Customer loyalty card and devices associated therewith

• US 20060011719A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Osuma Finland Oy
• Original Assignee: Osuma Finland Oy
• Inventors: Jantti, Jussi, Lehtonen, Teijo, Nymark, Markus
• Application Number:
  US11/071,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20060011719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A customer loyalty card implemented as a smart card (180), including a microchip (200) provided with a processor (304) and a memory (306) as well as a data transfer connection (302) for two-way data transfer with a point-of-sale terminal device. The memory (306) contains a set of card-specific basic information (320), at least one bonus purse (340), an applet (310) provided with a set of functions as well as a programming interface (312) for calling said functions. The functions include reading and writing the bonus purse (340) in response to an input received via the data transfer connection (302). The invention further relates to a point-of-sale terminal system for processing a customer loyalty card, and to a central system for controlling point-of-sale terminal systems.

Claims

1. A smart card for use as a customer loyalty card, including a microchip provided with a processor and a memory as well as a data transfer connection for two-way data transfer with a point-of-sale terminal device;

wherein the memory contains;

a set of card-specific basic information;

multiple bonus purses wherein each bonus purse is associated with a specific period of time;

an applet provided with a set of functions as well as a programming interface for calling said functions;

wherein the functions include reading and writing said multiple bonus purses in response to an input received via the data transfer connection.

2. A smart card as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the periods of time is a calendar year.

3. A smart card as claimed in claim 2, wherein the smart card has a validity period in years, staring from its granting date, and that the number of year-specific bonus purses is at least the validity period in years plus two.

4. A smart card as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein:

the card-specific basic information includes a status field provided with a blocked state;

the functions include setting the status field as blocked; and

the functions for reading and writing said at least one bonus purse are responsive to the status field not being in the blocked state.

5. A smart card as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the card-specific basic information includes an upper limit of daily bonus use and joint use of bonuses at a particular date; and

the functions include updating the last date of bonus use and the joint use of bonuses at a particular date.

6. A smart card as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the memory contains a set of benefit vouchers, each of which being associated with a company identifier and type of benefit; and

the functions include reading and printing benefit vouchers through the data transfer connection as well as invalidating benefit vouchers in response to an input received via the data transfer connection.

7. A point-of-sale terminal system including a payment terminal device, wherein the payment terminal device includes or is connected with:

first data transfer means for reading and writing a smart card according to claim 1,

second data transfer means for a line connection to a central system;

an application program, wherein the application program is operable to;

use bonuses stored on the smart card beginning from the oldest bonus purse that contains bonuses; and

to

grant bonuses into the bonus purse corresponding to the current period of time.

8. A point-of-sale terminal system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the application program includes a function for blocking the point-of-sale terminal system in response to a period of time elapsed since the previous line connection to a central system exceeding a predetermined limit value.

9. A point-of-sale terminal system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the application program includes a function for monitoring a total amount of bonuses granted after the previous line connection and for interrupting granting of bonuses if the predetermined limit value is exceeded.

10. A central system for controlling a plurality of payment terminals through a telecommunication connect ion when the payment terminals are provided with means for reading and writing a customer loyalty card implemented as a smart card;

wherein that the central system includes;

a customer database which contains information on a plurality of customer loyalty cards, each of which is provided with customer information and multiple bonus purses wherein each bonus purse is associated with a specific period of time;

a company database which contains information on payment terminals and companies in possession thereof;

an alert list database, which contains information on suspicious customer loyalty cards and/or payment terminals;

an operational logic which includes;

a routine for receiving purchase reports to be received periodically from each company in possession of a payment terminal such that a combination of purchase reports of each possessor company contains information on bonuses granted by the payment terminals of a particular possessor company during a period; and

a routine for distributing contents of an alert list database to the companies in possession of payment terminals.

11. A central system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the customer database contains information on a plurality of customer loyalty cards, each of which further containing information on benefit vouchers on a customer loyalty card.

12. A central system as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the operational logic includes a routine for receiving information on successfully blocked customer loyalty cards and for distributing such information to the companies in possession of payment terminals.

13. A central system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a bonus database whose first part contains the following information elements for each of a plurality of bonus transactions:

identifier of a bonus transaction, identifier of a seller, identifier of a customer, amount of bonus and point of time of use thereof.

14. A central system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising means for changing a bonus entered in the first part of the bonus database.

15. A central system as claimed in claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

a second part of the bonus database, which contains a total amount of bonuses customer-specifically; and

means for transfe4rring bonuses from the first part to the second part in response to said point of time of use having been reached.

16. A central system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising means for using a bonus provided in the bonus database as a means of payment in connection with electronic commerce.

17. A central system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a function for transferring bonuses from a customer loyalty card to the bonus database.