Method and apparatus for generating gift certificates

• US 5,500,514 A
• Filed: 01/21/1993
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Gift Certificate Center Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Gift Certificate Center Incorporated
• Inventors: Veeneman, William J., Doyle, Thomas J., Brooks, Phillip R., Hamilton, Robert H., Alexander, Karla J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepperd, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US08/007,007
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/381, 235/385, 235/432, 235/3, 902/18, 902/21, 902/36, 101/DIG. 44, 186/37, 222/2
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 1/02 employing selectable printing plates
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

An electronic gift certificate dispenser device for printing and dispensing a gift certificate purchased by a credit card. A consumer approaches the device and inserts a credit card into a magnetic card reader. The consumer chooses a retailer from a menu of participating retailers and enters the gift certificate value. The machine automatically verifies the credit card, causes the account to be debited and prints the gift certificate. A plurality of gift certificate dispensing devices can be connected in a network under the control of a central processing unit. Information regarding gift certificate purchases is transferred from the devices to the central processing unit to be collated and billed to credit card accounts. The central processing unit also informs merchants of the purchase of gift certificates that will be redeemed at their stores.

Claims

1. A method of printing, under control of a user, from a certificate dispenser a negotiable certificate useful for obtaining goods and services, said dispenser including a computer, as well as display means, user interface means, payment means, and printing and dispensing means controlled by said computer, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying on said display means a menu of goods and services providers;

receiving from said user through said user interface means a choice of said goods and services providers;

displaying on said display means a series of monetary values;

receiving from said user through said user interface means a choice of one of said monetary values;

receiving with said payment means payment for said certificate from said user;

printing with said printing and dispensing means a certificate including the choice of the providers and the monetary value chosen; and

dispensing said certificate.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein before said goods and services providers displaying step said method includes the steps of displaying a map and touching a point on the map to obtain a listing of providers located in a geographical region surrounding the point.

3. The method according to claim 1 including the step of mailing said certificate to a recipient, said certificate dispenser including means, under user control, for accepting and holding said certificate for subsequent delivery to a commercially known mail system.