METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A VENDING PROMOTIONAL PRINTER

• US 20100253973A1
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jcm American Corporation (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Inventors: Meyerhofer, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• 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 30/0207 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 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a vending promotional printer for use within a vending machine are disclosed. A vending promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to the customer based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the vending promotional printer directly or supplied by master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to a customer, the duration of play on a vending machine, a customer classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The vending promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the vending promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the vending promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.

Claims

1. A method of printing a promotional coupon in a vending environment, comprising:

receiving coupon data by a vending promotional printer from a promotional controller via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

generating the coupon by the vending promotional printer in response to a trigger, the coupon generated using variable data and the coupon template.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable data is received by the vending promotional printer from the promotional controller via the communications network, the method further comprising:

generating the trigger by the promotional controller; and

transmitting the trigger by the promotional controller to the vending promotional printer via the communications network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the method further comprising generating the trigger by the vending promotional printer using the trigger control parameters and trigger data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger data is received by the vending promotional printer from a vending machine controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a location of a vended product within the vending machine.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money deposited in the vending machine.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a cost of a vended product.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger data includes a type of a vended product.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing of coupon issuance data by the vending promotional printer; and

transmitting the coupon issuance data by the vending promotional printer to the promotional controller via the communications network.

13. A method of printing a promotional coupon in a vending environment, comprising:

transmitting coupon data by a promotional controller to a vending promotional printer via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

transmitting variable data by the promotional controller to the vending promotional printer via the communications network; and

transmitting trigger data by the promotional controller to the vending promotional printer whereby the vending promotional printer generates a coupon using the coupon template and the variable data in response to the trigger data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the vending promotional printer stores coupon issuance data, the method further comprising receiving the coupon issuance data by the promotional controller from the vending promotional printer via the communications network.

15. A vending promotional printer, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including;

receiving coupon data from a promotional controller via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

generating a coupon in response to a trigger, the coupon generated using variable data and the coupon template.

16. The vending promotional printer of claim 15, the program instructions further comprising:

storing of coupon issuance data; and

transmitting the coupon issuance data to the promotional controller via the communications network.

17. The vending promotional printer of claim 15, wherein the trigger is generated by the promotional controller, the program instructions further including receiving the trigger from the promotional controller via the communications network.

18. The vending promotional printer of claim 15, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the program instructions further including generating the trigger using the trigger control parameters and trigger data.

19. The vending promotional printer of claim 18, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

20. The vending promotional printer of claim 18, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

21. The vending promotional printer of claim 18, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

22. The vending promotional printer of claim 18, the program instructions further including receiving the trigger data from a vending machine controller.

23. The vending promotional printer of claim of claim 22, wherein the trigger data includes a location of a vended product within the vending machine.

24. The vending promotional printer of claim of claim 22, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money deposited in the vending machine.

25. The vending promotional printer of claim of claim 22, wherein the trigger data includes a cost of a vended product.

26. The vending promotional printer of claim of claim 22, wherein the trigger data includes a type of a vended product.

27. A promotional controller, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including;

transmitting coupon data to a vending promotional printer via a communications network, the coupon data including a coupon template; and

transmitting variable data to the vending promotional printer via the communications network; and

transmitting trigger data to the vending promotional printer whereby the vending promotional printer generates a coupon using the coupon template and the variable data in response to the trigger data.

28. The promotional controller of claim 27, wherein the vending promotional printer stores coupon issuance data, the program instructions further including receiving the coupon issuance data from the vending promotional printer via the communications network.