System and method for locating products in a retail system
First Claim
1. In a system including a communication device and a plurality of portable cards each having a memory, a method of operating the system comprising the steps of:
- reading a first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the communication device, the first signal corresponding to a product, the first signal having a respective field for designating a coupon redemption value;
generating, responsive to the first signal, a second signal corresponding to a location of the product; and
displaying the second signal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for displaying, and redeeming electronic discount coupons in a store. The system includes a "smart card", a display kiosk, and a checkout station in the checkout area. The customer comes to the store with the card loaded with electronic coupons. At any time, the customer may insert the card into the display kiosk to view the location of products corresponding to the coupons stored on the card. Upon completion of shopping, the customer redeems the electronic coupons at the checkout area, by inserting the card into the checkout station. During checkout, when UPC data matches a coupon stored on the card, the customer is credited with the value of the corresponding coupon.
345 Citations
45 Claims
-
1. In a system including a communication device and a plurality of portable cards each having a memory, a method of operating the system comprising the steps of:
-
reading a first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the communication device, the first signal corresponding to a product, the first signal having a respective field for designating a coupon redemption value; generating, responsive to the first signal, a second signal corresponding to a location of the product; and displaying the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
7. A retail system comprising:
-
a plurality of portable cards each having a respective memory for storing a first signal corresponding to a product the first signal having a respective field for designating a coupon redemption value; a communication device; first memory area; a reader for reading the first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the communication device; a generator for accessing the first memory area, using the first signal, to generate a second signal corresponding to a location of the product; and a display for displaying the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
11. A method of operating a retail system including a plurality of product areas, a plurality of portable cards each having a memory, a first communication device, and a checkout area having a second communication device, the method comprising the steps of:
-
a first reading step of reading a first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the first communication device, the first signal corresponding to a product in one of the product areas, the first signal having a respective field for designating a coupon redemption value; displaying a location of the product in accordance with the first signal; removing the product from the product area; and a second reading step of reading the first signal from the memory of the card, in response to a person presenting the card at the second communication device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. In a system including a communication device and a plurality of portable cards each having a memory, a method of operating the system comprising the steps of:
-
reading a first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the communication device, the first signal corresponding to a product; generating, responsive to the first signal, a second signal corresponding to a location of the product on a map; and displaying the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A retail system comprising:
-
a plurality of portable cards each having a respective memory for storing a first signal corresponding to a product; a communication device; first memory area; a reader for reading the first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the communication device; a generator for accessing the first memory area, using the first signal, to generate a second signal corresponding to a location of the product on a map; and a display for displaying the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A method of operating a retail system including a plurality of product areas, a plurality of portable cards each having a memory, a first communication device, and a checkout area having a second communication device, the comprising the steps of:
-
a first reading step of reading a first signal from the memory of a card in the plurality of cards, in response to a person presenting the card at the first communication device, the first signal corresponding to a product in one of the product areas; displaying, responsive to the first signal, a location of the product on a map; removing the product from the product area; and a second reading step of reading the first signal from the memory of the card, in response to a person presenting the card at the second communication device. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
-
Specification