Combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system

• US 20070152038A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kroger Company
• Original Assignee: Kroger Company
• Inventors: Stevenson, David, Ciancio, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• 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 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system having a first point-of-sale system, having a checkout manager and one or more checkout terminals, and a second point-of-sale system, having a fuel center and one or more fuel pumps, in communication with each other and with one or more primary databases containing marketing data, consumer data, customer data, master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data, for generating a fuel discount at the second point-of-sale system based on first purchasing activity at the first point-of-sale system and/or second purchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system. The fuel discount is maintained for each customer in one of said primary databases and is based on a total purchase of products, a total purchase of product units, a total purchase amount of a product type, time period for total purchase of products, or a tiered spending amount.

Claims

1. A combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system, comprising:

a first point-of-sale system comprising an in-store checkout center, at least one checkout terminal in communication with said in-store checkout center, one or more primary databases containing marketing data, consumer data, customer data, master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data, and a means for managing said primary databases, wherein said in-store checkout center is in communication with said primary databases by said means for managing;

a second point-of-sale system comprising a fuel center, at least one, fuel pump in communication with said fuel center, at least one secondary database containing fuel center data, said fuel center being in communication with said secondary database, and

a means for connecting said first point-of-sale system and said second point-of-sale system such that said fuel center data of said second point-of-sale system is contained in said primary databases;

a means for generating a fuel discount based on first purchasing activity at said first point-of-sale system and second purchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system, wherein said fuel discount is maintained in one of said primary databases; and

a means for applying said fuel discount to a purchase of a fuel product.

2. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for identifying a customer at said checkout terminal, said fuel center, and said fuel pump.

3. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 2, wherein said means for identifying a customer is a card reading device for entering customer identification and said card reading device is selected from the group consisting of:

a bar code reader, a magnetic strip reader, and a digital image reader.

4. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said first purchasing activity at said first point-of-sale system and second purchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system are captured by said first point-of-sale system.

5. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a pre-defined minimum spending threshold and an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discount if said first purchasing activity said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than said pre-defined minimum spending threshold.

6. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a plurality of tiered fuel discounts, each of said tiered fuel discounts having a pre-defined set of minimum and maximum spending thresholds and an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discount that corresponds to said tiered fuel discount within which said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is between said minimum and maximum spending thresholds for said tiered fuel discount.

7. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a minimum unit threshold for a pre-defined product type and an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than said pre-defined minimum unit threshold

8. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a minimum spending threshold for a pre-defined product type and an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than said minimum spending threshold for a pre-defined product type

9. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said fuel discount is on a price per unit basis.

10. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said fuel product is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, diesel, kerosene, natural gas, and petroleum.

11. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said primary database containing customer data is updated with information acquired from first purchasing activity and said second purchasing activity.

12. The combined in store and fuel center point of sale system according to claim 1, wherein said first purchasing activity comprises one or more separate transactions at said first point-of-sale system and said second purchasing activity comprises one or more transactions at said second point-of-sale system.

13. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a pre-defined minimum spending threshold, a pre-defined time period, and an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity made within said time period is greater than said pre-defined minimum spending threshold

14. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for storing and managing a plurality of fuel discounts stored in one of said primary databases, wherein each said fuel discount generated by said means for generating a fuel discount is stored in one of said primary databases as a separate fuel discount of said plurality of fuel discounts, and said means for applying said fuel discount retrieves one said fuel discount from said plurality of fuel discounts in said primary databases.

15. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 14, wherein said fuel discount retrieved from said plurality of fuel discounts is the highest fuel discount of said plurality of fuel discounts.

16. A method for generating a fuel discount, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system having

a first point-of-sale system comprising an in-store checkout center, at least one checkout terminal in communication with said in-store checkout center, one or more primary databases containing marketing data, consumer data, customer data, master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data, and a means for managing said primary databases, wherein said in-store checkout center is in communication with said primary databases by said means for managing, and a second point-of-sale system comprising a fuel center, at least one fuel pump in communication with said fuel center, at least one secondary database containing fuel center data, said fuel center being in communication with said secondary database;

(b) connecting said first point-of-sale system and said second point-of-sale system such that said fuel center data of said second point-of-sale system is contained in said primary databases;

(c) generating a fuel discount based on first purchasing activity at said first point-of-sale system and second purchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system, wherein said fuel discount is maintained in one of said primary databases; and

(d) applying said fuel discount to a purchase of a fuel product at said second point-of-sale system.

17. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than a pre-defined minimum spending threshold.

18. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fuel discount associated with one of a plurality of tiered fuel discounts, wherein said pre-defined fuel discount corresponds to said tiered fuel discount within which said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is between a minimum and maximum spending thresholds for said tiered fuel discount.

19. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than a pre-defined minimum unit threshold for a pre-defined product type.

20. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than a pre-defined minimum spending threshold for a pre-defined product type.

21. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined discount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity made within a time period is greater than a pre-defined minimum spending threshold.

22. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

(e) storing said fuel discount as one of a plurality of fuel discounts.

23. The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 22, wherein said step (d) applies a highest fuel discount of said plurality of fuel discounts.