HK1196726A - A method and system for membership recruitment through value sending - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method provided for recruiting new membership through value sending from existing members. The value can be coupons, discount offers, membership points or payment vouchers in physical and/or electronic formats. The method is an active way to recruit new members through the social network of existing members. Once a member in the system sends value from their account to the non-members by simply entering his/her mobile phone number as identification of the receiver, the receiver will receive the notification through short message service (SMS) or similar service of the value received. The receiver uses his/her mobile number together with the password disclosed within the notification message for redeeming the received value at the point of purchase in the corresponding public facing business. In addition, the receiver can update his membership details through a registration webpage on the internet. The system includes a membership management platform comprising servers, processors and programs which are configured to provide integrated operation among the membership partners, value issuers, public facing businesses and members.

Description

Method and system for recruiting members by value delivery

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a new system and method for recruiting new members (members) by value delivery.

Background

Due to intense market competition, merchants need to establish close contact with customers to keep customers consuming their products and services. Customer loyalty programs (Customer loyalty programs) have proven to be a very effective way in retaining customers and providing them with better services. Therefore, recruiting as many customers as possible has become an important strategy to increase market share and maintain market competitiveness.

Currently, there are many ways to recruit new members. Most commonly, registries are printed on paper and distributed in public with a salesperson and waiting for new members to fill out and return the registry. However, this approach is costly because it is inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. Most businesses now provide terminals at certain locations of the business to allow customers to apply for affiliations. However, these terminals are very expensive, occupy a floor area, and require a customer to arrive at a store before a member registration (memberships).

U.S. patent application publication No. US2009/0283582 provides another approach to address the above technical problem. When a customer arrives at a store, the customer is asked to simply enter personal information at the merchant clerk's handheld device, where the personal information is wirelessly transmitted to a remote system. The remote system encodes the information, creates a new account and generates a membership card (membership card) at the same time. However, this method is only a passive method of recruiting new members because it can only be done when the customer arrives at the store. The membership recruitment excludes potential customers that do not visit the store. In addition, since it takes a long time to input the long personal information, most customers refuse such a member recruitment style. Of course, the expense of the clerks and handheld devices involved in the recruitment process also increases the operational costs. Moreover, the above-described method is inefficient in recruiting because one device cannot register for several customers at the same time, and a simple registration may take several minutes.

In order to solve the above problem, U.S. patent application publication No. US2011/0057027 suggests providing a web page that anyone can apply for becoming a member by providing personal information to the web page. However, the potential member may not know where to log into the registration web page or have no incentive to spend time filling out the identification information.

Disclosure of Invention

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and system for recruiting members by value delivery.

More specifically, another subject matter of the present invention is to provide a method of recruiting new members from the social network of existing members through a value delivery process. Additionally, the new member is more likely to accept an invitation from his/her existing social network than a sales associate or a shop salesperson.

Another subject of the invention is to provide a system that gives non-members an incentive to become active members by exchanging value at the point of purchase in a convenient manner. When the value recipient visits a publicly-facing business, such as a supermarket, and uses the value (e.g. an electronic gift certificate), he/she need only use the mobile phone number and password obtained from the SMS notification to verify the identity and then can exchange the value. Since the recruitment process is fully automated, operational costs associated with membership recruitment may be reduced. Another advantage of the present invention is that this efficient redemption process will improve the overall shopping experience for the member, thereby increasing the turnover of merchants open to the public.

To achieve the object indicated by the present invention, there is provided a membership management platform (memberships management platform) capable of connecting with a membership partner (memberships partner), a value issuer, a merchant open to the public, and a member via a communication network under the operation of an operator. The membership management platform according to the present invention includes a member account management module and a new member recruitment module.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the member account management module is used to manage member login, account details, purchase and transaction results, value or value receipt and transmission. The new member recruitment module is used for member recruitment transactions such as registration web pages, member information coding, account generation and notification presentation of successful registration.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the platform includes one or more servers storing programs for performing desired operations and member data, and a processor loading the programs stored in the servers and performing desired operations. The platform is accessible by the four parties over a communications network for any process, such as member account management and membership registration.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal may be a server or a personal computer on the membership cooperation enterprise and value issuer side. On the part of the merchant open to the public, the receiving terminal may be a server connected to a store or point of sale terminal. On the customer side, the receiving terminal may be a mobile device or a personal computer. The terminals of the four participants may be connected to the platform via a web service or network.

Another subject matter of the present invention is to provide a method for recruiting new members, comprising the steps of: value is transmitted from an existing member to a non-member recipient, which is then recruited as a new member.

From the viewpoint of the recruitment of new members of the present invention, the method for recruiting new members comprises the steps of: providing identification information of a value recipient, generating a membership account for the value recipient, generating a notification with a registration webpage and an initial password, transmitting the notification to the value recipient, and recruiting the value recipient as a new member by exchanging value at a point of sale or directly registering membership on the registration webpage.

According to another aspect of the invention, the mobile telephone number can be used as an identification since it is globally unique.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the principles of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and together with the written description:

FIG. 1 illustrates a member recruitment system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1a illustrates elements in a member account management module;

FIG. 1b illustrates elements in a new member recruitment module;

FIG. 2 illustrates a membership management platform according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of a membership management platform in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an apparatus of a membership management platform according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a logical record structure (local record structure) of the membership management platform;

FIG. 6 shows a flow of a member log-in process;

FIG. 7 illustrates a logical data structure in value;

FIG. 8 shows a flow of value usage;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart depicting the general steps involved in recruiting new members by sending value from existing members;

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram depicting the various steps of value delivery and member registration with respect to operator operation;

FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart describing detailed steps for transmitting from an existing affiliate value to recruit new affiliates;

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart describing steps relating to generating an SMS notification with a password;

FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram depicting various steps relating to non-member value receipt, membership registration and value redemption;

FIG. 14 shows a flow chart depicting various steps relating to new member receipt of value, membership registration and value redemption;

FIG. 15 shows a flow chart depicting steps relating to membership registration at HTTPS;

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart depicting steps involved in membership registration at HTTPS according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and forms a part of the detailed description. Which illustrate exemplary embodiments for practicing the inventive subject matter. These embodiments are expressly disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the subject matter of the present invention. These embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the true scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present subject matter is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Before the detailed description of the present invention is disclosed, the following important terms are defined in detail.

As used in the present invention, "virtual membership" means virtual information generated, stored, and transmitted in an electronic form for identifying a user as a member of a certain organization or members of more than one organization. By "value issuer" is meant any organization that generates and distributes so-called "value" (e.g., coupons, proofs of value, currencies, points, coupons, etc.). These values may be in physical and/or electronic format. "Member" refers to an individual who holds a "virtual membership" account. Members can use these accounts to process, store and maintain their transactions as well as master data.

By "publicly accessible merchant" is meant an organization that operates a publicly accessible merchant. The publicly-open merchant may be in the form of a physical store such as a supermarket, bank or movie theater. They may also be operated in the form of virtual stores such as online shopping websites.

"membership partner enterprise" means both a business organization (e.g., bank, airline, supermarket, department store, restaurant, hotel) and a non-business organization (e.g., government agency) that issues membership to individuals. The same group of organizations may be "merchants open to the public" where "members" can exchange "value" issued by "value issuers".

"membership management platform" means a virtual membership management system comprising a plurality of modules. The member account management module and the new member recruitment module are particularly used in the present invention. "operator" means an organization that accepts the commitment of all participants to operate the membership management platform.

As used herein, "point-of-sale system" means a terminal and/or hardware and software for "members" to carry out transactions, such as electronic cash register, credit card terminal, computer sales terminal, and the like. As used herein, "point of purchase" means a physical or virtual place where the sale of goods and services at a "publicly open merchant" occurs.

As used herein, "value" means currency, points, coupons, and the like issued by a value issuer. The value may be purchased by the member at a point of purchase and/or at a "merchant open to the public" via the internet. Alternatively, value may be transmitted from the value issuer to the member as value under any customer loyalty program. The value may be transferred to anyone based on the customer's intent.

As used herein, "existing member" refers to an individual who is already a member in the virtual membership system. "non-member" refers to an individual who is not yet a member in the virtual membership system. "potential member" means a non-member that applies for membership to an operator. The identification information of the application is the mobile phone number of the potential member. The mobile phone number is provided by a member recruitment and registration web page of the operator or by an existing member.

Referring to FIG. 1, a membership management platform 100 is shown. The platform 100 is operated and managed by an operator.

The member account management module 110 is for managing member master data and transaction data, and further for transmitting value from an existing member to a non-member recipient. Fig. 1a shows elements that perform corresponding functions in the member account management module 110. The access control unit 111 handles how members access the system. When the member 500 enters his/her mobile phone number, the platform 100 will determine which membership partner 300 made the authentication, and then send a login request. When the authentication is successful, the member 500 accesses the system according to his/her profile. The account detail information managing unit 112 processes information related to the account of the member 500. For example, if the user prefers to receive messages from alternatives to SMS, such as i-Message or WhatsApp, he/she will enter the respective selections in the configuration using the account details management function. Language preferences and other static information may also be stored in the member's personal profile. The purchase transaction management unit 113 processes purchase activities between members and merchants open to the public. All transaction details may be stored in the system and the member may have search and viewing capabilities to retrieve these details. The value transaction management unit 114 handles various types of values and their movement in member accounts, such as sending values from existing members to non-member recipients. The value may be a discount offer, a coupon value, or a point, each having a different expiration date and application range. The member can read the summary and detailed information for each type of value. The module 110 may also include security management functions and logging functions as a broad system function for auditing or control purposes.

The new member recruitment module 120 is used to recruit new members. Fig. 1b illustrates elements that perform corresponding functions in the new member recruitment module 120. The account generation unit 121 handles the creation of new member accounts in the system, where the new members are typically non-member recipients of value. This process will create the necessary records within the platform that contact the membership collaboration enterprise 300. Information may be appended to the record to identify the current membership status. The landing page creation unit 122 handles how unique login sessions are created and monitored for new members. Each new member will have his/her own temporary login session. Each login session is time stamped with an appropriate expiration date. When a new member accesses a dedicated login page, the information may be double checked. The member information encoding unit 123 recognizes a desired language selection and encodes necessary information into an account. The message notification unit 124 handles message sending and detection of status. For example, the message notification unit 124 transmits a notification with a registration web page and an initial password to the non-member recipient and recruits the non-member value recipient as a new member by redeeming the value at a point of sale or directly registering membership at the registration page.

When a new member is created, all actions require the use of messaging (whether by SMS or a social network such as iMessage or WhatsApp that prefers an alternative SMS) for initial login and password change. This detection message status may be used to handle invalid membership creation and initiate appropriate error procedures.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operator operates in cooperation with the various parties. The various parties include member partners 300, value issuers 200, merchants 400 open to the public, and members 500. Fig. 1 illustrates the operation of platform 100. First, the membership cooperative enterprise 300, the value issuer 200, the merchant 400 open to the public, and the member 500 must sign up with the operator in different ways. The operator communicates with them through the membership management platform 100 and manages all the main data and transaction data between the corresponding parties.

In the membership binding process, the membership cooperation enterprise 300 provides the mobile phone number of their existing member and the account thereof to the operator. Alternatively, if the binding is initiated from a web page of the platform 100, the account is then verified online by the membership partner 300. If the verification result is correct and the inputted mobile phone number cannot be found in the membership management platform 100, the new member recruitment module 120 communicates with the membership cooperation enterprise 300 to create a new account and an automatically generated password. The platform 100 then sends a notification via Short Message Service (SMS) to his/her mobile phone number or a social network supported by the mobile phone, such as iMessage or WhatsApp. On the other hand, if the verification result is correct and the inputted mobile phone number is already stored in the platform 100, the member account management module 110 will bind it to the new membership cooperation enterprise 300 with an additional connection under the same mobile phone number and send a notification to his/her mobile phone number or a social network supported by the mobile phone such as iMessage or WhatsApp via a Short Message Service (SMS). If the result returned from the membership cooperation enterprise 300 is negative, the membership binding fails.

The membership management platform 100 electronically distributes and manages value to and from the value issuers 200. The value issuer is used to provide value to members. The membership management platform 100 also handles electronic value earning and consumption at merchants 400 that are open to the public.

Finally, the operator performs a series of processing services for the member, such as membership registration, login, service usage and notification, and virtual membership account management. An important function of the platform 100 is to connect four separate parties together. This will ultimately increase the likelihood that the membership partner enterprise 300 will acquire more members, increase the likelihood that the value issuer 200 will rebroadcast its offers and loyalty programs to members, increase sales of merchants 400 that are open to the public, increase the likelihood that customers will register as members of multiple membership programs and enjoy offers at merchants 400 that are open to the public.

Further, the three parties including the value issuer 200, the membership partner enterprise 300, and the publicly-open merchant 400 may simultaneously play the roles of the other parties. For example, an organization may simultaneously play the role of the value issuer 200 and the membership partner enterprise 300, and an organization may simultaneously play the role of the value issuer 200 and the publicly available merchants 400.

Fig. 2 illustrates a system of a membership recruitment system. The membership partner enterprise 300, the value issuer 200, and the publicly-open merchant 400 communicate with the operator through a web service/integration interface in the membership management platform 100. Member 500 communicates with the operator via Short Message Service (SMS), mobile phone application software (e.g., WhatsApp), and web services/HTTP coupled to a web application interface. The member may communicate with the platform via a network connection using a mobile phone or personal computer. The main tasks of the membership collaboration enterprise 300 are membership issuance, verification, maintenance, and notification. The primary tasks of the value issuer 200 are location, value, promotion, and item management. The primary tasks of merchants 400 open to the public are item, price, payment, and transaction management.

An input interface (portal interface) of the membership management platform 100 is coupled with an input interface of the membership partner enterprise 300, an input interface of the value issuer 200, an input interface of the merchant 400 open to the public, and an input interface of the member 500.

Through the input interface of the membership cooperation enterprise 300, the membership cooperation enterprise 300 can easily perform the following operations through the internet: registering as a user of the virtual membership system, applying for generating new virtual membership for a customer, and managing virtual membership.

Through the input interface of the value issuer 200, the value issuer 200 can easily perform the following operations through the internet: provide loyalty programs, issue points/value/coupons to any member, and manage the corresponding value consumption.

Through the input interface of the publicly-open merchant 400, the publicly-open merchant 400 can easily perform the following operations through the internet: the payment and transaction of the administrative member 500 at the point of purchase, and the value issued by the consumer value issuer 200.

Through the input interface of the member 500, the member 500 can easily perform the following operations through the internet: registering as a member 500 of the virtual membership system, browsing information of the membership cooperation enterprise 300, the value issuer 200, and the merchant 400 open to the public, applying for obtaining membership issued by a specific membership cooperation enterprise 300, and the like.

Through the operator's own service input interface, the operator can easily perform the following operations: and creating new accounts for the four parties, generating virtual membership for the customer, and managing account information of the four parties.

Fig. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of the membership management platform 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The membership management platform 100 includes a High Availability/fault tolerance (HA/FT) database 101, a clustered application server 102, and a load balancing server cluster 103. The HA/FT database 101 includes a series of servers. On the membership cooperation enterprise 300 and the value issuer 200 side, one or more servers are connected to the platform 100 for membership management and value issuance management, respectively. On the public-exposed merchant 400 side, one or more store servers are connected to the platform 100, which platform 100 is further connected to stores and point of sale, POS systems. On the member 500 side, the receiving terminal is a mobile phone or PC equipped with software such as microsoft windows, apple Mac OS, Android mobile OS and apple iOS. Devices or terminals from various participants are connected to platform 100 based on a TCP/IP networked web server.

FIG. 4 illustrates a general computer device of the membership management platform 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The membership management platform 100 includes a series of servers. Typically, a computer server has a processor for controlling the overall operation of the server and its associated components (including memory, such as RAM411 and ROM412, input/output module 413 and CPU 414). Operating system 415 and application software 416 are stored in memory to perform various functions. Additionally, the server computer execution instructions are embedded in hardware or firmware. Database 423 may provide storage of member information, registered purchase device information, member offer providing information, member offers for selection by customers, redeemed offer data, and any suitable information. The server may operate in a networked environment using connections to one or more remote computers, such as terminals. The terminal may be a personal computer or server that includes most or all of the components of the server described above. The network connection may include a local area network, LAN, and a wide area network, WAN. When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer is connected to the LAN through a network interface 417 or an adapter. When used in a WAN environment, the server may include a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN, such as the Internet. There are two network interfaces. One for connecting with participants via a wide area network WAN and the other for connecting with the other three participants via the internet/intranet. For the member side, the network interface is connected to the internet 419 via the WAN so that the PC420 or the mobile phone 421 of the member 500 can be connected. It is assumed that well-known protocols are used, such as TCP/IP, ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like, and the system may operate in a manner that allows members to retrieve web pages from web-based servers. Data can be displayed and manipulated on web pages using mainstream web browsers.

On the part of the merchant 400, which is open to the public, the point-of-sale system comprises a computing system with corresponding hardware, such as a processor and memory. The POS system interfaces with the platform 100 to redeem value (e.g., coupons, points, etc.). The POS system has an input device such as a touch screen or keyboard for entering information that initiates the value exchange. The entered information will be sent to the value issuer 200 for verification. If the verification is successful, the redemption process is successful.

In a preferred embodiment, the platform 100 facilitates communication between a point of purchase (POP) and a remote server of the platform via a custom software extension integrated into a POS electronic payment system located within the POP. Many of the functions performed by the software will be described in detail below. The software may include computer-executable instructions, such as stored on a computer-readable storage medium associated with a POS electronic payment system. As a result of this integration, merchants 400 open to the public may communicate with the platform 100 for redemption of value (e.g., coupons, points, etc.).

Each point of purchase location may use a different type of POS electronic payment system, such as a credit card terminal and/or an Electronic Cash Register (ECR). The POS electronic payment system may further include a cash dispenser, a barcode scanner, a receipt printer, a customer-facing payment terminal, a touch screen, a keyboard, or other similar peripheral device at the point of sale.

In order to cooperate with a plurality of membership cooperating enterprises 300, the membership management platform 100 is actually designed such that a single mobile phone number can be connected to an unlimited number of membership cooperating enterprises 300. Fig. 5 illustrates a logical record structure of the membership management platform 100. In each record of the virtual membership record in which the mobile phone number is the unique identifier, a plurality of membership partner 300 records may be created. For each membership partner 300 record, it may then indicate the associated record in the membership partner 300 structure.

Fig. 6 shows a log-in process of a member when he/she (member) visits a merchant 400 open to the public. In the login process, the member adopts the mobile phone number to prove the identity of the member. The publicly-open merchant 400 would then use her retail information and location information to form a request that is sent to the platform 100 using a store or point-of-sale system connected to the platform via a TCP/IP network. The platform 100 will establish a secure session for future data encryption and identify the appropriate membership partner 300 associated with the retail and location information to verify the login session. On the part of the merchant 400, which is open to the public, the input password is encrypted according to the created session and passed on the platform. The platform 100 will then send the member ID and encrypted password to the membership partner enterprise 300 for verification. After successful login, the platform 100 will create a login session for the member and send a suitable message back to the merchants 400 open to the public to continue member activities.

In order to collaborate with a plurality of membership collaboration enterprises 300, the following structure may be configured to store the value associated with each individual member 500. FIG. 7 illustrates the logical data structure on this value. Using the mobile phone number as a unique member identifier, each mobile phone number may be associated with multiple value indicator records. These value indicator records may be associated with each value issuer 200. The value issuer may further provide information on the details of the value, such as type, quantity, expiration date, available locations, and available items. After the member proves identity to the merchant 400, which is open to the public, the available value can be presented on the POS system for redemption.

