Groupon, Inc.

Hoozware, Inc.

Netergy Microelectronics, Inc.

Paul C Ning

James F Kramer

Bryan R Martin

Paul A Voois

Katherine Wang Kwan

Barry Dean Andrews

May Shu-Pei Chiang

Stephane Bryant

Ruili Hu

A system can determine that a mobile device, located at a physical place of business transmits a first electronic communication for redemption of an electronic offer at the physical place of business. The system can further detect a second electronic communication transmitted from the mobile device, which indicates a first identifier. The first identifier can be associated with a verifier of the electronic offer (e.g., a staff member) at the physical place of business. The system can further determine, based on analysis of the first identifier, a second identifier (e.g., contact data, a telephone number, etc.), that corresponds to the verifier, without providing the second identifier to the mobile device. The system can further electronically transmit, utilizing the second identifier, a third electronic communication that indicates information about the redemption of the electronic offer.

Verification of redemption of an electronic offer

An information source, such as an advertiser or product vendor, transfers information to contacts for which the information source has no contact data. The information source stores information in an information database which communicates the information to a referrer which has the desired contact data. The referrer uses a communication device to transfer the information to one or more contacts using contact data.

Electronically referring a contact without divulging contact data

Product vendors are provided with a system for performing a marketing campaign to mobile communication device users, providing offers as instruments, such as digital coupons, to a selected group of users of the mobile communication devices and validating the integrity of the instruments. The invention has two phases: the selection of the components of the instrument from a menu provided by a social networking organization; and validating the instrument upon redemption from the product vendor. In the first phase, the product vendor selects elements from the menu relevant to the campaign, such as timing, nature of the offer, targeting of the recipients, etc. In the second phase, the instrument is encoded as to the marketing campaign and an arbitrary designation which initiates a pattern as the instrument is redeemed. The product vendor inspects the instrument to ensure that the encoding is correct during the redemption process.

System for marketing campaign specification and secure digital coupon redemption

Various systems are provided herein. One example system configured to receive a first electronic communication indicative of an electronic business transaction and GPS data of a mobile device, classify, via at least one statistical classification technique, a first member account associated with the mobile device as a venue candidate or a product candidate, determine a secondary venue, electronically select a promotional offer associated with a first business in accordance with the classification to the venue candidate or product candidate, the electronic selection comprising real-time monitoring of metrics associated with each of a plurality of businesses, and determining that a particular metric associated with the first business meets a pre-defined threshold identified by the first member account, and transmit, in real time, a second electronic communication indicative of the promotional offer and a particular venue at which redemption is to occur to the mobile device after electronically determining the promotional offer.

System for providing a service to venues where people perform transactions

A system, method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing for identifying mobile devices and transmitting electronic messages to the mobile devices. An exemplary method comprises receiving input defining a target demographic category of user profiles to which to direct an electronic message and a target location category that defines a tracked location pattern that, upon being satisfied, results in transmission of the electronic message, receiving GPS device locations from a communication device, identifying a user profile associated with the communications device, determining that the user profile is classified to the target demographic category, determining that the tracked location pattern is satisfied, and upon determining that the user profile is classified to the target demographic category of user profiles, and the tracked location pattern is satisfied, causing transmission of the electronic message indicative of the particular offer to the at least one mobile communication device.

A referrer device configured to perform operations such as detecting an electronic request to provide information from an information source to a contact communication device. The contact data for a contact associated with the contact communication device is accessible by the referrer device. However, the contact data is not accessible by the information source. The operations can further include encoding a referral container file with programming instructions configured to, upon execution by a processor of the contact communication device, cause the contact communication device to electronically request the information from the information source via a communications network without providing the contact data to the information source. The operations can further include embedding the referral container file in an electronic message and transmitting, via a network communication interface of the referrer device, the electronic message to the contact communication device.

The subject invention provides an information source, such as an advertiser or product vendor, with a method for transferring information to contacts for which the information source has no contact data. The information source stores information in an information database which communicates the information to a referrer which has the desired contact data. The referrer uses a communication device to transfer the information to one or more contacts using contact data.

Method for providing information to contacts without being given contact data

Systems and methods are presented for providing mobile alerts to members of a social network upon the occurrence of certain trigger events related to the social network, including member-trigger events, venue-trigger events, and other-trigger events. A member may select and edit their own mobile-alert settings that determine which events are trigger events. The member may enable or disable all their mobile alerts using a single action, such as toggling a digital button on their phone screen. A data processor receives indication of, or determines occurrence of, a trigger event. The data processor then determines whether to communicate a mobile alert to the member based on the member's mobile-alert settings. The alert may be communicated to the member's mobile communication device, such as a mobile phone, using a variety of convenient means, such as a text message or Push Notification.

Growing community of inventors

Foster City, CA, United States of America

Paul C Ning