Point-of-sale terminal

• US 5,481,094 A
• Filed: 03/17/1994
• Issued: 01/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Suda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPPERD, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/214,312
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 364/405
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a POS terminal for making a package discount with respect to commodities previously purchased. The POS terminal for making a package discount intended to allow a discount through a combination of specified commodities, includes an input unit for inputting information concerning a commodity available for a package discount previously purchased; a determining unit for determining whether or not a package discount is provided by analyzing the information, which is entered at the input means, concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount and previously purchased, and information concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount currently purchased; and a discount unit which, when the package discount is provided, allows a discount from the price of the commodity currently being purchased.

Claims

1. A POS terminal for making a package discount intended to allow a discount for a combination of specified commodities, comprising:

input means for inputting information concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount and purchased previously;

determining means for determining whether a package discount is provided by analyzing information, which is entered at the input means, concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount and purchased previously, and information concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount and currently being purchased; and

discount means for allowing a discount from the price of the commodity currently being purchased when the package discount is provided.

2. A POS terminal according to claim 1, further comprising bar-code reading means, wherein the information concerning the commodity eligible for the package discount previously purchased is entered in the form of bar codes.

3. A POS terminal for making a package discount intended to allow a discount for a combination of specified commodities, comprising:

input means for inputting information concerning a commodity eligible for a package discount and purchased previously;

determining means for determining whether or not the package discount is provided by analyzing information, which is entered at the input means, concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount and purchased previously, and information concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount currently being purchased;

discount means for allowing a discount from the price of the commodity currently being purchased when the package discount is provided; and

printing means for issuing a coupon produced by printing information concerning a commodity for which the package discount is available but which was not provided.

4. A POS terminal according to claim 3, wherein the coupon is produced as a part of a receipt bearing the purchase information.

5. A POS terminal according to claim 3, wherein the information, which is printed to produce the coupon, concerning a commodity for which the package discount is available but which was not provided, is printed in the form of bar codes.

6. A method for operating a POS terminal for providing a package discount to a product when part of the package was previously purchased, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting information concerning the commodity eligible for the package discount and purchased previously;

determining whether the package discount is provided by analyzing information, which is entered during the inputting step, concerning the commodity eligible for the package discount and purchased previously, and information concerning a commodity eligible for the package discount currently being purchased; and

allowing a discount from the price of the commodity currently being purchased.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the inputting step reads a coupon produced as a part of a receipt.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the information concerning the commodity was printed in a form of a bar code on a coupon.