METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING LOCATION BASED PURCHASE INCENTIVES BASED ON ROUTE OF TRAVEL
Providing a purchase incentive to a mobile device based for example the user's location, predicted route of travel, and prior transactions. A tracking server computer determines a number of locations of a mobile device as it travels along a route and an associated timeframe when it is at each of the locations. The tracking server computer records the locations and associated timeframes in a location log and analyzes the location log to predict a subsequent location and associated timeframe that the mobile device will be at that location. The tracking server computer then determines a merchant proximate to the predicted subsequent location of the mobile device and generates a purchase incentive for use at the merchant and delivers the purchase incentive to the mobile device. In the alternative, the incentive may be generated by a merchant computer or the mobile device.
1 . A method of operating a mobile device comprising:
a mobile device receiving via a program interface a condition input by a user, the condition controlling automatic generation of a purchase incentive;
a mobile device analyzing GPS coordinate data from a GPS receiver on the mobile device to determine a plurality of locations of the mobile device as the mobile device travels along a route and an associated timeframe when the mobile device is at each of the plurality of locations;
the mobile device recording the plurality of locations and associated timeframes in a location log stored on the mobile device;
the mobile device analyzing the location log and the condition input by the user to generate a purchase incentive for use by the mobile device at a merchant along the route being travelled by the mobile device.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the condition relates to a type of the purchase incentive.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the condition relates to a value of the purchase incentive.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the condition relates to a time of redemption of the purchase incentive.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the condition relates to an identification of the merchant for the purchase incentive.
6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
the mobile device analyzing a prior transaction log associated with the mobile device, the prior transaction log comprising records of prior transactions executed by the mobile device; and
the mobile device generating the purchase incentive based on the prior transaction log.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the purchase incentive is generated for use with a merchant associated with the prior transaction log.
8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the purchase incentive is generated for use with a merchant not associated with the prior transaction log.
9 . The method of claim 6 wherein the purchase incentive is based on a type of prior transactions executed by the mobile device.
10 . The method of claim 6 wherein the purchase incentive is based on a value of prior transactions executed by the mobile device.
11 . The method of claim 6 wherein the prior transaction log is stored on the mobile device.
12 . The method of claim 6 wherein the prior transaction log is stored on a merchant computer.
13 . The method of claim 1 wherein the merchant at which the purchase incentive may be used by the mobile device is proximate to a predicted subsequent location of the mobile device based on the analysis of the location log by the mobile device.
14 . The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a smart card.
15 . The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a handheld computing device.
16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.
17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.
18 . A mobile device comprising a GPS receiver, processing circuitry, and a memory, wherein the processing circuitry is programmed to execute an app on the mobile device which performs the steps of:
the mobile device receiving via a program interface a condition input by a user, the condition controlling automatic generation of a purchase incentive;
the mobile device analyzing GPS coordinate data from the GPS receiver to determine a plurality of locations of the mobile device as the mobile device travels along a route and an associated timeframe when the mobile device is at each of the plurality of locations;
the mobile device recording the plurality of locations and associated timeframes in a location log stored in the memory;
the mobile device analyzing the location log and the condition input by the user to generate a purchase incentive for use by the mobile device at a merchant along the route being travelled by the mobile device.
19 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the condition relates to a type of the purchase incentive.
20 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the condition relates to a value of the purchase incentive.
21 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the condition relates to a time of redemption of the purchase incentive.
22 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the condition relates to an identification of the merchant for the purchase incentive.
23 . The mobile device of claim 18 further comprising the app on the mobile device performing the steps of:
the mobile device analyzing a prior transaction log associated with the mobile device, the prior transaction log comprising records of prior transactions executed by the mobile device; and
the mobile device generating the purchase incentive based on the prior transaction log.
24 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the purchase incentive is generated for use with a merchant associated with the prior transaction log.
25 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the purchase incentive is generated for use with a merchant not associated with the prior transaction log.
26 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the purchase incentive is based on a type of prior transactions executed by the mobile device.
27 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the purchase incentive is based on a value of prior transactions executed by the mobile device.
28 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the prior transaction log is stored on the mobile device.
29 . The mobile device of claim 23 wherein the prior transaction log is stored on an external server computer.
30 . The method of claim 1 wherein the merchant at which the purchase incentive may be used by the mobile device is proximate to a predicted subsequent location of the mobile device based on the analysis of the location log by the mobile device.
31 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the mobile device is a smart card.
32 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the mobile device is a handheld computing device.
33 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.
34 . The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.