Method and apparatus for tracking customer purchasing habits

• US 6,901,373 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Chasko, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US09/438,396
• Time in Patent Office: 2,027 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/16, 705/18, 705/23
• 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 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Abstract

A processor, bar code scanner, and a smart card interface at a checkout stand track customer purchase habits. The smart card includes memory storing accumulated values in each of several profit categories and a second processor for executing instructions. The first processor transfers data to and from the smart card. The smart card, while coupled to the first processor, transfers stored category values containing accumulated purchase values in each of different profit margin ranges stored to the first processor. The first processor responds to the bar code scanner to retrieve profit margin data for a purchased product carrying the bar code read by the bar code scanner. The first processor adds the retrieved profit margin data and the accumulated profit margin data transferred from the smart card to the first processor for the profit margin category that is the same as the profit margin category of the purchased product. The first processor compares the resultant sum with a predetermined value for the profit margin category of the purchased product to determine if the purchaser is to receive a reward. The first processor increments the category values by an amount in relation to the customer'"'"'s purchase and profit margin information and transfers the incremented category values to the smart card.

Claims

1. A computer system for managing customer purchase information comprising:

a first processor for receiving and transmitting data;

a communication interface adapted to exchange signals between the first processor and a portable device small enough to be carried on a person, wherein the portable device includes memory and a second processor for executing instructions; and

a memory coupled to said first processor;

the memory having stored therein profit margin information of a customer purchase of at least one product having a profit margin, current sale information, and sequences of instructions which, when executed by said first processor, cause said first processor to manage customer purchase information by causing said first processor to command said second processor to execute instructions to cause the memory of the portable device to increment a stored category value by an amount in relation to the customer purchase information and a profit margin information of the customer purchase.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory coupled to said first processor stores instructions causing said first processor to store customer purchase information for at most one customer at a time.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory coupled to said first processor stores instructions causing said first processor to compare said category value to a reward level and signal whether the reward level has been reached.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the memory coupled to said first processor stores instructions causing said first processor to compare said category value to a reward level and signal whether the reward level has been reached at the time of customer'"'"'s purchase.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory coupled to said first processor stores instructions causing said first processor to verify said portable device is being used by an authorized user.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory coupled to said first processor stores instructions causing said first processor to respond to a bar code signal indicative of a purchased product supplied by a bar code scanner by retrieving information from said memory of said first processor for profit category in response to said bar code signal.

7. A method of managing customer purchasing habits related to profit margin categories by using a first processor with memory for receiving and transmitting data, said first processor being coupled to a portable device with (a) memory for storing and transferring category values containing accumulated purchase values in each of different profit margin ranges and (b) a second processor for executing instructions, said portable device being small enough to be carried on a person, said first processor being able to transfer data with said portable device, comprising the steps of:

determining an accumulated purchase value in each of different profit margin ranges based on a customer purchase of at least one product having a profit margin;

supplying said portable device to said first processor;

transferring to said first processor category values containing accumulated purchase values in each of different profit margin ranges stored in said memory of said portable device;

said first processor incrementing said category values by an amount in relation to the determined accumulated purchase value; and

transferring said incremented category values from said memory of said first processor to the memory of said portable device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said first processor stores customer purchase information for at most one customer at a time in said memory coupled to said first processor.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of said first processor comparing said category value to a reward level indicative of an accumulated purchase value for a profit margin range and signaling whether the reward level has been reached.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of said first processor comparing said category value to a reward level and signaling whether the reward level has been reached occurs at the time of customer'"'"'s purchase.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of said first processor verifying that customer is an authorized user of said portable device.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of a bar code scanner supplying a bar code signal to said first processor indicative of a purchased product and said first processor retrieving information from said memory of said first processor for profit category in response to said bar code signal.

13. A retail checkout stand for use with portable devices having a size corresponding with a credit card, each portable device having a memory storing customer identification information and previous purchase information, comprising:

a bar code scanner for deriving a product indicating signal in response to a bar code associated with a purchased item, a card interface unit adapted to respond to signals from the portable devices, a keyboard for enabling the customer to enter customer identification information corresponding with the customer identification information stored in the portable device, and a processor coupled with the bar code scanner, the card interface unit and the keyboard, the processor including a memory storing first signals indicative of retailer information about each item having a bar code and signals commanding the processor to (a) compare the customer identification information derived from the keyboard with the customer identification information derived from the portable device, (b) in response to (a) indicating a correlation between the customer identification information derived from the keyboard with the customer identification information derived from the portable device, read the retailer information about the purchased item in response to the bar code scanner, deriving a signal indicative of the bar code indication derived by the bar code scanner, (c) combine the previous purchase information read by the card interface unit with the read retailer information about the item to derive a combined signal, (d) selectively supply the combined signal to the card interface unit for coupling to the portable device, (e) derive a reward signal in response to a comparison of the combined signal with a predetermined value, the memory and the processor being arranged so that the memory never stores a combined signal for more than one of said items and supplies the combined signal only to the card interface unit and thence to the same portable device as the portable device which previously supplied previous purchase information to the processor via the card interface unit.

14. A retail checkout stand for use with portable devices having a size corresponding with a credit card, each portable device having a memory storing customer identification information and previous profit margin information in plural profit margin categories comprising:

a bar code scanner for deriving a product indicating signal in response to a bar code associated with a purchased item, a card interface unit adapted to respond to signals from the portable devices, a keyboard for enabling the customer to enter customer identification information corresponding with the customer identification information stored in the portable device, and a processor coupled with the bar code scanner, the card interface unit and the keyboard, the processor including a memory storing first signals indicative of profit margin category for each item having a bar code and signals commanding the processor to (a) compare the customer identification information derived from the keyboard with the customer identification information derived from the portable device, (b) in response to (a) indicating a correlation between the customer identification information derived from the keyboard with the customer identification information derived from the portable device, read the profit margin category for the purchased item in response to the bar code scanner, deriving a signal indicative of the bar code indication derived by the bar code scanner, (c) combine the previous profit margin information in plural profit margin categories read by the card interface unit with the read profit margin category for the item to derive a combined signal, (d) selectively supply the combined signal to the card interface unit for coupling to the portable device, (e) derive a reward signal in response to a comparison of the combined signal with a predetermined value.