Method and system for processing supplementary product sales at a point-of-sale terminal

• US 7,587,334 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2003
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• 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: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Van Luchene, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Agwumezie, Charles C
• Application Number:
  US10/625,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20050075935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,240 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 273/269, 463/16, 463/17, 463/25, 463/26
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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: G07F 5/24 : with change-giving
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 : Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 : Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 : electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 : Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A POS terminal determines an upsell to offer in exchange for the change due to a customer in connection with a purchase. The point-of-sale terminal preferably maintains a database of at least one upsell price and a corresponding upsell to offer a customer in exchange for the change due to him. If the customer accepts the upsell, the cashier so indicates by pressing a selection button on the POS terminal. The required payment amount for the customer to pay is then set equal to the rounded price, rather than the purchase price. Thus, the customer receives the upsell in exchange for the coins due to him, and the coins need not be exchanged between the customer and the POS terminal.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a device, comprising:

generating a purchase price of a purchase;

generating a rounded price;

calculating a round-up amount;

the round-up amount being a difference between the purchase price and the rounded price; and

printing an entry in a lottery in which a prize for winning the lottery is proportional to the round-up amount.

2. The method of claim 1, in which generating the rounded price comprises:

rounding up the purchase price to a whole number.

3. The method of claim 1, in which generating the rounded price comprises:

calculating a lowest whole number that is greater than the purchase price.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the lowest whole number is a multiple of five.

5. The method of claim 3, in which the lowest whole number is a multiple of one.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exchanging the entry for the round-up amount.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storage device in communication with the processor,

the memory storage device storing a program which controls the processor to;

generate a purchase price of a purchase;

generate a rounded price;

calculate a round-up amount;

the round-up amount being a difference between the purchase price and the rounded price; and

print an entry in a lottery in which a prize for winning the lottery is proportional to the round-up amount.

8. A method implemented by a device, comprising:

generating a purchase price of a purchase;

generating a rounded price;

calculating a round-up amount;

the round-up amount being a difference between the purchase price and the rounded price; and

displaying an offer to exchange the round-up amount for an entry in a lottery in which a prize for winning the lottery is proportional to the round-up amount.

9. The method of claim 8, in which displaying the offer comprises:

displaying text explaining that the entry in the lottery may be purchased for the round-up amount.

10. The method of claim 8, in which displaying the offer comprises:

displaying text that identifies at least one of the round-up amount and the rounded price.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

printing the entry.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an input indicating acceptance of the offer.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a unique identifier that identifies the entry.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing the unique identifier and the round-up amount in a database.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a value of the prize.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

exchanging the entry for the round-up amount.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storage device in communication with the processor,

the memory storage device storing a program which controls the processor to;

generate a purchase price of a purchase;

generate a rounded price;

calculate a round-up amount;

the round-up amount being a difference between the purchase price and the rounded price; and

display an offer to exchange the round-up amount for an entry in a lottery in which a prize for winning the lottery is proportional to the round-up amount.