Using validity events to control the use of coupons containing barcodes in mobile devices that display the barcodes for reading by barcode readers
First Claim
1. A method employed in a device which outputs barcodes belonging to electronic coupons for reading by a barcode reading device of ensuring that a given electronic coupon is valid for a particular kind of use, the method comprising the steps performed in the device of:
- responding to a validity event which may affect the validity of a given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use by inhibiting output of the barcode belonging to the given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use;
determining on the basis of validity information which is available in the device prior to the validity event whether the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use; and
if the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use, permitting output of the given electronic coupon'"'"'s barcode for the particular kind of use.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Technique for ensuring that a device that contains coupons with barcodes will not output a barcode belonging to an invalid coupon to a barcode reading system. The technique avoids validation of the coupon at the time the barcode is provided to the barcode reading system. In the technique, the mobile device responds to a validity event that may affect the validity of a given coupon by inhibiting the provision of the given coupon'"'"'s barcode to the barcode reading system until the coupon has been validated on the basis of validity information available in the device that is outputting the barcode, and then again permitting the given coupon'"'"'s barcode to be output to the barcode reading system. In applications of the technique, the coupon may be used n times, the coupon may be shared, or the coupon may become valid after a set of actions have occurred.
197 Citations
36 Claims
-
1. A method employed in a device which outputs barcodes belonging to electronic coupons for reading by a barcode reading device of ensuring that a given electronic coupon is valid for a particular kind of use,
the method comprising the steps performed in the device of: -
responding to a validity event which may affect the validity of a given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use by inhibiting output of the barcode belonging to the given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use;
determining on the basis of validity information which is available in the device prior to the validity event whether the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use; and
if the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use, permitting output of the given electronic coupon'"'"'s barcode for the particular kind of use. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A device that outputs barcodes belonging to electronic coupons for reading by a barcode reading system,
the device being characterized in that: the device includes an electronic coupon handler that responds to a validity event which may affect the validity of a given electronic coupon for a particular kind of use by inhibiting output of the barcode belonging to the given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use and determining on the basis of validity information available in the device prior to the validity event whether the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the kind of use before again permitting output of the barcode for the particular kind of use.
-
34. A method employed in a device which outputs barcodes belonging to electronic coupons for reading by a barcode reading device of ensuring that a given electronic coupon which may be output to be read by the barcode reading device up to n times has been read no more than n times,
the method comprising the steps of: -
receiving the barcode together with a value indicating n in the device;
storing the barcode and the value in the device;
each time the barcode is to be output for reading, employing a number of times read value in the device and the value indicating n to determine whether the barcode has already been read n times;
not outputting the barcode if the barcode has already been read n times; and
if the barcode has not already been read n times, outputting the barcode and if the barcode is read, altering the number of times read value to indicate the number of times the barcode has been read.
-
-
35. A method of sharing an electronic coupon containing a barcode that has been received in one device with another device which outputs the electronic coupon for reading by a barcode reading device, the method comprising the steps performed in a content delivery server that is connected by a network to the device and the other device of:
-
receiving the electronic coupon being shared from the device;
determining a format which makes the shared electronic coupon'"'"'s barcode readable by a barcode reader when output by the other device;
formatting the electronic coupon'"'"'s barcode according to the determined format; and
providing the electronic coupon with the formatted barcode to the other device.
-
-
36. A method practiced in a device which outputs an electronic coupon for reading by a barcode reading device of ensuring that an electronic coupon whose validity depends on the occurrence of a set of predetermined events becomes valid only when all of the events have occurred,
the method comprising the steps of: -
receiving control data in the device which specifies the set of predetermined events;
receiving one or more tokens in the device, each token indicating an occurrence of an event in the set of predetermined events;
for each received token, determining whether tokens for all of the events in the set of predetermined events have been received;
if tokens for all of the events in the set of predetermined events have been received and the electronic coupon has been received in the device, associating an indication of validity with the electronic coupon; and
outputting the electronic coupon for reading only if the indication of validity is associated therewith.
-
Specification