Abstract:
A process, system and computer implemented method for making and deploying a coupon through a network to a client achieved by first entering coupon data into a plurality of fields by an advertiser; transmitting the coupon data through the network to a web server device where it is then transmitted to a application server device, the application server device transforms the data into the coupon which is stored in a database, where it is stored until retrieved. The application server device retrieves the coupon when parameters defined by the web server device, application server device, or advertiser computer are met. The coupon is then deployed to the web server device where it is then deployed through the network to the customer/requestor within a geographical region defined by the advertiser.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/262,925, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED CREATION AND DEPLOYMENT OF A TARGETED ADVERTISEMENT” filed on Nov. 20, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention is an automated process, system and method for generating and deploying coupons that a company places in the system to motivate consumers to use or purchase the company&#39;s products or services, within a targeted area, and generally expire after a designated period of time. Furthermore the coupons are generally stored as images taking substantially greater memory than storing fields within a database, or memory device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention is an automated process, system and method for generating and deploying coupons. In one embodiment, the present invention generally relates to a method and automated system for making and deploying a coupon through a network. 
         [0004]    One aspect of the invention is a system, including one or more processors, for collecting coupon data for use in generating coupons, having an advertiser computer, a host, and a requestor computer. 
         [0005]    Another aspect of the invention is a system having a web server device, an application server device, and a database configured to store the coupon. Another aspect of the invention is a system having a means for uploading of an image. 
         [0006]    Another aspect of the invention is a system having a means for previewing an image. 
         [0007]    Another aspect of the invention is a system having a means for approving an image. 
         [0008]    Another aspect of the invention is a system having an advertiser module that transmits with the web server device. 
         [0009]    Another aspect of the invention is a system having a coupon template database. 
         [0010]    Another aspect of the invention is a method for creating and deploying a coupon through a network to a client interface comprising: entering coupon data into an advertiser computer; transmitting the coupon data from the advertiser computer through the network to a web server device; transmitting the coupon data from the web server device to an application server device; transforming the coupon data into the coupon by the application server device; storing the coupon in a database; requesting a coupon by the requestor computer; deploying the coupon from the database to the application server device; deploying the coupon from the application server device to the web server device; and deploying the coupon from the web server device through the network to the requestor computer. 
         [0011]    Another aspect of the invention is a method where the step of deploying the coupon to the requestor computer occurs within a geographical area defined by the advertiser computer. 
         [0012]    Another aspect of the invention is a method where the advertiser computer transmits a coupon through the network to the web server device. 
         [0013]    Another aspect of the invention is a method where the coupon is transmitted to a first client interface while another coupon is transmitted to a second client interface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system for making and deploying a coupon through a network to a client. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a more detailed embodiment of making and deploying a coupon through a network to a client by showing the screen flow for creating or editing the coupon. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a system for making and deploying a coupon through a network to a client where the display is detached from the client. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The preferred embodiment of this invention deploys a coupon or advertisement to a specific geographic region, generally by zip code, and the advertisement, expires after one calender of usage or deployability, i.e. the deal expires after one day. 
         [0018]    To aid in understanding aspects of the invention described herein, some terms used in this description are defined below. 
         [0019]    “Administrator” refers to a person or persons with administrator privileges to the application server device, the database, or web server device. 
         [0020]    “Advertiser” refers to a company, person, or entity issuing a coupon related to a product or service. 
         [0021]    “Browser” refers to an application that provides a user interface to the network, particularly if the network is the World Wide Web. 
         [0022]    “Client” refers to consumer or end user, the person or entity utilizing a coupon to obtain a discount on a product or service. 
         [0023]    “Coupon” refers to an image which may or may not be printed. The image depicts a product or service for which an advertising client wishes to stimulate purchase thereof. The coupon may offer a discount or other enticement to a (consumer) client. 
         [0024]    “Computer” refers to personal computers, workstations, servers, clients, mini computers, main-frame computers, laptop computers, a network of individual computers, mobile computers, palm-top computers, hand-held computers, tablet computers, digital text platforms, cell phones, smartphones, set top boxes for a television, interactive televisions, interactive kiosks, personal digital assistants, portable electronic devices, interactive wireless communications devices, mobile browsers, a digital text platform (such as Kindel®), or a combination thereof 
         [0025]    “Display” refers to a monitor, LCD, or other visual means for viewing information. The displays may be part of the client or detached from the client such as a computer monitor. 
         [0026]    “Field” refers to data within a single category that is either stored a database or used by an application server device, such as: 
         [0000]    Advertising client/Company name placing the coupon or advertisement (Display company information)
 
Type of Service or product(Category/Sub-Category)
 
Description of offering.
 
Detailed restrictions of coupon or advertisement
 
Discount percentage or
 
Discount amount
 
       Coupon or Advertisement Code 
       [0027]    Geographical Region for which the advertisement is to be sent.
 
Start date
 
Expiration date or Duration
 
Template (ready made templates are available for the advertiser to choose from)
 
         [0028]    “Geographic Region” refers generally to zip code, but can also be identified through IP address, street address and city or county and state, longitude/latitude, means of determining longitude/latitude, location determined by GEO-IP means, or location determined by triangulation based on means of timing between each of three or more known hubs or nodes. 
         [0029]    “Produce” refers to “produce an electronic image of a coupon that can printed or used in electronic format.” 
         [0030]    “Producing” refers to “producing an electronic image of a coupon that can be printed or used in electronic format.” The electronic image can be a data packet, or file which is capable of conversion into Such as, but not limited to a JPEG, BMP, TIFF, or the like. 
         [0031]    “Process or module” refers to a set of instructions implemented in software, firmware or hardware, including any type of programmed step undertaken by components of the system. 
         [0032]    “Template” refers to a layout to allow the advertising client to choose how the coupon is to be displayed. 
         [0033]    “Website” refers to one or more interrelated web page files and other files and programs on one or more web servers. The files and programs are accessible over a computer network, such as the Internet, by sending a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request specifying a uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies the location of one of the web page files. The files and programs may be owned, managed or authorized by a single business entity or an individual. Such files and programs can include, for example, hypertext markup language (HTML) files, common gateway interface (CGI) files, and Java applications. 
         [0034]    “Wireless Application Protocol” refers to a specification for a set of communication protocols to standardize the way that wireless devices, such as wireless phones and radio transceivers, are used for Internet access. 
         [0035]    In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0036]    The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. 
         [0037]    As used herein, a computer, including one or more computers comprising a web server, may be any microprocessor- or processor-controlled device or system that permits access to a network, including terminal devices, such as personal computers, workstations, servers, clients, mini computers, main-frame computers, laptop computers, a network of individual computers, mobile computers, palm-top computers, hand-held computers, tablet computers, digital text platforms, cell phones, smartphones, set top boxes for a television, interactive televisions, interactive kiosks, personal digital assistants, portable electronic devices, interactive wireless communications devices, mobile browsers, or a combination thereof. The computers may further possess input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, joystick, pen-input-pad, and output devices such as a computer screen and a printer. 
         [0038]    These computers may be uni-processor or multi-processor machines. 
         [0039]    Additionally, these computers include an addressable storage medium or computer accessible medium, such as random access memory (RAM), an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disks, floppy disks, laser disk players, digital video devices, compact disks, video tapes, audio tapes, magnetic recording tracks, electronic networks, and other techniques to transmit or store electronic content such as, by way of example, programs and data. In one embodiment, the computers are equipped with a network communication device, for example, without limitation, a network interface card, a cable modem, a wireless modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet card, or any other network connection device suitable for connecting to a networked communication medium. 
         [0040]    Wireless devices may implement browsers using the Wireless Application Protocol or other wireless modes. 
         [0041]    Furthermore, the computers execute an appropriate operating system such as Linux, Unix, Microsoft.RTM. Windows.RTM., Apple.RTM. MacOS.RTM., and IBM.RTM. OS/2.RTM.. As is convention, the appropriate operating system includes a communications protocol implementation which handles all incoming and outgoing message traffic passed over a network. In other embodiments, while different computers may employ different operating systems, the operating system will continue to provide the appropriate communications protocols necessary to establish communication links with a network. 
         [0042]    The computers may advantageously contain program logic, or other substrate configuration representing data and instructions, which cause the computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner as described herein. In one embodiment, the program logic may advantageously be implemented as one or more modules. Each of the modules may comprise various sub-routines, procedures, definitional statements and macros. Each of the modules is typically separately compiled and linked into a single executable program. Therefore, the description of each of the modules in this disclosure is used for convenience to describe the functionality of the preferred system. Thus, the processes that are performed by each of the modules may be arbitrarily redistributed to one of the other modules, combined together in a single module, or made available in, for example, a shareable dynamic link library. 
         [0043]    The modules may be configured to reside on the addressable storage medium and configured to execute on one or more processors. The modules can be, for example, without limitation, software or hardware components which perform certain tasks. Thus, a module may include, by way of example, components, such as, software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, Java byte codes, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. 
         [0044]    The present invention provides for a method and system for collecting coupon data  150  for use in creating and deploying a coupon  340  through a network  200 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the system is composed of a host  300  interfaced through, for example, without limitation, a network  200  to at least one advertiser computer  110  and at least one client computer  120 . 
         [0045]    The network  200  is any type of communication network  200  as is commonly known by one skilled in the field and as was described previously. The network  200  may be a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a public network such as the Internet, or a wireless network or any combination of such networks. The network  200  interconnection between the host  300  and the client may be accomplished using hard wired lines or through wireless Radio Frequency (RF) links. The various embodiments of the invention are not limited by the interconnection method used in the network  200  or the physical location of the host  300  or clients. 
         [0046]    The advertiser computer  110  receives input data from the advertiser and provides output data to the host  300 . The advertiser may be a company that wishes to offer a coupon  340  for a product or service to a consumer. The advertiser inputs the coupon data  150  into the advertiser computer  110  by entering coupon data  150  into a field of an advertiser module. The coupon data  150  is the information the advertiser desires to associate with or incorporate into the coupon  340 . The coupon data  150  can be, for example, without limitation, name of advertiser, type of coupon, company logo, company motto, type of service, type of product, category, sub-category, description of offering, detailed restrictions of coupon, discount percentage, discount amount, coupon code, start date, expiration date, duration of coupon, template identifier, or the like. In another embodiment, the system provides for a database of coupon templates that can be incorporated into the coupon  340 . The coupon template database is a library of files in the electronic form of TIFF, BMP, JPEG, or the like, that allows the advertiser to choose a desired template. 
         [0047]    The advertiser computer  110  also transmits the coupon data  150  to the web server device  310  through the network  200 . The advertiser computer  110  can interface with the host  300  through the network  200  using an interface module, for example, without limitation, a browser. The interface module implements the communication formatting and protocol necessary for communication over the network  200 . 
         [0048]    In one embodiment, the advertiser can upload an image of a coupon  340  into the advertiser module. In another embodiment, the advertiser can upload an image of a logo into the advertiser module to be embedded into a template. The advertiser module transmits the image or logo to the host  300  to be stored in the database  330 . 
         [0049]    The advertiser computer  110  implements an advertiser interface to receive input from the advertiser through, for example, without limitation, a keyboard or a mouse and to provide output to the advertiser in the form of coupon data  150 . The output may be in the form of an operating window displayed on a monitor that provides the advertiser with an image display and corresponding control menus that can be accessed using a keyboard, a mouse or other user interface devices. The output may display the coupon  340  by a category or subcategory. The advertiser interface allow the advertiser to edit or delete a coupon  340  that is stored on the database  330 . 
         [0050]    In the preferred embodiment, upon the input of the coupon data  150  into the advertiser computer  110 , the advertiser module allows the advertiser to preview and approve the incorporation of the coupon data  150  into the selected template, as it would appear to a client. Once the coupon  340  is approved by the advertiser, the coupon data  150  is transmitted to the host  300  to be stored. In one embodiment, the advertiser module participates in transmitting the coupon data  150  to the host  300 . 
         [0051]    Once the coupon data  150  has been entered into the advertiser module, the advertiser computer  110  transmits the coupon data  150  to the host  300  through the network  200 . The host  300  receives the transmitted coupon data  150  from the advertiser computer  110 , inputs the coupon data  150  into a coupon  340 , and stores the coupon  340  to be deployed at a later time period thereby generating dynamic content. The host  300  can be a computer including one or more processes or modules that may interface with various hardware devices on the computer. In the preferred embodiment, the host  300  can have a web server device  310 , an application server device  320 , and a database  330 . The web server device  310  is used to configure the host  300  as a web server device  310  thereby allowing the host  300  to receive the coupon data  150  from the advertiser computer  110 . In one embodiment, the web server device  310  can interface the host  300  with a plurality of advertiser computer  110   s  and a plurality of client computers  120 ,  130 ,  140  through the network  200 . The web server device  310  then transmits the coupon data  150  to the application server device  320 . The application server device  320  is a module that receives the coupon data  150  from the web server device  310 . The application server device  320  then transforms the coupon data  150  into a coupon  340  and stores the coupon  340  in the database  330  as static content, thus providing a record of the coupon  340  and allowing for the quick deployment by the application server device  320 . 
         [0052]    Upon storing the coupon  340 , a host  300  administrator inputs the advertiser&#39;s identifying information into the application server device  320 . The host  300  administrator then performs a background check of the advertiser. Upon proper verification, the advertiser is entered into the system thereby allowing said advertiser to activate their account. 
         [0053]    Once the advertiser&#39;s account is activated, the advertiser can generate coupons  340  to be distributed by the advertiser. The advertiser can obtain a coupon  340  in the following manner. The advertiser computer  110  receives a coupon  340  request from the advertiser and transmits the coupon  340  request to the web server device  310  through the network  200 . The web server device  310  transmits the request to the application server device  320  which deploys the coupon  340  from the database  330  to the web server device  310 . The web server device  310  deploys the coupon  340  to the advertiser computer  110  through the network  200  and the advertiser receives the coupon  340  from the advertiser computer  110 . 
         [0054]    Coupons  340  can be physical coupon made of paper or an electronic coupon that can be downloaded to a personal computer, a cell phone, a personal data assistant, liquid crystal display screen, a digital text platform, a portable electronic device, or the like. The host  300  may also incorporate other modules not directly allocated to establishing communications to the client. For example, an IP PROC may be included within the host  300  when the host  300  is configured to operate over, for example, the Internet. The IP PROC is used to communicate the host&#39;s  300  Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP PROC is particularly useful when the host&#39;s  300  IP address is dynamic and changes each time the host  300  initially connects to the network  200 . In one embodiment, the IP PROC at the host  300  works in conjunction with a Domain Name System (DNS) host  300  server connected to the network  200  to allow clients to locate and establish a connection to the host  300  even though the host  300  has a dynamic IP address. 
         [0055]    The host  300  implements a host  300  interface to receive input from an administrator through, for example, without limitation, a keyboard or a mouse and to provide output to the administrator in the form of coupon data  150 . The output may be in the form of an operating window displayed on a monitor that provides the user with an image display and corresponding control menus that can be accessed using a keyboard, a mouse or other user interface devices. The host  300  interface allows the administrator to edit or delete any coupon  340  in the system. 
         [0056]    In one embodiment, the host  300  is implemented on a personal computer. The host  300  process is stored as a collection of instructions that are stored in the personal computer. The instructions may be stored in memory, such as Read-Only Memory (ROM) or Random Access Memory (RAM), a hard disk, a floppy disk to be used in conjunction with a floppy disk drive, or a combination of storage devices. The instructions are executed in the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and are accessed through a bus coupling the storage devices to the CPU. The bus can include at least one address bus and one data bus, although multiple buses may also be used. Host  300  input is coupled to the personal computer through a keyboard, a mouse or other user input device. Images are displayed to the user through a monitor that receives signals from a video controller. 
         [0057]    The connection from the host  300  to the network  200  may be made, for example, without limitation, using a network  200  interface card, a cable modem, a wireless modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet card, or any other network  200  connection device suitable for connecting to a networked communication medium. 
         [0058]    The client computer  120  can interface with the host  300  through the network  200  using an interface module, for example, without limitation, a browser. The browser implements the communication formatting and protocol necessary for communication over the network  200 . The client computer  120  can have one or more process or modules. The client computer  120  is typically capable of two-way communications with the host  300 . The two-way link allows the client computer  120  to send information as well as receive information. A TCP/IP socket operating system module running on the host  300  allows the host  300  to establish sockets for communication between the host  300  and the client computer  120 . 
         [0059]    The client can obtain a coupon  340  in the following manner. The client computer  120  receives a coupon  340  request from the client and transmits the coupon  340  request to the web server device  310  through the network  200 . The web server device  310  transmits the request to the application server device  320  which deploys the coupon  340  from the database  330  to the web server device  310  when data parameters defined by the advertiser computer  110 , web server device  310 , or the application server device  320  are met. The web server device  310  deploys the coupon  340  to the client computer  120  through the network  200  and the client receives the coupon  340  from the client computer  120 . 
         [0060]    The client computer  120  implements a client interface to receive input from the client and send output to the client. The input of the client interface may be, for example, without limitation, in the form of a keyboard, a mouse, or other user interface devices. The output of the client interface may be for example, without limitation, in the form of an operating window displayed on a monitor that provides the advertiser with an image display and corresponding control menus that can be accessed using a keyboard, a mouse, or other user interface devices. 
         [0061]    The client computer  120  can be a remote hardware system that is also connected to the network  200 . The client may be configured to run a Java-enabled browser. The browser allows the user to look at and interact with the information provided on the World Wide Web. A variety of commercially available browsers are available for computers. Similarly, compact browsers are available for use in portable devices such as wireless phones and personal digital assistants. The features available in the browser may be limited by the available processing, memory, and display capabilities of the hardware device running the browser. 
         [0062]    The foregoing has described the principles, embodiments, and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments described above, as they should be regarded as being illustrative and not as restrictive. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0063]    Modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.