Method and apparatus for providing supplementary product sales to a customer at a customer terminal

• US 8,438,078 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: VanLuchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRESTON, JOHN O
• Application Number:
  US13/436,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20120215631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/26.7, 705/26.81, 235/381
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• 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 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/24 with change-giving
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 : Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 : electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 : Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A system for providing supplementary product sales is provided in which a central controller receives a purchase from a card authorization terminal. The purchase includes at least one purchase parameter, such as a customer account identifier, product identifiers for specifying items purchased or product price. The central controller determines a supplementary product to offer that is based on the at least one purchase parameter. A product identifier for specifying the supplementary product is transmitted to the card authorization terminal, where the customer chooses whether to accept the offered supplementary product. The card authorization terminal generates and transmits to the central controller a selection signal indicative of whether the supplementary product is accepted. If the selection signal indicates that the supplementary product is accepted, the central controller adjusts a balance of a financial account in dependence on an adjustment value associated with the supplementary product.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory storing information about consumer accounts, wherein the information comprises transaction history and an account identifier; and

a processor configured for receiving, from a device at a point of sale (POS), transaction information for a purchase between a consumer and a first merchant;

determining an offer to provide to the consumer, wherein the offer is from a second merchant unaffiliated with the first merchant;

transmitting the offer to the device at the point of sale;

receiving an indication of whether the offer was accepted by the consumer at the point of sale;

debiting an account of the second merchant corresponding to an amount paid by first merchant to the consumer for accepting the offer; and

crediting an account of the first merchant in an amount paid to the consumer for accepting the offer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a POS terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indication is received from the device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a card authorization terminal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining, transmitting, and receiving is by a credit card issuer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer is immediately redeemable.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer is provided to the consumer at the device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a card reader.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second merchant does not own or control the device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer is based, at least in part, on information about the consumer.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to cause the server to perform a method comprising:

receiving, from a device at a point of sale (POS), transaction information for a purchase between a consumer and a first merchant;

determining an offer to provide to the consumer wherein the offer is from a second merchant unaffiliated with the first merchant;

transmitting the offer to the device at the point of sale; and

receiving an indication of whether the offer was accepted by the consumer at the point of sale;

debiting an account of the second merchant corresponding to an a amount paid by first merchant to the consumer for accepting the offer; and

crediting an account of the first merchant in an amount paid to the consumer for accepting the offer.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the device is a POS terminal.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the indication is received from the device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the device is a card authorization terminal.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the receiving, determining, transmitting, and receiving is by a credit card issuer.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer is immediately redeemable.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer is provided to the consumer at the device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the device comprises a card reader.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second merchant does not own or control the device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the offer is based, at least in part, on information about the consumer.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, electronically by a processor of a service provider, transaction information for a purchase between a consumer and a first merchant from a device at a point of sale (POS);

determining, electronically by the processor, an offer to provide to the consumer, wherein the offer is from a second merchant unaffiliated with the first merchant;

transmitting, electronically by the processor, the offer to the device at the point of sale;

receiving, electronically by the processor, an indication of whether the offer was accepted by the consumer at the point of sale;

debiting an account of the second merchant corresponding to an amount paid by first merchant to the consumer for accepting the offer; and

crediting an account of the first merchant in an amount paid to the consumer for accepting the offer.