Combination printer and its paper

• US 9,390,595 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Catalina Marketing Corporation
• Inventors: Byerly, Baxter, Mount, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shenderov, Alexander D
• Application Number:
  US14/320,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20140312111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 347/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04536 using history data
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04573 Timing; Delays
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/546 Combination of different types, e.g. using a thermal transfer head and an inkjet print head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1242 Image or content composition onto a page
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A computer network system and method for printing purchase transaction receipts includes a novel printer physical structure, data structure, and control logic for printing on both sides of a register receipt, business rules designed to facilitate the two sided printing, and print paper designed to facilitate two sided printing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating print instructions to cause printing of a dual-sided purchase transaction receipt that includes transaction information and marketing information, the method being implemented on a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed by computer program instructions that, when executed, program the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, from a point of sale (POS) computer system separate from the computer system, transaction information that identifies a first item being purchased during a purchase transaction;

receiving, by the computer system, an end of transaction (EOT) signal from the POS computer system, wherein the EOT signal indicates an end of the purchase transaction;

determining, by the computer system, marketing information based on the transaction information responsive to the EOT signal, wherein the marketing information comprises at least first marketing content;

generating, by the computer system, print instructions comprising the transaction information and the marketing information, wherein the print instructions include an instruction to print a purchase transaction receipt that includes the transaction information and the marketing information, and wherein the print instructions further comprise an instruction to print the transaction information on a first side of the purchase transaction receipt and the marketing information on a second side of the purchase transaction receipt;

determining, by the computer system, a remnant space on either the first side of the purchase transaction receipt or the second side of the purchase transaction receipt based on a first length of the transaction information that occupies the first side and a second length of the marketing information that occupies the second side;

identifying, by the computer system, additional marketing content to include in the remnant space, wherein the print instructions further comprise the additional marketing content and an instruction to place the additional marketing content in the remnant space; and

providing, by the computer system, the print instructions to be used to print the purchase transaction receipt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying additional marketing content comprises ranking a plurality of additional marketing content with respect to one another and selecting the additional marketing content based on the ranking.

3. A computer-implemented method of generating print instructions to cause printing of a dual-sided purchase transaction receipt that includes transaction information and marketing information, the method being implemented on a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed by computer program instructions that, when executed, program the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, from a point of sale (POS) computer system separate from the computer system, transaction information that identifies a first item being purchased during a purchase transaction;

receiving, by the computer system, an end of transaction (EOT) signal from the POS computer system, wherein the EOT signal indicates an end of the purchase transaction;

determining, by the computer system, marketing information based on the transaction information responsive to the EOT signal, wherein the marketing information comprises at least first marketing content;

generating, by the computer system, print instructions comprising the transaction information and the marketing information, wherein the print instructions include an instruction to print a purchase transaction receipt that includes the transaction information and the marketing information;

scaling, by the computer system, a size of text or graphics associated with;

(i) the transaction information, (ii) the marketing information, or (iii) both, to fit within a particular length of the purchase transaction receipt; and

providing, by the computer system, the print instructions to be used to print the purchase transaction receipt.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the print instructions further comprise an instruction to print the transaction information on a first side of the purchase transaction receipt and at least a portion of the marketing information on the first side of the purchase transaction receipt.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the transaction information comprises:

receiving first item identification information as the first item is read via the POS computer; and

receiving second item identification information as a second item is read via the POS computer after the first item is read.

6. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising:

receiving customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

storing the transaction information in association with the customer identification information to generate a historical transaction record for the customer, wherein the historical transaction record is to be used to determine at least a portion of the marketing information.

7. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising:

receiving customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

storing the transaction information in association with the customer identification information to generate a historical transaction record for the customer, wherein the historical transaction record is to be used to determine additional marketing content to include in the marketing information.

8. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising:

receiving customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

obtaining additional marketing content that was received from a remote computer system in association with the customer identification information, wherein the additional marketing content is included with the marketing information.

9. A system for generating print instructions to cause printing of a dual-sided purchase transaction receipt that includes transaction information and marketing information, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions to;

receive, from a point of sale (POS) computer system separate from the computer system, transaction information that identifies a first item being purchased during a purchase transaction;

receive an end of transaction (EOT) signal from the POS computer system, wherein the EOT signal indicates an end of the purchase transaction;

determine marketing information based on the transaction information responsive to the EOT signal, wherein the marketing information comprises at least first marketing content;

generate print instructions comprising the transaction information and the marketing information, wherein the print instructions include an instruction to print a purchase transaction receipt that includes the transaction information and the marketing information, and wherein the print instructions further comprise an instruction to print the transaction information on a first side of the purchase transaction receipt and the marketing information on a second side of the purchase transaction receipt;

determine a remnant space on either the first side of the purchase transaction receipt or the second side of the purchase transaction receipt based on a first length of the transaction information that occupies the first side and a second length of the marketing information that occupies the second side;

identify additional marketing content to include in the remnant space, wherein the print instructions further comprise the additional marketing content and an instruction to place the additional marketing content in the remnant space; and

provide the print instructions to be used to print the purchase transaction receipt.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein to identify additional marketing content, the computer system is programmed to:

rank a plurality of additional marketing content with respect to one another and select the additional marketing content based on the rank.

11. A system for generating print instructions to cause printing of a dual-sided purchase transaction receipt that includes transaction information and marketing information, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions to;

receive from a point of sale (POS) computer system separate from the computer system, transaction information that identifies a first item being purchased during a purchase transaction;

receive an end of transaction (EOT) signal from the POS computer system, wherein the EOT signal indicates an end of the purchase transaction;

determine marketing information based on the transaction information responsive to the EOT signal, wherein the marketing information comprises at least first marketing content;

generate print instructions comprising the transaction information and the marketing information, wherein the print instructions include an instruction to print a purchase transaction receipt that includes the transaction information and the marketing information;

scale a size of text or graphics associated with;

(i) the transaction information, (ii) the marketing information, or (iii) both, to fit within a particular length of the purchase transaction receipt; and

provide the print instructions to be used to print the purchase transaction receipt.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the print instructions further comprise an instruction to print the transaction information on a first side of the purchase transaction receipt and at least a portion of the marketing information on the first side of the purchase transaction receipt.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein to receive the transaction information, the computer system is further programmed to:

receive first item identification information as the first item is read via the POS computer; and

receive second item identification information as a second item is read via the POS computer after the first item is read.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

receive customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

store the transaction information in association with the customer identification information to generate a historical transaction record for the customer, wherein the historical transaction record is to be used to determine at least a portion of the marketing information.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

receive customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

store the transaction information in association with the customer identification information to generate a historical transaction record for the customer, wherein the historical transaction record is to be used to determine additional marketing content to include in the marketing information.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further programmed to:

receive customer identification information that identifies a customer associated with the purchase transaction; and

obtain additional marketing content that was received from a remote computer system in association with the customer identification information, wherein the additional marketing content is included with the marketing information.