Providing coupons with a mobile computer of a merchant

• US 8,606,629 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bous, Joseph, Blutinger, Elan Joel, Isaacson, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Matthew L
• Application Number:
  US12/979,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

A system, method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for advertising. A system configured to practice the method receives user situation information. Based on the situation information, the system transmits an advertisement to the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the advertisement is associated with an identification card and a coupon and transmitted independent of any user solicitation for a communication and independent of a request for a product or a service. The system receives input from the user via the advertisement for purposes other than redeeming the coupon; and, and receives an indication of a purchase associated with the advertisement and completed at a point of sale device using the identification card, wherein the mobile device differs from the point of sale device and wherein the purchase is at full price and a rebate associated with the coupon and the identification card is provided to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing a transaction associated with a coupon, the method comprising:

receiving, by a retailer mobile computer at a physical retail location, data from an identification card associated with a coupon processing system identifying an account of a user, wherein the retailer mobile computer is different from a retailer point of sale terminal and the retailer mobile computer is not physically attached to the retailer point of sale terminal;

transmitting, by the retailer mobile computer, the data identifying the account to a database, wherein the database stores coupons linked to the identification card;

receiving, by the retailer mobile computer from the database, a confirmation that the identification card is associated with a coupon and redemption information comprising conditions for redeeming the coupon at the physical retail location in connection with an anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification card; and

in response to receiving the confirmation that the identification card is associated with the coupon and prior to processing the anticipated purchase transaction, transmitting, by the retailer mobile computer to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location, the coupon to be applied and the redemption information to redeem the coupon in connection with the anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification card.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing, by the retailer mobile computer to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location, instructions to apply a discount to the anticipated purchase transaction based on the confirmation at the retailer point of sale terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a discount associated with redemption of the coupon is applied to the anticipated purchase transaction at the retailer mobile computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the confirmation by the retailer mobile computer that the identification card is associated with the coupon is in response to at least one of a card swiper and a payment card processing application.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting, by the retailer mobile computer, a receipt of the discount to a mobile device of the user after the confirmation is received.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification card is one of a credit card and a debit card.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon processing system associated with the database transmits an advertisement to a mobile device of a user, wherein the advertisement is associated with the identification card of the user and the coupon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the advertisement is transmitted independent of any user solicitation for a communication and independent of a request for a product or a service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the retailer mobile computer transmits the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal wirelessly.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal comprises displaying, by the retailer mobile computer, information on the retailer mobile computer for manual input of the information into the retailer point of sale terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the retailer mobile computer comprises a smartphone or a tablet computer.

12. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-executable storage device having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a retail mobile computer causes the retail mobile computer to process a transaction associated with a coupon, comprising:

computer-readable program instructions to receive data from an identification card associated with a coupon processing system identifying an account of a user at a physical retail location, wherein the retailer mobile computer is different from a retailer point of sale terminal and the retailer mobile computer is not physically attached to the retailer point of sale terminal;

computer-readable program instructions to transmit the data identifying the account to a database, wherein the database stores coupons linked to the identification card;

computer-readable program instructions to receive from the database, a confirmation that the identification card is associated with a coupon and redemption information comprising conditions for redeeming the coupon at the physical retail location in connection with an anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification card; and

computer-readable program instructions to transmit to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location the coupon to be applied and the redemption information to redeem the coupon in connection with the anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification card in response to receiving the confirmation that the identification card is associated with the coupon and prior to processing the anticipated purchase transaction.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, the computer-readable program instructions further comprising computer program instructions to provide, to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location, instructions to apply a discount to the anticipated purchase transaction based on the confirmation at the retailer point of sale terminal.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the receiving the confirmation that the identification card is associated with the coupon is in response to at least one of a card swiper and a payment card processing application.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the identification card is one of a credit card and a debit card.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, the computer-readable program instructions further comprising computer program instructions to transmit the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal wirelessly.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal comprises displaying information on a user interface associated with the retailer mobile computer for manual input of the information into the retailer point of sale terminal.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory computer-executable storage device having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon comprises a smartphone or a tablet computer.

19. A system to process a transaction associated with a coupon, the system comprising:

a storage resource;

a retail mobile computer comprising a processor communicatively coupled to the storage resource, wherein the processor is configured to execute computer-readable instructions that are stored in the storage resource and that cause the system to;

receive data from an identification card associated with a coupon processing system identifying an account of a user at a physical retail location, wherein the retailer mobile computer is different from a retailer point of sale terminal and the retailer mobile computer is not physically attached to the retailer point of sale terminal;

transmit the data identifying the account to a database, wherein the database stores coupons linked to the identification card;

receive from the database, a confirmation that the identification card is associated with a coupon and redemption information comprising conditions for redeeming the coupon at the physical retail location in connection with an anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification card; and

transmit to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location the coupon to be applied and the redemption information to redeem the coupon in connection with the anticipated purchase transaction associated with the identification in response to receiving the confirmation that the identification card is associated with the coupon and prior to processing the anticipated purchase transaction.

20. The system of claim 19, the processor further executing computer-readable instructions that are stored in the storage resource and that cause the system to provide, to the retailer point of sale terminal at the physical retail location, instructions to apply a discount to the anticipated purchase transaction based on the confirmation at the retailer point of sale terminal.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiving the confirmation that the identification card is associated with the coupon is in response to at least one of a card swiper and a payment card processing application.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the identification card is one of a credit card and a debit card.

23. The system of claim 19, the processor further executing computer-readable instructions that are stored in the storage resource and that cause the system to transmit the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal wirelessly.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the transmitting of the redemption information of the coupon to the retailer point of sale terminal comprises displaying information on a user interface associated with the retailer mobile computer for manual input of the information into the retailer point of sale terminal.