Method and apparatus for administering a reward program
US6049778A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 11, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q30/0239
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In accordance with the present invention, a central controller stores a series of registrations, each of which corresponds to a purchaser of a product. The central controller calculates a measurement of product success, such as the number of products sold or the market share of the product. The central controller determines if the measurement is within a predetermined range. For example, the central controller may determine if the number of products sold exceeds a predetermined threshold. A selected set of registrations which are "early-adopter" registrations are selected. The set of registrations thereby defines a set of early-adopter purchasers. For example, the central controller may select a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, such as the first hundred registrations. Thus, one hundred early-adopter purchasers are defined. If the measurement of product success is within the predetermined range, a reward, such as a refund or a free product, is provided to each early-adopter purchaser. For example, if sales of the product exceed 1,000,000 units, a reward is provided to each early-adopter purchaser.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.