Patent ID: 9721262
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: G06Q

Claim:
1. A method of providing an incentive to a consumer from a merchant for a good or service provided by the merchant and adapted to be purchased by the consumer, comprising the steps of: providing a merchant electronic computing device in connection with the Internet; defining a first geographic region and a second geographic region with the merchant electronic computing device, the second geographic region being within the first geographic region, tracking a location of at least one consumer, the at least one consumer having a mobile device that is connected to a mobile network and has geographical location tracking means, wherein the location of the at least one consumer is tracked via the geographical location tracking means of the at least one consumers mobile device, and defining an incentive using the merchant electronic computing device, the incentive including a value and an expiry, wherein the incentive expires within approximately two hours; activating the incentive by the merchant using the merchant electronic computing device, wherein activating the incentive causes the incentive and a visual element of an acceptance option to be displayed on the screen of the mobile device that is connected to the mobile network if, in tracking the mobile device, the mobile device is located within the first geographic region and not within the second geographic region; wherein said incentive is configured to be accepted by the at least one consumer when the at least one consumer selects the visual element of the acceptance option displayed on the screen of the mobile device; sending an acceptance notification from the mobile device to the merchant electronic computing device when said acceptance option is selected by the at least one consumer, further wherein notification of the at least one consumer's acceptance of said incentive having an expiration within approximately two hours provides the merchant knowledge that the at least one consumer intends to travel to the merchant within approximately two hours; sending an acceptance voucher from the merchant electronic computing device to the mobile device and displaying the acceptance voucher on the screen of the mobile device when the acceptance option is selected by the at least one consumer, said acceptance voucher redeemable at the merchant for the good or service of the merchant for the value of the incentive prior to the expiry of the incentive by physically presenting the acceptance voucher shown on the screen of the mobile device; and deactivating the incentive at the server using the merchant electronic computing device wherein deactivating the incentive causes a change to the incentive on the display of the mobile device to indicate that the incentive is inactive.