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US 6,820,061 B2Granted
Method and system for exchange and aggregation of reward points via a global computer network
OwnerRichard Postrelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for operating a reward points accumulation and redemption program wherein a user earns reward points from a plurality of independent reward points issuing entities, with each tracking the user's earned reward points in a user reward point account stored on a rewards server (such as a frequent flyer account or a credit card loyalty account). A trading server accumulates some or all of the user's earned reward points from the reward servers and credits the accumulated points into a single reward exchange account associated with the user. The user may then select an item for purchase with the accumulated reward points. The item is provided to the user in exchange for a subset or all of the reward points.
Claims101
A method for making an online purchase over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:
- a. a user accessing a web site for logging into an online reward points trading system that allows accumulation of reward points from a plurality of individual reward accounts for application towards online payment of a product, each individual reward account associated with an individual reward issuing entity and stored on a reward server associated with the reward point issuing entity, and wherein each of said reward accounts tracks points earned by the user for transactions between the user and the associated reward points issuing entity, and wherein each of the reward points issuing entities enables the user to selectively redeem points from the reward account associated with the user for an item selected by the user;
- b. the reward points trading system determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward point accounts;
- c. the user selecting via the web site a product to be purchased from a plurality of available products;
- d. the web site displaying to the user the number of reward points available for redemption in at least one of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- e. the user interactively selecting via the web site points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated and applied to the purchase of the selected product;
- f. the reward points trading system accumulating the selected reward points from the selected individual reward accounts for application in a purchase transaction for the selected product;
- and
- g. the reward points trading system executing a purchase transaction for the selected product on behalf of the user by applying the accumulated points to the purchase price of the product.
5 more elements
An online networked purchasing system comprising:
- a. a user computer interconnected to a computer network;
- b. a plurality of individual reward computers interconnected to the computer network;
- each of the reward computers comprising a plurality of reward accounts associated with a plurality of users, each individual reward account associated with an individual reward issuing entity, wherein each of said reward accounts tracks points earned by the user for transactions between the user and the associated reward points issuing entity, and wherein each of the reward points issuing entities enables the user to selectively redeem points from the reward account associated with the user for an item selected by the user;
- and
- c. a reward points trading computer interconnected to the computer network and adapted to:
- i. allow a user to log in via a web site;
- ii. determine over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward accounts;
- iii. provide to a user computer a display of a plurality of products available for purchase and allow a user to select a product for purchase via the user computer;
- iv. provide to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available for redemption in each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- v. allow a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated and applied to the purchase of a selected product;
- vi. accumulate the selected reward points from each of the selected individual reward accounts for application in a purchase transaction for the selected product;
- and
- vii. execute a purchase transaction for the selected product on behalf of the user by applying the accumulated points to the purchase price of the product.
10 more elements
A reward points trading computer comprising:
- a. means to interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of individual reward computers;
- b. means for allowing a user to log in via a web site;
- c. means for determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward accounts;
- d. means for providing to a user computer a display of a plurality of products available for purchase and allow a user to select a product for purchase via the user computer;
- e. means for providing to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available for redemption in each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- f. means for allowing a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated and applied to the purchase of a selected product;
- g. means for accumulating the selected reward points from each of the selected individual reward accounts for application in a purchase transaction for the selected product;
- and
- h. means for executing a purchase transaction for the selected product on behalf of the user by applying the accumulated points to the purchase price of the product.
6 more elements
A method for accumulating reward points from a plurality of individual reward issuing entities into a common reward account over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:
- a. a user accessing a web site for logging into an online reward points trading system that allows accumulation of reward points from a plurality of individual reward accounts, each individual reward account associated with an individual reward point issuing entity and stored on a reward server associated with the reward point issuing entity, and wherein each of said reward accounts tracks points earned by the user for transactions between the user and the associated reward points issuing entity, and wherein each of the reward points issuing entities enables the user to selectively redeem points from the reward account associated with the user for an item selected by the user;
- b. the reward points trading system determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward accounts;
- c. the web site displaying to the user the number of reward points available in each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- d. the user interactively selecting via the web site points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated;
- and
- e. the reward points trading system accumulating the selected reward points from each of the selected individual reward accounts into a single reward account.
3 more elements
An online networked reward points trading system comprising:
- a. a user computer interconnected to a computer network;
- b. a plurality of individual reward computers interconnected to the computer network;
- each of the reward computers comprising a plurality of reward accounts associated with a plurality of users;
- and
- c. a reward points trading computer interconnected to the computer network and adapted to:
- i. allow a user to log in via a web site;
- ii. determine over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward accounts;
- iii. provide to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- iv. allow a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated;
- and
- v. accumulate the selected reward points from each of the selected individual reward accounts into a single reward account.
8 more elements
A reward points trading computer comprising
- a. means to interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of individual reward computers,
- b. means for allowing a user to log in via a web site;
- c. means for determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in each of a plurality of individual reward accounts;
- d. means for providing to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- e. means for allowing a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from selected individual reward accounts to be accumulated;
- and
- f. means for accumulating the selected reward points from each of the selected individual reward accounts.
