Method and apparatus for dispensing discount coupons

• US 4,910,672 A
• Filed: 12/04/1987
• Issued: 03/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing International Incorporated (Catalina Marketing Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: O'Brien, Michael R., Scroggie, Michael C., Off, George W., Mindrum, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendegrass, Joan H.
• Application Number:
  US07/129,113
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/405, 364/478, 364/479, 340/825.35, 235/381, 235/382, 235/385, 235/487, 235/493, 235/494, 283/51, 283/56
• US Class Current: 705/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/145 PLU-management
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A system for creating discount coupons in response to the purchases of products. Improvements disclosed include the printing of a "negative" coupon in response to the failure to purchase a particular product, and the printing of a coupon in response to the purchase of multiple triggering items, either without limitation as to the identification of the items, or with the requirement that the items fall into a predefined trade group. Other features of the invention permit the use of instantly redeemable "coupons," such that an instant discount is applied to a customer bill rather than having a coupon printed, and the logging, without printing, of possible coupon printings for statistical purposes.

Claims

1. A system for simulating the printing of a redeemable coupon in a retail store, solely in response to the purchase of a triggering item, to record the effect of a specific discount coupon deal without actually printing the coupons, the system comprising:

a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each having means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order;

a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item;

means for storing the terms of at least one coupon deal in which the generation of a printable discount coupon for a selected product will be triggered by the purchase of a triggering product;

means for identifying the triggering product in the customer order;

means for associating the triggering product with the coupon deal; and

means for automatically logging, but not printing, the generation of at least one discount coupon for a product other than the triggering product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product, whereby statistics relative to the coupon deal can be gathered without actually printing the discount coupons.

2. For use in a retail store point-of-sale system having a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each with means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order, and a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item, a method for logging (without printing) the generation of a printable discount coupon solely in response to the purchase of a item, the method comprising the steps of:

preselecting a discountable product for which a discount coupon is to be generated;

preselecting at least one triggering product, the purchase of which is intended to initiate generating of the discount coupon;

storing the terms of at least one coupon deal relating to the discount coupon to be generated;

identifying the triggering product in the customer order;

associating the triggering product with the previously stored terms of the coupon deal; and

automatically logging, but not printing, the generation of at least one discount coupon for the discountable product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product.

3. A system for generating a printable discount coupon in a retail store, solely in response to the purchase of an item, the system comprising:

a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each having means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order;

a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item;

means for storing the terms of at least one coupon deal in which the generation of a discount coupon for a selected product from one supplier will be triggered by the purchase of a triggering product from a different supplier;

means for identifying the triggering product in the customer order;

means for associating the triggering product with the coupon deal; and

means for automatically generating at least one printable discount coupon for a product other than the triggering product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product.

4. For use in a retail store point-of-sale system having a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each with means for reading product codes on purchase items in a customer order, and a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item, a method for generating a printable discount coupon solely in response to the purchase of an item, the method comprising the steps of:

preselecting a discountable product for which a discount coupon is to be generated;

preselecting at least one triggering product from one supplier, the purchase of which is intended to initiate generation of the discount coupon for a product from a different supplier;

storing the terms of at least one coupon deal relating to the discount coupon to be generated;

identifying the triggering product in the customer order;

associating the triggering product with the previously stored terms of the coupon deal; and

automatically generating at least one printable discount coupon for the discountable product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product.