Method and apparatus for selling subscriptions to periodicals in a retail environment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving, via an input device of a point of sale terminal, an indication of a payment amount and subscription information received from a customer at the point of sale terminal, wherein the payment amount is based on a subscription price for a periodical selected by the customer;
authorizing, by a processor of a computing device, payment to a wholesaler of a fee for a single issue of the periodical;
storing, by the processor of the computing device, an indication of a percentage of the payment amount retained; and
providing, by a processor of the computing device, the subscription information and a balance of the payment amount to a retail subscription system to establish the subscription to the periodical.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.
37 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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receiving, via an input device of a point of sale terminal, an indication of a payment amount and subscription information received from a customer at the point of sale terminal, wherein the payment amount is based on a subscription price for a periodical selected by the customer; authorizing, by a processor of a computing device, payment to a wholesaler of a fee for a single issue of the periodical; storing, by the processor of the computing device, an indication of a percentage of the payment amount retained; and providing, by a processor of the computing device, the subscription information and a balance of the payment amount to a retail subscription system to establish the subscription to the periodical. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to:
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receive an indication of a payment amount and subscription information from a customer at a point of sale terminal, wherein the payment amount is based on a subscription price for a periodical selected by the customer; authorize payment of a fee for a single issue of the periodical to a wholesaler; store an indication of a percentage of the payment amount retained; and provide the subscription information and a balance of the payment amount to a retail subscription system to establish the subscription to the periodical. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. An apparatus, comprising:
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a processor; a communication device coupled to the processor; and a data storage device operatively coupled to the processor and containing instructions configured to direct the processor to; receive an indication of a payment amount and subscription information from a customer at a point of sale terminal desiring to establish a subscription to a periodical, wherein the payment amount is based on a subscription price; authorize payment of a fee for a single issue of the periodical to a wholesaler; store an indication of a percentage of the payment amount retained; and provide the subscription information and a balance of the payment amount to a retail subscription system to establish the subscription to the periodical. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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Specification