4 more elements
A method for accumulating reward points from at least one individual reward issuing entity into a common reward account over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:
- a. a user accessing a web site for logging into an online reward points trading system that allows accumulation of reward points from at least one individual reward account associated with an individual reward point issuing entity;
- b. determining, by accessing a reward server computer associated with the at least one individual reward issuing entity, the number of reward points a user has in the at least one individual reward account associated with the at least one individual reward issuing entity;
- c. displaying to the user the number of reward points available in the at least one individual reward account;
- d. the user interactively selecting via the web site points from the at least one individual reward account to be traded into a common reward account;
- and
- e. the reward points trading system trading the designated reward points from the at least one individual reward account into the common reward account.
3 more elements
An online networked reward points trading system comprising:
- a. a user computer interconnected to a computer network;
- b. at least one individual reward computer interconnected to the computer network and comprising a plurality of reward accounts associated with a plurality of users;
- and
- c. a reward points trading computer interconnected to the computer network and adapted to:
- i. allow a user to log in via a web site;
- ii. determine over the network the number of reward points a user has in at least one individual reward account;
- iii. provide to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the at least one each of the plurality of individual reward accounts;
- iv. allow a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from at least one selected individual reward account to be traded;
- and
- v. trade the designated reward points from the at least one individual reward account into a common reward account.
7 more elements
A reward points trading computer comprising:
- a. means to interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of individual reward computers;
- b. means for allowing a user to log in via a web site;
- c. means for determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in at least one individual reward account;
- c. means for providing to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the at least one individual reward account;
- d. means for allowing a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from the at least one individual reward account to be traded into a common reward account;
- and
- e. means for trading the designated reward points from the at least one individual reward account into the common reward account.
4 more elements
A method for exchanging reward points from at least one individual reward issuing entity into a common reward account over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:
- a. a user accessing a web site for logging into an online reward points exchange system that allows exchanging of reward points from at least one individual reward account associated with an individual reward point issuing entity;
- b. determining, by accessing a computer associated with the at least one individual reward issuing entity, the number of reward points a user has in the at least one individual reward account associated with the at least one individual reward issuing entity;
- c. displaying to the user the number of reward points available in the at least one individual reward account;
- d. the user interactively selecting via the web site points from the at least one individual reward account to be exchanged into a common reward account;
- and
- e. the reward points trading system exchanging the selected reward points from the at least one individual reward account into reward points in the common reward account.
3 more elements
An online networked reward points exchange system comprising:
- a. a user computer interconnected to a computer network;
- b. at least one individual reward computer interconnected to the computer network and comprising a plurality of reward accounts associated with a plurality of users;
- and
- c. a reward points exchange computer interconnected to the computer network and adapted to:
- i. allow a user to log in via a web site;
- ii. determine over the network the number of reward points a user has in at least one individual reward account;
- iii. provide to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the at least one individual reward account;
- iv. allow a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from at least one selected individual reward account to be exchanged;
- and
- v. exchange the selected reward points from the at least one individual reward account into reward points in a common reward account.
7 more elements
A reward points exchange computer comprising:
- a. means to interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of individual reward computers;
- b. means for allowing a user to log in via a web site;
- c. means for determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in at least one individual reward account;
- d. means for providing to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the at least one individual reward account;
- e. means for allowing a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from the at least one individual reward account to be exchanged into a common reward account;
- and
- f. means for exchanging the selected reward points from the at least one individual reward account into reward points in the common reward account.
4 more elements
A method for exchanging reward points from a first reward account into a second reward account over a networked computer system comprising the steps of:
- a. a user accessing a web site for logging into an online reward points exchange system that allows exchanging of reward points from a first reward account to reward points in a second reward account;
- b. determining, by accessing a reward server computer associated with the first reward account, the number of reward points a user has in the first reward account;
- c. displaying to the user the number of reward points available in the first reward account;
- d. the user interactively selecting via the web site points from the first reward account to be exchanged into the second reward account;
- and
- e. the reward points exchange system exchanging the selected reward points from the first reward account into reward points in the second reward account.
3 more elements
An online networked reward points exchange system comprising:
- a. a user computer interconnected to a computer network;
- b. a first reward computer interconnected to the computer network and comprising a plurality of reward accounts associated with a plurality of users;
- and
- c. a reward points exchange computer interconnected to the computer network and adapted to:
- i. allow a user to log in via a web site;
- ii. determine over the network the number of reward points a user has in a first reward account on the first reward computer;
- iii. provide to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the first reward account;
- iv. allow a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from the first reward account to be exchanged;
- and
- v. exchange the selected reward points from the first reward account into reward points in a second reward account.
7 more elements
A reward points exchange computer comprising:
- a. means to interconnect to a computer network for communication with a user computer and a plurality of individual reward computers;
- b. means for allowing a user to log in via a web site;
- c. means for determining over the network the number of reward points a user has in a first reward points account;
- d. means for providing to a user computer a display of the number of reward points available in the first reward points account;
- e. means for allowing a user to interactively select, via the user computer, points from the first reward points account to be exchanged into a second reward points account;
- and
- f. means for exchanging the selected reward points from the first reward points account into reward points in the second reward points account.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.