System for providing a service to venues where people perform transactions

Abstract

A system and method for providing a service to promoters, including venues and advertising sponsors, who wish to provide promotions. The service includes making promoter promotions accessible by the mobile phones of members associated with an organization. Typically a promotion and member are matched based on the member's geographical position, which may be reported by the member or determined automatically during a transaction, a promotion redemption, or by a position sensor in their mobile phone. A promotion and member are optionally matched by the member's traits and behaviors. In addition to accessing promotions, members have mobile access to real-time information about the venues, such as the demographics of venue attendees and media posted by attendees concerning venue characteristics. Using the system, venues can determine who is shopping nearby and can send promotions to their phones, and members can know before going which venues have promotions and their preferred attendee demographic.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A system comprising:
 an electronic processing unit;   a network communication interface; and   a memory storage device configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform operations to:   upon an occurrence of an electronic business transaction, receive a first electronic communication indicative of the electronic business transaction and global positioning system (GPS) data of a mobile device indicative of a latitude and longitude of a first geographic location and a range of time associated with the occurrence of the electronic business transaction;   detect, from the first electronic communication received via the network communication interface, the first geographic location at which the electronic business transaction occurs based on the received GPS data, wherein the electronic business transaction occurs at the first geographic location by the mobile device, the mobile device being associated with a first member account of an electronic service;   evaluate, via the electronic processing unit, the first geographic location against location information stored by the system;   electronically select a promotional offer associated with a secondary venue, the secondary venue located at a second geographic location, the electronic selection of the promotional offer comprising: determining that a particular metric associated with the secondary venue meets a pre-defined threshold identified by the first member account; determining, from a second member account associated with the secondary venue, that the promotional offer should only be provided during a specific period; and determining that the range of time within which the electronic business transaction occurred is within the specific period;   transmit, in real time, via the network communication interface, a second electronic communication to the mobile device after electronically determining the promotional offer,   wherein the second electronic communication indicates the promotional offer and an indication of the secondary venue, located at the second geographic location, at which redemption is to occur; and   cause display of the second electronic communication comprising the promotional offer.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic business transaction is a purchase transaction at a first physical venue associated with a second business separate from the first business. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic business transaction comprises one or more of a credit card transaction, a debit card transaction, and a charge card transaction. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic business transaction comprises a redemption of an additional promotional offer provided via the electronic service. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic business transaction is performed via one or more of an online escrow payment service and a digital wallet service accessible via the mobile device. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the system to perform further operations to:
 determine, from the electronic business transaction, information that identifies the first member account;   access a user profile for the first member account; and   determine, from the user profile associated with the first member account, an identifier for the mobile device.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the information that identifies the first member account of the electronic service comprises one or more of a member identifier and a member identification code associated with the electronic business transaction. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform further operations to:
 determine that the mobile device is within a predefined distance from the second geographic location; and   transmit the second electronic communication to the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is within the predefined distance from the second geographic location.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions to cause the system to perform the operation to determine that the mobile device is within the predefined distance from the second geographic location includes one or more instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the system to perform operations to:
 detect, based on data transmitted from a location tracking device of the mobile device, first geographic coordinates of the mobile device;   determine, based on electronic analysis of the GPS data, second geographic coordinates for the secondary venue; and   determine that the first geographic coordinates of the mobile device are within the predefined distance to the second geographic coordinates of the second geographic location.   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic business transaction is associated with a first business at the first geographic location, and wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform further operations to:
 determine that the first member account had conducted one or more additional electronic business transactions for one or more of the first business or the secondary venue prior to occurrence of the electronic business transaction at the first geographic location; and   transmit the second electronic communication to the mobile device in response to determining that the first member account had conducted the one or more additional electronic business transactions.   
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform further operations to:
 electronically analyze data associated with the first member account; and   select the promotional offer to provide based on the data associated with the first member account.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the data associated with the first member account specifies one or more of a demographic attribute for an individual associated with the first member account and a trait of an individual associated with the first member account. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the data associated with the first member account specifies a behavior performed via the mobile device by an individual associated with the first member account. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the instructions to cause the system to perform the operation to select the promotional offer includes one or more instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform operations to:
 determine that a criterion specified by the second member account matches the data associated with the first member account, wherein the second member account is associated with the secondary venue; and   select the promotional offer based on the determination that the criterion matches the data associated with the first member account.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit cause the system to perform further operations to:
 classify, via at least one of one or more statistical classification techniques, the first member account associated with the mobile device as a venue candidate based on persistent GPS location information including at least the first geographic location and the range of time associated with the occurrence of the electronic business transaction.   
     
     
         31 . A method comprising:
 upon an occurrence of an electronic business transaction, receiving a first electronic communication indicative of the electronic business transaction and global positioning system (GPS) data of a mobile device indicative of a latitude and longitude of a first geographic location and a range of time associated with the occurrence of the electronic business transaction;   detecting, from the first electronic communication received via the network communication interface, the first geographic location at which the electronic business transaction occurs based on the received GPS data, wherein the electronic business transaction occurs at the first geographic location by the mobile device, the mobile device being associated with a first member account of an electronic service;   evaluating, via the electronic processing unit, the first geographic location against location information stored by the system;   electronically selecting a promotional offer associated with a secondary venue, the secondary venue located at a second geographic location, the electronic selection of the promotional offer comprising: determining that a particular metric associated with the secondary venue meets a pre-defined threshold identified by the first member account; determining, from a second member account associated with the secondary venue, that the promotional offer should only be provided during a specific period; and determining that the range of time within which the electronic business transaction occurred is within the specific period;   transmitting, in real time, via the network communication interface, a second electronic communication to the mobile device after electronically determining the promotional offer,   wherein the second electronic communication indicates the promotional offer and an indication of the secondary venue, located at the second geographic location, at which redemption is to occur; and   causing display of the second electronic communication comprising the promotional offer.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the electronic business transaction is associated with a first business at the first geographic location, and
 wherein the method further comprises:   determining that the first member account had conducted one or more additional electronic business transactions for one or more of the first business prior to occurrence of the electronic business transaction at the first geographic location; and   transmitting the second electronic communication to the mobile device in response to determining that the first member account had conducted the one or more additional electronic business transactions.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the selection of the promotional offer comprises:
 determining that a criterion specified by the second member account matches the data associated with the first member account, wherein the second member account is associated with the secondary venue; and   selecting the promotional offer based on the determination that the criterion matches the data associated with the first member account.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 determining that the mobile device is within a predefined distance from the second geographic location; and   transmitting the second electronic communication to the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is within the predefined distance from the second geographic location.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the determination that the mobile device is within the predefined distance from the second geographic location comprises:
 detecting, based on data transmitted from a location tracking device of the mobile device, first geographic coordinates of the mobile device;   determining, based on electronic analysis of the GPS data, second geographic coordinates for the secondary venue; and   determining that the first geographic coordinates of the mobile device are within the predefined distance to the second geographic coordinates of the second geographic location.