System and method employing a portable card to configure a store for product promotion

• US 6,354,492 B1
• Filed: 04/29/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sterling Global Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Softcard Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Powell, Ken R., Snook, Corey C., Maxwell, Eleanor B.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/301,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 235/493, 235/360, 235/375, 235/376, 235/379, 235/487, 235/486, 235/381, 235/385, 902/27, 705/14, 705/40-45
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods employing a portable card to configure a commercial system. An exemplary system acts to read from the card at a first location in the store, to process a signal corresponding to a first promotion set stored on the card. The exemplary system also acts to read from the card at a second location in the store, to process a signal corresponding to a second promotion set stored on the card.

Claims

1. A method for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of promotions, the method comprising:

reading from the card at a first location in the store, to a first promotion set, stored on the card, to a plurality of customers; and

reading from the card at a second location in the store, to process a signal corresponding to a second promotion set stored on the card.

2. The method of claim 1 further including writing the plurality of promotions onto the portable card, from a location outside of the store.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the following step, performed between the two reading steps of

writing a signal to the card,

and wherein the second reading step includes

reading the signal to determine the second promotion set.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the system includes a card writer that is portable, and the method further includes the following step, performed between the two reading steps of

writing a signal to the card using the card writer,

and wherein the second reading step includes

reading the signal to determine the second promotion set.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first reading step is performed by a first promotion transmitter and the second reading step is performed by a second promotion transmitter.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first promotion transmitter includes a first coupon dispenser and the second promotion transmitter includes a second coupon dispenser.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the first promotion transmitter includes a first output device and the second promotion transmitter includes a second output device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first output device includes a first visual display and the second output device includes a second visual display.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first reading step is performed by a promotion transmitter and the second reading step is performed by a system that determines an amount due.

10. A method for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of coupons, the method comprising the steps, performed in the store, of:

reading from the card at a first location in the store, to process a signal corresponding to a first coupon stored on the card;

reading from the card at a second location in the store, to process a signal corresponding to a second coupon stored on the card;

reading from the card at a third location in the store, to process the first and second coupons stored on the card; and

determining an amount due in accordance with a coupon received by a customer in the store and a product selected by the customer.

11. A method for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of coupons, the method comprising the steps, performed in the store, of:

reading from the card at a first location in the store, to display a signal corresponding to a first product promotion stored on the card;

reading from the card at a second location in the store, to display a signal corresponding to a second product promotion stored on the card;

reading from the card at a third location in the store, to process the first and second product promotions stored on the card; and

determining an amount due in accordance with a product promotion readable by a customer in the store and a product selected by the customer.

12. A system for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of promotions, the system comprising:

a first receiver that receives signals from the card, to process a signal corresponding to a first promotion set stored on the card;

a second receiver that receives signals from the card, to process a signal corresponding to a second promotion set stored on the card.

13. The system of claim 12 further including a writer that writes the plurality of promotions onto the portable card, the writer being located outside of the store.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the first receiver includes a promotion transmitter.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the promotion transmitter includes a coupon dispenser.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the promotion transmitter includes an output device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the output device includes a visual display.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the first receiver includes a promotion transmitter and the second receiver includes a system that determines an amount due.

14. The system of 12 further including

a writer that writes a signal to the card,

and wherein the second receiver reads the signal to determine the second promotion set.

15. The system of 12 further including a hand-held card writer for writing a signal to the card and wherein the second receiver reads the signal to determine the second promotion set.

21. A system for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of coupons, the system comprising:

a first receiver that receives signals from the card, to process a signal corresponding to a first coupon stored on the card;

a second receiver that receives signals from the card, to process a signal corresponding to a second coupon stored on the card;

a third receiver that receives signals from the card, to process the first and second coupons stored on the card; and

a processor that determines an amount due in accordance with a coupon received by a customer in the store and the product selected by the customer.

22. A system for a store and a portable card for storing a plurality of coupons, the system comprising:

a first receiver that receives signals from the card, to display a signal corresponding to a first product promotion stored on the card;

a second receiver that receives signals from the card, to display a signal corresponding to a second product promotion stored on the card;

a third receiver that receives signals from the card, to process the first and second product promotions stored on the card; and

a processor that determines an amount due in accordance with a product promotion readable by a customer in the store and a product selected by the customer.

23. A method of operating with a system including a portable card, a card writer, and a store including a plurality of shelves each having a respective interface supported by the shelf, the method comprising:

writing a plurality of first signals onto the card, each first signal corresponding to a promotion for a product in the store, and the steps, performed for each interface, of;

writing a second signal onto the card using the card writer;

moving the card to the interface;

receiving, in the interface, the second signal from the card; and

processing, in the interface, a selected first signal from the card, the selected first signal being determined by the second signal.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the selected first signal corresponds to price information for a product represented by the units adjacent to the interface and wherein processing includes transmitting the first signal.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the system further includes a plurality of portable cards, and transmitting includes sending the selected first signal to a card presented by a customer.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein transmitting includes displaying the first signal.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the system further includes a plurality of portable cards, and wherein processing includes

recording the selected first signal, in the interface, the selected first signal corresponding to price information for a product represented by product units adjacent to the interface;

detecting, in the interface, the presence of a first card in the plurality of portable cards;

sending, responsive to the detecting step, the recorded first signal to the first card.