# US 2014/0207544 A1 · Ranking limited time discounts or deals > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0207544 A1 - Document ID: US20140207544A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/748,483 - Filed: 2013-01-23 - Published: 2014-07-24 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-23 - Assignees: Visan, Inc. - Applicants: Visan, Inc. - Inventors: Sanjay Mavinkurve; Vijay Boyapati - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140207544A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0207: Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Briefly, the disclosure describes embodiments of methods or systems for providing an offer to potential recipients based on an appeal score and/or preference indicators of the potential recipients. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: executing machine-readable instructions by one or more processing units to: identify at least one discount of a group of discounts for at least one potential discount recipient of a group of potential discount recipients if a discount score meets or exceeds a threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, and further communicating the at least one identified discount to the at least one potential discount recipient while the at least one identified discount remains valid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein communicating comprises at least one of a push communication or a pull communication. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the executing to identify at least one discount for at least one potential discount recipient comprises identifying at least one discount for more than at least one potential discount recipient; and wherein the communicating comprises communicating the at least one identified discount to more than at least one potential discount recipient while the at least one identified discount remains valid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein communicating comprises at least one of push communication or pull communication that depends at least in part on a particular potential discount recipient. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the push communication comprises transmitting an email or text message. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the pull communication comprises checking a website. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the executing to identify at least one discount comprises identifying more than at least one discount. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the executing to identify is additionally based, at least in part, on executing machine-readable instructions to employ factors to evaluate a host of discounts with respect to a host of potential discount recipients. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the factors comprise preference-related indicators specific to particular potential discount recipients. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the preference-related indicators comprise explicit or implicit preference-related indicators. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the factors comprise commercial-related indicators specific to particular discounts. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein one or more commercial-related indicators comprise at least one of the following: locality, price range, merchant, product category, discount, validity period, or any combination thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the factors may comprise social-related indicators. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the social-related indicators pertain, at least in part, to measurable features available by way of one or more social networks. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein one or more sources for the host of discounts comprises one or more sourcing agents. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein executing comprises normalizing discount scores across the host of discounts and across the host of potential recipients. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include a quality factor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the quality factor includes similar discounts previously accepted by one or more of the host of potential discount recipients. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the quality factor includes sales velocity of a discount. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the quality factor includes a reputation of a merchant offering a discount. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the quality factor includes a reputation of a sourcing agent for a discount. ### Claim 23 An apparatus, comprising: one or more processors to: rank a plurality of discounts substantially in accordance with discount scores; and communicate one or more ranked discounts to one or more potential recipient substantially in accordance with preference-related indicators. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more ranked discounts is to be communicated only if the one or more ranked discounts have a ranking within a top number of ranked discounts. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors is additionally to access one or more publicly available databases or websites about one or more merchants offering one or more discounts to produce discount scores and an associated ranking of discounts. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the databases or websites comprise commercial databases or websites or government databases or websites. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors is additionally to access one or more social networks or websites for feedback submitted by users of the one or more social networks about one or more merchants offering one or more discounts to produce discount scores and an associated ranking of discounts. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23, wherein indicators comprise at least one of the following: sales velocity, number of times a similar discount has been accepted, age of a discount, or any combination thereof. ### Claim 29 An article comprising: a non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by one or more processors to: rank a plurality of discounts substantially in accord with discount scores; and communicate one or more ranked discounts to one or more potential recipient substantially in accordance with preference-related indicators.