Method and apparatus for facilitating the sale of subscriptions to periodicals

• US 7,162,434 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Alderucci, Dean, O'Shea, Deirdre, Van Luchene, Andrew S., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US09/260,437
• Time in Patent Office: 2,870 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/14.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• 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 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/145 PLU-management

Abstract

A POS terminal receives a signal that indicates an item, for example, via a bar code scanner. The POS terminal ascertains whether the item is associated with an offer for a rebate. If so, a code is generated and output to the customer, such as on a printed receipt. The code is associated with an offer for a rebate in exchange for establishing a subscription to a periodical. If the customer subscribes to a required periodical, he will be credited the amount he paid for the item. Subsequently, the customer requests a subscription to a periodical from a subscription fulfillment house, and provides his code in conjunction with the request. If the code is valid, the customer is provided with a rebate. The rebate may be provided directly by the subscription fulfillment house (e.g. a credit to a credit card account) or may be provided by a merchant (e.g. a discount on a future purchase).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal that indicates at least one item;

ascertaining whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

generating a code if the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

outputting a signal that represents the code;

outputting an offer for a rebate in exchange for establishing a subscription to a periodical, in which the subscription to the periodical is not the at least one item; and

charging an item price.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the step of receiving the signal that indicates the at least one item comprises:

receiving the signal via a bar code scanner.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the step of receiving the signal that indicates the at least one item comprises:

optically scanning a bar code that indicates the at least one item.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the step of ascertaining whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate comprises:

searching a database for a record that corresponds to the at least one item; and

ascertaining from the record whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the step of generating the code comprises:

selecting the code from a plurality of predetermined codes.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the step of generating the code comprises:

generating the code randomly.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the step of generating the code comprises:

encrypting at least one datum.

8. The method of claim 7, in which the step of encrypting at least one datum comprises:

encrypting at least one of

the periodical,

an item price of the at least one item,

an account identifier,

a merchant identifier that identifies a merchant,

a period of validity,

an item identifier that identifies the at least one item, and

a customer identifier that identifies a customer.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the step of generating the code comprises:

generating the code based on at least one of

the periodical,

an item price of the at least one item,

an account identifier,

a merchant identifier that identifies a merchant,

a period of validity,

an item identifier that identifies the at least one item, and

a customer identifier that identifies a customer.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the step of outputting the signal that represents the code comprises:

printing an indicium that represents the code.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the indicium comprises a machine-readable indicium.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the indicium comprises a bar code.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the step of outputting an offer comprises:

generating a message.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the step of outputting an offer comprises:

printing an indicium that represents a message.

15. The method of claim 13, in which the step of outputting an offer comprises:

displaying a message on a video monitor.

16. The method of claim 13, in which the step of generating the message comprises:

selecting the message based on the at least one item.

17. The method of claim 13, in which the step of generating the message comprises:

selecting the message from a plurality of predetermined messages.

18. The method of claim 1, in which the charging the item price comprises:

receiving a credit card number that identifies a credit card account; and

charging the item price to the credit card account.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing an indicium that represents a contact identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, in which the indicium that represents the contact identifier represents at least one of a telephone number, an electronic mail address and a URL.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a contact identifier based on the at least one item.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the periodical based on the at least one item.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining whether a predetermined rule is satisfied.

24. The method of claim 23, in which the step of outputting the signal that represents the code is performed only if the predetermined rule is satisfied.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a customer identifier that identifies a customer that purchases the at least one item.

26. The method of claim 25, in which the step of receiving a customer identifier comprises:

receiving an account identifier that identifies an account.

27. The method of claim 26, in which the account identifier comprises a credit card account number and in which the account is a credit card account.

28. The method of claim 25, in which the step of receiving a customer identifier comprises:

receiving the customer identifier via at least one of a card reader and a bar code scanner.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the code with the rebate.

30. The method of claim 29, in which the step of associating the code with the rebate comprises:

storing the code and an indication of the rebate in a record of a database.

31. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one item comprises an issue of the periodical.

32. The method of claim 1, in which the code indicates at least one of

the periodical,

an item price of the at least one item,

an account identifier,

a merchant identifier that identifies a merchant,

a period of validity,

an item identifier that identifies the at least one item, and

a customer identifier that identifies a customer.

33. The method of claim 1, in which the code comprises a plurality of digits.

34. The method of claim 1, in which the code comprises a plurality of alphanumeric characters.

35. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a signal that indicates at least one item;

means for ascertaining whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

means for generating a code if the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

means for outputting a signal that represents the code;

means for outputting an offer for a rebate in exchange for establishing a subscription to a periodical, in which the subscription to the periodical is not the at least one item; and

means for charging an item price.

36. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method, the processing instructions for directing a computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a signal that indicates at least one item;

ascertaining whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

generating a code if the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

outputting a signal that represents the code;

outputting an offer for a rebate in exchange for establishing a subscription to a periodical, in which the subscription to the periodical is not the at least one item; and

charging an item price.

37. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory connected to the processor, the memory for storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to;

receive a signal that indicates at least one item;

ascertain whether the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

generate a code if the at least one item is associated with an offer for a rebate;

output a signal that represents the code;

output an offer for a rebate in exchange for establishing a subscription to a periodical, in which the subscription to the periodical is not the at least one item; and

charge an item price.