US 11,941,606 B2
Mobile platform and associated methods for digital gifts and business networking
James Clark, Sugar Hill, GA (US); Les Adkins, Douglasville, GA (US); Doreen Morgan, Atlanta, GA (US); Rick Beckley, Knoxville, TN (US); John Gerdes, Aiken, SC (US); and John Clark, Belton, TX (US)
Assigned to The APocket Company LLC, Atlanta, GA (US)
Filed by The APocket Company LLC, Atlanta, GA (US)
Filed on Jan. 24, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/752,284.
Prior Publication US 2021/0233062 A1, Jul. 29, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06Q 20/34 (2012.01); G06Q 20/06 (2012.01); G06Q 20/36 (2012.01); G06Q 30/0201 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 20/351 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/0652 (2013.01); G06Q 20/363 (2013.01); G06Q 20/3672 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0201 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer implemented method using a mobile platform for delivering a customizable, personalized, digital/virtual gift product in a mobile application or in a Progressive Web Application and for generating and customizing by a giver through a service provider and for receipt by a recipient for use with a merchant, who is not the service provider, the method comprising:
providing a service provider computer server system comprising:
one or more databases;
one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more databases;
one or more communication devices communicatively coupling the one or more processors with a first computing device of a giver, a second computing device of a receiver, and a third computing device of or for a merchant, who is not the service provider; and
one or more memory device communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the service provider computer server system to perform the steps of:
providing by the service provider computer server system an interface to the giver through a mobile or Progressive Web application to a service provider to add a recipient, or select a previously added recipient, intended to receive the digital/virtual gift product in a digital wallet, and wherein an alias for the giver and/or recipient optionally is added;
receiving by the service provider computer server system from the giver, through the mobile application, giver contact user data;
providing by the service provider computer server system the interface to the giver through the mobile application to select the merchant, who is not the service provider, or product, through which merchant the digital/virtual gift product is redeemable by the recipient;
providing by the service provider computer server system the interface to the giver to select a gift value, by the giver, and depict the gift value on the digital/virtual gift product for use and redemption with the preselected merchant;
forwarding, electronically by the service provider computer server system, the giver to a site for the merchant, or from within the mobile application, whereby the giver completes a financial transaction to purchase the digital/virtual gift product or, remaining on the service provider's web site or within the service provider's mobile application for completing a financial transaction;
processing payment information of the giver by a merchant, service provider, or credit card processing gateway to confirm a payment is approved;
validating, by the service provider computer server system, successful payment information of the giver;
transmitting, by the service provider computer server system, and in response to a validation of successful payment information, a card number of the digital/virtual gift product to the giver and a confirmation of the amount allocated to the digital/virtual gift product;
generating, by the service provider computer server system, the digital/virtual gift product customized by the giver and having the gift value selected by the giver for use and redemption with the preselected merchant, who is not the service provider;
determining, by the service provider computer server system, a medium by which the giver seeks to have the service provider computer server system transmit the digital/virtual gift product to the recipient;
transmitting, by the service provider computer server system, the digital/virtual gift product customized by the giver and having the gift value selected by the giver for use and redemption with the preselected merchant, who is not the service provider;
providing by the service provider computer server system a push notification to the digital wallet to indicate that a gift expiration date is near and to indicate when a user is proximate to a merchant location to which the user has a gift for the merchant in the digital wallet;
indicating by the service provider computer server system to a user that the user is proximate to a merchant location to which the user has a gift for the merchant in the digital wallet;
maintaining, by the service provider computer server system, a plurality of data on a relationship between the giver, the recipient, and the digital/virtual gift product;
providing access to the merchant of a giver's market data, product purchases, cost of goods sold, visit frequency, and buying habits and psychology and behavioral data for targeted marketing;
providing access to the merchant of a recipient's market data, product purchases, cost of goods sold, visit frequency, and buying habits and psychology and behavioral data for targeted marketing;
identifying to the merchant giver market data and recipient market data for business development, networking, tracking recipients, tracking gifts, recipient market data for new business and repeat customers;
identifying to the giver recipient market data and giver market data for business development, networking, tracking recipients, tracking gifts, recipient market data for new business and repeat customers;
providing the interface to the giver to review balances on cards in his or her account list and to update and add value to the digital/virtual gift products;
providing by the service provider computer server system the interface to the recipient to review balances on cards in his or her possession for future use;
informing by the service provider computer server system the giver that a trigger alert value set by the giver, about the value of a gifted card held by the recipient, not held by the giver, was reached, as calculated by the service provider computer server system, to indicate that a card balance on a card gifted not held by the giver was reduced to an amount lower than the trigger alert value, to enable the giver to add to the gifted card for benefit to the recipient;
maintaining, by the service provider computer server system, an account list for the giver to include all prior recipients, recipient data, and digital/virtual gift products; and
enabling, by the service provider computer server system, the merchant to have access to the giver's and the recipient's market data, product purchases, cost of goods sold, visit frequency, and buying habits and psychology for offering new marketing opportunities.