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

• US 6,334,113 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:
  US09/073,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/17, 705/23, 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 initiating a subscription, comprising the steps of:

receiving subscription information associated with a sale of a subscription to a periodical, the subscription information including a subscription term;

determining a number of issues to be distributed during the subscription term;

determining whether the sale of the subscription included distribution of a single issue of the periodical; and

initiating a subscription for the determined number of issues minus one, if the sale of the subscription is determined to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

initiating a subscription for the determined number of issues, if the sale of the subscription is determined not to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.

3. A system for initiating a subscription, comprising:

a receiving component configured to receive subscription information associated with a sale of a subscription to a periodical, the subscription information including a subscription term;

an issue determining component configured to determine a number of issues to be distributed during the subscription term;

a distribution determining component configured to determine whether the sale of the subscription included distribution of a single issue of the periodical; and

a distribution initiating component configured to initiate a subscription for the determined number of issues minus one, if the sale of the subscription is determined to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a standard initiating component configured to initiate a subscription for the determined number of issues, if the sale of the subscription is determined not to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.

5. A system for initiating a subscription, comprising:

means for receiving subscription information associated with a sale of a subscription to a periodical, the subscription information including a subscription term;

means for determining a number of issues to be distributed during the subscription term;

means for determining whether the sale of the subscription included distribution of a single issue of the periodical; and

means for initiating a subscription for the determined number of issues minus one, if the sale of the subscription is determined to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.

6. A computer program product comprising:

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

a receiving module configured to receive subscription information associated with a sale of a subscription to a periodical, the subscription information including a subscription term;

an issue determining module configured to determine a number of issues to be distributed during the subscription term;

a distribution determining module configured to determine whether the sale of the subscription included distribution of a single issue of the periodical; and

an initiating module configured to initiate a subscription for the determined number of issues minus one, if the sale of the subscription is determined to include distribution of a single issue of the periodical.