Abstract:
A method of aggregating consumer reward data. The consumer reward data is generated from a consumer visiting a website. The method includes receiving a request from a consumer to maintain consumer reward data in a data warehouse. Web reward token information is received from a website operator following a visit to the website by the consumer. A request to redeem consumer rewards for goods/services is generated.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]    Reward programs provide a mechanism to incentivise consumers to purchase products from particular vendors. 
         [0002]    Current reward programs are typically based on receiving reward coupons for purchasing products from multiple vendors. Families, civic organizations, schools and other groups then pool or combine their coupons to redeem them for merchandise. 
         [0003]    Some internet based rewards programs are based on buying merchandise or services from individual vendors. Reward points are valid only for an individual merchant. Such prior techniques do not permit the pooling of reward points for groups. 
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]    Described below is a method of aggregating consumer reward data The consumer reward data is generated from a consumer visiting a website. The method includes receiving a request from a consumer to maintain consumer reward data in a data warehouse. Web reward token information is received from a website operator following a visit to the website by the consumer. A request to redeem consumer rewards for goods/services is generated 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows an example system suitable for handling consumer reward data. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows an example user table. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows an example group table. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  shows a preferred form token table. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  shows an example product table. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  shows a preferred form user interface to permit a user to create a new identity. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  shows a preferred form joined group interface. 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  shows a preferred form administration interface. 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  shows a further administrator interface. 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  shows a change administrator user interface. 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  shows a preferred form user interface permitting groups to redeem goods. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows an example system  100  suitable for consumer reward data in accordance with techniques described below. System  100  includes a plurality of users  105   1 . . . N . Each user  105  operates a networked computing device that is interfaced to one or more data networks  110 . Using data networks  110  individual users  105  access one or more websites  115   1 . . . M . The techniques described below provide benefits to the user  105  for visiting or accessing a particular website  115 . 
         [0017]    The system includes a data warehouse  120 . A suitable data warehouse is described below. Within the data warehouse  120  is maintained a plurality of data tables which are further described below. Individual users  105  access an identity manager component  125 . The identity manager component  125  provides user interface screens to an individual user. These interface screens include the functionality to create user  130 , join a group  135  and administer tokens  140 . 
         [0018]    System  100  includes a group manager component  150 . Group manager component  150  provides further user interface screens to enable a group administrator to create a group  155 , change administrator for an individual group  160  and redeem tokens  165 . 
         [0019]    System  100  further includes a transaction manager component  170  that stores details of tokens generated from the interaction of users  105  with websites  115 . 
         [0020]    Some of the users  105  are organized into individual groups. For example users  105   1 ,  105   2  and 105 3  are members of group  180 . Users  105   3  and  105   4  are members of a further group  185 . Examples of individual groups include family members, club members, school members and so on. 
         [0021]    Individual user details are stored in a user table in data warehouse  120 . An example user table is shown in  FIG. 2 . An example user table  200  is created using a create table command in SQL. An example command is set out below: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 CREATE TABLE user ( 
               
               
                   
                    Name VARCHAR(20), 
               
               
                   
                    Email VARCHAR(50), /*unique throughout system*/ 
               
               
                   
                    Mailing _address Address_UDT, 
               
               
                   
                    Assign_future_tokens BOOLEAN /* TRUE if future tokens 
               
               
                   
                    automatically assigned to group*/ 
               
               
                   
                    Group_id INTEGER, /* Group this user currently 
               
               
                   
                    associated with */ 
               
               
                   
                    Redemmed INTEGER, /* Total token transactions 
               
               
                   
                    redeemed */ 
               
               
                   
                    Available INTEGER /* Total token transactions 
               
               
                   
                    available */ 
               
               
                   
                    ); 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0022]    A preferred form table  100  includes a user name  205  for example Max, Terry or Jerry. Each user has an email address  210  that is unique throughout system  100 . Each user optionally includes a mailing address  215 . Individual users include a group indentifier  220  indicating a group to which the user belongs. There is a Boolean value  225  associated with each user as to whether or not that user assigns future tokens to the group of which they are a member. 
         [0023]    Table  200  also includes an integer value  230  representing the number of tokens redeemed or assigned/transferred to another group and the number of tokens  235  still available to that user. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows an example group table  300  stored in data warehouse  120 . The group table  300  includes a group name  305  for example UCSD, SDSU or USNA. Each group includes one user that is designated as an administrator of the group. The group table  300  includes admin email  310  identifying the current group administrator email and password  315 . The group table optionally includes a redeemed value  320  representing the number of tokens already redeemed by this group and an available number  325  indicating the number of tokens currently available for redemption by the group. 
         [0025]    Set out below is a preferred create table statement for the group table. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 CREATE TABLE group ( 
               
               
                   
                    Group VARCHAR(30), /* participating group */ 
               
               
                   
                    Admin UDT_Admin, /* email identifying current group 
               
               
                   
                    administer &amp; password */ 
               
               
                   
                    Address UDT_Address, /* Mailing address where 
               
               
                   
                    products will be sent */ 
               
               
                   
                    Redemmed INTEGER, /* # of tokens already redeemed by 
               
               
                   
                    this group */ 
               
               
                   
                    Available INTEGER /* # of tokens currently available 
               
               
                   
                    for redemption by this group */ 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows a preferred form token table  400 . As users  105  interact with websites  115  the website operators associated with an individual website  115  transmit data to the data warehouse and transaction manager indicating the user who visited the website and the number of tokens generated from that visit. The preferred form token table includes a website identifier  405  representing the participating website that was visited, the date  410  the token was earned and a user ID  415  representing the user that earned the token. 
         [0027]    A transaction_token table is generated by the following create table statement. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 CREATE TABLE transaction_token ( 
               
               
                   
                    Web_site VARCHAR(30), /* Name of participating web 
               
               
                   
                    site */ 
               
               
                   
                    Web_site_id INTEGER, /*unique throughout system per 
               
               
                   
                    participating web site */ 
               
               
                   
                    Date DATE, /* Date the token was earned */ 
               
               
                   
                    User_id INTEGER /* registered user who earned this 
               
               
                   
                    token */ 
               
               
                   
                    ); 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0028]    As described above it is envisaged that groups redeem consumer rewards in the form of tokens for products. Details of available products are stored as shown in  FIG. 5  in a product table  500 . The product table  500  includes a merchant name  505 , a product identifier  510 , a product description  515  and the cost or number of tokens required  520  to redeem the product. 
         [0029]    The preferred form product table  500  is generated by the following create table statement. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 CREATE TABLE product ( 
               
               
                   
                    Merchant VARCHAR(20), 
               
               
                   
                    Product_id INTEGER, 
               
               
                   
                    Description VARCHAR(20), 
               
               
                   
                    Tokens INTEGER /* tokens required to redeem product 
               
               
                   
                    */ 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0030]    In use a user signs up with the system using the create user interface  130 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a preferred form user interface  600  as presented to a user to enable the user to sign up to the system. The user enters for example names  605 , email  610 , and mailing address  615 . By entering this data the user submits a request to maintain consumer reward data in the data warehouse. 
         [0031]    Once the user has registered with the system the user is able to join a group using the join group interface  135 .  FIG. 7  shows a preferred form join group interface  700 . The user enters their user ID  705  and a password  710  together with the group  715  with which the user wishes to be associated. It is preferred that the group is selected from a list of available groups. 
         [0032]    If the user joins a group the user is asked whether they wish to transfer  720  any tokens to this group. In one embodiment the user specifies a number of tokens greater than or equal to zero. If so the user is asked how many tokens to transfer. The user is also asked to specify whether the user wishes to assign  725  all future tokens to this group. 
         [0033]    The system validates the user ID and password against the details stored in the data warehouse  120 . The system further validates that the group identifier specified by the user matches an existing group identifier. Following validation a secondary screen containing the group name in human readable format is presented to the user. The secondary screen asks the user to confirm the transaction. 
         [0034]    If the number of tokens to transfer is specified as a number greater than zero the system validates that the user has that many tokens available. If so, the appropriate number of tokens are transferred to the group. The users&#39; available token amount is reduced and the redeemed or transferred value is increased by that amount. 
         [0035]    If the user has set the Assign Future Tokens field  725  to true then all future tokens earned by this user are automatically transferred to the associated group. On the other hand if Assign Future Tokens is false then all future tokens earned by this user are maintained in an individual user account. 
         [0036]    It is expected that a user access the join group interface to belong to as many groups as the user wishes. However it is expected that there will be restrictions on assigning future tokens. In one form a user may have this option set for only one group. In another form the user may be able to specify the assigned future tokens to more than one group. As the user generates tokens each group is allocated a share or proportion of the tokens if they have been nominated as a group to which future tokens are to be assigned. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  shows a preferred form interface  800  to enable a user to administer user tokens. The user enters a user ID  805  and password  810 . The user then enters a group identifier  815  in the same manner as that described above. The user specifies a group and enters details such as that described above for transferring tokens  820  to the nominated group or assigning future tokens  825  to the nominated group. 
         [0038]    After validating the user ID and password the system validates that the group identifier matches an existing group identifier as described above. 
         [0039]      FIG. 9  shows a preferred form interface  900  presented to a group administrator by group manager component  150 . Interface  900  permits a user to enter the name of a group  905 , an administrator identifier  910  and administrator password  915 . 
         [0040]    After verifying that the administrator identifier is valid and that the existing user and password matches the current user, the system creates a new entry in the group table stored in data warehouse  120 . When a group is created the redeemed tokens field and available tokens fields are initialized to zero. 
         [0041]      FIG. 10  shows a preferred form interface  1000  that permits an administrator to be changed. The user enters the name of the group  1005 , a current administrator identifier  1010  and a current administrator password  1015 . 
         [0042]    The user interface permits a user to enter a new administrator identifier  120  and a new administrator password  1025 . 
         [0043]    The system verifies that the administrator identifier matches the existing administrator ID and password. 
         [0044]    The system validates that the new administrator ID matches an existing user and that the new password matches that user. On validation the identifier and password of the group administrator is updated. 
         [0045]    The system further permits a group manager component to redeem tokens through a redeemed tokens interface  165 . A preferred form interface  1100  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The group administrator enters a group identifier  1105  and password  1110 . The user also specifies a product identifier  1115 . The product identifier uniquely details of products stored either in data warehouse  120  or on servers associated with websites  115 . A product identifier uniquely identifies an individual product within system  100 . 
         [0046]    After validating a group identifier and password, a secondary screen brings up product information on the selected product. The user is asked to identify shipping information and approve purchase using the specified number of tokens. Upon approval the specified number of tokens is subtracted from the group record and an email sent on the product is then shipped. 
         [0047]    Participants use reward tokens to redeem merchandise and/or services from multiple vendors. This merchandise is not just from those websites the participant has visited. Therefore creating greater incentive to visit participating websites. 
         [0048]    Participants are able to create groups and to pool or combine their reward tokens. Therefore they are pooling their redemption power. This creates greater incentive for people to use participating websites. 
         [0049]    Online redemption of reward token is simple, private, secure and of the convenience of the consumer. 
         [0050]    Information about each consumer and participating groups can be data mined from the rewards that they select. 
         [0051]    The text above describes one or more specific embodiments of a broader invention. The invention also is carried out in a variety of alternative embodiments and thus is not limited to those described here. Those other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims.