the webpage, and
progressively spend lesser time on promotions further down the
webpage. By referencing the "favorite place", those promotions from
the search result that are closer to the "favorite place" will be
assigned to positions on the webpage that have a higher level of
desirability than those promotions that are further away from the
"favorite place".
[0132] In some embodiments, the number of promotions that are
presented for the respective "favorite place" may be limited. In
such embodiments, the number of promotions from the search results
that are included in the arrangement at 513 may be limited to a set
number of promotions that are closest to the "favorite place".
[0133] Any combination of the rules for arranging the promotions
from the search result described above may be implemented at
513.
[0134] At 514, the arrangement of promotions from the search result
is presented. For instance, the promotions from the search result
may be displayed according to the arrangement determined at 513 on
a webpage for the consumer's viewing.
[0135] Although not expressly illustrated in flow chart 500B, in
some embodiments a message may be generated that identifies one or
more factors that determined the position within the electronic
correspondence that was assigned to a promotion in the electronic
correspondence. The message may be generated for one or more of the
promotions included in the electronic correspondence. A factor may
correspond to any one of the determining factors for assigning a
position within the electronic correspondence to assign a
promotion, as described as being analyzed at 513 above.
[0136] FIG. 6A illustrates a flow chart 600A describing an overview
of a process for determining the effect of how a consumer being
associated with one or more deal type(s) and one or more "favorite
places" will have during the selection of one or more promotions
for presentation to the consumer. The selected promotions may be
presented to the consumer via transmission (e.g., for an email, SMS
text message, etc.) or display (e.g., for a webpage) of an
electronic correspondence. The flow chart 600A is described from
the standpoint of selecting one or more promotions for including in
a new electronic correspondence for presentation to the
consumer.
[0137] At 601, one or more deal type(s) that are associated with a
consumer may be accessed from the consumer's profile.
[0138] At 602, a first "favorite place" is accessed from the
consumer's profile.
[0139] At 603, a promotion score for each promotion that is being
considered for inclusion in the electronic correspondence is
calculated. The promotion score calculation may be accomplished
according to any one of the methods described above. The promotion
scores calculated at 603 are based on the first "favorite place"
accessed at 602. For instance, a promotion that is located within a
threshold distance from the first "favorite place" may be assigned
a promotion score that allows the promotion to be included in the
electronic correspondence, whereas a promotion that is not located
within the threshold distance from the first "favorite place" may
be assigned a promotion score that prevents the promotion from
being included in the electronic correspondence. In this way,
promotions that are not located within the threshold distance from
the first "favorite place" will be excluded from the electronic
correspondence.
[0140] In some embodiments, a promotion's distance from the first
"favorite place" may be directly correlated to the promotion's
score calculated at 603. For instance, a promotion's score may be
calculated to be progressively higher as the location of the
promotion becomes closer to the location of the first "favorite
place".
[0141] At 604, the promotion score calculated at 603 may be
adjusted based on the determination of a number of consumer
associated deal types that are also associated with each promotion.
For instance, the greater the number of consumer associated deal
types that are also associated with a promotion may increase the
promotion score of the promotion. And conversely, the fewer number
of consumer associated deal types that are also determined to be
associated with a promotion may decrease the promotion score of the
promotion, or at least increase the promotion score to a lesser
extent. In this way, the number of consumer associated deal types
that are also associated with the promotion may behave as a
correction factor on the promotion score that was calculated
independently at 603 for each promotion. As discussed above,
adjusting the score based on the number of consumer associated deal
types that are also associated with the promotion is merely one way
to adjust the score based on the deal types. Other adjustments are
contemplated.
[0142] At 605, one or more rules based on the "favorite place"
accessed from the consumer profile may be applied to the
promotions. One rule may limit the number of promotions that are
selected for inclusion in the electronic correspondence. In this
way, only a set number of the highest scoring promotions may be
selected for inclusion in the electronic correspondence.
[0143] Another rule may limit the number of promotions to be
included in the electronic correspondence on a per "favorite place"
basis. In this way, the inclusion of promotions in the electronic
correspondence may be limited for each "favorite place" such that
for each "favorite place" a set number of promotions that are
within a threshold distance from the respective "favorite place"
may be included.
