Method and apparatus for selling subscriptions to periodicals in a retail environment

• US 8,280,770 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jindal, Sanjay K.
• Primary Examiner(s): VAN BRAMER, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US13/089,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20110196730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/14.11, 705/14.34, 705/14.38
• US Class Current: 705/14.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

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.

Claims

1. A system for establishing a subscription to a periodical, comprising:

a request receiving component configured to receive a request by a customer to purchase a single periodical;

an offering component configured to offer to sell a subscription to the periodical at a subscription rate;

an acceptance receiving component configured to receive an acceptance of the offer to sell the subscription;

a component configured to record the distribution of the single periodical as a first issue of the subscription; and

an electronic terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic terminal displays information showing that a subscription to the single periodical requested by the customer is available.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic terminal receives subscription information about the customer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further includes a point-of-sale controller;

and

said electronic terminal transmits data indicating the sale of a subscription and an authentication code to said point-of-sale controller.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said electronic terminal includes a printer and generates a printed receipt for the subscription that includes said authentication code.

6. A system for establishing a subscription to a periodical, and calculating the amount owed to the point-of-sale of said subscription, comprising:

a request receiving component configured to receive a request by a customer to purchase a single periodical at given cost for the single issue;

an offering component configured to offer to sell a subscription to the periodical at a subscription price that is higher than the wholesale subscription cost;

an acceptance receiving component configured to receive an acceptance of the offer to sell the subscription at said subscription price;

a component configured to record the distribution of the single periodical as a first issue of the subscription;

an electronic terminal located at the point-of-sale of the single periodical and the subscription;

a point-of-sale controller that is in communication with said electronic terminal and that includes a local sales database that records the subscription price, the subscription cost; and

the cost for the single periodical that is the first issue of the subscription;

whereby, the amount owed to the point-of-sale for the purchased subscription to the periodical can be readily calculated.