Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
INCENTIVE POINTS MANAGEMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to incentive point management. More
particularly,
the present invention relates to an integrated system and incentive points
management
scheme that awards points based, at least in part, on utilization of
computerized resources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Current incentive points schemes are typically based on awards for purchases,
for
example, frequent flyer programs. One such computerized implementation of such
a
scheme is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,774,870 entitled "FULLY INTEGRATED,
ON-
LINE INTERACTIVE FREQUENCY AND AWARD REDEMPTION PROGRAM"
issued to Thomas W. Storey ('870 Patent). However, the '870 Patent provides
awards for
purchases only. Therefore, a participant must be a consumer of related
products and must
be in the market to purchase the products. Thus, non-consuming individuals are
not
provided with the incentive points, which may result in a less than optimal
audience for
the provider of the incentive points.
Another incentive program is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,794,210 entitled
"ATTENTION BROKERAGE" issued to Goldhaber, et al. ('210 Patent). The '210
Patent is based on a concept of "negatively priced information" that requires
a participant
to actively choose to be involved in advertising. The '210 Patent further
discloses a
concept of "orthogonal sponsorship" where sponsorship in the form of
advertising is not
linked to specific programming. A user chooses to be subjected to advertising
in order to
receive an award. Thus, the '210 patent describes a system that is solely
driven by
individual user's explicit participation on a spot-by-spot basis. However,
many people
actively avoid advertisements by, for example, channel surfing during
commercial breaks
In general, the incentive to view an individual ad as the result of incentives
provided
in accordance with the '210 patent will be insufficient to achieve significant
success. This
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system is best suited to the limited audience of active consumers of a
specific product.
However, this audience is not the primary target of traditional "Brand
imaging" mass
market advertisers. Indeed, it is sponsored content (linked) associations and
the repeated
presentation of brand image messages that creates the "Brand awareness" and
"Brand
associations" that mass market advertisers seek. Because the incentive program
disclosed
in the '210 patent requires active participation to begin involvement, the
distribution of
participation may be less than desired by marketing parties, or the cost per
impression
may be too high, or both.
What is needed is a dynamic, flexible, interactive incentive program that
passively
monitors actions by users of computing devices and does not interfere with use
of the
computer system or other device while effecting brand image or other
impressions and or
messages on a target audience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and apparatus for incentive points management is described. Use of a
computerized resource by a user is passively monitored. Incentive points are
awarded
based, at least in part, on use of the computerized resource by the user when
the use
exceeds a predetermined threshold value. A balance of incentive points for the
user is
maintained based on a predetermined set of policies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of
limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference
numerals
refer to similar elements.
Figure 1 is one embodiment of a computer system suitable for use with the
present invention.
Figure 2 is one embodiment of a network configuration suitable for use with
the
present invention.
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Figure 3 is one embodiment of a network operations center coupled to a network
suitable for use with the present invention.
Figure 4 is a flow chart for awarding incentive points according to one
embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A method and apparatus for incentive points management is described. In the
following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details
are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will
be apparent,
however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced
without these
specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shown in
block diagram form
in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means
that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in
connection with the
embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The
appearances of
the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not
necessarily
all refernng to the same embodiment.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for incentive points
management based on usage of computerized resources. In one embodiment, non-
usage
based points can also be awarded. Briefly, a threshold value is used for
awarding points
such that points are awarded for use of a resource over a predetermined
threshold value.
For example, if a particular group of Web page are accessed via a
participating network for
20 minutes a predetermined number of incentive points are awarded. Incentive
points can
then be awarded in 20 minute increments or on a different scale. In one
embodiment,
incentive points are awarded to both the user and to an organization to which
the user
belongs.
In one embodiment, affinity points are awarded in addition to incentive
points.
Affinity points are awarded based on more active participation. For example,
affinity
points can be awarded for purchases of particular items or purchases of
particular
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amounts. Affinity points can also be awarded for specific actions, for
example, switching
telephone long distance providers, filling out an online survey form, making a
purchase
online instead of through traditional channels, or for purchasing from a
specific source
either online or off line.