[0144] Another rule that may be applied at 605 is based on the
accessed "favorite place". For example, the designation of a type
of "favorite place" may implicate rules that designate the
promotions selected for the "favorite place" and/or the time period
for the promotions selected. For instance, if the "favorite place"
is a workplace, a rule may be accessed that electronic
correspondences are only to be presented to the consumer during a
time period associated with the workplace (e.g., during work hours,
9:00 am to 6:00 pm). Further, if the "favorite place" is a
workplace, a rule may be accessed as to the specific categories
and/or subcategories from which promotions may be selected. More
specifically, with regards to restaurants, a consumer in a
workplace typically is interested in lunch restaurants that are
quick service. Therefore, the accessed rule may include a plurality
of categories and/or subcategories which implicate lunch
restaurants that offer quick service. As another example, if the
"favorite place" is a home, a rule may be accessed as to the
specific categories and/or subcategories (such as spa promotions,
dinner promotions) from which promotions may be selected and/or
time periods (such as weekday evenings and weekends).
[0145] Another rule that may be applied at 605 is also based on the
"favorite place" and a time associated with the "favorite place".
This rule may only allow promotions that are associated with, or
valid during the time associated with, the "favorite places" to be
included in the electronic correspondence.
[0146] According to the present invention, any combination of one
or more of the rules described above with respect to 605 may be
applied. Alternatively, according to some embodiments the rules may
be optional such that none of the rules may be applied.
[0147] At 606, a determination is made whether there is another
"favorite place" in the consumer's profile to consider. If another
"favorite place" is found in the consumer's profile, at 607 the
next "favorite place" is accessed. Then the processes at 603 to 605
are repeated for the next "favorite place".
[0148] At 608, the promotions are presented for each of the
accessed "favorite places". If more than one "favorite place" was
considered during the process described by flow chart 600A, then
each "favorite place" may be assigned its own area in the
electronic correspondence. For instance, the top n number of
promotions that are selected with respect to the first "favorite
place" may be displayed in a first area in the electronic
correspondence dedicated to the first "favorite place". Then, the
top m number of promotions that are selected with respect to the
next "favorite place" may be displayed in a next area in the
electronic correspondence dedicated to the next "favorite place",
and so on.
[0149] FIG. 6B illustrates a flow chart 600B that describes an
overview of a process for arranging the presentation of search
results from a consumer's search term inputs based on a number of
"favorite places" and a number of deal types that are associated
with the consumer. Flow chart 600B is described from the standpoint
of a consumer inputting a search term for locating one or more
desired promotions, and being presented with the search results
(e.g., display search results on a webpage).
[0150] At 610, a consumer's search term inputs are received. The
search term inputs may, for example, be an effort by the consumer
to search and find certain promotions within the promotion system
100.
[0151] At 611, a search operation is performed based on the
consumer's search term inputs. The search results from the search
operation are then returned. The search results may, for example,
be a list of promotions from the promotion system 100 that matches
a certain level of similarity with the description provided by the
consumer's search term input.
[0152] At 612, a "favorite place" is accessed from the consumer
profile. For instance, the consumer's profile may be accessed to
identify one or more "favorite places" that have been inputted into
the consumer profile.
[0153] At 613, one or more deal type(s) that are associated with
the consumer is accessed. For instance, the consumer's profile may
be accessed to identify the deal type(s) that have been selected by
the consumer to be associated with the consumer.
[0154] After accessing the consumer profile in order to obtain the
"favorite place" and the deal type(s) associated with the consumer,
at 614 the promotions from the search result are arranged for
presentation based on the "favorite place" that and the deal
type(s) that are accessed from the consumer profile.
[0155] For instance, with respect to the impact the "favorite
place" will have on the arrangement at 614, the arrangement of
promotions from the search result may be limited to those
promotions that are determined to be within a threshold distance
from the "favorite place". In this way, those promotions from the
search result that are not within the set distance from the
"favorite place" will not be included as part of the arrangement at
614.
[0156] In some embodiments, the arrangement at 614 will look to
assign promotions from the search result into positions on the
medium for presenting the search results (e.g., webpage).
Referencing the webpage for illustrative purposes, those positions
that are higher up on the webpage may have a higher level of
desirability than positions on the webpage that are further down.
This is because consumer are believed to spend more time viewing
promotions that are found higher up on the webpage, and
progressively spend lesser time on promotions further down the
webpage. Then by referencing the "favorite place", those promotions
from the search result that are closer to the "favorite place" will
be assigned to positions on the webpage that have a higher level of
desirability than those promotions that are further away from the
"favorite place".
[0157] In some embodiments, the number of promotions that are
allowed to be presented for the respective "favorite place" may be
limited. In such embodiments, the number of promotions from the
search results that are included in the arrangement at 614 may be
limited to a set number of promotions that are closest to the
"favorite place".
[0158] With respect to the impact the accessed deal type(s) will
have on the arrangement at 614, the arrangement of promotions may
be based on a number of consumer associated deal type(s) that each
promotion from the search result is also associated with. The
arrangement at 614 looks to assign promotions from the search
result into positions on the medium for presenting the search
results (e.g., webpage). In some embodiments, the number of deal
types shared by a promotion from the search result and the consumer
may impact the position of the promotion within the arrangement at
614. For instance, from the promotions in the search result, those
promotions that are associated with a greater number of deal types
that are also associated with the consumer may be assigned to
positions in the arrangement with a higher level of desirability
(e.g., higher up on the webpage) when compared to those promotions
that are associated with fewer deal types that are also associated
with the consumer.
[0159] In some embodiments, only promotions from the search result
that are associated with a threshold number of deal types that are
also associated with the consumer may be selected for the
arrangement at 614. In this way, it is possible that one or more
promotions from the search result may not be included in the
arrangement at 614 if a threshold number of associated deal types
is not shared with the consumer. For instance, only promotions from
the search result that are associated with at least one deal type
that is also associated to the consumer may be selected in the
arrangement at 614.
[0160] Any combination of the rules for arranging the promotions
from the search result described above may be implemented at
614.
[0161] At 615, the arrangement of promotions from the search result
is presented. For instance, the promotions from the search result
may be displayed according to the arrangement determined at 614 on
a webpage for the consumer's viewing.
[0162] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart 700 describing a process for
timing a search for one or more promotions and/or a presentation of
the one or more promotions to a consumer. The one or more
promotions may be presented to the consumer, for example, in the
form of an electronic correspondence.
[0163] At 701, a consumer's input to the consumer's profile is
received. The consumer's input may comprise a creation of the
consumer's profile (such as the selection of a home "favorite
place" or a work "favorite place", the selection of a deal tag, or
the like) or the updating of an existing consumer profile (such as
an addition of a "favorite place" or a selection of a new deal
tag). The consumer's input may be treated by the promotion offering
system 102 as a trigger to perform an immediate search for
promotions and to immediately present the results of the
search.
[0164] In response to the receipt of the consumer's input, at 702,
the promotion offering system 102 determines which consumer deal
type(s) are included in the consumer profile. As part of 702, the
promotion offering system 102 may consider whether the consumer
input at 701 included an input of a new deal type(s) into the
consumer profile. In particular, in an alternative embodiment, in
the instance where the consumer's input comprises a selection of a
deal tag (such as an addition of a specific deal tag to an existing
consumer profile), the promotion offering system 102 may focus
solely on the specific deal tag that is the subject of the
consumer's input. In this way, if the consumer has multiple deal
tags, the promotion offering system 102 may only use the specific
deal tag to the exclusion of other previously entered deal
tags.
[0165] At 703, a determination of the "favorite places" that are
included in the consumer profile is made. As part of 703, the
promotion offering system 102 may consider whether the consumer
input at 701 included an input of a new "favorite place" into the
consumer profile. In particular, in an alternative embodiment, in
the instance where the consumer's input comprises a selection of a
"favorite place" (such as an addition of a "favorite place" to an
existing consumer profile), the promotion offering system 102 may
focus solely on a single "favorite place"--namely, the "favorite
place" which is the subject of the consumer's input. In this way,
if the consumer has multiple "favorite places", such as when the
existing consumer profile previously included a "favorite place",
the promotion offering system 102 may only use the "favorite place"
to the exclusion of other previously entered "favorite places".
[0166] At 704, one or more promotions may be selected for
presentation to the consumer based on the determinations made at
702 and 703. The selection of promotions for presentation to the
consumer at 704 may be in accordance to any one or more of the
processes described above with respect to flow charts 200, 300A,
300B, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B, 600A, and 600B.
