MULTI-TIER PRICING OF INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS BASED ON VOLUME DISCOUNTS

• US 20060206386A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew S Van Luchene, Daniel E. Tedesco, Jay S. Walker, Magdalena Mik
• Original Assignee: Andrew S Van Luchene, Daniel E. Tedesco, Jay S. Walker, Magdalena Mik
• Inventors: Van Luchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Walker, Jay S., Mik, Magdalena
• Application Number:
  US11/421,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• 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 20/387 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 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/145 PLU-management

Abstract

A point of sale system or other computer system stores a product pricing database in which a full price and discount prices corresponding to one or more discount pricing tiers are stored for each product available for sale. Each of the discount prices for a given product has an associated threshold purchase total that has to be satisfied before the discount price is applied to a transaction. When a transaction occurs, the purchase total for the transaction is first calculated on the basis of full retail prices for the products and the purchase total for the transaction is compared with one or more threshold purchase totals which correspond to the discount pricing tiers. If a discount pricing tier is applicable (e.g. the calculated purchase total for the transaction is at least equal to a threshold purchase total), the appropriate discount prices for each product in the transaction are retrieved and used to calculate a reduced purchase total for the transaction. Qualification for discount pricing can also be based on, for example, a customer'"'"'s purchasing history, or the number of a certain type of product included in the transaction instead of the purchase total of a transaction.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method of calculating a purchase total for a transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of product identifiers, each of the product identifiers representing a respective product to be purchased;

determining whether the transaction satisfies a qualification criterion; and

on the basis of the determining step, selecting between a first procedure for calculating the purchase total for the transaction and a second procedure for calculating the purchase total for the transaction, the first procedure including totaling respective first prices for each of the products to be purchased, the second procedure including totaling respective second prices for each of the products to be purchased, at least one of the respective second prices being lower than the corresponding first prices for the respective products to be purchased.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the qualification criterion is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) a purchase total for the transaction calculated according to the first procedure;

(b) a purchase total for the transaction calculated according to the second procedure;

(c) a sum of purchase totals for at least one transaction made by a customer during a first predetermined period of time, wherein the at least one transaction is made by the customer who is requesting the transaction for which the purchase total is calculated;

(d) an average of purchase totals for a plurality of transactions made by a customer who is requesting the transaction during a second predetermined period of time;

(e) a sum of purchase totals for a plurality of transactions made during a third predetermined period of time by a group of customers, one of whom is requesting the transaction;

(f) an average of purchase totals for a plurality of transactions made during a fourth predetermined period of time by a group of customers, one of whom is requesting the transaction; and

(g) a total number of products having a particular brand among the products to be purchased represented by the received product identifiers.

18-56. -56. (canceled)