# US 2014/0207584 A1 · Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for providing a self-service interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0207584 A1 - Document ID: US20140207584A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/749,272 - Filed: 2013-01-24 - Published: 2014-07-24 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-24 - Assignees: Groupon, Inc. - Applicants: Groupon, Inc. - Inventors: Francisco Jose Larrain Wicha; Lori E. Kaplan; Matias Esteban Arenas; Gaston L'Huillier; Ricardo Andres Zilleruelo Ramos; Rodrigo Alfonso Duenas Fernandez; Amit Koren - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140207584A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0276: {Advertisement creation} - 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 Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for programmatically generating and/or revising deal offers for a merchant based on one or more merchant self-service indicators. In providing such functionality, the system can be configured to, for example, facilitate registration and verification of merchant identities, monitor and analyze various deal offers for merchants with similar merchant self-service indicators, that enable the system to determine the relative successfulness of a deal offer for a merchant and/or category of merchant. In some embodiments, the system may be further configured to revise the deal offer programmatically and/or upon receiving the merchant's approval of the programmatically generated proposed edits to the deal offer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for providing a merchant interface comprising: receiving merchant identification information; verifying that a user is a representative of a particular merchant using the merchant identification information; determining one or more merchant self-service indicators from the merchant identification information; programmatically generating, using a processor, one or more deal parameters for a deal offer based on the one or more merchant self-service indicators; and providing the one or more deal parameters to at least one consumer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the user is a representative of the particular merchant further comprises: determining a contact method for the merchant from a source other than the merchant identification information; and contacting the merchant via the contact method to verify the user is the representative of the particular merchant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more merchant self-service indicators are at least one of a merchant type, a merchant location, a merchant size, products or services offered by the merchant, or a price point for products or services offered by the merchant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more deal parameters are selected based on deals offered by at least one other merchant, and wherein the at least one other merchant has at least one self-service indicator in common with the one or more merchant self-service indicators. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more deal parameters are associated with at least one deal offer offered by the at least one other merchant, and wherein the at least one deal offer offered by the at least one other merchant has had at least a threshold deal redemption level. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether a merchant associated with the merchant identification information meets at least one merchant screening parameter that meets a merchant screening threshold for generating the deal offer; and allowing the merchant to programmatically generate the deal offer only in response to determining that the merchant screening parameter meets the merchant screening threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the at least merchant screening parameter comprises at least one of a merchant age, a merchant review score, a merchant social networking metric, or a merchant sales volume. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: programmatically generating one or more deal content items for the deal offer; and providing the one or more deal content items to the at least one consumer. ### Claim 9 A method for generating a deal offer comprising: sending, using a computer, merchant identification information, the merchant identification information allowing for verification that a user is a representative of a particular merchant associated with the merchant identification information; receiving a verification prompt in response to sending the merchant identification information; verifying that the user is a representative of the particular merchant using the verification prompt; receiving one or more deal parameters for a deal offer, the one or more deal parameters based on one or more merchant self-service indicators associated with the particular merchant; and confirming the one or more deal parameters to provide the deal offer to one or more consumers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein verifying that the user is a representative of the particular merchant comprises receiving a verification code via a contact method associated with the particular merchant. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more merchant self-service indicators are at least one of a merchant type, a merchant location, or a merchant size. ### Claim 12 A computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising: an executable portion configured to receive merchant identification information; an executable portion configured to verify that a user is a representative of a particular merchant using the merchant identification information; an executable portion configured to determine one or more merchant self-service indicators from the merchant identification information; an executable portion configured to programmatically generate one or more deal parameters for a deal offer based on the one or more merchant self-service indicators; and an executable portion configured to provide the one or more deal parameters to at least one consumer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the executable portion configured to verify that the user is a representative of the particular merchant further comprises: an executable portion configured to determine a contact method for the merchant from a source other than the merchant identification information; and an executable portion configured to contact the merchant via the contact method to verify the user is the representative of the particular merchant. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the one or more merchant self-service indicators are at least one of a merchant type, a merchant location, or a merchant size. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the one or more deal parameters are selected based on deals offered by at least one other merchant, and wherein the at least one other merchant has at least one self-service indicator in common with the one or more merchant self-service indicators. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more deal parameters are associated with at least one deal offer offered by the at least one other merchant, and where the at least one deal offer offered by the at least one other merchant has had at least a threshold deal redemption level. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising: an executable portion configured to determine whether a merchant associated with the merchant identification information meets at least one merchant screening parameter that meets a merchant screening threshold for generating the deal offer; and an executable portion configured to allow the merchant to programmatically generate the deal offer only in response to determining that the merchant screening parameter meets the merchant screening threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least merchant screening parameter comprises at least one of a merchant age, a merchant review score, a merchant social networking metric, or a merchant sales volume. ### Claim 19 A computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising: an executable portion configured to send merchant identification information, the merchant identification information allowing for verification that a user is a representative of a particular merchant associated with the merchant identification information; an executable portion configured to receive a verification prompt in response to sending the merchant identification information; an executable portion configured to verify that the user is a representative of the particular merchant using the verification prompt; an executable portion configured to receive one or more deal parameters for a deal offer, the one or more deal parameters based on one or more merchant self-service indicators associated with the particular merchant; and an executable portion configured to confirm the one or more deal parameters to provide the deal offer to one or more consumers. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the executable portion configured to verify that the user is a representative of the particular merchant further comprises an executable code portion configured to receive a verification code via a contact method associated with the particular merchant. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the one or more merchant self-service indicators are at least one of a merchant type, a merchant location, or a merchant size.