IP Library Granted Patent US 12,586,118
Granted Patent B2
US 12,586,118 · App. 18/443,505 · Granted Mar 24, 2026

Systems and methods for surprise object distribution

Inventor: Gabriel Saunkeah (Stamford, CT)
Assignee: Synchrony Bank
G06Q30/0631G06Q30/0205G06Q10/08741G06Q20/203
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,586,118
App. No.
18/443,505
Granted
Mar 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for generating surprise gift objects presentable to intended recipients based on real-time location data associated with recipients. Users are provided with recommendations for surprise gift objects that can be provided to recipients based on information associated with recipients and inventory data associated with locations through which options associated with these surprise gift objects are made available. Through these systems and methods, recipients are notified of the availability of surprise gift objects based on their real-time location data. As recipients select different options associated with these surprise gift objects or otherwise redeem these surprise gift objects at the one or more locations, data corresponding to these redemptions is used to further enhance the systems and methods in order to provide more accurate tailored recommendations to users wishing to send surprise gift objects to recipients and to the recipients when redeeming surprise gift objects.

Claims (71)

1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request to generate a surprise gift object, wherein the request includes identifying information associated with a recipient and defines one or more physical locations through which the surprise gift object is to be made available, and wherein the surprise gift object is associated with a set of gift options made available through the one or more physical locations;

automatically engaging one or more devices implemented on a recipient device to continuously obtain location data corresponding to the recipient device, wherein the location data is selected from a group consisting of Global Positioning System data, Internet Protocol (IP)-based geolocation data, Wi-Fi position data, and cellular trilateration data;

continuously processing, in real-time, the location data to detect recipient proximity to a physical location associated with the one or more physical locations;

identifying an initial inventory of the set of gift options available at the physical location, wherein the initial inventory is identified through an inventory tracking system associated with the physical location;

updating an interface associated with the recipient device to present a notification to indicate an availability of the surprise gift object and the set of gift options;

dynamically monitoring changes to the initial inventory as different recipients select different gift options from the set of gift options at the physical location and as the set of gift options is restocked at the physical location;

updating the interface as the changes to the initial inventory occur, wherein the interface is updated to provide an updated set of gift options available at the physical location; and

detecting selection of a gift option from the updated set of gift options through the physical location, wherein when the gift selection option is selected at the physical location, an indication that the surprise gift object has been delivered is provided.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the set of gift options is provided through a surprise gift object storage device implemented at the physical location, and wherein the availability is associated with the surprise gift object storage device.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

automatically detecting a newly unavailable gift option from the set of gift options based on the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically updating the interface to remove a set of interface elements corresponding to the newly unavailable gift option.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the request further defines a range of dates during which the surprise gift object is to be available, and wherein the location data is continuously processed within the range of dates to detect the recipient proximity to the physical location.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing an option to convert the surprise gift object to a monetary value, wherein the option is provided through the interface in conjunction with the set of gift options.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

processing the identifying information associated with the recipient and a set of surprise gift object parameters through a gift recommendation algorithm to generate a gift option recommendation, wherein the gift recommendation algorithm is trained using a dataset of sample recipient profiles and sample surprise gift object requests; and

providing the gift option recommendation; and

re-training the gift recommendation algorithm based on the selection of the gift option.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting addition of a new gift option available at the physical location, wherein the addition is detected through monitoring of the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically updating the interface to present the new gift option.

8 . A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing thereon instructions that, as a result of being executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

receive a request to generate a surprise gift object, wherein the request includes identifying information associated with a recipient and defines one or more physical locations through which the surprise gift object is to be made available, and wherein the surprise gift object is associated with a set of gift options made available through the one or more physical locations;

automatically engage one or more devices implemented on a recipient device to continuously obtain location data corresponding to the recipient device, wherein the location data is selected from a group consisting of Global Positioning System data, Internet Protocol (IP)-based geolocation data, Wi-Fi position data, and cellular trilateration data;

continuously process, in real-time, the location data to detect recipient proximity to a physical location associated with the one or more physical locations;

identify an initial inventory of the set of gift options available at the physical location, wherein the initial inventory is identified through an inventory tracking system associated with the physical location;

update an interface associated with the recipient device to present a notification to indicate an availability of the surprise gift object and the set of gift options;

dynamically monitor changes to the initial inventory as different recipients select different gift options from the set of gift options at the physical location and as the set of gift options is restocked at the physical location;

update the interface as the changes to the initial inventory occur, wherein the interface is updated to provide an updated set of gift options available at the physical location; and

detect selection of a gift option from the updated set of gift options through the physical location, wherein when the gift option is selected at the physical location, an indication that the surprise gift object has been delivered is provided.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of gift options is provided through a surprise gift object storage device implemented at the physical location, and wherein the availability is associated with the surprise gift object storage device.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

automatically detect a newly unavailable gift option from the set of gift options based on the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically update the interface to remove a set of interface elements corresponding to the newly unavailable gift option.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the request further defines a range of dates during which the surprise gift object is to be available, and wherein the location data is continuously processed within the range of dates to detect the recipient proximity to the physical location.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

provide an option to convert the surprise gift object to a monetary value, wherein the option is provided through the interface in conjunction with the set of gift options.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

process the identifying information associated with the recipient and a set of surprise gift object parameters through a gift recommendation algorithm to generate a gift option recommendation, wherein the gift recommendation algorithm is trained using a dataset of sample recipient profiles and sample surprise gift object requests; and

provide the gift option recommendation; and

re-train the gift recommendation algorithm based on the selection of the gift option.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

detect addition of a new gift option available at the physical location, wherein the addition is detected through monitoring of the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically update the interface to present the new gift option.

15 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing thereon executable instructions that, as a result of being executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to:

receive a request to generate a surprise gift object, wherein the request includes identifying information associated with a recipient and defines one or more physical locations through which the surprise gift object is to be made available, and wherein the surprise gift object is associated with a set of gift options made available through the one or more physical locations;

automatically engage one or more devices implemented on a recipient device to continuously obtain location data corresponding to the recipient device, wherein the location data is selected from a group consisting of Global Positioning System data, Internet Protocol (IP)-based geolocation data, Wi-Fi position data, and cellular trilateration data;

continuously process, in real-time, the location data to detect recipient proximity to a physical location associated with the one or more physical locations;

identify an initial inventory of the set of gift options available at the physical location, wherein the initial inventory is identified through an inventory tracking system associated with the physical location;

update an interface associated with the recipient device to present a notification to indicate an availability of the surprise gift object and the set of gift options;

dynamically monitor changes to the initial inventory as different recipients select different gift options from the set of gift options at the physical location and as the set of gift options is restocked at the physical location;

update the interface as the changes to the initial inventory occur, wherein the interface is updated to provide an updated set of gift options available at the physical location; and

detect selection of a gift option from the updated set of gift options through the physical location, wherein when the gift selection option is selected at the physical location, an indication that the surprise gift object has been delivered is provided.

16 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the set of gift options is provided through a surprise gift object storage device implemented at the physical location, and wherein the availability is associated with the surprise gift object storage device.

17 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

automatically detect a newly unavailable gift option from the set of gift options based on the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically update the interface to remove a set of interface elements corresponding to the newly unavailable gift option.

18 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the request further defines a range of dates during which the surprise gift object is to be available, and wherein the location data is continuously processed within the range of dates to detect the recipient proximity to the physical location.

19 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

provide an option to convert the surprise gift object to a monetary value, wherein the option is provided through the interface in conjunction with the set of gift options.

20 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

process the identifying information associated with the recipient and a set of surprise gift object parameters through a gift recommendation algorithm to generate a gift option recommendation, wherein the gift recommendation algorithm is trained using a dataset of sample recipient profiles and sample surprise gift object requests; and

provide the gift option recommendation; and

re-train the gift recommendation algorithm based on the selection of the gift option.

21 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to:

detect addition of a new gift option available at the physical location, wherein the addition is detected through monitoring of the changes to the initial inventory; and

dynamically update the interface to present the new gift option.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 11, 2025
From: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
To: SYNCHRONY BANK
Reel/Frame 071679/0080 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 9, 2025
From: LOOP COMMERCE, LLC
To: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
Reel/Frame 071639/0893 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: LOOP COMMERCE, INC.
To: LOOP COMMERCE, LLC
Reel/Frame 071060/0025 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2024
From: SAUNKEAH, GABRIEL
To: LOOP COMMERCE, INC.
Reel/Frame 066479/0092 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63486837 · Feb 24, 2023
Related Publication 20240289860A1 · Aug 29, 2024
References Cited (10)
US 20090254453A1 · Sanguinetti · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20110246284A1 · Chaikin · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20110313874A1 · Hardie · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20160335709A1 · Salvatore · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20190325691A1 · Tovey · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200294110A1 · Sirota · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20220051513A1 · Schmidt · 2022 [cited by examiner]
C. Huang et al., “Research on recommendation systems in the electronic commerce,” 2018 Chinese Control and Decision Conference (CCDC), Shenyang, China, 2018, pp. 1476-1481. [cited by examiner]
Y. H. Liu, et al., “A Model-Driven SOA Implementation of Multi-Channel Websphere Commerce Gift Center,” 2008 IEEE International Conference on e-Business Engineering, Xi'an, China, 2008, pp. 29-34. [cited by examiner]
J. Li, I. Ari, J. Jain, A. H. Karp and M. Dekhil, “Mobile In-store Personalized Services,” 2009 IEEE International Conference on Web Services, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2009, pp. 727-734. [cited by examiner]