American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Propulsion Remote Holdings, LLC

Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company

Theodore S Voltmer

Fauziah B Ariff

Donna A Antonucci

Fred Alan Bishop

Trey Neemann

Michel P Zeisser

Joseph Fernandes

John Hayes

Kendall Sneddon

Christine D Ciccarone

Scott M Greenhut

Jason Ewell

Johnson Lam

Joanne Zaiac

Laura Lang

Seraq Bharwani

Elizabeth Hilton Segel

Julia Menichilli

Penelope Wood-Kulko

Perry A Cohagan

Birgitta Mayer

Seraj Bharwani

Elizabeth Hilton Segal

Elts De Boer

Glyn Philip Jackson

Samuel Martin Ramsey

Mark Haines

Raymond R Ferrell

This disclosure provides a loyalty program on a network-wide level. Embodiments may associate UPC and SKU data on a network level to reward consumers and/or to analyze the data for a variety of business purposes, such as market segmentation analyzes and/or analyzes relating to consumer spending behaviors or patterns, for example. In accordance with one embodiment, the network may comprise any number of participants, including consumers (such as primary and supplementary members of an aggregate consumer account), retailers (e.g. including any of their employees), manufacturers, third-party providers, and the like. In accordance with one embodiment, this disclosure enables participation by supplementary members who are associated with a primary member and, in this manner, facilitates the tracking of supplementary member purchasing behavior, reward points earning behavior, and reward points redemption behavior.

System and method for networked loyalty program

Consumers may utilize computing devices to assist in the purchase and/or loyalty process, and in particular, the consumer may utilize a PDA to facilitate the purchase and/or loyalty process. During the purchase and/or loyalty process, the consumer may need to insure that any content downloaded or used in association with the PDA is secure in how it is collected, assembled, and delivered to the PDA device. This system and method secures the data from its source to when it is actually viewed or used by the authorized user. The exemplary system and method may establish a PDA portal link to the web site for collecting specified information for a user and transmitting the information to the remote device. To receive the information, the PDA contacts the portal and establishes a connection, authenticates itself to the network and allows the user to complete secured transactions or transmissions over the network.

System and method for securing data through a PDA portal

A system and method for implementing a merchant loyalty program is disclosed. The invention includes receiving purchase data, wherein the purchase data comprises a consumer account code, a purchase amount, and a service establishment code; associating the service establishment code with a merchant proprietor rewards account code; calculating a reward amount based on the purchase amount; and, crediting a merchant proprietor reward account with at least a portion of said reward amount.

System and method for a merchant loyalty system

The present invention provides a system for implementing a loyalty program on a network-wide level. The system associates UPC and SKU data on a network level to reward consumers and/or to analyze the data for a variety of business purposes, such as market segmentation analysis and/or analysis relating to consumer spending behaviors or patterns, for example. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the network may comprise any number of participants, including consumers (such primary and supplementary members of an aggregate consumer account), retailers (and any of their employees), manufacturers, third-party providers, and the like. In accordance with one aspect, the system enables participation by supplementary members who are associated with a primary member and, in this manner, facilitates the tracking of supplementary member purchasing behavior, reward points earning behavior, and reward points redemption behavior. In accordance with another aspect, the system permits instant enrollment of consumers at a retailer point-of-sale using information that the retailer has previously gathered from the consumer. In accordance with another aspect, the system facilitates the compilation of a purchaser profile, which may be used for a variety of purposes, including various types of marketing analysis.

A system for implementing a loyalty program on a network-wide level is disclosed. The system associates UPC and SKU data on a network level to reward consumers and/or to analyze the data for a variety of business purposes, such as market segmentation analyses and/or analyses relating to consumer spending behaviors or patterns for example. The association of UPC and SKU data by the system facilitates implementation of an incentive or loyalty program by providing a universal rewards currency. This universal rewards currency may be 'spent' by participants who have earned rewards and accepted by the other participants in the multi-tiered network created by the system. The network may comprise any number of participants, including consumers, retailers (and any of their employees), manufacturers, third-party providers, and the like.

The invention includes an improved system and method for creating, distributing and storing vouchers. The method includes a loyalty system obtaining a loyalty card account having a unique identifier and loyalty points associated therewith, accessing a loyalty database utilizing the unique identifier, converting at least a portion of the loyalty points to a first value associated with a first merchant, saving the first value in a first database associated with the loyalty card, converting at least a portion of the loyalty points to a second value associated with a second merchant, saving the second value along with other voucher information as an electronic voucher in a second database associated with the loyalty card, redeeming the first value at a first merchant and redeeming the electronic voucher at a second merchant.

System and method for redeeming vouchers

The invention facilitates pooling, gifting or transferring of geographic area loyalty points between accounts. The invention also facilitates a transfer of geographic area loyalty points from a consumer account associated with a sponsoring company to a consumer account associated with a host company. The invention may also facilitate gifting of loyalty points to charitable organizations on a recurring basis, wherein the gifting may transfer any portion of geographic based points to various charities. The system may also convert the geographic area loyalty points to a monetary value, thereby allowing the points to be donated to a charity such that the donation appears to be a monetary value donation to the charity.

Point pooling loyalty system and method

The present invention provides a system for implementing a loyalty program on a network-wide level. The system associates UPC and SKU data on a network level to reward consumers and/or to analyze the data for a variety of business purposes, such as market segmentation analyses and/or analyses relating to consumer spending behaviors or patterns for example. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the association of UPC and SKU data by the system facilitates implementation of an incentive or loyalty program by providing a universal rewards currency. This universal rewards currency may be 'spent' by participants who have earned rewards and accepted by the other participants in the multi-tiered network created by the system. The network may comprise any number of participants, including consumers, retailers (and any of their employees), manufacturers, third-party providers, and the like. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the association of UPC and SKU data by the system facilitates data analysis on a network level based upon several factors, including a consumer ID, consumer profile, retailer ID, SKU number, UPC, manufacturer ID, and/or the like. The system may compile any of the above data across multiple entities for the purpose of data analysis, such as analyses which may be employed in strategic planning and marketing for example.

The invention includes facilitating the substantially real-time transfer of loyalty points between accounts. The method and system include receiving a transfer request (e.g., consumer request, triggering event, etc) for a transfer of a certain number of loyalty points, accessing and analyzing the total number of loyalty points in the transferor account to determine if a sufficient number of points exist, analyzing the type/level of consumer and type/level of points to be involved in the transfer, deducting the requested loyalty points from the transferor account, determining if any rules exist for restricting or limiting the transfer of points, using a conversion engine to convert the point value to an appropriate point value in the transferee account and increasing the point balance in the transferee account.

System and method for the real-time transfer of loyalty points between accounts

The present invention provides a system for implementing a loyalty program on a network-wide level. The system associates UPC and SKU data on a network level to reward consumers and/or to analyze the data for a variety of business purposes, such as market segmentation analyses and/or analyses relating to consumer spending behaviors or patterns, for example. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the network may comprise any number of participants, including consumers (such primary and supplementary members of an aggregate consumer account), retailers (and any of their employees), manufacturers, third-party providers, and the like. In accordance with one aspect, the system enables participation by supplementary members who are associated with a primary member and, in this manner, facilitates the tracking of supplementary member purchasing behavior, reward points earning behavior, and reward points redemption behavior. In accordance with another aspect, the system permits instant enrollment of consumers at a retailer point-of-sale using information that the retailer has previously gathered from the consumer. In accordance with another aspect, the system facilitates the compilation of a purchaser profile, which may be used for a variety of purposes, including various types of marketing analyses.

Consumers may utilize computing devices to assist in the purchase and/or loyalty process, and in particular, the consumer may utilize a PDA to facilitate the purchase and/or loyalty process. During the purchase and/or loyalty process, the consumer may need to insure that any content downloaded or used in association with the PDA is secure in how it is collected, assembled, and delivered to the PDA device. This system and method secures the data from its source to when it is actually viewed or used by the authorized user. The PDA may have direct access to an Internet web site portal that offers secure personal content from a content provider, such as, for example, an on-line banking or financial institution. Using the web site portal, the content provider may offer personal or confidential data, such as financial information, to PDA users in a secure (e.g., encrypted) environment. The exemplary system and method may establish a PDA portal link to the web site for collecting specified information for a user and transmitting the information to the remote device. To receive the information, the PDA contacts the portal and establishes a connection, authenticates itself to the network and allows the user to complete secured transactions or transmissions over the network.

Consumers may utilize computing devices to assist in the purchase and/or loyalty process, and in particular, the consumer may utilize a PDA to facilitate the purchase and/or loyalty process. During the purchase and/or loyalty process, the consumer may need to insure that any content downloaded or used in association with the PDA is secure in how it is collected, assembled, and delivered to the PDA device. This system and method secures the data from its source to when it is actually viewed or used by the authorized user. The PDA may have direct access to an Internet web site portal that offers secure personal content from a content provider, such as, for example, an on-line banking or financial institution. Using the web site portal, the content provider may offer personal or confidential data, such as financial information, to PDA users in a secure (e.g., encrypted) environment. The exemplary system and method may establish a PDA portal link to the web site for collecting specified information for a user and transmitting the information to the remote device. To receive the information, the PDA contacts the portal and establishes a connection, authenticates itself to the network, and allows the user to complete secured transactions or transmissions over the network.

The invention facilitates a loyalty system which is associated with pre-determined geographic locations and/or services and goods offered in a specific geographic area. The system is configured with one product platform with a modularized approach to facilitate the development of market specific rewards and communication materials. The loyalty points may be earned within a specific geographic location, then redeemed in one geographic location, a subset of locations or without restrictions. Similarly, the loyalty points may be earned in one geographic location, a subset of locations or without restrictions, then redeemed only in a specific geographic location. The geographic features of the system may be implemented using existing data that is associated with geographic areas such as, for example, zip codes, retailer identification codes, service establishment codes and/or the like. The geographic area information may be associated with the consumer, merchant, processing system and/or any other part of the overall system.

Growing community of inventors

Caldwell, NJ, United States of America

Theodore S Voltmer