Point-of-sale server and method

• US 8,712,836 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kioba Processing, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Midnight Blue Remote Access LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Deaton, David W., Gabriel, Rodney G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Matthew L
• Application Number:
  US11/311,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,052 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• 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: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• 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 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A method for use in marketing includes detecting, at the point-of-sale, a plurality of Uniform Product Codes associated with respective items purchased by a customer. The method also includes transmitting, on a substantially real-time basis, the plurality of Uniform Product Codes over the Internet to a remote computer connected to the Internet.

Claims

1. A method for processing point-of-sale information, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, from a point-of-sale terminal, an identifier associated with an item that has not yet been purchased by a customer;

determining, by the computing device, point-of-sale information associated with the item based on a purchasing history, wherein the point-of-sale information includes;

a price at which the item was previously purchased at a particular point-of-sale terminal,

information identifying the item that was previously purchased and the particular point-of-sale terminal, and

information identifying a previously applied incentive that was applied to the price;

providing, by the computing device, the point-of-sale information associated with the item to a remote computer associated with a supplier of the item on a substantially real-time basis;

providing, by the computing device, to the remote computer associated with the supplier of the item, purchasing information of a similar item associated with a competing supplier received from at least one store;

receiving, by the computing device, an incentive from the remote computer associated with the supplier on a substantially real-time basis, wherein the incentive is determined based on at least the point-of-sale information associated with the item and the purchasing information of the similar item associated with the competing supplier received from the at least one store; and

providing, by the computing device, the incentive to the point-of-sale terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes a reduced price for the item.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying the reduced price at a kiosk in a store or at the point-of-sale terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes a redeemable coupon or discount associated with the item.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the incentive is further determined based on at least performance of the item in a marketplace.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive is associated with a product from the supplier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the incentive includes a notification of a future discount associated with the product from the supplier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the incentive includes an advertisement of the product from the supplier.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the incentive includes a coupon associated with the product from the supplier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive is a redeemable coupon corresponding to a product from the supplier.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the incentive includes a notification of a future discount associated with the product from the supplier.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the incentive includes an advertisement of the product from the supplier.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the incentive includes a coupon associated with the product from the supplier.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving an identifier includes receiving information indicative of a bar code associated with a redeemable coupon corresponding to a product from the supplier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the point-of-sale information associated with the item includes providing the point-of-sale information via Internet.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an identification of a customer to the supplier on a substantially real-time basis, wherein the receiving the incentive from the supplier is further determined based on at least the identification of the customer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving the incentive includes receiving the incentive based upon a purchasing history of the customer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

reading the identification of the customer from a smart card associated with the customer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

storing the incentive on the smart card associated with the customer.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the incentive is determined based on at least the purchasing history of the customer wherein the purchasing history includes at least purchase price information for a plurality of purchased items purchased by the customer.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive, from a point-of-sale terminal, an identifier associated with an item that has not yet been purchased by a customer;

determine point-of-sale information associated with the item based on a purchasing history, wherein the point-of-sale information includes;

a price at which the item was previously purchased at a particular point-of-sale terminal,

information identifying the item that was previously purchased and the particular point-of-sale terminal, and

information identifying a previously applied incentive that was applied to the price;

provide the point-of-sale information associated with the item to a remote computer associated with a supplier of the item on a substantially real-time basis;

provide to the remote computer associated with the supplier of the item, purchasing information of a similar item associated with a competing supplier received from at least one store;

receive, an incentive from the remote computer associated with the supplier on a substantially real-time basis, wherein the incentive is determined based on at least the point-of-sale information associated with the item and the purchasing information of the similar item associated with the competing supplier received from the at least one store; and

provide the incentive to the point-of-sale terminal.

22. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

receiving, from a point-of-sale terminal, an identifier associated with an item that has not yet been purchased by a customer;

determining point-of-sale information associated with the item based on a purchasing history, wherein the point-of-sale information includes;

a price at which the item was previously purchased at a particular point-of-sale terminal,

information identifying the item that was previously purchased and the particular point-of-sale terminal, and

information identifying a previously applied incentive that was applied to the price;

providing the point-of-sale information associated with the item to a remote computer associated with a supplier of the item on a substantially real-time basis;

providing to the remote computer associated with the supplier of the item, purchasing information of a similar item associated with a competing supplier received from at least one store;

receiving an incentive from the remote computer associated with the supplier on a substantially real-time basis, wherein the incentive is determined based on at least the point-of-sale information associated with the item and the purchasing information of the similar item associated with the competing supplier received from the at least one store; and

providing the incentive to the point-of-sale terminal.