Point-of-sale electronic receipt generation

• US 20040225567A1
• Filed: 05/06/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mitchell, Joan L., Mastie, Scott D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

Systems, methods and program products for automatically generating authenticated electronic receipts at a point-of-sale terminal for both merchants and customers. These electronic receipts can then be used in place of paper receipts for expense accounting, for tax purposes, for routing to accounting and taxation departments, and for real-time analysis of cash-flow and budgeting. The invention prevents loss of paper receipts, always provides a legible receipt, removes employee subjectivity, provides extensive transaction details, removes entry errors, reduces physical storage requirements, promotes continuous expense tracking and eases expense-reporting procedures. In addition, the point-of-sale terminal can integrate the electronic receipt with other available coded data and information about the method of payment such as an image of the check, or the serial number of the paper currency bills used. The other available coded data can make categorization of the data for separation into budget, accounting, or tax categories easier.

Claims

1. A method of providing a receipt to a customer at a point-of-sale, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a receipt instruction including a receipt destination instruction;

generating an electronic receipt; and

transmitting the electronic receipt to the receipt destination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating receipt authentication data at the point-of-sale, and transmitting the receipt authentication data to the receipt destination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receipt authentication data includes at least one of:

receipt contents, date, time and merchant identification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic receipt includes a primary key in the form of a unique transaction identification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receipt destination includes at least one of:

a personal digital assistant, a customer employer expense reporting system, a tax authority, a customer personal expense tracking system, a customer accountant expense tracking system and a tax authority.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step further includes applying content of the electronic receipt to the receipt destination.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of collecting tax data from the electronic receipt.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tax data includes at least one of:

a sales tax paid and a deductible expense.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of organizing an item on the electronic receipt into an expense category.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic receipt includes an image of at least one of paper currency, credit card face and a check, used to make a purchase at the point-of-sale.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes retrieving a receipt destination from a receipt destination database based on a receipt destination instruction.

12. A point-of-sale terminal comprising

means for transacting a sale;

and

means for generating an electronic receipt adapted for transfer to a receipt destination.

13. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 12, further comprising means for receiving a receipt instruction.

14. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 13, wherein the means for receiving includes means for retrieving a receipt destination from a receipt destination database based on a receipt destination identifier in the receipt instruction, wherein the receipt destination database includes data including the receipt destination identifier and a corresponding receipt destination.

15. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 12, further comprising means for transmitting the electronic receipt to the receipt destination.

16. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 15, further comprising means for generating receipt authentication data, and wherein the means for transmitting further transmits the receipt authentication data to the receipt destination.

17. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 16, wherein the receipt authentication data includes at least one of:

receipt contents, date, time and merchant identification.

18. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 12, wherein the electronic receipt includes a primary key in the form of a unique transaction identification.

19. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 12, wherein the receipt destination includes at least one of:

a personal digital assistant, a customer employer expense reporting system, a tax authority, a customer personal expense tracking system, a customer accountant expense tracking system and a tax authority.

20. The point-of-sale terminal of claim 12, wherein the electronic receipt includes an image of at least one of paper currency and a check, used to make a purchase at the point-of-sale.

21. An electronic receipt comprising:

a primary key including a unique transaction identifier.

22. The electronic receipt of claim 21, wherein the unique transaction identification includes a merchant identifier and at least one of a purchase date and a purchase time.

23. A database comprising:

data including a receipt destination identifier and a corresponding electronic receipt destination for receiving an electronic receipt for a purchase made by a customer.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for a point-of-sale terminal, the program product comprising:

program code configured to transact a sale; and

program code configured to generate an electronic receipt.

25. The program product of claim 24, further comprising program code configured to receive a receipt destination instruction.

26. The program product of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to receive includes program code configured to retrieve a receipt destination from a receipt destination database based on a receipt destination identifier, wherein the receipt destination database includes data including the receipt destination identifier and a corresponding electronic receipt destination for receiving an electronic receipt of a purchase made by a customer.

27. The program product of claim 25, further comprising program code configured to transmit the electronic receipt to the receipt destination.

28. The program product of claim 27, further comprising program code configured to generate receipt authentication data, and wherein the transmit code further transmits the receipt authentication data to the receipt destination.

29. The program product of claim 24, wherein the electronic receipt includes a primary key in the form of a unique transaction identification.

30. The program product of claim 29, wherein the unique transaction identification includes a merchant identifier and at least one of a purchase date and a purchase time.