Granted Patent B2

US 10,621,608 · App. 12/718,253 · Granted Apr 14, 2020

Inventors: Ethan Henry Fieldman (Gainesville, FL); Ritesh Chaube (Altamonte Springs, FL)

Assignee: Ethan Fieldman

G06Q30/0214G06Q30/0211G06Q50/01

Abstract

Claims (54)

1. A method of tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social media network, the social media network including a multiplicity of members each having an associated social media page, the plurality of members including a first member, a second member, and a purchasing member, the method comprising:

storing, in a data storage, member information about the multiplicity of members, the member information associated with each member including an indication of selected relationships that such member has with selected other members within the social media network, wherein the indicated relationships between the multiplicity of members include (i) an indication that a first set of the social media network members including the second member are directly connected with the first member as friends or followers of the first member, and (ii) an indication that a second set of the social media network members, including the purchasing member are connected with the second member as friends or followers of the second member;

in response to a computer implemented first action by the first member of a social media network, displaying or posting a computer implemented first notification to the second member within the social media network that refers to a product available for purchase from a third party, the first notification including a first purchase code, wherein the first action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing a base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event;

in response to a computer implemented second action by the second member of the social media network that is responsive to the first notification, displaying or posting a computer implemented second notification to the purchasing member within the social media network that refers to the product available for purchase from the third party, the second notification including the first purchase code;

storing, in the data storage, a data structure representing a campaign that includes the first and second notifications;

identifying a purchase of the product that was made by the purchasing member in which the purchasing member used the first purchase code in conjunction with the purchase, the purchase being made after the displaying or posting of the second notification;

in response to the purchasing member making the purchase, determining that the first member and the second member both contributed to the purchase based on the data structure; and

awarding a first credit to the first member and awarding a second credit to the second member based on the determination that the first and second members both contributed to the purchase.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the purchasing member is not directly connected with the first member within the social media network as a friend or follower of the first member.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second action is accessing a link in the first notification or a link on the first member's social media page that is associated with the product available for purchase.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing the base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the purchase was made by the purchasing member that followed a link on the first member's social media page that links to an advertisement for or a mechanism to facilitate the purchase of the purchased product.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second notifications each include a link to an advertisement.

7. A method of tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social media network, the social media network including a multiplicity of members each having an associated social media page, the plurality of members including a first member, a second member, and a purchasing member, the method comprising:

storing, in a data storage, member information about the multiplicity of members, the member information associated with each member including an indication of selected relationships that such member has with selected other members within the social media network, wherein the indicated relationships between the multiplicity of members include (i) an indication that a first set of the social media network members including the second member are directly connected with the first member as friends or followers of the first member, and (ii) an indication that a second set of the social media network members, including the purchasing member are connected with the second member as friends or followers of the second member;

in response to a computer implemented first action by the first member of a social media network, displaying or posting a computer implemented first notification to the second member within the social media network that refers to a product available for purchase from a third party, the first notification including a first purchase code, wherein the first action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing a base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event;

in response to a computer implemented second action by the second member of the social media network that is responsive to the first notification, displaying or posting a computer implemented second notification to the purchasing member within the social media network that refers to the product available for purchase from the third party;

storing, in the data storage, a data structure representing a campaign that includes the first and second notifications;

identifying a purchase of the product that was made by the purchasing member after the displaying or posting of the second notification, wherein the purchasing member used a second purchase code in conjunction with the purchase and did not use the first purchase code in conjunction with the purchase, the second purchase code being received by the purchasing member from a third member;

in response to the purchasing member making the purchase, determining that the first member and the second member both contributed to the purchase based on the data structure; and

awarding a first credit to the first member and awarding a second credit to the second member based on the determination that the first and second members both contributed to the purchase, wherein the determination that the first member contributed to the purchase is based at least in part on a determination that the second notification was received by the purchasing member before the purchasing member received the second purchase code from the third member.

8. A method of tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social media network, the social media network including a multiplicity of members each having an associated social media page, the plurality of members including a first member, a second member, and a purchasing member, the method comprising:

storing, in a data storage, member information about the multiplicity of members, the member information associated with each member including an indication of selected relationships that such member has with selected other members within the social media network, wherein the indicated relationships between the multiplicity of members include (i) an indication that a first set of the social media network members including the second member are directly connected with the first member as friends or followers of the first member, and (ii) an indication that a second set of members, including the purchasing member are connected with the second member as friends or followers of the second member;

in response to a computer implemented action first by the first member of a social media network, displaying or posting a computer implemented first notification about a product to the second member within the social media network or posting the first notification on the first member's social media page, the first notification including a first purchase code;

in response to a computer implemented second action by the second member of the social media network that is responsive to the first notification, displaying or posting a computer implemented second notification about the product to the purchasing member within the social media network or posting the second notification on the second member's social media page, wherein the purchasing member is not directly connected with the first member within the social media network as a friend or follower of the first member;

