IP Library Granted Patent US 11,049,172
Granted Patent B2
US 11,049,172 · App. 16/848,025 · Granted Jun 29, 2021

Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for group gifting in a randomized format

Inventors: Natalia Moreira Porto Arantes (Sao Paulo, BR); Victor de Freitas Valle Galante (Sao Paulo, BR); Scott Rogers (Mountain View, CA); Mark Christopher Webster (New York, NY); Fabio Fernandes Mignoto (Sao Paulo, BR); Gabriel Matsuo Molinari Sakai (Sao Paulo, BR)
Assignee: GROUPON, INC.
G06Q30/0635G06Q30/0214G06Q30/0215G06Q30/0222G06Q30/0631G06Q50/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,049,172
App. No.
16/848,025
Granted
Jun 29, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for proving gift giving within a group. Consumers may register for a gift giving program, create a group and invite other consumers to participate. Group members may be randomly assigned to a group, or assigned to a group based on an invitation or indicated group. Relationships between gift givers and recipients within a group may be determined, such as in a randomized format. Gift givers may purchase a gift, such as a good or a promotion from a promotion and marketing service. The promotion and marketing service may assign the promotion to the recipient so that the recipient may redeem the promotion for a good, service, or experience. Promotions may be automatically purchased on behalf of a gift giver who fails to purchase the promotion by a gift-giving deadline.

Claims (49)

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive a group giving request indication that is associated with a first user account associated with a consumer device;

identify one or more second user accounts for extending an invitation to join a gift giving group associated with a gift giving group identifier and the first user account;

transmit notifications to the one or more second user accounts extending an invitation to join the gift giving group;

prohibit assignment of each second user account to the gift giving group until payment information associated with a respective at least one of the second user accounts is submitted, received, and validated, thereby prohibiting generation of a giver/recipient correlation between each respective second user account and any members of the gift giving group until the payment information associated with the respective second user account is validated;

receive a confirmation, via an e-commerce interface, of validation of the payment information received from at least one of the second user accounts;

in response to receiving the confirmation of the validation of the payment information associated with the at least one second user account, correlate the at least one second user account to the gift giving group identifier;

determine a giver/recipient correlation between the first user account and the at least one second user account;

associate a giver identifier with the first user account based on the giver/recipient correlation;

associate a recipient identifier with the at least one second user account based on the giver/recipient correlation, wherein the first user account and the giver identifier are anonymous to the second user account, and the second user account and the recipient identifier are anonymous to the first user account;

store the payment information associated with the at least one second user account and a gift giving deadline associated with the gift giving group;

access gift recipient consumer data associated with the at least one second user account, the gift recipient consumer data comprising at least one of recipient location, recipient interest, or past recipient purchases; and

in response to determining, following expiration of the group gift giving deadline, that a gift has not been purchased for a recipient in the gift giving group, initiate a purchase of a gift identified based on the recipient consumer data, from a respective giver for the respective recipient.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one of the one or more second user accounts is selected from the one or more second user accounts at random.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gift is a gift voucher redeemable toward a purchase of any of a good or service.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gift is identified by determining relevancy scores of respective gifts of a plurality of gifts based on the recipient consumer data.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the relevancy scores are determined based on at least a target price or price range associated with the gift giving group.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the relevancy scores of the respective gifts are determined based on at least a location of the gift recipient and respective locations associated with the respective gifts.

7. A method comprising: receiving a group giving request indication that is associated with a first user account associated with a consumer device;

identifying one or more second user accounts for extending an invitation to join a gift giving group associated with a gift giving group identifier and the first user account;

transmitting notifications to the one or more second user accounts extending an invitation to join the gift giving group;

prohibiting assignment of each second user account to the gift giving group until payment information associated with a respective at least one of the second user accounts is submitted, received, and validated, thereby prohibiting generation of a giver/recipient correlation between each respective second user account and any members of the gift giving group until the payment information associated with the respective second user account is validated;

receiving a confirmation, via an e-commerce interface, of validation of the payment information received from at least one of the second user accounts;

in response to receiving the confirmation of the validation of the payment information associated with the at least one second user account, correlating the at least one second user account to the gift giving group identifier;

determining a giver/recipient correlation between the first user account and the at least one second user account; associating a giver identifier with the first user account based on the giver/recipient correlation;

associating a recipient identifier with the at least one second user account based on the giver/recipient correlation, wherein the first user account and the giver identifier are anonymous to the second user account, and the second user account and the recipient identifier are anonymous to the first user account;

storing the payment information associated with the at least one second user account and a gift giving deadline associated with the gift giving group; accessing gift recipient consumer data associated with the at least one second user account, the gift recipient consumer data comprising at least one of recipient location, recipient interest, or past recipient purchases; and

in response to determining, following expiration of the group gift giving deadline, that a gift has not been purchased for a recipient in the gift giving group, initiate a purchase of a gift identified based on the recipient consumer data, from a respective giver for the respective recipient.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one of the one or more second user accounts is selected from the one or more second user accounts at random.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the gift is a gift voucher redeemable toward a purchase of any of a good or service.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the gift is identified by determining relevancy scores of respective gifts of a plurality of gifts based on the recipient consumer data.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the relevancy scores are determined based on at least a target price or price range associated with the gift giving group.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the relevancy scores of the respective gifts are determined based on at least a location of the gift recipient and respective locations associated with the respective gifts.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions to:

receive a group giving request indication that is associated with a first user account associated with a consumer device;

identify one or more second user accounts for extending an invitation to join a gift giving group associated with a gift giving group identifier and the first user account;

transmit notifications to the one or more second user accounts extending an invitation to join the gift giving group;

prohibit assignment of each second user account to the gift giving group until payment information associated with a respective at least one of the second user accounts is submitted, received, and validated, thereby prohibiting generation of a giver/recipient correlation between each respective second user account and any members of the gift giving group until the payment information associated with the respective second user account is validated;

receive a confirmation, via an e-commerce interface, of validation of the payment information received from at least one of the second user accounts;

in response to receiving the confirmation of the validation of the payment information associated with the at least one second user account, correlate the at least one second user account to the gift giving group identifier;

determine a giver/recipient correlation between the first user account and the at least one second user account;

associate a giver identifier with the first user account based on the giver/recipient correlation; associate a recipient identifier with the at least one second user account based on the giver/recipient correlation, wherein the first user account and the giver identifier are anonymous to the second user account, and the second user account and the recipient identifier are anonymous to the first user account;

store the payment information associated with the at least one second user account and a gift giving deadline associated with the gift giving group; access gift recipient consumer data associated with the at least one second user account, the gift recipient consumer data comprising at least one of recipient location, recipient interest, or past recipient purchases; and

in response to determining, following expiration of the group gift giving deadline, that a gift has not been purchased for a recipient in the gift giving group, initiate a purchase of a gift identified based on the recipient consumer data, from a respective giver for the respective recipient.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the one of the one or more second user accounts is selected from the one or more second user accounts at random.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the gift is a gift voucher redeemable toward a purchase of any of a good or service.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the gift is identified by determining relevancy scores of respective gifts of a plurality of gifts based on the recipient consumer data.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the relevancy scores are determined based on at least a target price or price range associated with the gift giving group.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the relevancy scores of the respective gifts are determined based on at least a location of the gift recipient and respective locations associated with the respective gifts.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2024
From: GROUPON, INC.
To: BYTEDANCE INC.
Reel/Frame 068833/0811 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: GROUPON, INC.; LIVINGSOCIAL, LLC (F/K/A LIVINGSOCIAL, INC.)
Reel/Frame 066676/0001 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: GROUPON, INC.; LIVINGSOCIAL, LLC (F/K/A LIVINGSOCIAL, INC.)
Reel/Frame 066676/0251 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2020
From: GROUPON, INC.; LIVINGSOCIAL, LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053294/0495 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2020
From: ARANTES, NATALIA MOREIRA PORTO; GALANTE, VICTOR DE FREITAS VALLE; ROGERS, SCOTT; WEBSTER, MARK CHRISTOPHER; MIGNOTO, FABIO FERNANDES; SAKAI, GABRIEL MATSUO MOLINARI
To: GROUPON, INC.
Reel/Frame 053243/0570 →