FIG. 8 shows a detailed flow of membership 500 using his available value via platform 100. The merchant 400, who is open to the public, first establishes a login session for the member 500 as shown in fig. 6, and then processes items to be purchased by the member 500. After all items in the transaction are ready, the POS system may make a request to the platform 100 to ask for available value from members that are eligible for the merchant 400 that is currently open to the public. After receiving the values from the platform, the POS system will apply the values one after the other. Each value application will update information to the platform 100 and then to the value issuer 200. After processing all of the value, the POS system will normally complete the transaction and update the platform 100 with all of the value used. The platform 100 will then notify the member 500 that the values have been used and notify the value issuer 200 of the consumption.

Fig. 9 illustrates a flow chart describing the general steps involved in recruiting new membership by sending value from an existing member 500. First, any member 500 in the system can simply input the recipient's mobile phone number to send value (e.g., a gift certificate as value issued by the value issuer 200) to anyone through its virtual membership account. The value is then processed and the recipient becomes a potential member of the system of the present invention. The mobile phone number of the potential member is created in the virtual membership system to serve as a unique identifier. The recipient is obtained into the system and an SMS is sent from the operator to the recipient to inform it of the value of receipt. The potential member may further apply for membership at a registration web page in the membership management platform 100 or directly start shopping at the POS of the merchant 400 open to the public using the value. Finally, the status of the potential affiliate is modified through the value transmission process to the existing affiliate 500 such that an affiliate 500 is recruited into the system of the present invention.

Each mobile phone is equipped with a SIM card and the SIM card is associated with a unique phone number. Thus, the same SIM card cannot be owned by multiple users at the same time, so the mobile phone number is sufficient to serve as a unique identification of the potential user.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram depicting various steps in value transmission and membership registration with respect to operator actions. The existing member 500 transmits value to any person he/she wishes to give based on the membership account management module 110. When executing a send value transaction, platform 100 will query on the transition state. The value is then subtracted from the member account and transferred to the recipient's account. The operator will inform the value sender of the transfer by sending an SMS. This operation automatically completes the sending of the value to the recipient in order to send the value to the existing member 500. For transmitting value to the non-member 600 who does not have any account in the membership management platform 100, a new member recruitment procedure is started based on the new member recruitment module 120. First, the operator will transmit the recipient's mobile phone number to the membership cooperation enterprise 300 to notify the creation of a new member account. After the membership cooperation enterprise 300 is authenticated, an invitation message is sent to the potential member via SMS. The invitation message has detailed information of the value and membership registration. When the potential member accesses the registration web page and logs in with the correct information from the SMS, or exchanges the value directly at the POS of the merchant 400 open to the public, he/she becomes the existing member 500.

Fig. 11 shows a flow chart describing detailed steps for recruitment of new members by sending value (e.g., gifts) from existing members 500. First, the member 500 logs in to the system web page by inputting his/her mobile phone number and password based on the member account management module. The membership cooperation enterprise 300 receives the request and verifies whether he/she is a member. If the verification is a member, he/she enters his/her account and displays the corresponding menu and revenue. The member selects any value (e.g., electronic coupons, credits, or value certificates) from his/her account. The member 500 then enters the recipient's mobile phone number via a keypad or any input method. If the mobile phone number of the recipient is not found in the system, the membership management platform 100 initiates a new member creation process and a new member recruitment process based on the new member recruitment module 120. After the value transfer is complete, both the sender and the recipient receive messages regarding the transfer. When a new member uses the received value at a point of purchase in the merchant 400 open to the public or logs into the registration web page generated by the new member recruitment module 120, the recruitment process is completed and the potential member becomes an existing member 500.

Fig. 12 shows a flow chart describing a process for new membership generation in the new member recruitment module 120. First, the operator communicates with the membership partner 300 to create a new member record and sets the programming language preferably to be the same as the existing member 500. The membership status is set to potential and the membership partner enterprise 300 generates a 6-digit temporary password. The custom software extension device is used for executing the above programs. The server of fig. 3 is designated to run the required software to perform the process described above.

Fig. 13 shows a flow chart describing the various steps regarding the generation of an SMS notification with a password. First the operator creates a unique HTTP session connection and selects a telephony gateway system based on the new member recruitment module 120. Greetings and messages are generated according to the language. The operator will submit the SMS to the appropriate SMS gateway and monitor the SMS queue. Typically, the SMS message will be successfully sent to the recipient. However, if a timeout is reached, error handling occurs and the message cannot be sent. The customized software extension device is used for executing the process. The server of fig. 3 specifies the software necessary for running to perform the above-described process.

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram depicting various steps relating to value receipt, membership registration and value redemption from potential members. After the non-member 600 receives the description with the initial password for accessing the web page, the network link, and the initial password transmitted from the new member recruitment module 120, he/she may open the registration web page and input the mobile phone number and the initial password from the SMS. The membership cooperative 300 verifies the information given by the member 500, determines the membership, and feeds back the membership to the membership management platform 100. Alternatively, the user may change the password to enhance security. A potential member may also go to a merchant 400 open to the public rather than logging on to a registration web page and use a mobile phone number and password to prove identity and then redeem the value against its account. The potential member is notified of the completion of the transaction. In both cases, the newly recruited member will become an existing member 500.

Alternatively, when a newly recruited member is not registered on the web page and is not exchanging value within a set time frame, an error process is performed. The value will be returned to the sender and recipient are notified using SMS.

FIG. 15 shows a flow chart depicting various steps relating to value receipt from a potential member, membership registration and value redemption for a new member. Initially, the operator sends a membership invitation to non-member 600 via SMS to notify receipt of the value. The potential member may log on to the network through a membership registration site. He/she is required to change the password, select the language preference and the SMS connector. The potential member may then access any point of purchase of the merchant 400 open to the public, entering his/her mobile phone number and corresponding password at the point-of-sale terminal. The value issuer 200 will validate the gift certificate/value certificate and complete the transfer. The operator will send an SMS to the recipient notification of the completion of the transaction. After that, the potential member becomes the existing member 500.

Or, alternatively, when a potential member is not registered by accessing a web page, the potential member may directly reach a point of purchase of the merchant 400 opened to the public, and input his/her mobile phone number and a corresponding password at a point-of-sale terminal. The value issuer 200 will validate the gift certificate/value certificate and complete the transfer. The non-member 600 receives notification of the completion of the transaction. His/her status is then changed to the existing member.

Further, the value exchange is not limited to physical locations at the point of purchase. The value exchange may be accomplished at a virtual store such as an online shopping website that purchases over the internet.

By the above method, members can be easily recruited through the social network of the existing member 500.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart depicting steps involved in membership registration at HTTPS according to one embodiment of the present invention. Initially, the recipient opens a link on a secure web page (HTTPS) and selects the appropriate language. The recipient then enters login information such as a country code, a phone number, and a password obtained from the SMS. Once the login is successful, the recipient is asked whether the terms and conditions are agreed to and confirmed. The member status then changes from "potential member" to "existing member". Member 500 is then asked if the password needs to be modified now. Password modifications are handled if necessary. After the password modification, a message is sent to the mobile phone that the registration is complete. However, when the recipient cannot enter the correct login information or does not agree to the terms, error handling is selected.

Furthermore, the invention may be implemented as a computer product or as a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium provides program code for use in connection with a computer or any other instruction execution system. The computer readable medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor device. Particular embodiments of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable magnetic disk, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), a hard disk, and an optical disk. Optical disks are the present examples including CD-ROM, CD-R/W, and DVD.

Various modifications and alterations of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. The scope of protection of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A method for recruiting members, comprising

Step A, sending value from an existing member to a non-member receiver;

and B, recruiting the non-member receivers as new members.

2. A method of recruiting members according to claim 1, wherein said step a further comprises:

step A1, selecting a recipient to send a value;

step A2, inputting identification information of the receiver;

a step a3 of determining that the recipient is a non-member recipient or another existing member based on the identification information;

step A4, sending value from the existing member's account to the non-member recipient or another existing member recipient.

3. The method of recruiting members according to claim 2, wherein the identification information is a mobile phone number.

