Fraud deterred product and service coupons

• US 6,766,301 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Duncan Lee
• Original Assignee: Duncan Lee, Mike Daniel
• Inventors: Daniel, Mike, Lee, Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JANVIER, JEAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/513,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 235/380, 235/379, 235/381, 235/492
• US Class Current: 705/14.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

A membership user coupon program for printed and electronic coupons having built-in measures to deter fraud committed by a retailer and/or a consumer during the redemption and/or reimbursement of the coupon. The system and process provide traceability prior to the issuance and/or printing of the coupon, prior to a retailer acceptance of the coupon and at the point of sale.

Claims

1. A method to deter consumer/user and retailer fraud on an online coupon having a unique identification mark issued from a coupon issuance and redemption program to a registered or member consumer/user to deter or prevent unauthorized copying, counterfeiting, tampering, creation and multiple redemption of the coupon, comprising the steps of:

a) entering a resident zip code by a member consumer/user to an interactive online database system of a service center or a provider;

b) displaying available provider coupons for the member consumer/user by a provider through the interactive online database system;

c) selecting a provider coupon or coupons from the available coupons by the member consumer/user;

d) entering an assigned identification mark or user name and a member consumer/user password into the interactive online database, the interactive online database checking its database to verify the assigned identification mark and password, tying the assigned identification mark and password to the member consumer/user, determining a number of times the member consumer/user has requested the provider coupon, approving or disapproving the member consumer/user and allowing the issuance of the provider coupon, the issued coupon tied to the member consumer/user identification mark and password;

e) printing the provider coupon by the member consumer/user, the printed provider coupon having printed on the coupon aside from typical certification mark and identification mark, at least the member consumer/user'"'"'s name, an instruction to cashier to check identification and to accept purchases only with a credit card payment method or by personal bank check and if paid by personal bank check, a blank space to fill in date of purchase, a blank space for the member consumer/user to write in his/her initial and a blank space to write in a check number or a bank account number or both;

f) bringing and presenting the provider coupon by the member consumer/user to a retailer;

g) matching the imprinted name on the coupon with the name on the credit card or the personal bank check used for payment;

h) entering a sale or a plurality of sale of a product by the retailer only if payment is made by credit card or a personal bank check;

i) validating payment of the sale by credit card or personal bank check, the payment by personal bank check validated by a picture identification and writing in the bank account and check number or either one of these on the provider'"'"'s coupon;

j) forwarding a number of gathered validated provider coupons generated from the sale or plurality of sale of the product to a service center;

k) scanning, decoding and validating the provider coupons forwarded by the retailer;

l) identifying fraudulent coupons from legitimate coupons;

m) preparing a provider coupon validation report by the service center;

n) forwarding the coupon validation report and the gathered validated provider coupon to the provider;

o) reviewing the coupon validation report by the provider,

p) reimbursing the retailer for the amount of the desired coupons, and,

q) updating the interactive online database after each reimbursement of the retailer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of auditing the retailer for potential coupon fraud.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the provider coupon may be retrieved a second time from the service center for printing if an original printed provider coupon was lost or damaged.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the current information written on the provider coupon includes a product information, date of issuance or printing of the provider coupon, the provider coupon value, expiration date, sales order number, provider'"'"'s barcode, and a mailing address of a service center or provider where a retailer can submit used member consumer/user provider coupons for reimbursement.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the information written on the provider coupon further includes an e-mail address.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information written on the provider coupon further includes a member consumer/user spouse'"'"'s name.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information written on the provider coupon further includes a unique encrypted serial number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the consumer/user registers for membership to the coupon issuance and redemption program by a method comprising:

(a) entering a prescreening information, the prescreening information comprising a unique user name, a password and any other information requested by a service center or a provider to an interactive online database system;

(b) verifying the uniqueness of the prescreening information and informing the consumer/user if the prescreening information is acceptable;

(c) requesting the consumer/user to enter a new prescreening information if the entered prescreening name is not acceptable;

(d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until the entered prescreening information is acceptable;

(e) entering financial and directory information to the interactive online database system by the consumer/user; and

,

(f) determining existing number of financial accounts listed under the consumer/user, approving or disapproving membership of the consumer/user as a member consumer/user, notifying an approved member consumer/user to use the accepted prescreening unique user name and password for accessing the interactive online database system by the service center or provider.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the registration is done online or submitted in a written application form.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of financial account listed under a member consumer/user may be limited by the provider.