[0167] At 705, the selected promotion(s) from 704 are included in
an electronic correspondence for presentation to the consumer. As
discussed above, in some embodiments, the detection of one or more
new deal type(s) being input or the detection of one or more new
"favorite places" being input triggers the promotion offering
system 102 to present (e.g., transmitted or displayed) the
electronic correspondence to the consumer. In such embodiments, the
new electronic correspondence that is triggered for presentation to
the consumer may only take into account the new deal type(s) that
were input and/or the new "favorite places" that were input.
[0168] In other embodiments, the presentation of the electronic
correspondence may be delayed to a later time that meets a periodic
presentation time. For instance, the promotion offering system 102
may be configured to present the consumer with an electronic
correspondence including one or more promotions at a predetermined
time every day (e.g., in the morning). In this case, the
presentation of the electronic correspondence at 705 may be delayed
until the next predetermined time.
[0169] Although not expressly illustrated in flow chart 700, in
some embodiments a message may be generated that identifies one or
more factors that determined the selection of the one or more
promotions for inclusion in the electronic correspondence. The
message may be generated for one or more of the promotions included
in the electronic correspondence. A factor may correspond to any
one of the determining factors for selecting a promotion, as
described as being analyzed at 704 above. The message informs the
consumer on why the consumer is receiving a particular promotion
offering.
[0170] FIG. 8 illustrates a general computer system 800,
programmable to be a specific computer system 800, which can
represent any server, computer or component, such as consumer 1
(124), consumer N (126), merchant 1 (118), merchant M (120), and
promotion offering system 102. The computer system 800 may include
an ordered listing of a set of instructions 802 that may be
executed to cause the computer system 800 to perform any one or
more of the methods or computer-based functions disclosed herein.
In particular, as illustrated above, FIGS. 2, 3A-3B, 4A-4B, 5A-5B,
6A-6B, and 7 are flow diagrams. The process as illustrated in the
flow diagrams may be performed using computer-based functions. The
computer system 800 can operate as a stand-alone device or can be
connected, e.g., using the network 122, to other computer systems
or peripheral devices.
[0171] In a networked deployment, the computer system 800 can
operate in the capacity of a server or as a client-user computer in
a server-client user network environment, or as a peer computer
system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The
computer system 800 may also be implemented as or incorporated into
various devices, such as a personal computer or a mobile computing
device capable of executing a set of instructions 802 that specify
actions to be taken by that machine, including and not limited to,
accessing the Internet or Web through any form of browser. Further,
each of the systems described can include any collection of
sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple
sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer
functions.
[0172] The computer system 800 can include a memory 803 on a bus
810 for communicating information. Code operable to cause the
computer system to perform any of the acts or operations described
herein can be stored in the memory 803. The memory 803 may be a
random-access memory, read-only memory, programmable memory, hard
disk drive or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory or
storage device.
[0173] The computer system 800 can include a processor 801, such as
a central processing unit (CPU) and/or a graphics processing unit
(GPU). The processor 801 may include one or more general
processors, digital signal processors, application specific
integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, digital
circuits, optical circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof,
or other now known or later-developed devices for analyzing and
processing data. The processor 801 may implement the set of
instructions 802 or other software program, such as manually
programmed or computer-generated code for implementing logical
functions. The logical function or any system element described
can, among other functions, process and convert an analog data
source such as an analog electrical, audio, or video signal, or a
combination thereof, to a digital data source for audio-visual
purposes or other digital processing purposes such as for
compatibility for computer processing. For example, the set of
instructions 102 or other software program may implement the
functionality described in flow diagrams illustrated in FIGS. 2,
3A-3B, 4A-4B, 5A-5B, 6A-6B, and 7.
[0174] The computer system 800 can also include a disk or optical
drive unit 804. The disk drive unit 804 may include a
computer-readable medium 805 in which one or more sets of
instructions 802, e.g., software, may be embedded. Further, the
instructions 802 may perform one or more of the operations as
described herein. The instructions 802 may reside completely, or at
least partially, within the memory 803 or within the processor 801
during execution by the computer system 800. Accordingly, the
databases 110, 112, 114, or 116 may be stored in the memory 803 or
the disk unit 804.
