System for marketing campaign specification and secure digital coupon redemption

Abstract

Product vendors are provided with a system for performing a marketing campaign to mobile communication device users, providing offers as instruments, such as digital coupons, to a selected group of users of the mobile communication devices and validating the integrity of the instruments. The invention has two phases: the selection of the components of the instrument from a menu provided by a social networking organization; and validating the instrument upon redemption from the product vendor. In the first phase, the product vendor selects elements from the menu relevant to the campaign, such as timing, nature of the offer, targeting of the recipients, etc. In the second phase, the instrument is encoded as to the marketing campaign and an arbitrary designation which initiates a pattern as the instrument is redeemed. The product vendor inspects the instrument to ensure that the encoding is correct during the redemption process.

1 .- 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . A method comprising:
 receiving category input and at least one restriction from a third-party system or third-party apparatus, the category input defining (1) a particular category of user profiles to which to direct an electronic message, and (2a) one or more characteristics and (2b) associated criteria of each of the one or more characteristics required for classification to the particular category of user profiles, the at least one restriction comprising a maximum number of user profiles in the particular category of user profiles;   receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) device location from at least one mobile communication device;   identifying a user profile associated with the at least one mobile communications device, the user profile comprising user trait data;   determining that the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device meets a pre-defined condition;   determining that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, wherein the determination comprises determining, via at least one or more classification techniques including bayesian decision theory, vector quantizers, and neural network algorithms, that each of the one or more characteristics accessed from the user trait data of the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device meets the associated criteria defined by the category input as required for classification to the particular category of user profiles; and   upon determination that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, causing transmission of the electronic message.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 receiving a third-party specified recurrence pattern; and   causing transmission of the electronic message in accordance with the third-party specified recurrence pattern.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the electronic message is configured to cause an alert indication on the at least one mobile communication device. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the pre-defined condition is satisfied when the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device indicates that the at least one mobile communication device is within a first distance of a vendor associated with the third-party system or third-party apparatus. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the electronic message comprises an instrument indicative of a particular offer. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising:
 receiving data indicating redemption of the instrument;   validating the instrument, wherein validating the instrument comprises:
 determining a sequence designator of the instrument; and 
 causing transmission of the sequence designator to the at least one mobile communication device. 
   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein determining the sequence designator comprises:
 upon determination that no other instrument in a family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, choosing, at random, an initial sequence designator for the family of instruments from a range of sequence designators; and   upon determination that a previous instrument in the family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, incrementing a previous sequence designator in accordance with a predetermined pattern.   
     
     
         48 . A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to:
 receive category input and at least one restriction from a third-party system or third-party apparatus, the category input defining (1) a particular category of user profiles to which to direct an electronic message, and (2a) one or more characteristics and (2b) associated criteria of each of the one or more characteristics required for classification to the particular category of user profiles, the at least one restriction comprising a maximum number of user profiles in the particular category of user profiles;   receive a Global Positioning System (GPS) device location from at least one mobile communication device;   identify a user profile associated with the at least one mobile communications device, the user profile comprising user trait data;   determine that the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device meets a pre-defined condition;   determine that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, wherein the determination comprises determining, via at least one or more classification techniques including bayesian decision theory, vector quantizers, and neural network algorithms, that each of the one or more characteristics accessed from the user trait data of the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device meets the associated criteria defined by the category input as required for classification to the particular category of user profiles; and   upon determination that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, cause transmission of the electronic message.   
     
     
         49 . The computer program product of  claim 48 , wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions configured to:
 receive a third-party specified recurrence pattern; and   cause transmission of the electronic message in accordance with the third-party specified recurrence pattern.   
     
     
         50 . The computer program product of  claim 48 , wherein the electronic message is configured to cause an alert indication on the at least one mobile communication device. 
     
     
         51 . The computer program product of  claim 48 , wherein the pre-defined condition is satisfied when the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device indicates that the at least one mobile communication device is within a first distance of a vendor associated with the third-party system or third-party apparatus. 
     
     
         52 . The computer program product of  claim 48 , wherein the electronic message comprises an instrument indicative of a particular offer. 
     
     
         53 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions configured to:
 receive data indicating redemption of the instrument;   validate the instrument, wherein validating the instrument comprises:
 determining a sequence designator of the instrument; and 
 causing transmission of the sequence designator to the at least one mobile communication device. 
   
     
     
         54 . The computer program product of  claim 53 , wherein determining the sequence designator comprises:
 upon determination that no other instrument in a family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, choosing, at random, an initial sequence designator for the family of instruments from a range of sequence designators; and   upon determination that a previous instrument in the family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, incrementing a previous sequence designator in accordance with a predetermined pattern.   
     
     
         55 . An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
 receive category input and at least one restriction from a third-party system or third-party apparatus, the category input defining (1) a particular category of user profiles to which to direct an electronic message, and (2a) one or more characteristics and (2b) associated criteria of each of the one or more characteristics required for classification to the particular category of user profiles, the at least one restriction comprising a maximum number of user profiles in the particular category of user profiles;   receive a Global Positioning System (GPS) device location from at least one mobile communication device;   identify a user profile associated with the at least one mobile communications device, the user profile comprising user trait data;   determine that the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device meets a pre-defined condition;   determine that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, wherein the determination comprises determining, via at least one or more classification techniques including bayesian decision theory, vector quantizers, and neural network algorithms, that each of the one or more characteristics accessed from the user trait data of the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device meets the associated criteria defined by the category input as required for classification to the particular category of user profiles; and   upon determination that the user profile associated with the at least one mobile communication device is classified to the particular category of user profiles, cause transmission of the electronic message.   
     
     
         56 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , further caused to:
 receive a third-party specified recurrence pattern; and   cause transmission of the electronic message in accordance with the third-party specified recurrence pattern.   
     
     
         57 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein the electronic message is configured to cause an alert indication on the at least one mobile communication device and wherein the pre-defined condition is satisfied when the GPS device location of the at least one mobile communication device indicates that the at least one mobile communication device is within a first distance of a vendor associated with the third-party system or third-party apparatus. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein the electronic message comprises an instrument indicative of a particular offer. 
     
     
         59 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , further caused to:
 receive data indicating redemption of the instrument;   validate the instrument, wherein validating the instrument comprises:
 determining a sequence designator of the instrument; and 
 causing transmission of the sequence designator to the at least one mobile communication device. 
   
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein determining the sequence designator comprises:
 upon determination that no other instrument in a family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, choosing, at random, an initial sequence designator for the family of instruments from a range of sequence designators; and   upon determination that a previous instrument in the family of instruments associated with the instrument has been redeemed, incrementing a previous sequence designator in accordance with a predetermined pattern.