in response to computer implemented additional actions by one or more additional members of the social media network, displaying or posting one or more computer implemented additional notifications about the product to the purchasing member within the social media network;

in response to the purchasing member making a purchase, determining that within the social media network, the purchasing member was first notified about the product by the second notification, the second notification occurring prior to the purchase, wherein the purchasing member used a second purchase code in conjunction with the purchase and did not use the first purchase code in conjunction with the purchase, the second purchase code being received by the purchasing member from one of the additional members; and

awarding a first credit to the first member based on the determination that the first members contributed to the purchase.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising awarding a second credit to the second member.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising awarding a second credit to the additional member from which the second purchase code was received.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the purchase was made by the purchasing member that followed a link on the first member's social media page.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the notifications includes a link to an advertisement.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the first action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing the base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event.

14. A method of tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social media network, the social media network including a multiplicity of members each having an associated social media page, the plurality of members including a first member, a second member, one or more additional members, and a purchasing member, the method comprising:

storing, in a data storage, member information about the multiplicity of members, the member information associated with each member including an indication of selected relationships that such member has with selected other members within the social media network, wherein the indicated relationships between the multiplicity of members include (i) an indication that a first set of the social media network members including the second member are directly connected with the first member as friends or followers of the first member, and (ii) an indication that a second set of members are connected with the second member as friends or followers of the second member;

(i) in response to a computer implemented first action by the first member of a social media network, displaying or posting a computer implemented first notification about a product to one or more of the friends or followers of the first member within the social media network, wherein the first notification includes a first purchase code and wherein the friends or followers of the first member of the social media network are each members of the social media network;

(ii) in response to a computer implemented action by a selected member of the social media network that is responsive to one of the notifications, displaying or posting a computer implemented additional notification about the product to one or more of the selected member's friends or followers within the social media network;

(iii) repeating (ii) for one or more additional selected members of the social media network, wherein one of the members that viewed or received one of the additional notifications is the purchasing member;

in response to computer implemented other actions by one or more other members of the social media network, displaying or posting one or more computer implemented other notifications about the product to the purchasing member within the social media network, wherein at least one of the other notifications includes a second purchase code;

in response to the purchasing member making a purchase of the product using the second purchase code in conjunction with the purchase and not using the first purchase code in conjunction with the purchase, determining that within the social media network, the purchasing member was first notified about the product by one of the additional notifications that was triggered directly or indirectly from the first notification, wherein the purchasing member was first notified about the product prior to making the purchase; and

awarding a first credit to the first member based on the determination that the first members contributed to the purchase.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising awarding a second credit to the other member from which the purchasing member received the second purchase code.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing the base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the purchasing member is not directly connected with the first member within the social media network as a friend or follower of the first member.

18. A method of tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social media network, the social media network including a multiplicity of members each having an associated social media page, the plurality of members including a first member, a second member, a purchasing member, and a plurality of additional members, the method comprising:

storing, in a data storage, member information about the multiplicity of members, the member information associated with each member including an indication of selected relationships that such member has with selected other members within the social media network, wherein the indicated relationships between the multiplicity of members include, for each member, an indication that an associated set of the social media network members are directly connected with the such member as friends or followers of the such member;

in response to a computer implemented first action by the first member of a social media network, displaying or posting a computer implemented first notification to the second member within the social media network that refers to a product available for purchase from a third party, wherein the first notification includes a first purchase code and wherein the first action is selected from the group consisting of purchasing an item, viewing a base advertisement, browsing a catalog, viewing a news feed item, commenting on a news feed item, completing a survey or a quiz on the social media network, selecting a “like” button associated with an item, and contributing to an event;

(ii) in response to a computer implemented action by a selected member of the social media network that received or viewed one of the notifications, displaying or posting a computer implemented additional notification about the product to one or more of the selected member's friends or followers within the social media network, wherein the additional notification includes the first purchase code;

(iii) repeating (ii) for one or more additional selected members of the social media network, wherein one of the members that received or viewed one of the additional notifications is the purchasing member;

storing, in the data storage, a data structure representing a campaign that includes the first and additional notifications;

identifying a purchase of the product that was made by the purchasing member in which the purchasing member used the first purchase code in conjunction with the purchase, the purchase being made after the purchasing member received or viewed an additional notification displaying or posted in response to a computer implemented action by the second member of the social media network;

in response to the purchasing member making the purchase, determining that the first member and the second member both contributed to the purchase based on the data structure; and

awarding a first credit to the first member and awarding a second credit to the second member based on the determination that the first and second members both contributed to the purchase.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the purchasing member is not directly connected with the first member within the social media network as a friend or follower of the first member.

Assignments (9)