4. The method of recruiting members according to claim 2, wherein the step a4 further comprises:

step A41, creating a new account for the non-member recipient;

step A42, sending value from the existing member's account to the non-member recipient's account.

5. The method of recruiting members according to claim 4, wherein the step A41 further comprises:

step A411, creating a new member record for the non-member recipient;

step A412, setting the programming language preference to be the same as the existing member;

step A413, setting the member status of the non-member recipient to potential;

step A414, generating a temporary password for the non-member recipient.

6. A method of recruiting members according to claim 1, wherein said step B further comprises:

step B1, generating and sending invitation message to said non-member recipient;

step B2 of recruiting the non-member recipient as a new member based on the non-member recipient's confirmation of the invitation message.

7. A method of recruiting members according to claim 6, wherein the invitation messages comprise notifications of value receptions and/or registration pages.

8. A method of recruiting members according to claim 7, wherein the confirmation by the non-member recipient comprises using the value to make a purchase and/or registering membership in a registration webpage.

9. The method of recruiting members according to claim 6, wherein the step B1 further comprises:

step B11, creating a unique HTTP session link;

step B12, selecting a language preference;

step B13, generating welcome and invitation messages according to the language preference;

step B14, sending the welcome and invite message to the non-member recipient.

10. The method of recruiting members according to claim 6, wherein the step B2 further comprises:

step B21, obtaining an initial password and a registration webpage from the invitation message;

step B22 of verifying the identification information of the non-member recipient and the initial password on the registration web page;

and step B23, recruiting the non-member receivers as new members.

11. The method of recruiting members according to claim 6, wherein the step B2 further comprises:

step B2a, obtaining an initial password from the invitation message;

step B2B, inputting the initial password and identification information of the non-member receiver at the point-of-sale terminal;

step B2c, verifying the value and completing a value transaction;

step B2d, recruiting the non-member recipient as a new member and notifying the new member.

12. The method of recruiting members according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the step B2 further comprises requesting the new member to change an initial password, selecting a language preference and a social network connector.

13. A method of recruiting members, comprising:

step A, selecting value from the account of the existing member for sending;

step B, providing identification information of the value receiver;

step C, generating a membership account for the value recipient;

step D, generating a notice with a registered webpage and an initial password;

step E, sending said notification to said value recipient;

step F of recruiting the value recipient as a new member by directly exchanging the value at a point of sale or directly registering membership at the registration webpage.

14. The method of recruiting members according to claim 13, wherein the authentication information is a mobile phone number.

15. The method of recruiting members of claim 13, further comprising requesting the new member to change an initial password, select a language preference, and an SMS connector.

16. A system for recruiting members, comprising:

a membership management platform for managing membership, and comprising

A member account management module for transmitting value from an existing member to a non-member recipient

And the new member recruitment module is used for recruiting the non-member receivers as new members.

17. The system for recruiting members according to claim 16, further comprising:

a value issuer for generating and distributing the value;

a membership partner for issuing the membership to an individual;

a merchant open to the public for operating a publicly accessible service;

wherein the input interfaces of the value issuer, the membership partner enterprise, and the publicly-open merchant are coupled to the input interface of the membership management platform.

18. The system for recruiting members according to claim 16, wherein the member account management module comprises:

an access control unit for controlling access of the existing member;

the account detailed information management unit is used for managing information related to the member account;

a value transaction management unit for managing various types of values and transmitting the values from the existing members to the non-member recipients;

and the purchase transaction management unit is used for managing the purchase information.

19. The system for recruiting members of claim 16, wherein the new member recruitment module comprises:

an account generation unit for generating an account for the non-member recipient;

a login page creating unit for creating a registration web page and an initial password;

a member information encoding unit for identifying a desired language selection and encoding necessary information to an account of the non-member recipient;

a message notification unit for transmitting a notification with the registration webpage and the initial password to the non-member recipient and enrolling membership in the registration page directly or by redeeming the value at a point of sale to recruit the non-member recipient as a new member.

20. The system for recruiting members according to claim 16, wherein the membership management platform for managing membership further comprises a high availability/fault tolerance database, a clustered application server, and a load balancing server cluster.