Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COUPON PROCESSING AND
BOOKLET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application is based on the copending provisional application
(U.S. Serial No. 60/086,045) filed May 19, 1998 which is incorporated herein
by
reference.
The present invention relates to a system, method and apparatus for
processing coupons and more particularly to a system, method and apparatus for
facilitating the verification and settlement of coupons. The present invention
relates
to a booklet and a system therefor for processing information relating to
discounts of
items listed therein.
Coupons are used by a large number of people to obtain discounts on a
variety of products, such as food items. Such coupons may be presented to a
retailer
by a customer at the time of sale. The retailer may send the coupons to a
1 S clearinghouse which is operated by a clearinghouse corporation where valid
coupons
are identified. The valid coupons are sent to the manufacturer who redeems the
retailer for the discount.
Retailers are typically short-changed by accepting coupons. To
explain, retailers essentially lose money on each discounted item and count on
being
redeemed. Unfortunately, the clearinghouse all too often mishandles the
coupons
which leaves the retailers unreimbursed. When it is considered that retailers
accept
volumes of coupons each week, it will be immediately recognized that lost
income
due to coupon-mishandling costs the retail industry huge sums each year.
Manufacturers often lose money when, for example, the cashier or the
store submits more coupons than entitled. Sometimes this is done intentionally
in
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order to defraud the manufacturer. Worse, by the time the manufacturer
discovers
the fraud the culprit has long absconded.
Consumers find coupons to be more hassle than their worth. Detached
or detachable coupons are unkempt and clutters one's pockets or pocket book.
S Moreover, coupons are unorganized and it is difficult to find the desired
coupon when
needed such as when checking out. The disorganized nature of coupons also
makes it
difficult to keep track of valid coupons such as coupons which have not
expired.
What is needed is a system which facilitates the verification and
settlement of coupons.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique which
facilitates processing of coupons for a plurality of stores.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupon manager
system operable for use with a plurality of stores and having a central
processor and a
number of front ends and a back end apparatus for each store.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupon manager
system as aforesaid wherein the central processor provides an information
useable for
auditing purposes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a booklet having a
plurality of items with information identifiable with a single bar code.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for
processing the booklet.
In accordance with the foregoing objects, there is provided a coupon '
manager system for processing coupons in a predetermined manner. The
predetermined manner in at least one embodiment determines a redemption value
of
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the coupons. In one aspect of the present invention, the coupon manager system
includes a front end cash register at the point of sale, a back end for
processing the
coupons received and a central processing computer for receiving and collating
the
processed coupon information. The central processing computer may collate the
coupon information from a plurality of retail stores and send reports to
manufacturers.
The central processing computer may function as an auditing system which
maintains
account balances of redemption values owed and paid.
The back end which may be operated independently as an apparatus
includes in at least one embodiment an image scanner for imaging the coupons.
A
central processing unit determines the validity of the coupons based on
matching
coupons with transactions and/or manufacturers. In one aspect of the present
invention, the back end apparatus destroys the valid coupons. The back end
apparatus
may include one or more bins for receiving the processed coupons including a
destruction bin for receiving the destroyed coupons, a non-participating bin
for
receiving coupons of manufacturers not participating in the coupon manager
service,
an exception bin for receiving coupons of an anomalous nature such as coupons
which cannot be assigned to a transaction or manufacturer and a future bin
reserved
for future applications.
A booklet of the present invention includes front and back covers and
pages. A listing is provided which lists the product discounts. A single bar
code is
provided for a plurality of items to be discounted. In at least one
embodiment, the
listing of the booklet is an index or a table-of contents. The index may be
organized
according to any number of categories including the type of product, price and
manufacturer. The booklet may be color coded for ease of access. In addition,
the
booklet may include additional information such as coupon advertisements,
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sweepstakes or cash prizes. The booklet may include any type of coupon, rebate
or
other form of redemption including a credit which is credited to a credit
account: The
booklet may be incorporated in an integrated system or utilized independent of
the
coupon manager system such as in a non-integrated system.
Other objects, features and advantages according to the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the
illustrated embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in
which corresponding components are identified by the same reference numerals.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. I is a diagram of the coupon manager system according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 2A and B are diagrams to which reference will be made in
5 explaining drawings of the coupon manager system of Fig. 1;
Figs. 3A-3I are diagrams to which reference will be made in explaining
drawings of the coupon manager system of Fig. I;
Figs. 4A-4C are diagrams to which reference will be made in
explaining drawings of the coupon manager system of Fig. 1;
Figs. SA and B are diagrams of the system for processing the booklet
of the present invention;
Figs. 6A-6F illustrate an example of the booklet of the present
invention; and
Figs. 7A-7G illustrate an example of the booklet of the present
I S invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The coupon manager system 100 shown in Fig. I includes a front end
102, a back end 104 and a central processor 106 for processing coupons. The
front
end 102 receives coupons in exchange for goods purchased at a discount. The
back
end apparatus 104 processes the coupons in a predetermined manner. The central
processor 106 receives the processing information relating to the coupons from
a
number of back end units located at a number of stores. The central processor
106
collates the information and forwards the same either electronically or
otherwise to
the appropriate manufacturers) 108. Thus, the present invention advantageously
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replaces the clearinghouse with a coupon manager system which facilitates the
verification and settlement of coupons.
