Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100004992 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A LOYALTY ENGINE FOR AUTOMATED CAUSE MARKETING - A method, system and computer program for providing a loyalty engine for automated cause marketing. The method includes a loyalty program system administrator linking merchants and charities to the loyalty system. Members register with the loyalty engine through loyalty system which is accessible via the Internet. Once the merchants and the charities are linked and the members are registered, by operation of the loyalty engine, the merchants can create a customized loyalty program defined by a plurality of merchant defined rules for administering their loyalty program. The merchant defined rules instruct the loyalty engine as to which charities should receive in-kind donations in connection with one or more transactions by a member that is associated to the loyalty program. Once a loyalty system defined time period or donation threshold has been achieved, the loyalty system releases the donation in-kind to the specific charity. A system is also provided that consists of a server computer including the loyalty engine and the charity utility. The charity utility provides the functions of the method and is linked to a server computer that is connected to the Internet. The computer program of the invention is a web application that enables the members, charities, and merchants to access the functions of the invention via a web browser. | 01-07-2010 |
20130218655 | AUTOMATED CAUSE MANAGEMENT - A method, system and computer program for providing a loyalty engine for automated cause marketing. The method can include a charity linking merchants and sponsors to the loyalty system. Once the merchants and the sponsors are linked and the members are registered, merchant defined rules can instruct a loyalty engine as to the level of donations in connection with one or more transactions by a member that is associated to the loyalty program. The loyalty system can include a reporting facility to allow the merchant to track transactions with members in a number of ways. A system is also provided that can consist of a server including the loyalty engine and the charity utility. The charity utility can provide the functions of the method and can be linked to the networked server. | 08-22-2013 |
20130275296 | Proximal Customer Transaction Incented By Donation of Auto-Boarded Merchant - Address, time, and rules obligating donee donations are auto-populated for merchants whose authorization responses for transactions conducted on accounts are used to obtain account holders' travel time to the merchants'. When travel time is proximal to the auto-populated time, the rule and the transaction currency amount are used to calculate the merchant's donee donation, which donation can be messaged for auditing of donations paid and payable. A predetermined time after each such transaction, the merchant is sent a notice as to the difference between obligatory donee donations and the donee donations received. Auto-populated addresses, times, and rules are amendable by the merchant, and the donee amendable by the account holder, whereby the merchant selects the donation, and the account holder selects the donee. Answers to account holder surveys, upon receipt, increments currencies for account holder or donee with greater increment for fast answers. | 10-17-2013 |
20140058820 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR CLIENT ACQUISITION AND SURVEYING - A method, system and computer program for enabling a loyalty system to be linked to one or more card issuers, cardholders, merchants, and thereby their cardholders. A system operable to create, implement and manage one or more loyalty programs that provide benefits to members of the loyalty programs in connection with transactions between the members and one or more merchants associated with the loyalty system. The method includes registering on the loyalty system one or more card issuers; one or more merchant acquirers associated with the one or more card issuers; a plurality of cardholders as members of the loyalty program. Establishing and applying rules for accrual and processing of benefits from the merchants to cardholders associated with the one or more card issuers in connection with transactions between the cardholders and the merchants with the loyalty system. Defining a rule based survey utility operable to issue surveys to members of the loyalty system on a transaction and non-transaction basis. | 02-27-2014 |
20140136300 | AUTHORIZED TRANSACTION INCENTED BY MERCHANT DONATION - A merchant incentivizes an account holder to make an authorized transaction by terms and agreement to auditably donate to the account holder's affinity entity. To incent desirable commerce with locals, the merchant's terms may limit its donation by a derivation of navigation time between account holder and merchant, and/or by date and time of the transaction. The account holder can direct the donation to one of more affinity entities within their own community, and/or within a community where the transaction was physically conducted. An account holds can also donate at the time of transaction where the donation is paid by the account's issuer for reimbursement as a debit to the account holder's account statement. Other payment system participants may donate (the merchant's acquirer, issuer, and transaction handler for the issuer and acquirer), by way of favorable interchange rates, can also make audible donations to account holder directed affinities entities. | 05-15-2014 |
20140257960 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR ATTRACTING LOCAL AND REGIONAL BUSINESSES TO AN AUTOMATED CAUSE MARKETING ENVIRONMENT - The present invention teaches a system, method and computer program for enabling local or regional merchants to participate in an automated cause marketing (ACM) program. The ACM program that may provide benefits to several parties involved in fundraising for one or more supported organizations, including one or more supported organizations, advertising providers, merchants, and individuals. Merchants are able to access enhanced analytics regarding their transactions with members and non-members of the ACM program and can use these enhanced analytics to realize an increased number of or revenue from transactions with members. The present invention also teaches a system and method for enabling advertising providers to acquire and analyze data associated with consumers-merchant transactions. The present invention provides the above advantages optimally using a mobile device. Furthermore, the present invention, may enable a member to disseminate its charitable preferences to members of its electronic social networks. | 09-11-2014 |
20140379457 | PROGRAM, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LINKING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND MERCHANTS IN A MARKETING PROGRAM - The present invention is a system, data access management utility and a method of generating links between local merchants and community programs, whereby the merchant may provide incentives to customers in relation to community programs. The present invention may track community programs, as well as both online and offline customer transactions between participants that make use of the incentive. The present invention may include as participants, customers, merchants, community organizations, intermediaries, and other groups or individuals. Participants may have participant identifiers, which may be linked to a payment source. Data may be collected about all participants, either expressly, or from offline or online transactions between participants utilizing a participant identifier, and said data may be stored in a data storage area. All data in the data storage area may be utilized by logic tool, which may provide information, such as details of consumer behaviour and analytic reporting. Matches between transactions and members and/or member activities may be identified by the system, and a level of certainty that the match is accurate may be determined. | 12-25-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080281690 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A LOYALTY ENGINE FOR DYNAMIC ADMINISTRATION OF CHARITY DONATIONS - A method, system and computer program for providing a loyalty engine enabling dynamic administration of charity donations is provided. The method includes a merchant creating by operation of the loyalty engine a customized loyalty program defined by a plurality of rules for administering their loyalty program; the operator of the loyalty engine registers one or more charities on the loyalty engine; the merchant also defines on the loyalty engine the rules under which, as part of their loyalty program, they will make a donation to the one or more charities in connection with one or more transactions with a member that is associated to the loyalty program; the member optionally selects, as part of their participation in the loyalty program, the one or more charities to whom the merchant shall make a donation based on transactions between the member and merchant, and further based on the applicable rules defined by the merchant. The loyalty engine tracks applicable transactions, applies the donation rules, accrues the applicable donations. The loyalty engine can also be provided with a transaction utility that is operable to process donation payments between the merchants and the charities. A system is also provided that consists of the loyalty engine, including a charity utility that provides the functions of the method, linked to a server computer that is connected to the Internet. The computer program of the invention is a web application that enables the members, charities, and merchants to access the functions of the invention via a browser. A reporting facility is also described that allows merchants, charities and members to track their donation activity in connection with the operation of the loyalty engine. | 11-13-2008 |
20090281871 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A LOYALTY ENGINE FOR AUTOMATED CAUSE MANAGEMENT - A method, system and computer program for providing a loyalty engine for automated cause marketing. The method includes a charity linking merchants and sponsors to the loyalty system. Members register with the loyalty engine through the loyalty system which is accessible via the Internet. Once the merchants and the sponsors are linked and the members are registered, by operation of the loyalty engine, the merchants can create a customized loyalty program defined by a plurality of merchant defined rules for administering their loyalty program. The merchant defined rules instruct the loyalty engine as to the level of donations in connection with one or more transactions by a member that is associated to the loyalty program. The loyalty system includes a reporting facility to allow the merchant to track transactions with members in a number of ways. A system is also provided that consists of a server computer including the loyalty engine and the charity utility. The charity utility provides the functions of the method and is linked to a server computer that is connected to the Internet. The computer program of the invention is a web application that enables the members, sponsors, merchants, and the charity to access the functions of the invention via a web browser. | 11-12-2009 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110112897 | Program, System and Method for Linking Community Programs and Merchants in a Marketing Program - The present invention is a system, data access management utility and a method of generating links between local merchants and community programs, whereby the merchant may provide incentives to customers in relation to community programs. The present invention may track community programs, as well as both online and offline customer transactions between participants that make use of the incentive. The present invention may include as participants, customers, merchants, community organizations, intermediaries, and other groups or individuals. Participants may have participant identifiers, which may be linked to a payment source. Data may be collected about all participants, either expressly, or from offline or online transactions between participants utilizing a participant identifier, and said data may be stored in a data storage area. All data in the data storage area may be utilized by logic tool, which may provide information, such as details of consumer behaviour and analytic reporting. Matches between transactions and members and/or member activities may be identified by the system, and a level of certainty that the match is accurate may be determined. | 05-12-2011 |
20110320246 | Program, System and Method for Linking Community Programs and Merchants In A Marketing Program - The present invention is a system, data access management utility and a method of generating links between local merchants and a marketing system. For example, the marketing system may be that disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/CA2009/001605. The present invention may be operable to register members, merchants, community programs, intermediaries and other entities with the marketing system. Embodiments of the present invention may be operable to quickly and efficiently register multiple members and/or multiple merchant store types virtually simultaneously to the marketing system. An automated registration and/or boarding process may be operated by the present invention to undertake such registration and/or boarding of members, merchants, community programs, intermediaries and other entities with the marketing system, including automated boarding of merchants. | 12-29-2011 |
20120221400 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR ATTRACTING LOCAL AND REGIONAL BUSINESSES TO AN AUTOMATED CAUSE MARKETING ENVIRONMENT - The present invention teaches a system, method and computer program for enabling local or regional merchants to participate in an automated cause marketing (ACM) program. The ACM program that may provide benefits to several parties involved in fundraising for one or more supported organizations, including one or more supported organizations, advertising providers, merchants, and individuals. Merchants are able to access enhanced analytics regarding their transactions with members and non-members of the ACM program and can use these registration enhanced analytics to realize an increased number of or revenue from transactions with members. The present invention also teaches a system and method for enabling advertising providers to acquire and analyze data associated with consumers-merchant transactions. The present invention provides the above advantages optimally using a mobile device. Furthermore, the present invention, may enable a member to disseminate its charitable preferences to members of its electronic social networks. | 08-30-2012 |