Figure 1 is one embodiment of a computer system suitable for use with the
present
invention. The computer system of Figure 1 can be used in various capacities
with the
present invention. For example, the computer system can be a terminal used by
a user to
access local or remote resources, the computer system can be a server
providing remote
access to a resource, or the computer system can be a proxy server providing
access to
remote computer systems.
Computer system 100 includes bus 101 or other communication device for
communicating information and processor 102 coupled to bus 101 for processing
information. Computer system 100 further includes random access memory (RAM)
or
other dynamic storage device 104 (referred to as main memory), coupled to bus
101 for
storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 102. Main
memory 104
also can be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate
information during
execution of instructions by processor 102. Computer system 100 also includes
read only
memory (ROM) and/or other static storage device 106 coupled to bus 101 for
storing static
information and instructions for processor 102. Data storage device 107 is
coupled to bus
101 for storing information and instructions.
Data storage device 107 such as a magnetic disk or optical disc and
corresponding
drive can be coupled to computer system 100. Computer system 100 can also be
coupled
via bus 101 to display device 121, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid
crystal display
(LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. Alphanumeric input
device 122,
including alphanumeric and other keys, is typically coupled to bus 101 for
communicating
information and command selections to processor 102. Another type of user
input device is
cursor control 123, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for
communicating
direction information and command selections to processor 102 and for
controlling cursor
movement on display 121.
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Computer system 100 further includes network interface 130 to provide access
to a
network, such as a local area network. One embodiment of the present invention
is related
to the use of computer system 100 to provide all or a portion of an incentive
points
management scheme. According to one embodiment, dynamic incentive points
management is performed by one or more computer systems in response to
processors)
executing sequences of instructions contained in memory.
Instructions are provided to memory from a storage device, such as magnetic
disk, a
read-only memory (ROM) integrated circuit, CD-ROM, DVD, via a remote
connection
(e.g., over a network via network interface 130), etc. In alternative
embodiments, hard-
wired circuitry can be used in place of or in combination with software
instructions to
implement the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to
any
specific combination of hardware circuitry and software instructions.
Figure 2 is one embodiment a network configuration suitable for use with the
present invention. The configuration of Figure 2 is described in terms of both
land based
communications and satellite communications; however, the manner of
communication is
not central to the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is
applicable to any
interconnection of devices that provide access to local and remote resources.
Wide area network 200 provides an interconnection between multiple local area
networks (e.g., 220 and 230), individual terminals (e.g., 260) and one or more
network
operations centers (e.g., 250). In one embodiment, wide area network 200 is
the Internet;
however, any wide area network (WAN) or other interconnection can be used to
implement wide area network 200.
Terminal 260 is an individual terminal that provides access to network
resources as
well as local resources for a user thereof. In one embodiment, terminal 260 is
a personal
computer connected to wide area network 200 via a modem, a wireless
connection, etc.
Alternatively, terminal 260 can be a set-top box such as a WebTVTM terminal
available
from Sony Electronics, Inc. of Park Ridge, New Jersey, or a set-top box using
a cable
modem to access a network such as the Internet. Similarly, terminal 260 can be
a "dumb"
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terminal or a thin client device such as the ThinSTARTM available from Network
Computing Devices, Inc. of Mountain View, California.
Local area network 220 provides an interconnection of devices at a local
level. For
example, local area network 220 can interconnect multiple computers, printers,
and other
devices within one or more buildings. Local area network 220 is coupled to
wide area
network 200. Similarly, local area network 230 provides an interconnection of
devices.
However, local area network 230 is coupled to satellite communications devices
240 as
well as wide area network 200.
Network operations center 250 is coupled to wide area network 200 and provides
access to network resources for terminal 260, local area network 220 and local
area
network 230. Communication between network communications center 250 and
either
terminal 260 or local area network 220 is accomplished by wide area network
200. As
described in greater detail below, network operations center 250 and local
area network 230
communicate via wide area network 200 and/or satellite communications devices
240.
