Method and apparatus for selling subscriptions to periodicals in a retail environment

• US 6,334,112 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jindal, Sanjay K., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US09/072,715
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 705/23, 705/16, 705/17, 235/375, 235/381
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.

Claims

1. A method of processing a subscription payment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a payment for a subscription to a periodical at a point-of-sale terminal;

determining a cost for a single issue of the periodical;

transmitting a payment corresponding to the cost to a periodical wholesaler;

determining a first amount to be retained from a balance of the payment based on the determination of the single issue cost;

retaining the determined first amount ; and

transmitting a remaining balance of the payment to a retail subscription system.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining a second amount to be retained from the remaining balance of the payment;

retaining the determined second amount at the retail subscription system; and

transmitting the remaining balance of the payment to a fulfillment house.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the payment for a subscription includes

a payment for the single issue of the periodical.

4. A system for processing a subscription payment, comprising:

a payment receiving component configured to receive a payment for a subscription to a periodical at a point-of-sale terminal;

a cost determining component configured to determine a cost for a single issue of the periodical;

a transmitting component configured to transmit a payment corresponding to the cost to a periodical wholesaler;

a first determining component configured to determine a first amount to be retained from a balance of the payment based on the determination of the single issue cost;

a first retaining component configured to retain the determined first amount; and

a first transmitting component configured to transmit a remaining balance of the payment to a retail subscription system.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a second determining component configured to determine a second amount to be retained from the remaining balance of the payment;

a second retaining component configured to retain the determined second amount at the retail subscription system; and

a second transmitting component configured to transmit the remaining balance of the payment to a fulfillment house.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the payment for a subscription includes a payment for the single issue of the periodical.

7. A system for processing a subscription payment, comprising:

means for receiving a payment for a subscription to a periodical at a point-of-sale terminal;

means for determining a cost for a single issue of the periodical;

means for transmitting the cost to a periodical wholesaler;

means for determining a first amount to be retained from a balance of the payment;

means for retaining the determined first amount at the point-of-sale terminal; and

means for transmitting a remaining balance of the payment to a retail subscription system.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for processing a subscription payment, the computer usable medium comprising;

a payment receiving module configured to receive a payment for a subscription to a periodical;

a cost determining module configured to determine a cost for a single issue of the periodical;

a transmitting module configured to transmit a payment corresponding to the cost to a periodical wholesaler;

a first determining module configured to determine a first amount to be retained from a balance of the payment based on the determination of the single issue cost;

a retaining module configured to retain the first amount; and

a transmitting module configured to transmit a remaining balance of the payment to a retail subscription system.