Anonymous Loyalty Program Using Segmented Mobile Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rewards programs often require members to provide personal information for participation and redemption, compromising anonymity and potentially violating regulations like the TCPA, while also not adequately considering the value of members based on their resource expenditure.
Innovation Solution
An anonymous loyalty program system utilizing mobile communication devices with a unique identification code for participation and redemption, where members can earn and redeem rewards without disclosing personal information, focusing solely on resource expenditure, and using a CRM database to manage accounts identified by the identification code.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If members provide personal information for participation and redemption in rewards programs, then the program can track and reward members effectively, but member anonymity is compromised and regulatory compliance risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments member identification into two parts: a public anonymous identifier (QR code) that can be freely shared for rewards participation, and a private personal identifier stored securely in the database. This segmentation allows the program to track rewards reliably using the anonymous identifier while keeping personal information separate and protected, thus resolving the contradiction between reliable tracking and anonymity preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary anonymous identifier (the QR code with unique anonymous ID) that mediates between the member's personal information and the rewards system. This intermediary allows the system to track and reward members effectively without directly exposing or requiring access to personal information, thereby maintaining anonymity while ensuring reliable reward delivery.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the rewards program collects and stores personal member information, then it can provide personalized rewards and services, but the complexity of data management and compliance requirements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of member identification from personal information. By using an anonymous identifier that contains only what is necessary for reward tracking (the anonymous ID), the system removes unnecessary personal data collection and storage requirements, thereby reducing data management complexity and compliance burden while maintaining the ability to provide personalized rewards through the anonymous identifier.
3Ease of operation
If the program uses traditional membership identification methods, then member verification is straightforward, but member control over their own data and participation decisions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the member identification system dynamic by allowing members to generate and control their own anonymous QR codes on-demand. Members can create new anonymous identifiers whenever they wish to participate, delete them when they want to stop, and share them selectively. This dynamic approach maintains ease of verification (scanning the QR code) while giving members full control over their participation and data, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and member autonomy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for rewarding anonymous patrons of an anonymous loyalty program is disclosed herein. The anonymous loyalty program only uses an identification generated on a mobile communication device for all transactions by the member. The member does not need to disclose his or her phone number to participate in the anonymous loyalty program although the member's mobile communication device is used for all of the transactions.