Financial transaction printer with promotional printing capabilities

• US 7,666,078 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Future Logic Incorporated
• Inventors: Meyerhofer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins; Twyler L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKERSON, CHAD S
• Application Number:
  US10/434,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,484 Days
• Field of Search: 358 111- 118, 463 25- 30, 463/12, 463/13, 463 16- 20, 463/36, 463 40- 42, 705/14
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• 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 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• 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 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a vending promotional printer for use within a vending machine are disclosed. A vending promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to the customer based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the vending promotional printer directly or supplied by master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to a customer, the duration of play on a vending machine, a customer classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The vending promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the vending promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the vending promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.

Claims

1. A financial transaction promotional printer, comprising:

a first communication port that couples the financial transaction promotional printer to a machine controller, the first communication port constructed to receive financial transaction data from the machine controller;

a second communication port, separate from the first communication port, that couples the financial transaction promotional printer to a promotional controller, the second communication port constructed to receive coupon data directly from the promotional controller separately of the machine controller; and

a processor programmed to;

receive the coupon data from the promotional controller via the second communication port and generate a coupon using the coupon data; and

receive the financial transaction data from the machine controller via the first communication port and generate a financial transaction receipt using the financial transaction data.

2. The financial transaction printer of claim 1 wherein the processor is further constructed to conduct couponing activities in serial with financial transaction activities.

3. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to conduct couponing activities in parallel with financial transaction activities.

4. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein a trigger is generated by the promotional controller, the processor further adapted to:

receive the trigger from the second communication port; and

generate the coupon in response to the trigger.

5. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the processor further constructed to:

generate a trigger using the trigger control parameters and trigger data; and

generate the coupon in response to the trigger.

6. The financial transaction printer of claim 5, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

7. The financial transaction printer of claim 5, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

8. The financial transaction printer of claim 5, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

9. The financial transaction printer of claim 5, wherein the trigger data includes an amount of money deposited in a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

10. The financial transaction printer of claim 5, wherein the processor is further constructed to receive the trigger data from the gaming machine via a gaming machine controlled by the machine controller.

11. A method of printing a promotional coupon by a financial transaction printer having a first communication port that couples the financial transaction printer to a machine controller, the first communication port constructed to receive financial transaction data for printing a financial transaction receipt, comprising:

receiving coupon data by the financial transaction printer from a promotional controller via a second communication port separate from the first communication port, the second communication port constructed to receive the coupon data directly from the promotional controller and separately of the machine controller; and

generating the promotional coupon by the financial transaction printer using the coupon data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising conducting couponing activities by the financial transaction printer in serial with receipt printing activities.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising conducting couponing activities by the financial transaction printer in parallel with receipt printing activities.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a trigger is generated by the promotional controller, the method further comprising:

receiving the trigger from the second communication port; and

generating the coupon in response to the trigger.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupon data includes trigger control parameters, the method further comprising:

generating a trigger using the trigger control parameters and trigger data; and

generating the coupon in response to the trigger.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the trigger data includes a date.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the trigger data includes a time of day.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the trigger data includes a frequency of issuance of the coupon.

12. A financial transaction printer having a first communication port that couples to a machine controller, the first communication port constructed to receive a voucher for printing by the financial transaction printer for the gaming machine, comprising:

a second communication port constructed to receive coupon data directly from a promotional controller separately of the first communication port; and

a processor programmed to receive the coupon data from the promotional controller via the second communication port and generate a coupon using the coupon data.

20. A financial transaction printer, comprising:

a first communication port for receiving financial transaction data from a first controller;

a second communication port, separate from the first communication port, for receiving coupon data directly from a second controller and separately of the first controller;

printing means for printing a coupon using the coupon data and for printing a receipt using the financial transaction data.

21. The financial transaction printer of claim 20, further comprising variable data receiving means for receiving variable data for the coupon, wherein the printing means uses the variable data and the coupon data to print the coupon.

22. The financial transaction printer of claim 21, wherein the variable data receiving means is the first communication port.

23. The financial transaction printer of claim 21, wherein the variable data receiving means is the second communication port.

24. The financial transaction printer of claim 21, wherein the variable data is received from the first controller.

25. The financial transaction printer of claim 21, wherein the variable data is received from the second controller.

26. The financial transaction printer of claim 20, further comprising trigger receiving means for receiving a trigger wherein the printing means prints the coupon in response to the trigger.

27. The financial transaction printer of claim 26, wherein the financial transaction printer receives the trigger from the second controller.

28. The financial transaction printer of claim 26, wherein the financial transaction printer receives the trigger from a first controller.