[0175] The memory 803 and the processor 801 also may include
computer-readable media as discussed above. A "computer-readable
medium," "computer-readable storage medium," "machine readable
medium," "propagated-signal medium," or "signal-bearing medium" may
include any device that has, stores, communicates, propagates, or
transports software for use by or in connection with an instruction
executable system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable
medium may selectively be, but not limited to, an electronic,
magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor
system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium.
[0176] Additionally, the computer system 800 may include an input
device 807, such as a keyboard or mouse, configured for a user to
interact with any of the components of system 800. It may further
include a display 806, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a
cathode ray tube (CRT), or any other display suitable for conveying
information. The display 806 may act as an interface for the user
to see the functioning of the processor 801, or specifically as an
interface with the software stored in the memory 803 or the drive
unit 804.
[0177] The computer system 800 may include a communication
interface 808 that enables communications via the communications
network 122. The network 122 may include wired networks, wireless
networks, or combinations thereof. The communication interface 808
network may enable communications via any number of communication
standards, such as 802.11, 802.17, 802.20, WiMax, 802.15.4,
cellular telephone standards, or other communication standards, as
discussed above. Simply because one of these standards is listed
does not mean any one is preferred.
[0178] Further, the promotion offering system 102, as depicted in
FIG. 1 may comprise one computer system or multiple computer
systems. Further, the flow diagrams illustrated in the Figures may
use computer readable instructions that are executed by one or more
processors in order to implement the functionality disclosed.
[0179] The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable
medium that includes instructions or receives and executes
instructions responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device
connected to a network can communicate voice, video, audio, images
or any other data over the network. Further, the instructions can
be transmitted or received over the network via a communication
interface. The communication interface can be a part of the
processor or can be a separate component. The communication
interface can be created in software or can be a physical
connection in hardware. The communication interface can be
configured to connect with a network, external media, the display,
or any other components in system, or combinations thereof. The
connection with the network can be a physical connection, such as a
wired Ethernet connection or can be established wirelessly as
discussed below. In the case of a service provider server, the
service provider server can communicate with users through the
communication interface.
[0180] The computer-readable medium can be a single medium, or the
computer-readable medium can be a single medium or multiple media,
such as a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches
and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term
"computer-readable medium" can also include any medium that can be
capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for
execution by a processor or that can cause a computer system to
perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed
herein.
[0181] The computer-readable medium can include a solid-state
memory such as a memory card or other package that houses one or
more non-volatile read-only memories. The computer-readable medium
also may be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable
memory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium may include a
magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other
storage device to capture carrier wave signals such as a signal
communicated over a transmission medium. A digital file attachment
to an email or other self-contained information archive or set of
archives may be considered a distribution medium that may be a
tangible storage medium. The computer-readable medium is preferably
a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure may be
considered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium
or a distribution medium and other equivalents and successor media,
in which data or instructions can be stored.
[0182] Alternatively or in addition, dedicated hardware
implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits,
programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, may be
constructed to implement one or more of the methods described
herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of
various embodiments may broadly include a variety of electronic and
computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may
implement functions using two or more specific interconnected
hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals
that may be communicated between and through the modules, or as
portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.
Accordingly, the present system may encompass software, firmware,
and hardware implementations.
[0183] The methods described herein may be implemented by software
programs executable by a computer system. Further, implementations
may include distributed processing, component/object distributed
processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively or in addition,
virtual computer system processing may be constructed to implement
one or more of the methods or functionality as described
herein.
[0184] Although components and functions are described that may be
implemented in particular embodiments with reference to particular
standards and protocols, the components and functions are not
limited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards for
Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g.,
TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) represent examples of the state of
the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or
more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions.
Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same or
similar functions as those disclosed herein are considered
equivalents thereof.
[0185] The illustrations described herein are intended to provide a
general understanding of the structure of various embodiments. The
illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description
of all of the elements and features of apparatus, processors, and
systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein.
Many other embodiments can be apparent to those of skill in the art
upon reviewing the disclosure. Other embodiments can be utilized
and derived from the disclosure, such that structural and logical
substitutions and changes can be made without departing from the
scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the illustrations are merely
representational and cannot be drawn to scale. Certain proportions
within the illustrations may be exaggerated, while other
proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, the disclosure and the
figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than
restrictive.
[0186] The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered
illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are
intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other
embodiments, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the
description. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope
is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of
the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be
restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.
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