# US 8,543,470 B2 · System and method for targeting limited-time offer based on likelihood of acceptance and selecting transmission media based on customer interest > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,470 B2 - Document ID: US8543470B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/573,844 - Filed: 2009-10-05 - Published: 2010-01-28 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2004-06-15 - Assignees: Rearden Commerce, Inc. - Applicants: Patrick Grady; Mark Orttung - Inventors: Patrick Grady; Mark Orttung - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543470B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events - G06Q 30/0251: Targeted advertisements - G06Q 30/0252: {based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals} - G06Q 30/0255: {based on user history} - G06Q 30/0261: {based on user location} - G06Q 30/0269: {based on user profile or attribute} - G06Q 30/0605: {Pooling transaction partners, e.g. group buying or group selling} - G06Q 30/0631: {Recommending goods or services} - 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 System and method for availability based on limited-time offerings and transactions. One embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method that, based on a set of known preferences and historic transactions with customers, culls from a customer database those customers most likely to close a transaction in a short time. The selected customers are notified of the offer, and the system processes the customers responses in a timely manner, and thus allow fleeting inventories to be sold off before they expire. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer implemented method comprising: receiving, via a computing device, an offer that has an explicit or implicit expiration; determining, via a set of instructions executed on a machine, a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers, the likelihood being determined by applying predetermined rules based on the characteristics of the offer and information on customers; selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer and predetermined criteria; ranking the selected customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer; and sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking via one of a plurality of various transmission media which is selected based on a customer interest threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising guaranteeing availability of the offer to the one or more selected customers by limiting the offer to a number of customers matching a number of products or services available. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a next customer in the sequence the offer when the offer expires for or is rejected by the at least one of the selected customers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the offer is for a product or service concerning at least one of travel, lodging, entertainment, and dining. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising categorizing the offer into a predetermined category. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information on customers comprises at least one of personal information, declared preferences, calendar information, current variables, and prior history. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the implicit expiration of the offer is related to an event. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the current variables comprise at least one of current locations, current financial status, current calendar status, and information gleaned from current purchases to determine current location. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers comprises comparing features of the offer with at least one preference a customer has designated for receiving an offer and a customer's previous acceptance rate for similar offers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers is based on at least one of loyalty bonus, previous dollars spent by a customer, and loyalty points accrued by a customer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking comprises providing the offer via at least one of email, short message service, instant messaging, telephonic media, a personalized television ad, and a personalized website ad. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking multiple offers for a customer based on at least one of a declared preference of the customer and prior purchasing history of the customer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising providing less than all the multiple offers based on the ranking of the multiple offers. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory tangible computer readable medium that provides instructions that when executed by a machine will cause said machine to perform operations comprising: receiving, via a computing device, an offer that has an explicit or implicit expiration; determining a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers, the likelihood being determined by applying predetermined rules based on the characteristics of the offer and information on customers; selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer and predetermined criteria; and ranking the selected customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer; sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking via one of a plurality of various transmission media which is selected based on a customer interest threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising guaranteeing availability of the offer to the one or more selected customers by limiting the offer to a number of customers matching a number of products or services available. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising providing a next customer in the sequence the offer when the offer expires for or is rejected by the at least one of the selected customers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the offer is for a product or service concerning at least one of travel, lodging, entertainment, and dining. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising categorizing the offer into a predetermined category. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the information on customers comprises at least one of personal information, declared preferences, calendar information, current variables, and prior history. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the implicit expiration of the offer is related to an event. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the current variables comprise at least one of current locations, current financial status, current calendar status, and information gleaned from current purchases to determine current location. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers comprises comparing features of the offer with at least one preference a customer has designated for receiving an offer and a customer's previous acceptance rate for similar offers. ### Claim 23 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers is based on at least one of loyalty bonus, previous dollars spent by a customer, and loyalty points accrued by a customer. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking comprises providing the offer via at least one of email, short message service, instant messaging, telephonic media, a personalized television ad, and a personalized website ad. ### Claim 25 (depends on 14) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising ranking multiple offers for a customer based on at least one of a declared preference of the customer and prior purchasing history of the customer. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The tangible computer readable medium of claim 25, further comprising providing less than all the multiple offers based on the ranking of the multiple offers. ### Claim 27 A computer system comprising at least one server configured for: receiving, via a computing device, an offer that has an explicit or implicit expiration; determining a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers, the likelihood being determined by applying predetermined rules based on the characteristics of the offer and information on customers; selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer and predetermined criteria; ranking the selected customers based on the likelihood of accepting the offer; and sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking via one of a plurality of various transmission media which is selected based on a customer interest threshold. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, further comprising guaranteeing availability of the offer to the one or more selected customers by limiting the offer to a number of customers matching a number of products or services available. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, further comprising providing a next customer in the sequence the offer when the offer expires for or is rejected by the at least one of the selected customers. ### Claim 30 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the offer is for a product or service concerning at least one of travel, lodging, entertainment, and dining. ### Claim 31 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, further comprising categorizing the offer into a predetermined category. ### Claim 32 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the information on customers comprises at least one of personal information, declared preferences, calendar information, current variables, and prior history. ### Claim 33 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the implicit expiration of the offer is related to an event. ### Claim 34 (depends on 32) The computer system of claim 32, wherein the current variables comprise at least one of current locations, current financial status, current calendar status, and information gleaned from current purchases to determine current location. ### Claim 35 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the determining a likelihood of accepting the offer for each of a plurality of customers comprises comparing features of the offer with at least one preference a customer has designated for receiving an offer and a customer's previous acceptance rate for similar offers. ### Claim 36 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the selecting a set of customers from the plurality of customers is based on at least one of loyalty bonus, previous dollars spent by a customer, and loyalty points accrued by a customer. ### Claim 37 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, wherein the sequentially providing the offer to at least one or more of the selected customers in the order of the ranking comprises providing the offer via at least one of email, short message service, instant messaging, telephonic media, a personalized television ad, and a personalized website ad. ### Claim 38 (depends on 27) The computer system of claim 27, further comprising ranking multiple offers for a customer based on at least one of a declared preference of the customer and prior purchasing history of the customer. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The computer system of claim 38, further comprising providing less than all the multiple offers based on the ranking of the multiple offers.