Virtual couponing method and apparatus for use with consumer kiosk
First Claim
1. An in-store redemption system for generating coupons, comprising:
- a database of coupon information including information about coupons available, consumer account information, and information for associating selected ones of the available coupons with consumer accounts;
means, located at a retail location, for accessing the database, the means for accessing including input means for enabling a consumer to enter account information, display means for displaying information about the coupons available to the consumer account, and selection means for enabling the consumer to select desired ones of the coupons based on the displayed information;
a printer, located at the retail location, for printing the selected coupons; and
redemption means, at the retail location, including a scanner for scanning coupons at the retail location checkout and means for determining if a coupon presented by the consumer is valid prior to crediting the consumer with a redemption value associated with the coupon, and wherein the redemption means further comprises;
means for counting a number of times the consumer redeemed a particular coupon, andfraud indication means for indicating fraud if the number of times a coupon is redeemed by the consumer exceeds a predetermined amount.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for distributing, generating, and redeeming discount Virtual Coupons™, rebate or gift certificates or the like which may be used in conjunction with a frequency card program. Virtual Coupons™ may be distributed electronically, for example, in the form of a diskette or CD-ROM software. Once the software is validated, a consumer may print out a list of selected Virtual Coupons™ displayed on a Graphical User Interface (GUI). When a product is purchased, the UPC code of the product may be compared electronically with a list of Virtual Coupons™ authorized for a particular consumer. An appropriate coupon discount may then be applied and the Virtual Coupon™ may be considered “redeemed”. Once redeemed, consumer ID information and Virtual Coupon™ information may be retrieved electronically and used to update a central database. Accurate data may then be produced illustrating which consumers or groups of consumers are redeeming which Virtual Coupons™.
126 Citations
14 Claims
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1. An in-store redemption system for generating coupons, comprising:
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a database of coupon information including information about coupons available, consumer account information, and information for associating selected ones of the available coupons with consumer accounts; means, located at a retail location, for accessing the database, the means for accessing including input means for enabling a consumer to enter account information, display means for displaying information about the coupons available to the consumer account, and selection means for enabling the consumer to select desired ones of the coupons based on the displayed information; a printer, located at the retail location, for printing the selected coupons; and redemption means, at the retail location, including a scanner for scanning coupons at the retail location checkout and means for determining if a coupon presented by the consumer is valid prior to crediting the consumer with a redemption value associated with the coupon, and wherein the redemption means further comprises; means for counting a number of times the consumer redeemed a particular coupon, and fraud indication means for indicating fraud if the number of times a coupon is redeemed by the consumer exceeds a predetermined amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification