Groupon, Inc.

Bytedance Inc.

Ruslan Gilfanov

David Thacker

Pete Prokopowicz

John Mark Nickels

Jeffrey Alan Holden

Jeff Ayars

Dan Roarty

Jeff Holden

Ian McIntyre Silber

Amit Aggarwal

Daniel M Roarty

Andrew Mason

Anthony Caliendo

David Hoover

Jordan Fulghum

Eric Vadon

Jeffrey M Ayars

John M Nickels

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed to improve generation of electronic communications. The method may provide a plurality of content slots each configured to receive content, the content comprising at least one of promotion content or non-promotion content. The method may also include maintaining a database comprising a plurality of promotion content generators and non-promotion content generators, and determining, using a processor, one of the plurality of promotion content generators or non-promotion content generators for respectively supplying corresponding promotion content or non-promotion content to each of the plurality of content slots. The determining the one of the plurality of promotion content generators or non-promotion content generators may include determining selection parameters, and scoring the plurality of promotion content generators and non-promotion content generators based at least in part on the selection parameters.

Method and apparatus for generating an electronic communication

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed to improve generation of electronic communications. The method may include providing a plurality of content slots each configured to receive content. The method may also include maintaining a database comprising a plurality of content generators, and determining, using a processor, one of the plurality of content generators for providing content to each of the plurality of content slots. The determining the one of the plurality of promotion content generators or non-promotion content generators may include providing a first content generator of the plurality of content generators with a set of selection parameters, and receiving a first bid for one of the plurality of content slots from the first content generator. The first content generator may determine the bid based at least in part on the set of selection parameters. The method may also include assigning the first content generator to the one of the plurality of content slots based on the bid.

The pull-type searching system provides an effective and efficient way to navigate deals and assist the user in identifying a deal for selection. The pull-type searching system further enables identification of one or more alternative deals to present to the user when no deals are identified for the selected search criteria. The pull-type searching system includes a method and apparatus. The method includes communicating ordered selectable search criteria, the search criteria including one or more categories, subcategories and deal types based on a user profile or available deals, or redemption goals. The method further includes receiving a selection from the search criteria and searching a deals database for results associated with the selection. Further, the method includes communicating the results associated with the selection, one or more alternative categories, or one or more alternative deals. A similar apparatus is provided.

Pull-type searching system

A deal program life cycle system and method is disclosed. The deal program life cycle may oversee the issuance of deals from a deal program to consumers over the life cycle of the deal program. One or more aspects of the deal program may change during different periods of the life cycle of the deal program. For example, the deal program may include deal features, a number of units for deals, and relevance features for the deal program. The deal features, number of units of deals, and/or relevance features for the deal program may change during the different periods of the life cycle.

Deal program life cycle

A sales enhancement system and method is disclosed. The sales enhancement system is configured to use one or more deal program collections, which are groupings or compilations of deal programs. The sales enhancement system manages deal programs in the deal program collections at various stages of use including: associating a deal program with multiple deal program collections; determining the number of deals to assign to the different deal programs; using triggers to select which deal program collections to access; transmitting an offer for a deal; and processing acceptances of the offers.

Sales enhancement system

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Ruslan Gilfanov