Retail sales customer marketing system with electronic coupon processing

• US 20040056101A1
• Filed: 09/03/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Edward Barkan, Mehul Patel, Robert Sanders, Thomas D. Bianculli
• Original Assignee: Edward Barkan, Mehul Patel, Robert Sanders, Thomas D. Bianculli
• Inventors: Bianculli, Thomas D., Patel, Mehul, Barkan, Edward, Sanders, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/653,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20040056101A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1013 Multi-focal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A sales incentive system utilizing a portable handheld optical code reader for use by a consumer for scanning bar code symbols corresponding to product items to be purchased, including a memory for storing symbol data of items scanned by the reader a computer receives the stored data associated with the scanned items from the memory of the reader, and selectively generates coupon information based upon sales offers for specific products currently available based upon an analysis of the stored data by the computer. A printer may be coupled to the computer for printing at the consumer'"'"'s location a set of coupons corresponding to the coupon information transferred from the computer to the consumer'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A method for using a bar code reader to facilitate a sales transaction using a paper coupon comprising:

providing a scanner to a consumer;

scanning bar code symbols on products to be purchased by said consumer to generate a shopping list;

transferring the shopping list to a coupon information processing unit;

processing the shopping list by the processing unit to determine the set of coupons for specific products to provide to the consumer; and

printing a set of paper coupons for the consumer'"'"'s use in purchasing such products.

2. A sales incentive system comprising:

a portable handheld optical code reader for use by a consumer for scanning bar code symbols corresponding to product items to be purchased, including a memory for storing symbol data of items scanned by the reader;

a computer for receiving the stored data associated with the scanned items from the memory of the reader, and selectively generating coupon information based upon sales offers for specific products currently available based upon an analysis of the stored data by the computer; and

a printer coupled to said computer for printing at the consumer'"'"'s location a set of coupons corresponding to the coupon information transferred from the computer to the consumer'"'"'s location.

3. A cellular telephone comprising

a cellular telephone communication handset;

a bar code reader in the handset for reading a bar code symbol disposed in the vicinity of the handset; and

means for determining the location of the handset with respect to the aisles or other positional indicators in a retail establishment.

4. A method of reading a bar code on a target comprising

taking a picture of the target including the bar code symbol with a digital camera by the user;

processing the image into a digital data packet including the bar code image data;

transferring the digital data packet over a computer network to a remote server;

performing a decode on the bar code image data at the server;

transmitting an acknowledgement of a decode to the user over the network; and

storing the decoded data at the server.