RE: RE: Can someone please explain to me.....1. go here:
https://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/structured.html
2. type "groupon" in "assignee/applicant" field.
3. hit enter.
4. click on the first result (this basically means that on this freely available patent database there is only one published patent application that has Groupon as an assignee) ->
https://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patents.html?patnums=US_2010_0287103_A1
5. click on the full text tab.
6. search for the word "mobile" and you will see the following paragraph: "[0082] The present invention further contemplates each of the abovetransactions occurring on the customer's computer or mobile telephone.Applications for mobile telephone use can be created that would allowfor searching, purchasing and selling the deals for ease of use. Basedon the GPS functionality of various cellular telephones, deals (bothfrom the exchange and the discount retailing system) can be forwarded tomembers that are located near the place where the deal can be used.With this mobile application capability, a customer can access thesystem (or be sent a message that there is a deal nearby), search or beinformed about a deal on a mobile telephone, purchase the deal, and walkinto the merchant and obtain the goods or services."
@Hanso77, at a high level the above paragraph is exactly what Poynt does (FYI, Poynt's main piece of IP predates this groupon patent application, see ->
https://www.stockhouse.com/Bullboards/MessageDetail.aspx?s=PYN&t=LIST&m=29267140&l=0&pd=0&r=0), however there is a subtle distinction that needs to be made. Scroll down to the claims of this groupon patent application (remember, claims are what constitute the legal boundaries of a patent...think of claims as a fence -> whatever is inside the fence is the invention and whatever is outside of the fence is the universe of inventions/ideas.
If you look at independent claim 1, it recites:
A method of discount retailing in which an offer does not become validuntil a minimum number of offers are purchased and in which customersare allowed to collect reward points to be redeemed to purchaseadditional offers or other awards, comprising a network server, amicroprocessor, a memory and computer software, said computer softwarebeing located in said memory and run by said microprocessor, saidcomputer software comprising a discount retailing algorithm, whereinsaid discount retailing algorithm comprises the steps of:
(a) obtaining consent from a merchant to marketand advertise an item normally provided by said merchant at a standardoffer price;
(b) determining a discount offer price for saiditem, said discount offer price being a reduction in amount from thestandard offer price of that item;
(c) deciding on a tipping point at which time the discount offer price becomes valid;
(d) generating an advertisement to present said discount offer price and said tipping point to potential consumers;
(e) displaying said advertisement over a networkthrough said network server for a predetermined period of time forpotential consumers to review;
(f) receiving acceptances of the discount offer price for the item over the network for the predetermined period of time;
(g) determining if the tipping point has been attained;
(h) informing each consumer that accepted the discount offer whether or not the tipping point has been attained;
(i) providing reward points to consumers based on consumer activities; and
(j) allowing each consumer to redeem said reward points.
What is described in the above independent claims is not what Poynt does. In fact Poynt's IP (https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,870,229.PN.&OS=PN/7,870,229&RS=PN/7,870,229 -> this is assigned to Poynt) is much simpler and much broader. As such, Poynt's independent claim 1 recites: "A computer-implemented method for communicating an offer of goods orservices to an individual having a microcomputer wirelessly linked tothe internet and provided with aGPS receiver, the method comprising: receiving over the internet, fromthe microcomputer, location information derived from the GPS receiverand information identifying the individual; using the locationinformation and the identifying information in aprogrammed computer in communication with a data bank of goods andservices and a data bank of consumer profiles to determine anappropriate offer of goods or services for the individual; andthereupon, under the control of the programmed computer andwithout specific request by the individual, sending to the microcomputerover the internet using an identifier unique to the individual amessage communicating the offer."
Do you see the difference between this Groupon IP and Poynt? In fact, you could state that Groupon's above independent claim 1 is narrow and has freedom to operate issues with regards to Poynt's IP.
I cannot confirm whether there are other patent applications under Groupon's name or if the above patent application is what Groupon Now is based on.