Service Plan Product and Associated System and Method
First Claim
1. A warranty plan system comprising:
- a primary product offered for retail sale, wherein the primary product is tangible and includes;
a product bar code including data representing an identification of the primary product, wherein the product bar code is tangible;
a warranty plan product provided separately from the primary product and displayed for retail sale in a physical retail store, the warranty plan product providing for or facilitating repair, replacement and other servicing of the primary product as needed during a predefined term of the warranty plan product, wherein the warranty plan product is tangible and includes;
a first bar code for the warranty plan product, the first bar code indicating a level of warranty based on a purchase price of the primary product, wherein the level of warranty is one of a plurality of levels of warranty, anda second bar code for the warranty plan product, the second bar code indicating an individual account with the level of warranty indicated by the first bar code,wherein the individual account provides for the repair or replacement of the primary product, and the first bar code, the second bar code and the product bar code are all separate from one another; and
a point-of-sale terminal positioned within the physical retail store, wherein the primary product and the warranty plan product are separately and selectively displayed in the physical retail store;
wherein, when the primary product and the warranty plan product are brought to the point-of-sale terminal, the point-of-sale terminal is configured to machine read the first bar code, the second bar code and the product bar code to automatically associate the individual account with the primary product, wherein the first bar code and the second bar code exist prior to processing the primary product and the warranty plan product at the point-of-sale terminal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A service plan product providing a tangible representation of a service plan includes a support backer and a tag removably coupled with the backer. The tag includes service plan account identification means corresponding to a service plan account stored in a database and plan administrator contact indicia. The tag is configured to be removed from the backer and applied to a primary product for which the service plan is provided, and wherein only the service plan account identification means is required for the service plan administrator to access the database to identify details regarding the service plan account. Related systems and methods are also disclosed and provide additional advantages.
29 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A warranty plan system comprising:
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a primary product offered for retail sale, wherein the primary product is tangible and includes; a product bar code including data representing an identification of the primary product, wherein the product bar code is tangible; a warranty plan product provided separately from the primary product and displayed for retail sale in a physical retail store, the warranty plan product providing for or facilitating repair, replacement and other servicing of the primary product as needed during a predefined term of the warranty plan product, wherein the warranty plan product is tangible and includes; a first bar code for the warranty plan product, the first bar code indicating a level of warranty based on a purchase price of the primary product, wherein the level of warranty is one of a plurality of levels of warranty, and a second bar code for the warranty plan product, the second bar code indicating an individual account with the level of warranty indicated by the first bar code, wherein the individual account provides for the repair or replacement of the primary product, and the first bar code, the second bar code and the product bar code are all separate from one another; and a point-of-sale terminal positioned within the physical retail store, wherein the primary product and the warranty plan product are separately and selectively displayed in the physical retail store; wherein, when the primary product and the warranty plan product are brought to the point-of-sale terminal, the point-of-sale terminal is configured to machine read the first bar code, the second bar code and the product bar code to automatically associate the individual account with the primary product, wherein the first bar code and the second bar code exist prior to processing the primary product and the warranty plan product at the point-of-sale terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A service plan system comprising:
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a physical display within a retail store; a tangible service plan product positioned on the physical display, the tangible service plan product including; a preprinted label including information identifying an individual service plan account, the individual service plan account providing for or facilitating repair, replacement and other servicing of a primary product as needed during a predefined term of the individual service plan account, wherein the primary product is initially separate from the tangible service plan product, a first bar code identifying one of a plurality of available tiers of service plan accounts, a second bar code linking the tangible service plan product to the individual service plan account within the one of the plurality of available tiers of service plan accounts, and a backer selectively coupled to and supporting the preprinted label such that the preprinted label is readily removable from the backer for placement on the primary product, wherein the first bar code and the second bar code are supported by the backer and exist prior to positioning the tangible service plan product on the physical display, and wherein the information identifying the individual service plan account is separate from the first bar code and the second bar code; and a point-of-sale register within the retail store, the point-of-sale register being configured to receive the tangible service plan product once the tangible service plan product is transferred to the point-of-sale register from the physical display, the point-of-sale register being configured to optically read the first bar code and the second bar code of the tangible service plan product and a primary product bar code of the primary product during a mercantile transaction in which the tangible service plan product and the primary product are processed as separate items for retail sale, wherein the primary product bar code differs from the first bar code and the second bar code, and the point-of-sale register associates the primary product with the individual service plan account based on the second bar code, which is optically read from the tangible service plan product, and the primary product bar code, which is optically read from the primary product, and initializes the tangible service plan account for a predetermined term. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A service plan system comprising:
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a service plan product including at least one bar code identifying the type of service plan product and a service plan account linked to the service plan product; a point-of-sale register configured to optically read the at least one bar code of the service plan product and a primary product bar code of a primary product during a mercantile transaction, wherein the point-of-sale register associates the primary product with the service plan account based on the at least one bar code optically read from the service plan product and the primary product bar code optically read from the primary product and initializes the service plan account for a predetermined term, wherein the at least one bar code includes a first bar code identifying one of a plurality of available tiers of service plan accounts and a second bar code identifying a particular service plan account within the one of the plurality of available tiers, the point-of-sale register being configured to determine an identity of the primary product based on the primary product bar code and to associate the identity of the primary product with the service plan account based on the second bar code; a support backer; and a tag removably coupled with the backer, the tag including service plan account identification means corresponding to the particular service plan account linked to the service plan product and plan administrator contact indicia, wherein the service plan account identification means is separate from the first bar code and the second bar code, wherein the tag is configured to be removed from the backer and applied to the primary product for which the particular service plan account is provided, and wherein only the service plan account identification means is required for a service plan administrator associated with the plan administrator contact indicia to identify details regarding the particular service plan account. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of enrolling a primary product in a service plan, the method comprising:
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processing a primary product for purchase at a first point-of-sale (POS) terminal; processing a separate, tangible service plan product for purchase at one of the first POS terminal and a second POS terminal, wherein the service plan product includes a tag having account identification means, wherein the one of the first POS terminal and the second POS terminal automatically stores primary product information linked to the account identification means in a database and automatically activates a service plan account corresponding to the account identification means for a predefined term; and displaying the service plan product as one of a plurality of service plan products as part of a retail display readily accessible by consumers and spaced from the first POS terminal and the second POS terminal, each of the plurality of service plan products is associated with one of a first service plan price tier and a second service plan price tier, each service plan product associated with the first service plan price tier being at least partially a first color and each service plan product associated with the second service plan price tier being at least partially a second color to visually differentiate the service plan products associated with the first and second service plan price tiers, wherein displaying the service plan product occurs prior to processing the primary product and processing the separate service plan product. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification