| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 705140240 | Based on inventory | 34 |
| 20100106588 | DISPLAY SYSTEM - A display system | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100153203 | TECHNOLOGY MIGRATION PROGRAM - A program by which retailers offer customers an exchange of older technology for newer technology. The older technology and newer technology have a common characteristic that facilitates the retailer to give the customer the newer technology for a reduced cost. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100223118 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING MULTI-FUNCTION CARDS FOR STORING, MANAGING AND AGGREGATING REWARD POINTS - A system and method for operating a reward points accumulation and redemption program wherein a user earns reward points from a plurality of independent reward points issuing entities, with each tracking the user's earned reward points in a user reward point account stored on a multi-function card (such as a frequent flyer account or a credit card loyalty account). The multi-function card is adapted to aggregate some or all of the user's earned reward points from the reward accounts and credit the aggregated points into a single reward exchange account on the multi-function card. The user may then select an item for purchase with the accumulated reward points from the multi-function card. The item is provided to the user in exchange for a subset or all of the reward points from the multi-function card. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100228616 | WIRELESS SUBSCRIBER LOYALTY SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system and method are disclosed for providing a complete architectural and procedural solution to wireless subscriber loyalty issues. A flexible promotion creation environment allows mobile phone operators to rapidly create and deploy various incentive programs and other such loyalty schemes; together with a data mining and profiling method for tracking, monitoring and analysing subscriber (or aggregate) usage information associated with given promotions. The proposed data mining and profiling method purposely incents specific subscriber behaviors by triggering a point-based reward scheme based on the dynamic screening of event records which are correlated with incented behaviors. Wherein a threshold is assigned based on usage information for a particular promotion; upon realization of which, the subscriber is, immediately notified of the reward through a plurality of means including e-mail, voice notification and by way of Short Message Service (SMS) at their wireless handset. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100280895 | FOOD AND BEVERAGES ORDERING, PREPARATION, MANAGEMENT AND PRICING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A computerized food and beverages ordering apparatus implements an ordering service for meeting requirements of purchasers. A database comprises records representative of a plurality of ingredients, and at least two attributes are associated with each ingredient. One of the attributes associated to each ingredient is a nutritional parameter for a specific amount of the ingredient, and another attribute is a personal parameter. The personal parameter can be a parameter capable of describing the suitability of the associated ingredient in respect of a medical condition of a purchaser, or it can be a parameter capable of describing the suitability of the associated ingredient in respect of a taste requirement of a purchaser. A user interface is operated by, or under the instruction of, a purchaser to input an order for a meal. The meal comprises one or more of said plurality of ingredients, and each ingredient has an associated quantity. An order placement processor is connected to the user interface and to the database, and it is configured to output to the user interface at least two output parameters. One of the output parameters is a total nutritional parameter computed from the total quantities of ingredients comprised in the meal. Another output parameter is a personal parameter. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20110054992 | COMMUNICATING PRICE DISCOUNTS - The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for communicating price discounts. Embodiments include alerting customers (e.g., to an imminent or impending) price reduction on (e.g., perishable) items. More particularly, embodiments include compiling product and consumer data to determine which consumers are to receive notifications of impending price discounts. This compilation of data is transmitted to a communications system, which then transmits via instantaneous electronic means, such as SMS text message, picture message, e-mail, or micro-blogging, a price discount notification. Computer systems enabled to practice the present invention, comprising one or more databases and a communications system configured to transmit price discount notifications, are also described. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110173059 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCENTIVIZING THE USE OF SERVICES AND PRODUCTS BASED ON REAL-TIME INVENTORY LOADING - A system and method for providing incentives for products and services to consumers in real time. A retailer or service provider determines that they have unused capacity or unsold inventory and creates an incentive for consumers to optimize their use of resources. The retailer or service provider determines the level of the incentive, the time window during which it will be offered, and the quantity of consumers that can receive the incentive. The retailer or service provider updates a database with the incentive. A consumer uses an application from a portable electronic device or a web based application and chooses a set of filter parameters to locate an offer that will fill their needs. The database is queried based on the filter parameters and a set of incentives is generated which is sent to the consumer. The consumer chooses an incentive and is given a coupon or offer code to redeem for the incentive. A report of this choice is sent to the retailer or service provider who offered the incentive, creating a reservation for the consumer. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110246276 | AUGMENTED- REALITY MARKETING WITH VIRTUAL COUPON - Disclosed are a system, method, and article of manufacture for augmented-reality marketing with a virtual coupon. A virtual representation of an object is provided. A real representation of the object is provided. An association of the virtual representation and the real representation is rendered with a user interface. A virtual coupon is made available to a user when the virtual representation and the real representation are rendered. A graphical metaphor may be integrated into the virtual representation according to an environmental characteristic of the object. The environmental characteristic may include a physical environmental characteristic, a data environmental characteristic, a computer environmental characteristic or a user environmental characteristic. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110270659 | Method for increasing sales at an automobile dealership by providing instantaneous personalized inventory price quotes or payment estimates via internet - This invention allows a customer to browse the inventory on a dealership's website and obtain an immediate personalized price or payment quote without further interaction from dealership personnel. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110282725 | AD REDEMPTION - This specification describes technologies relating to content presentation. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of sending one or more redeemable content items to a user, each content item being configured for redemption at a physical retail location; receiving a request from the user to redeem a content item of the one or more content items at a particular physical retail location; validating, using one or more processor, the content item for redemption; if the content item is valid for redemption, notifying a corresponding retailer of the content item redemption to be applied to a pending retail transaction; and logging the redemption. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110307316 | METHOD FOR TRACKING FOOD PRODUCT EXPIRATION AND INITIATING SALES PROMOTIONS USING A FOOD PRODUCT SCALE - A method of selectively and timely promoting sale of a specific food product using a food product scale is provided, where the food product scale includes a weighing station including an associated mechanism for producing weight indicative signals, and a customer facing display is associated with the scale. The method involves entering product identification information of a specific food product into the food product scale using an operator interface of the food product scale; identifying an initial quantity of the specific food product; identifying expiration data for the specific food product; creating a shelf life record that is saved in memory, the shelf life record including the product identification information, the expiration data of the specific food product and the initial quantity; tracking subsequent transactions for the specific food product and quantity of each subsequent transaction; based upon the tracking step, automatically and selectively implementing a sales promotion for the specific food product when sales promotion criteria are met, the sales promotion criteria based at least in part upon remaining quantity of the specific food product; and when the sales promotion is implemented, displaying a sales promotional message on the customer facing display to notify customers of the sales promotion, the sales promotional message identifying both the specific food product and promotional price information for the specific food product. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20120109731 | METHOD OF PROMOTION BASED ON PRODUCTS CONSUMPTION - A Product Storage facility calculates each product's consumption pattern by sensing the presence and absence of an RFID signal from each package or by other means. Sensing of an optical Bar-code content could also be used to determine the consumption patterns of the products. The Product Storage broadcasts consumption patterns to Display Devices (DDs). A Display Device (DD) application utilizes the product ID information to search for lot-based or non-lot-based promotion of products. The personalized presented promotions on the (DD) display are at least for lots of products that their remaining shelf life matches the family's typical consumption pattern. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120173323 | DISCOUNTING SYSTEM AND WEBSITE WITH DYNAMIC GROUP PURCHASING DISCOUNT - An adjustable discount system adjusts discounts based on system events. The discount system may provide greater or lesser discounts on such events as timing, inventory levels, the number of people committed to purchasing, velocity of sales and acceleration of sales. | 07-05-2012 |
