Technique for correlating purchasing behavior of a consumer to advertisements

• US 5,515,270 A
• Filed: 01/12/1995
• Issued: 05/07/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Winmore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lee S. Weinblatt
• Inventors: Weinblatt, Lee S.
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANS, FANNIE L
• Application Number:
  US08/372,075
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 364/401, 364/405, 348/1, 455/2
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00

Abstract

Advertisements and promotions to which a consumer has been exposed are monitored together with the subsequent purchasing behavior of that consumer. The information is combined to analyze whether and to what extent the advertisements and/or promotions influenced the consumer'"'"'s purchases. Purchases are monitored by producing a machine readable record thereof with a store cash register. The consumer inserts this record into a home unit which stores this information. The home unit is also capable of issuing a reward to the consumer for cooperating. Also, the advertising, promotion and/or purchase data is classified by the home unit into selected categories which can be accessed by a computer for further processing to provide, for example, certain test results of interest relatively quickly because only a portion of all the collected data needs to be analyzed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring purchasing behavior of a consumer, comprising:

cash register means for use in a store to place purchase information related to purchases made in the store by the consumer on a machine-readable record;

a unit for use in a home of the consumer and having means for reading the purchase information on said machine-readable record and for storing data associated with said purchase information, said home unit including;

(a) means for detecting when a predetermined threshold has been reached of a selected category of said data stored in said data storing means, and

(b) means coupled to said detecting means for issuing a reward to said consumer when said threshold is reached.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected category of said data is related to a number of purchased products of a predetermined type.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected category of said data is related to time which has elapsed from when a product was purchased.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for issuing a reward targets the reward based on a characteristic of the consumer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for issuing a reward targets the reward based on a characteristic of what the consumer has purchased.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the purchase information is related to purchases subject to promotions.