# US 8,571,925 B2 · Billing statement customer acquisition system

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,571,925 B2
- Document ID: US8571925B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/436,792
- Filed: 2012-03-30
- Published: 2012-07-26
- Granted: 2013-10-29
- Earliest claimed: 1997-12-01
- Assignees: eBay Inc.
- Applicants: Daniel E. Tedesco; James A. Jorasch; Jay S. Walker
- Inventors: Daniel E. Tedesco; James A. Jorasch; Jay S. Walker
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8571925B2

## CPC

- G06Q 20/102: {Bill distribution or payments}
- B42D 15/00: Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
- G06Q 20/00: Payment architectures, schemes or protocols (apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12)
- G06Q 20/12: specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
- G06Q 20/14: specially adapted for billing systems
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q 30/0207: Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q 30/0215: {Including financial accounts}
- G06Q 30/0235: constrained by time limit or expiration date
- G06Q 30/0236: {Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user}
- G06Q 30/0251: Targeted advertisements
- G06Q 30/0255: {based on user history}
- G06Q 30/0261: {based on user location}
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- G06Q 40/00: Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
- 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
- B42D: BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS

## Abstract

Some described embodiments provide for selecting (e.g., by a server computer from a plurality of transaction records), a transaction record associated with a financial account of an account holder. In one example, the transaction record includes an indication of an amount due, by the account holder, for a previous purchase completed by the account holder with a first merchant. Some embodiments provide further for generating a billing statement for the account holder, the billing statement including an indication of the amount due by the account holder for the previous completed purchase and an indication of an acquisition offer, in which the acquisition offer comprises a promise from a second merchant to pay at least a portion of the amount due by the account holder, and transmitting the billing statement to the account holder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system, comprising:
a memory storing information about user accounts, wherein the information comprises transaction history and an account identifier; and
a processor configured for
determining a bill due date for a preexisting financial obligation owed by a user to an entity;
generating an offer to the user that expires before the bill due date;
providing the offer to the user, wherein the offer requires the user to spend a minimum dollar amount with a different entity in exchange for the different entity paying an amount of the preexisting financial obligation owed by the user to the entity; and
transmitting the offer electronically to the user.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer is based on user purchase history.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises an offer for the user agreeing to become a new customer of a merchant.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further accepts the offer electronically through email.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises crediting a user account with a credit card issuer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises providing a monetary benefit to the user having an account with an Internet Service Provider.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer is based on an amount owed by the user.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises providing a monetary benefit of reducing at least a portion of a payment obligation in exchange for the user becoming a new customer for the same entity in another division.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, the offer is transmitted on an electronic billing statement.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the offer comprises providing a user of a billing statement issuer a cash bonus or a credit larger than an amount due.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to cause the server to perform a method comprising:
determining bill due date for a preexisting financial obligation owed by a user to an entity;
generating an offer to the user that expires before the bill due date;
providing the offer to the user, wherein the offer requires the user to spend a minimum dollar amount with a different entity in exchange for the different entity paying an amount of the preexisting financial obligation owed by the user to the entity; and
transmitting the offer electronically to the user.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer comprises a second party agreeing to reduce an amount owned by the user to a first party in exchange for the user agreeing to become a customer of the second party.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer is based, at least in part, on history data of the user.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the history data comprises purchase history.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer is provided on a billing statement or an invoice.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitting is by email.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitting is onto a web site.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitting is onto a bulletin board.

### Claim 19

A method, comprising:
determining, electronically by a processor of a service provider, a bill due date for a preexisting financial obligation owed by a user to an entity;
generating, electronically by the processor, an offer to the user that expires before the bill due date; and
providing, electronically by the processor, the offer to the user, wherein the offer requires the user to spend a minimum dollar amount with a different entity in exchange for the different entity paying an amount of the preexisting financial obligation owed by the user to the entity.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving an indication whether the offer was accepted by the user.

### Claim 21 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving an indication whether the offer was accepted by the user.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving, electronically by the processor, an indication whether the offer was accepted by the user.