| 20120221396 | DIGITAL ONLINE EXCHANGE FOR PRICING ITEMS TO EXHAUST INVENTORY BY AN EXPIRATION TIME - A dynamic pricing system for pricing items for sale by a seller which items are available in a limited quantity comprises a pricing server and various types of data stored in memory. The pricing server includes memory, a processor and a clock. Types of data stored in memory are indicative of the initial quantity of an item available and an expiration time. The processor is configured to control a rate of sale in order to sell out the items available in a limited quantity by the expiration time and to price the items available in a limited quantity so as to deplete an inventory of the items available in a limited quantity by the expiration time. | 08-30-2012 |
| 20120239480 | SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING OFFERS USING A BILLING STATEMENT - A billing statement according to one aspect of the invention includes a description of a transaction and an offer pointer associated with the transaction, wherein the offer pointer includes information that may be used to review an offer. In one example of this aspect, a telephone number or a hyperlink is provided adjacent to a total amount owed listed on a statement (e.g., an electronically-displayed billing statement). The offers reviewed may be customized, for example, based on details of the transaction such as the product purchased or the amount of the purchase, the identity of the consumer, and/or on other data. | 09-20-2012 |
| 20120278154 | MARKETING INVENTORY BASED ON SPOILAGE - An inventory marketing system operates to identify and market inventory items that are likely to spoil. Initially, inventory items that have a particular likelihood of spoilage may be identified. Customers to target with offers for the inventory items may be identified based on the customers' current location or expected location near a spoilage time for the inventory items. Offers for the inventory items may be provided to the targeted customers, and purchases of the inventory items by customers may be facilitated. | 11-01-2012 |
| 20130018716 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADMINISTERING A REWARD PROGRAM - The method and apparatus for administering a reward program includes a central controller that stores a series of registrations, each of which corresponds to a purchaser of a product. The central controller calculates a measurement of product success, such as the number of products sold or the market share of the product, and determines if the measurement is within a predetermined range. The central controller may determine if the number of products sold exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a set of registrations are selected as “early-adopter” registrations that thereby define a set of early-adopter purchasers. The central controller may select a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, so that early-adopter purchasers are defined. If the measurement of product success is within the predetermined range, a reward, such as a refund or a free product, may be provided to each early-adopter purchaser. | 01-17-2013 |
| 20130144701 | FACILITATING ONLINE TO OFFLINE COMMERCE - Systems and methods for facilitating online to offline commerce are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system configured to receive a request to check-in a customer at a merchant facility is disclosed. The system receives a request to access real-time pre-sale transaction data associated with a first customer and transmits the real-time pre-sale transaction data associated with the first customer to a mobile client device. The request to check-in and the request to access the real-time pre-sale transaction data are transmitted by the first mobile client device. The system is configured to authenticate the request to check-in at the merchant facility, process the request to access the real-time pre-sale transaction data, and responsively access the real-time pre-sale transaction data associated with the first customer from a point of sale device located at the merchant facility. | 06-06-2013 |
| 20130179246 | PROVIDING TARGETED OFFERS BASED ON AGGREGATE DEMAND AND AGGREGATE SUPPLY - Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, systems, apparatus and computer program products for collecting location data, wherein the location data comprises information related to a physical location of a user, retrieving, based at least in part on the collected location data, aggregate data related to the product, the aggregate data comprising at least one of aggregate demand data or aggregate supply data, identifying at least one offer related to the product based at least in part on the collected location data and the retrieved aggregate data; and communicating the offer to the user. | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130185128 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR DISCOUNT RETAILING - A system and methods to mutually satisfy a consumer with a discount and a vendor with a minimum number of sales by establishing a tipping point associated with an offer for a good or service. If the tipping point is met, the sale of the good or service is executed and the consumer is charged and receives an indication of the discounted sale, such as a certificate. If the tipping point is not met, the discount offer is abandoned and the consumer is not charged. Once the tipping point is established, the vendor receives a payment, even before the consumer uses the certificate. | 07-18-2013 |
| 20130304556 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR DISCOUNT RETAILING - A system and methods to mutually satisfy a consumer with a discount and a vendor with a minimum number of sales by establishing a tipping point associated with an offer for a good or service. If the tipping point is met, the sale of the good or service is executed and the consumer is charged and receives an indication of the discounted sale, such as a certificate. If the tipping point is not met, the discount offer is abandoned and the consumer is not charged. Once the tipping point is established, the vendor receives a payment, even before the consumer uses the certificate. | 11-14-2013 |
| 20130339118 | BULK PURCHASING BY AD HOC CONSUMER GROUPS - A central server allows a leader member to create a desired purchasing deal for a desired product or service. The leader member uses social networking applications at the central server and other means to market the desired purchasing deal to like minded consumers who join a purchasing group at the central server that follows the desired purchasing deal. The leader member also uses the central server and other means to market the desired purchasing deal to potential retailers, who register interest in the desired purchasing deal at the central server. As the size of the purchasing group increases, the leader member negotiates deeper and deeper discounts with the interested retailers until the purchasing group and a selected retailer are both satisfied with the deal. The system then facilitates the closing of the deal, which results in the consumers receiving the product or service and the retailer getting paid. | 12-19-2013 |
| 20140006131 | Interactive Inventory Systems and Methods | 01-02-2014 |
| 20140143039 | SYSTEMS, METHODS AND MEDIA FOR DATA MINING OUT OF STOCK ITEMS - Systems, methods and media are provided for data mining information related to an out of stock product. One method includes receiving at a server from a mobile node located in a retail store customer information of a customer and product information of a product that is not found in an area of the retail store that is designated for the product and determining whether the product is out of stock at the retail store by interrogating an inventory of the product stored in a database. The customer information includes customer identification (ID) information. The method also includes informing the customer of an offer to award a purchasing bonus if it is determined that the product is out of stock, wherein the purchasing bonus is redeemable at the retail store when a future purchasing of the product is made within a specified time limit. | 05-22-2014 |
| 20140180785 | REPORTING OUT-OF-STOCK ITEMS - Systems and methods are disclosed herein for maintaining product available on store shelves. An optical code is positioned adjacent a location where a product is located when in stock. A customer finding the product to be out of stock may scan the code and report this fact. A computer system receives the notification and may transmit a message to an employee computing device. Notice of restocking or unavailability may be transmitted from the employee computing device and subsequently reported to a customer computing device. A location of the user computing device may be reported to an employee to facilitate hand delivery of the product if available. Where inventory is not available at a store, notice of availability at a proximate store may be transmitted to the customer computing device. An incentive in the form of a promotion or points may be assigned to notifying customers. | 06-26-2014 |
| 20140222536 | UNLOCKING COUPON OFFERS - In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving an indication that a user selected social network data that is displayed, on a client device, concurrently with offer data that indicates a coupon offer; wherein prior to receiving the indication, the user of the client device is incapable of accessing the coupon offer; in response to receiving the indication that the user selected the social network data, allowing the user to access the coupon offer, and causing a message to be sent to each user of a plurality of users that are identified, in a social network, as connected to the user, wherein the message includes data about the coupon offer or a coupon provider that initiated the coupon offer; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140278876 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING CO-MAILING DISCOUNTS - Methods and apparatus for increasing co-mailing discounts are disclosed. An example method includes determining a first number of first books associated with a first pool, the first books to be addressed for delivery within a geographic region associated with a postal discount. The example method further includes identifying a filler from a second pool to fill open pockets associated with the first pool. The filler corresponds to a first type of book associated with the second pool. The example method also includes identifying a second number of second books associated with the filler to be bundled with the first books when the first number of the first books is less than a threshold number of books for the postal discount. The first number of the first books combined with the second number of the second books is at least as great as the threshold number of books. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140278877 | Facilitating Purchase of Excess Items - Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating the purchase of excess items. In one embodiment, customer information and inventory data are retrieved from a merchant client. A determination is made on whether excess items exist. A list of target purchasers is generated based on data associated with a user account, and offers are generated and sent by electronic communication to the list of target purchasers. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20150019315 | COMMUNITY INCENTIVIZED EXCHANGE FOR MONETIZING SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONSUMER-DRIVEN ADVERTISEMENT - The present invention relates to affinity transactions devices, systems, and methods, including a community-incentivize exchange (CIE) comprising one or more computer systems configured to permit aggregation of purchasing power of social community members along aligned interests to facilitate purchases of desired nods or POS transactions from one or more vendors willing to exchange the nods or consummate POS transactions for consideration from the members and to return compensation to the social community in exchange for incentivizing the members to effect such purchases. | 01-15-2015 |
| 20150081413 | DEMAND AND SUPPLY ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM - A supply and demand adjustment system capable of making supply and demand adjustment of energy while changing an incentive to consumers. The supply and demand adjustment system includes: a supply and demand adjustment device; supply and demand arbitration terminals; and a supply and demand arbitration device. The supply and demand arbitration device determines an incentive target value, makes a request to each of the consumers to reduce usage of the energy within a range of the incentive target value, summarizes a reducible energy amount responsive to this request and given from each of the consumers in replies through the supply and demand arbitration terminals, and transmits the summarized amount to the supply and demand adjustment device. The supply and demand adjustment device and the supply and demand arbitration device make the supply and demand adjustment dynamically while changing the incentive target value. | 03-19-2015 |
| 20150120419 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SALE ITEMS - A system is provided that allows a customer to receive a guaranteed sales item when a sales item is not available on-hand at a retail store location. In one implementation, a limited in-store sale of an item may be provided such that if the customer meets certain criteria associated with the sale, that the customer is guaranteed the item, even if the item is not located at the retail location. In another implementation, each customer that is located at the retail store within a certain prescribed time of the sale may be guaranteed that the item is received by certain time. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150120420 | Capacity and Demand Matching System - A capacity and demand matching system, the system in communication with a server, the system including: a controller; a computer-readable non-transitory memory including instructions, that when executed by the controller, cause the controller to: receive, from a user interface, indications of user demand; communicate the indications of user demand to the server; receive, from the server, an offer for sale; and display, via the user interface, the offer for sale; wherein the indications of user demand include an address, a selection of businesses, and a quantity demanded; the offer for sale identifies a business providing the offer, a discount, and a time period for acceptance; and the business providing the offer is selected from the selection of businesses. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150127444 | Method and System For Bundling Heterogeneous Demand At Discount - This disclosure comprises a method and system that enable providers of products and services to run effective and efficient discount campaigns when selling their products and services. The method and system in this disclosure accomplish this by enabling providers to bundle their heterogeneous products and/or services in bundles at a discount rate, that may vary across products and/or services within the same bundle, conditional on sales in a given bundle meeting a base dollar volume within a certain period of time specified by the provider offering the bundle. Executing the offered deals requires the accumulated dollar volume of the purchases to match or exceed the base dollar volume of sales within the specified period of time. Otherwise, the discounted bundle is deemed invalid, and accordingly, customers' purchases get canceled and the provider gets notified. Thus, the method and system in this disclosure guarantees providers minimum sales results for their discounted bundles of heterogeneous products and/or services. | 05-07-2015 |
| 20150379545 | CAPACITY CALCULATOR - Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods and computer readable media for calculating the capacity of a provider by calculating, using biographical data representing the provider, a first total units of service that are available to be offered to consumers during a first time period; calculating a second total units of service potentially available from the provider for a proposed second time period using a projection based in part on a model of consumer demand for the units of service; determining a third total units of service that are unavailable during the second time period based on at least one known or projected unavailability; and calculating a capacity based on the third total units of service and the second total units of service, the capacity being a capacity for a proposed promotion representing a maximum total of instruments to be offered in the proposed promotion by the provider. | 12-31-2015 |
