MANAGEMENT OF COUPONS USED FOR PURCHASING ITEMS OF GOODS

• US 20140122205A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sohya, Toshio, Hoshina, Hiroko, Fukui, Motokazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0221 Re-usable coupons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested

Abstract

A coupon issuing system and a method for managing coupons used for purchasing items of goods. A coupon issuing device receives a request from a user for a coupon pertaining to purchasing an item of goods. The coupon issuing device issues to the user ticket information corresponding to the item. The ticket information includes a coupon identifier (ID) that identifies a coupon for purchasing the item, information pertaining to the user, and a current discount for discounting the item'"'"'s purchase price. A coupon issuance control server receives notification that the user has exercised the coupon for purchasing the item. The coupon issuance control server transmits a calculated number of remaining exercisable coupons to an advertising contents management server to facilitate display of the number of remaining exercisable coupons to users requesting coupons for purchase of the item.

Claims

1. A coupon issuing system, comprising a coupon issuing device, said system configured to perform a ticket information output control method, said method comprising:

said coupon issuing device receiving a request from a user for a coupon pertaining to purchasing an item of goods;

after said receiving the request for the coupon, said coupon issuing device requesting, from a coupon issuance control server, a coupon identifier (ID) for identifying the coupon;

said coupon issuing device receiving the coupon ID from the coupon issuance control server in response to the request for the coupon ID;

after said receiving the request for the coupon, said coupon issuing device requesting from the user information pertaining to the user;

said coupon issuing device receiving the information pertaining to the user from the user in response to the request for the information pertaining to the user;

said coupon issuing device incorporating, into the coupon, ticket information corresponding to the item, said ticket

information comprising the coupon ID, the information pertaining to the user, and a current discount for discounting the item'"'"'s purchase price; and

after said incorporating the ticket information, issuing to the user by the coupon issuing device, the coupon comprising the ticket information corresponding to the item, said ticket information for determining an order of purchasing said item; and

controlling issuance of subsequent ticket information and display of item availability information by displaying, by a display device comprised by the coupon issuing device, item availability information that includes a number of remaining exercisable coupons currently available for purchasing the item.

2. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, said method further comprising:

after said receiving the request for the coupon, said coupon issuing device sending a request for a specification of the current discount from the coupon issuance control server; and

after said sending the request for the current discount, said coupon issuing device receiving the specification of the current discount from the coupon issuance control server.

3. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, said method further comprising:

before said receiving the request for the coupon, said coupon issuing device receiving a specification of the current discount from an advertising contents management server and displaying the current discount to the user.

4. The coupon issuing device of claim 3, said method comprising:

said coupon issuing device displaying simultaneously the current discount, the previous discount, and a number of remaining exercisable coupons for purchasing the item.

5. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, said method further comprising:

said coupon issuing device further incorporating into the coupon;

a time and location of issuance of the coupon.

6. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, said method further comprising:

said coupon issuing device translating, into bar codes or optical character reader (OCR) compatible characters, the coupon ID, the time of issuance, and the place of issuance, wherein said incorporating results in the translated coupon ID, the translated time of issuance, and the translated place of issuance being incorporated into the coupon.

7. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the user that is incorporated into the coupon comprises the user'"'"'s name, address, telephone number.

8. The coupon issuing device of claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the user that is incorporated into the coupon further comprises the user'"'"'s age and gender.

9. A method for managing coupons used for purchasing an item of goods comprised by a plurality of items, said method comprising:

receiving, by a coupon issuance control server, notification that a user has exercised a coupon for purchasing the item of goods, of information identifying the user, and of a coupon identifier (ID) that identifies a coupon for purchasing the item, wherein a discount for discounting a purchase price of the item is incorporated into the coupon, and wherein the coupon issuance control server comprises;

a coupon information database for holding privilege information data and item availability data, wherein the privilege information data is the discount,

a transceiver for providing, to an external device, an output of the privilege information data and the item availability data held in the coupon information database, and

a coupon details change processor for updating details of the privilege information data and the item availability data held in the coupon information database based on an exercise status of privilege information corresponding to the plurality of items and provided by the transceiver;

in response to said received notification, said coupon issuance control server incrementing a coupon count of coupons exercised for purchase of the item;

after said incrementing, said coupon issuance control server calculating a number of remaining exercisable coupons for purchasing the item by subtracting the coupon count from a preset number of coupons; and

said coupon issuance control server transmitting the calculated number of remaining exercisable coupons to an advertising contents management server to facilitate display of the number of remaining exercisable coupons to users requesting coupons for purchase of the item, wherein said item availability data includes real-time information as to the calculated number of said remaining exercisable coupons currently available for purchasing the item.

10. The method of claim 9, said method further comprising:

after said incrementing, said coupon issuance control server changing the discount based on the coupon count.

11. The coupon issuance control server of claim 10, said method further comprising:

said coupon issuance control server changing the discount based on a time of day when the coupon was exercised by the user and an elapsed time since the coupon was issued.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a time of issuance of the coupon is incorporated into the coupon, and wherein the method further comprises said coupon issuance control server changing the discount based on the time of issuance of the coupon.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a time of issuance of the coupon is incorporated into the coupon, and wherein the method further comprises said coupon issuance control server changing the discount based on a purchase history for a group of users to which the coupon is issued.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

said coupon issuance control server determining that a specified time has elapsed since a time of issuance of the coupon; and

said coupon issuance control server increasing the discount in response to said determining that the specified time has elapsed.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a location of issuance of the coupon is incorporated into the coupon.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the information identifying the user received by the coupon issuance control server comprises a credit card number identifying the user.