Product recall using customer prior shopping history data

• US 20040267608A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Mansfield, Richard B. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A system for determining customer identifiers (CIDs) associated with purchase of product items which are recalled includes a computer database management system (10, 20) and network (30). Consumers associated with the determined CIDs are notified of the recall of the products.

Claims

1. A computer network implemented method for recalling products, comprising:

determining CIDs associated with purchase of product items associated with a recall; and

notifying consumers associated with the determined CIDs of the recall.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises determining products previously purchased in association with a CID.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises determining if products previously purchased meet a rebate specification.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises determining whether data indicating a product previously purchased in association with a CID meets a recall specification.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises determining a UPC associated with the recall.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprising transmitting a recall notification to a POS terminal or kiosk when a determined CID is entered at the POS terminal or kiosk.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprises transmitting a recall notification via postal mail to an address associated with a determined CID.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprises transmitting a recall notification via email to an email address associated with a determined CID.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprises transmitting from a web site to a user'"'"'s computer a recall notification in response to a prompt received for the user'"'"'s computer for a personal web page associated with a determined CID.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprises transmitting a refund, a rebate, on an incentive along with the recall notification.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying comprises transmitting to a consumer encoded indicia identifying a CID associated with the consumer and recall instructions along with the notification.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a central server computer system performs said step of determining based at least in part on a recall specification and CIDs stored in association with data indicating prior product purchases.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of notifying comprising a central server computer system transmitting said determined CIDs to another computer system.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting determined CIDs associated with one retail computer system to that retailer computer system.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of generating bar coded documents containing a determined CID and recall specification.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of accounting for return of recalled goods.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising entering into a computer system a CID associated with returned goods.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said accounting occurs at a POS terminal in a retail store.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said accounting occurs at a postal mail service provider facility.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the efficacy of said step of notifying.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising accounting for costs associated with said recall.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising target marketing to consumers associated with said determined CIDs.

23. The method of claim 22 fixer comprising further target re-marketing to said consumers associated with said determined CIDs depending upon consumer responses to said target marketing.

24. A computer network implemented method for recalling products, comprising:

receiving at a central server computer system a recall specification;

determining, at the central computer system, retailer stores that received product items subject to recall, and specification of product received by each retail store; and

notifying retailers whose stores received recalled product of the product items and associated recall specification.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of notifying a consumer associated with a CID associated with purchase of a product item meeting said recall specification.

26. A computer network programmed for recalling products, comprising:

a computer system for determining CIDs associated with purchase of product items associated with a recall; and

means for notifying consumers associated with the determined CIDs of the recall.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer system comprises means for determining products previously purchased in association with a CID.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer system comprises means for determining if products previously purchased meet a rebate specification.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer system comprises means for determining whether data indicating a product previously purchased in association with a CID meets a recall specification.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer system comprises means for determining a UPC associated with the recall.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein said means for notifying comprises a network hardware for transmitting a recall notification to a POS terminal or kiosk when a determined CID is entered at the POS terminal or kiosk.

32. The system of claim 26 wherein said means for notifying comprises a postal mail system for transmitting a recall notification via postal mail to an address associated with a determined CID.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein said means for notifying comprises an email program for transmitting a recall notification via email to an email address associated with a determined CID.

34. The system of claim 26 wherein the means for notifying comprises a web site for transmitting to a users computer a recall notification in response to a prompt received for the user'"'"'s computer for a personal web page associated with a determined CID.

35. The system of claim 26 wherein said means for notifying comprises a mechanism to transmit a notification of a refund, a rebate, on an incentive along with the recall notification.

36. The system of claim 26 wherein said means for notifying comprises a data transmission device for transmitting to a computer associated with a consumer encoded indicia identifying a CID associated with the consumer and recall instructions along with the notification.

37. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer system is a central server computer system that determines CIDs associated with said recall based at least in part on a recall specification and CIDs stored in association with data indicating prior product purchases.

38. The system of claim 26 wherein said said central server computer system is programmed to transmit said determined CIDs to another computer system.

39. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of transmitting determined CIDs associated with one retail computer system to that retailer computer system.

40. The system of claim 26 further comprising programming to generate data defining a bar coded documents containing a determined CID and recall specification.

41. The system of claim 26 further comprising programming for accounting for return of recalled goods.

42. The system of claim 41 further comprising programming for storing a CID associated with returned goods.

43. The system of claim 41 further comprising a POS terminal in a retail store.

44. The system of claim 41 further comprising a data entry terminal at a a postal mail service provider facility.

45. The method of claim 26 ether comprising programming for determining the efficacy of said recall.

46. The system of claim 26 further comprising programming for accounting for costs associated with said recall.

47. The system of claim 26 further comprising programming for target marketing to consumers associated with said determined CIDs.

48. The system of claim 47 further comprising programming for further target re-marketing to said consumers associated with said determined CIDs depending upon consumer responses to said target marketing.

49. A computer network system for recalling products, comprising:

a central server computer system, wherein;

said system is programmed to receive a recall specification;

said system is programmed to determine retailer stores that received product items subject to recall, and specification of product received by each retail store that is subject to recall;

said system is programmed to notify retailers whose stores received recalled product of the product items and associated recall specification.

50. The system of claim 49 further comprising means for notifying a consumer associated with a CID associated with purchase of a product item meeting said recall specification.

51. A database management system comprising;

a database storing CIDs in association with prior purchase of product items;

programming for determining, based upon a recall specification, which prior purchase of product items stored in the database are for product items associated with a recall;

means for determining CIDs associated with purchase of product items associated with said recall; and

means for transmitting or storing said CIDs associated with purchase of product items associated with said recall.