Electronic coupon storage and manipulation system and method

• US 20100280873A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Justin K. Bryant
• Original Assignee: Justin K. Bryant
• Inventors: Bryant, Justin K.
• Application Number:
  US12/387,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280873A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

A system and method for scanning paper coupons and coordinating their use with electronic coupons for the provided is a internet based electronic coupon searching system. Further provided, is a method and apparatus to combine electronic and paper coupons into a master coupon for secure redemption through an electronic coupon clearing house and offering coupon distribution system.

Claims

1. A system for manipulating coupon data comprising:

a PDA, including a memory, connected to a scanner;

a first coupon dataset, derived from the scanner, including data from a physical coupon, stored in the memory;

a second coupon dataset, downloaded from the internet and stored in the memory, including data from an electronic coupon;

a product dataset, derived from the scanner, related to a product and stored in the memory; and

,

a software application, residing on the PDA, for comparing the first coupon dataset to the purchased product dataset to determine a first coupon match and for comparing the second coupon dataset to the purchased product dataset to determine a second coupon match.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the scanner is one of the group of a barcode scanner and an RFID scanner.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a search website in communication with the PDA;

the search website programmed to;

upload a third coupon dataset to the PDA, and

conduct a search for a coupon that correlates to a product in the product dataset.

4. In a computer system comprised of a portable data processor including a scanning device and a display, the portable data processor connected to a manufacturer computer and a retailer computer, a method of organizing sales coupon data comprising the steps of:

scanning a coupon with the scanning device;

creating an image, relating to the coupon, on the display; and

using the retailer computer to redeem the coupon by accessing the image.

5. The method of claim 5 including the further step of:

registering a set of consumer data, related to a consumer, on the manufacturer computer.

7. The method of claim 5 including the further steps of:

searching the manufacturer computer for a coupon dataset that correlates to a set of products to be purchased; and

,

moving the coupon dataset to the portable data processor.

6. The method of claim 6 including the further step of:

moving a sales incentive, related to the set of consumer data, from the manufacturer computer to the portable data processor.

8. A method of using coupons comprising the steps of:

loading a first coupon dataset, related to a paper coupon, into a scanning device;

loading a second coupon dataset, related to an electronic coupon, into the scanning device;

loading a purchased product dataset, related to product, into the scanning device;

using a software program residing on the scanning device to compare the first coupon dataset and the second coupon dataset with the purchased a product dataset to determine a match; and

,

redeeming the match.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

storing a set of information related to a consumer in the scanning device;

sending the set of information related to the consumer and the purchased product dataset to a server; and

,

sending an electronic offer from the server to the scanning device related to the set of information related to the consumer and the purchased product dataset.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the set of information related to a consumer is related to a redeemed coupon.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the set of information related to a consumer is related to an unredeemed coupon.

12. The method of claim 8 comprising the further steps of:

;

encoding a master barcode by hashing a set of identifying data correlated to the paper coupon;

sending the master barcode to a retailer computer;

decoding the master barcode with the retailer computer to retrieve the identifying data;

redeeming the paper coupon by using the identifying data; and

notifying a manufacturer that the paper coupon has been redeemed.

13. The method of 12 including the further step of verifying that the set of identifying data is valid by contacting the manufacturer.

14. The method of 8 including the further steps of:

displaying the master barcode on a display; and

reading the master barcode from the display.

15. A coupon storage system comprising:

a portable data processor;

a display unit connected to the portable data processor;

a first memory connected to the portable data processor;

a first coupon dataset stored in the first memory;

a second coupon dataset stored in the first memory;

wherein the first coupon dataset correlates to a physical coupon; and

wherein the second coupon dataset correlates to an electronic coupon.

16. The coupon storage system of claim 15 further comprising:

a scanning unit attached to the portable data processor and wherein the first coupon dataset is derived from a signal generated by the scanning unit.

17. The coupon storage system of claim 15 further comprising:

a set of storage servers connected to the portable data processor; and

a server coupon dataset stored on the set of storage servers.

18. The coupon storage system of claim 17 further comprising:

a workstation connected to the set of storage servers and the portable data processor;

a second memory connected to the workstation;

a workstation coupon dataset stored in the second memory;

wherein the workstation coupon dataset is selected from the server coupon dataset and downloaded from the set of storage servers; and

,

wherein the workstation coupon data set is communicated from the second memory to the first memory.

19. The coupon storage system of claim 17 wherein the second coupon dataset is selected from the server coupon dataset and downloaded from the set of storage servers to the first memory.

20. The coupon storage system of claim 17 further comprising a master server in data communication with the portable data processor and wherein the portable data processor is programmed to upload a master barcode to the master server.

21. The coupon storage system of claim 20 wherein the master server is programmed to decode the master barcode to derive the first coupon dataset and communicate the first coupon dataset to the set of storage servers.

22. The coupon storage system of claim 21 wherein the portable data processor is programmed to hash the first coupon data set during creation of the master barcode.

23. The coupon storage system of claim 22 wherein the portable data processor is programmed to display the master barcode on the display unit.

24. The coupon storage system of claim 17 wherein the portable data processor is programmed to search the server coupon dataset for data related to a product scanned and download a match data coupon dataset from the server coupon dataset that correlates to the product scanned, to the portable data processor.

25. The coupon storage system of claim 17 wherein the portable data processor is programmed to redeem a coupon by communication with a retailer computer system.