In one embodiment network operations center 250 includes multiple servers (not
shown in Figure 2) that provide access to network and other resources. For
example, in an
Internet service provider (ISP) implementation, network operations center 250
can include
a Web proxy server that provides access to the World Wide Web (WWW, or the
Web) for
devices of local area network 220, local area network 230 and terminal 260.
Network
operations center 250 can also include other devices, such as a middleware
server or a file
server that provide information to devices coupled to network operations
center 250.
In one embodiment, information is communicated between network operations
center 250 and local area network 230 via uni-cast, multicast or broadcast
satellite
communications devices 240, which includes necessary components to provide
communications between network operations center 250 and local area network
230. In
one embodiment, satellite communication are accomplished using Transmission
Control
Protocol/Intemet Protocol (TCP/IP) embedded within a digital video broadcast
(DVB)
stream; however, alternative communication protocols can be used. In one
embodiment,
satellite communications are bi-directional. Alternatively, if satellite
communications are
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uni-directional, wide area network 200 can be used to provide a hybrid,
asymmetric bi-
directional communications system such as the SkySurferTM platform available
from Gilat
Satellite Networks, Inc. of McLean, Virginia.
Figure 3 is one embodiment of a network operations center coupled to a network
suitable for use with the present invention. With respect to description of
Figure 3, wide
area network 200 and satellite communications devices 240 are implemented as
described
above in Figure 2. Notwithstanding being described as including certain types
of servers
and other devices, network operations center 250 can include different or
additional
components as well as multiple components, for example, multiple web servers.
Each
server can be one or more software and/or hardware components.
Network operations center (NOC) 250 provides resources to local area networks
and individual terminals (not shown in Figure 3) as well as a gateway to a
larger network
such as the Internet. Thus, network operations center 250 can be used to
provide a
controlled set of resources while being part of a larger network. This is
particularly
advantageous in situations where users of the local area networks are somewhat
homogenous. For example, students in similar grade levels, professionals, and
other shared
interest groups.
Additional uses and details of the network of Figure 2 and the network
operations
center of Figure 3 can be found in U.S. Patent application number 09/216,016
(P001),
entitled "OPTIMIZING BANDWIDTH CONSUMPTION FOR DOCUMENT
DISTRIBUTION OVER A MULTICAST ENABLED WIDE AREA NETWORK," U.S.
Patent application number 09/216,018 (P002), entitled "A METHOD AND
APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING A MULTICAST RESPONSE TO A UNICAST
REQUEST FOR DATA," and U.S. Patent application number 09/213,614 entitled "AN
ENTITY MODEL THAT ENABLES PRIVILEGE TRACKING ACROSS MULTIPLE
TERMINALS" all of which are assigned to the corporate assignee of the present
invention.
NOC router 300 is coupled to NOC LAN 305 and provides routing and firewall
functionality for the servers and other components of network operations
center 250.
NOC router 300 can be implemented in any manner known in the art. In one
embodiment,
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database 360 is coupled to NOC LAN 305. Database 360 can be used, for example,
to
store information about authorized users of associated local area networks, or
to store
information about resources that are available on each terminal connected to
the network.
Database 360 can also be used to store statistics about network usage,
advertisements to
be downloaded to devices of the local area networks, etc. In one embodiment
database 360
is used to maintain incentive and/or affinity point balances for multiple
users and/or
multiple organizations. Data store 365 represents data stored by database 360
and can be
one or more physical devices and logical data tables. In one embodiment, data
store 365 is
used to maintain incentive and/or affinity point balances.
Master proxy server 370 is also coupled to NOC LAN 305 to provide World Wide
Web resources to devices of the connected local area networks) or individual
terminals. In
one embodiment web server 310 is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and/or
Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) server. Of course, Web server 310 can be another type of
server.
Web cache 320 is used to store Web resources (e.g., Web pages) that are most
often
accessed, most recently accessed, etc. In one embodiment, Web cache 320 stores
a
predetermined set of Web resources that are provided to the local area
networks. In a
school network environment, the cached Web resources can be, for example, a
preapproved
set of Web pages. In one embodiment all or a portion of the contents of Web
cache 320 are
replicated on local networks.
Middleware server 330 manages database applications in network operations
center
150. For example, middleware server 330 can determine which users have access
to Web
server 310. In one embodiment, middleware server 330 is central in the
incentive and/or
affinity points management scheme of the present invention. Middleware server
330 can
also be replicated on local area networks, such as local area networks 220 and
230 of Figure
2, while providing the incentive and/or affinity points management scheme of
the present
invention. Operation of middleware server 330 in connection with the present
invetion is
described in greater detail below.
In one embodiment middleware server 330 provides management of incentive
and/or affinity points. Middleware server 330 can manage points by monitoring
user
_g_
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sessions as the sessions occur (i.e. dynamic points management) or by
evaluating sessions
after the end of the respective sessions (i.e., retroactive points
management). With either
monitoring scheme, middleware server 330 stores point information in database
360.
Points can also be awarded according to both dynamic and retroactive schemes.
Application server 340 provides applications programs to devices coupled to
network operations center 250. Application server 340 conceptually represents
two
different types of servers. Application server 340 can be part of a client-
server
architecture where the server provides data to a client {e.g., HTML server, e-
mail server,
bulletin board server). Application server 340 can also be a software
distribution and
management server.
For dynamic incentive points management, middleware server 300 awards points
as
the points are earned. For example, if a user accesses a participating
computerized
resource for a predetermined period of time the user's incentive points
balance stored in
database 360 is incremented at the end of the predetermined period of time. In
such an
embodiment, a point balance can be continuously displayed to the user, which
provides
immediate feedback to the user when incentive points are earned effecting a
slot machine or
lotto style feedback. Affinity points can be managed in a similar manner.
For retroactive points management, middleware sever 330 analyzes session logs
after the session is completed to determine whether points should be awarded.
In one
embodiment, middleware server 330 uses a session identifier for a particular
session to
identify the user to which points should be awarded, if appropriate. The
session identifier
is also used to analyze logs of other servers, such as master proxy server
370, to determine
whether the user accessed participating computerized resources and information
related to
the access (e.g., length of access, transactions completed, information
provided). In
response to the session analysis, points are awarded by middleware server 330
and stored
in database 360.
Figure 4 is a flow chart for awarding incentive points according to one
embodiment
of the present invention. In one embodiment a client application used to
access
computerized resources determines when a user accesses a resource that is
participating in
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the incentive points scheme at 400. In alternative embodiments, other devices,
such as a
middleware server or the computerized resource determine when the user
accesses a
participating resource. In one embodiment, only authorized users that are
included in the
incentive points management scheme are monitored as described with respect to
Figure 4.
The device monitoring user access to a participating device determines whether
access time exceeds a predetermined threshold time at 410. Requiring a minimal
threshold
time is not necessary to implement an incentive points management scheme;
however, such
a threshold value improves the likelihood that accesses for which incentive
points are
awarded are significant to the provider of the resource.
Incentive points are awarded at 420 if access to the computerized resource
exceeds
the predetermined threshold value. In one embodiment, a middleware server
causes a
database at a network operations center to increase the balance of incentive
points for the
user accessing the computerized resource. Alternatively, the middleware server
and/or the
database maintaining the incentive points balance for the user can be
replicated to a local
area network on which the user is using a terminal to access the computerized
resource. In
an alternative embodiment, the client application initiates the award. In such
an
embodiment, the client application sends a message to the middleware server at
the
conclusion of a session to report incentive and/or affinity point balance
changes. The
middleware server in turn changes point balances accordingly.
User activity is monitored at 430 after the initial incentive points are
awarded.
Additional incentive points are awarded, if appropriate at 440. Additional
incentive points
beyond the initial incentive points awarded can be awarded on a different
schedule than the
initial incentive points. For example, incentive points can be awarded on a
minute-by-
minute basis, or incentive points can be awarded based on a different
threshold value. In
one embodiment, a predetermined number of incentive points are awarded to a
user for
each 20-minute period that the user accesses a participating resource.
In one embodiment incentive point balances are maintained for individual users
and
an additional incentive point balance is maintained for an organization to
which multiple
users belong. For example, multiple students in a school system can have
access to one or
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more terminals such as terminal 260 of Figure 2 or the terminals can be
included in local
area networks 220 or 230 of Figure 2. The students can individually have
incentive points
balances and the school that the students attend can have an incentive points
balance that
is based, at least in part, on the individual student incentive balances.
In one embodiment an organization automatically receives an increase its
incentive
point balance that is equal to the sum of the incentive points earned by
members of the
organization over a predetermined period of time. For example, at the end of
each month a
school can automatically receive the number of incentive points earned by
students of that
school. The number of points received by the organization is not required to
be equal to
the number of points earned by members of the organization.
The organization can distribute points either manually (e.g., as awards for an
essay
contest) or automatically (e.g., by the middleware server based on attendance
data). The
organization can also redeem the points for organizational purposes.
Redemption of
incentive points is described in greater detail below. Of course, other
schemes for
distribution of incentive points to organizations can also be implemented.
In one embodiment a predetermined number of points are allotted to be
distributed
over a predetermined period of time. For example, one million points can be
allotted over a
three month period. In one embodiment, during the predetermined period of time
points
are distributed as described above. At the end of the predetermined period of
time, any
excess points are automatically distributed evenly to participating
organizations.
Alternatively, the excess points are automatically distributed to the
participating
organizations based on the number of points earned by members of each
organization. In
another alternative, excess points are distributed using a lottery system.
In one embodiment, in addition to awarding incentive points as described
above, the
present invention also awards affinity points based on predetermined criteria.
Affinity
points can be awarded for specific transactions entered into by users. For
example, if a
student purchases a personal computer, set-top box, or thin client for
educational use, the
student can be awarded affinity points that can be used in association with an
educational
network, such as the network described above that is used for educational
purposes.
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Affinity points are awarded by, on in behalf of, sponsors that are associated
with the
network on which the user can earn incentive points.
In one embodiment, affinity point balances are maintained in a similar manner
as
incentive point balances are maintained. Affinity points can be exchanged for
incentive
points rather than being used for separate purposes. In one embodiment,
affinity points
are automatically awarded to an organization to which individual users are
associated.
In one embodiment, points earned during a predetermined period of time must be
redeemed during the predetermined period of time or their value is lost. For
example,
points can be earned by students during a quarter or semester and lose their
value if not
redeemed during the quarter or semester. Alternatively, each individual point
can have an
independent life span during which the point is valid. Of course, points can
also be valid
indefinitely.
In one embodiment, the validity of either individual points or groups of
points are
maintained on a middleware server and stored in the data store 356 in a
network operations
center. As described above, the middleware server can be replicated to a local
server.
Validity of points can also be maintained on a terminal used by a user, for
example, by a
client application that the user uses to earn points. If point balances are
maintained by the
client application, the client application can communicate point balances to
the middleware
server for storage when the user is not using the client application.
Incentive and/or affinity points can be redeemed in one or more of the
following
manners. An award pool can be determined at the beginning of a predetermined
period of
time. Points can be redeemed for the awards in the award pool either through
an auction or
through a fixed redemption schedule. Points can be redeemed at an online store
that
provides awards at fixed prices like an ordinary store.
Points can be used as part of a bartering process. For example, points can be
traded for goods and/or services in an open market environment. For example, a
chat room
can be established for trade and/or redemption of points. Points can be
redeemed for cash
or a cash equivalent, such as electronic case (e-cash), coupons and/or gift
certificates.
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In the foregoing specification, the present invention has been described with
reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that
various
modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the
broader spirit
and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly,
to be regarded
in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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