US 11,727,462 B2
System, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for recommending merchants
Christopher J. Merz, Wildwood, MO (US); Walter Lo Faro, Chesterfield, MO (US); Adam K. Hosp, Lake Saint Louis, MO (US); Matthew Richard Stocke, Glendale, MO (US); Stephen P. Hendrix, Saint Charles, MO (US); and Robert T. Grothe, Jr., Kirkwood, MO (US)
Assigned to MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED, Purchase, NY (US)
Filed by MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED, Purchase, NY (US)
Filed on Oct. 4, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/593,420.
Application 16/593,420 is a continuation of application No. 13/797,400, filed on Mar. 12, 2013, granted, now 10,438,269.
Prior Publication US 2020/0034913 A1, Jan. 30, 2020
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01); G06Q 30/0282 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 30/0631 (2013.01) [G06Q 30/0282 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer system for recommending at least one merchant of a plurality of merchants to a candidate cardholder, said computer system comprising:
a memory device for storing data; and
a processor in communication with said memory device and a payment network, said processor programmed to:
identify a plurality of merchants registered to use the payment network;
retrieve, from the payment network, data signals including electronic payment transaction information for a plurality of electronic payment card transactions involving a plurality of cardholders including the candidate cardholder and the plurality of merchants;
generate, based upon a predetermined region, a subset of the electronic payment transaction information for the plurality of electronic payment card transactions involving at least some of the plurality of cardholders and selected merchants of the plurality of merchants located within the predetermined region;
identify, from the subset of electronic payment transaction information, a subset of cardholders from the plurality of cardholders, each of the subset of cardholders having completed electronic payment transactions with at least two of the plurality of merchants;
create, based on the subset of the electronic payment transaction information associated with the subset of cardholders, a merchant popularity matrix, wherein the merchant popularity matrix indicates a number of transactions associated with each pair of selected merchants located within the predetermined region, wherein, to create the matrix, the number of transactions is incremented when a cardholder in the subset of cardholders completes electronic payment transactions at both merchants in the pair, and wherein, to reduce an effect of cardholder bias toward a single merchant, the number of transactions in the merchant popularity matrix is not incremented when a cardholder completes multiple electronic payment transactions at the same merchant;
receive, from an application on a user device of the candidate cardholder, data signals including input data including preference data of the candidate cardholder, wherein the user device is in communication with the processor via the application, wherein the input data is entered into the application by the candidate cardholder on the user device, and wherein the preference data represents preferences of the candidate cardholder for particular merchants of the plurality of merchants;
determine a candidate cardholder preference vector of the candidate cardholder based upon the received input data;
apply the merchant popularity matrix to the candidate cardholder preference vector to create a candidate cardholder merchant ranking vector;
apply the merchant popularity matrix to a neutral preference vector to create a general merchant ranking vector;
determine a merchant score vector based on a difference between the candidate cardholder merchant ranking vector and the general merchant ranking vector, wherein the merchant score vector includes a merchant score associated with each merchant of the plurality of merchants;
create a list of recommended merchants by sorting the merchant score vector based on the merchant score of each merchant; and
provide content configured to cause the list of recommended merchants to be displayed through the application on the user device of the candidate cardholder.