The front end 102 may be situated at the point of sale of a retail store
which comprises a number of cash registers each operated by a cashier. Each
cash
S register may include a bar code reader 103 such as an in-lane scanner which
uses an
optical system such as a laser for reading bar codes which may be located on
the
coupons. The bar code scanner may scan universal product codes, coupon
prefixes (S
or 99), company codes, family codes, value codes and/or check digit codes. The
cashier operates the bar code scanner by scanning the bar code on the coupon.
The
transaction is electronically recorded by the cash register and forwarded
thereby to the
back end apparatus 104. Data of the bar code may be forwarded to the back end
apparatus. In addition, the cashier may enter an override on a keypad which
inputs
transactional information of a discount relating to a coupon which cannot be
read by
the bar code scanner. Other information such as the cashier identification
which
identifies the cashier may be entered at the cash register and forwarded to
the back
end apparatus for processing with the coupons.
The back end apparatus 104 receives the coupons at an input 110
which may be a hopper or receptacle for receiving the coupons. The hopper may
shuffle the coupons by mechanical, vibration or air operation by the use of
air jets,
suction cups and so forth to a scanner 112.
The scanner 112 which may be controlled by the central processing
unit 114 (CPU) scans each coupon received from the input 110 so as to obtain
an
image of one or both sides of the coupon. In at least one embodiment, the
scanner
obtains an image by, for example, use of photo-optics. The scanner 112 may be
a
grey scale scanner which encodes the colors of the coupon using either shades
of grey
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or numerical codes. The scanner 112 is preferably a digital type scanner which
obtains digital signals. Alternatively, an analog type scanner may be
utilized. In at
least one embodiment, the central processing unit 114 digitally pre-processes
the
digital image of the coupon by removing imperfections therefrom by use of
imaging
S techniques. Such digital processing may significantly improve the accuracy
of
detecting the bar code as compared to the in-lane reader. It will be
immediately
appreciated that the improved accuracy advantageously reduces the number of
coupons erroneously rejected due to a misreading of the coupon.
All or a portion of the digital image of the coupon may be stored in a
memory 116 of the back-end apparatus 104. The central processing unit 114 may
store in the memory 116 or any other suitable recording medium the coupon
images
for a predetermined amount of time such as 90 or 180 days for purposes of
maintaining a record of the image. Advantageously, manufacturers will
appreciate
that the image records provide a paperless confirmation of the redemption
process
which may be used as an integrity check to reassure the manufacturer.
A coupon may have a universal product code (UPC) or an expanded
bar code. The universal product code (UPC) may be sufficient for identifying
products and prices or discounts. However, the UPC may provide little, if any,
additional information some of which may be useful as marketing data. On the
other
hand, the expanded bar code may provide information for identifying the
product and
its price or discount and may also provide additional information such as a
company
code, a family code, a value code, a check digit code and other information
useful as
marketing data. Until now, retailers and manufacturers were content with UPC
mainly because the UPC is the universally-accepted standard. In addition, the
excessive cost of specialized scanners which read expanded bar codes has
dissuaded
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retailers. The digitization of the bar code image as prescribed by the present
invention allows the expanded bar code image to be analyzed digitally by the
central
processing unit 114 thereby obviating the need for specialized scanners.
The predetermined manner in which the central processing unit 114
S processes the coupons may determine which coupons are redeemable by the
manufacturer. In addition, or in the alternative, the predetermined manner
processes
the coupons to determine marketing information including, for example,
information
indicating the family or household from which the coupon is submitted or the
name of
the company or manufacturer. The information produced may be either a complete
database of information or a summary of information relating to the coupons.
The
present invention may provide truncated information representing a subset of
information such as a subset of stored images which is sent to the
manufacturer as an
integrity check representing the credibility of the summary information. The
information produced may be coupled to the digital images of the coupons such
that a
combined database of information and related images is formed. The information
may be printed by a local printer (not shown) or transferred either
electronically or
otherwise to the central processing system 106.
In determining which coupons are redeemable by the manufacturer, the
central processing unit 114 validates each coupon. The central processing unit
114
may also determine whether the manufacturer is valid: Validity may be
determined
by matching the coupon as identified by the bar code to a transaction with
reference to
information stored, for example, in the memory 116 which may be preloaded from
any suitable means including a recordable medium or downloaded automatically
from
sources such as the central processing system 106 or an on-line source such as
the
Internet.
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When the central processing unit 114 determines that a coupon is valid
for redemption, the coupon is directed to a coupon destroyer 120 which
destroys or
physically alters the coupon to indicate that the coupon is not to be reused.
The
coupon destroyer 120 may destroy the coupons by spraying a liquid such as
indelible
S ink or dye on the coupon, imparting a physical abrasion on the coupon or
burning the
coupon by directing a laser thereon. In at least one embodiment, the coupon is
left
substantially intact such that the coupon can later be identified after
destruction for
purposes of auditing. The coupon destroyer 120 may cut, shred or obliterate
the
coupon entirely. In addition, the coupon destroyer may be a spinning wheels)
which
may include a hub and spokes which perforate the coupon as the wheels) spins.
The
destroyed coupons are collected in a destruction bin or basket 122 whereby, in
at least
one embodiment, the destroyed coupons are arranged in an orderly manner and
may
be categorized according to product or manufacturer by means operated by the
central
processing unit 114. The destroyed coupons may be subsequently sent to the
respective manufacturer with a report.
Coupons which are determined by the central processing unit 114 as
originating from manufacturers who are not participants in the coupon manager
system are directed to a non-participating coupon basket or bin 124. Coupons
which
have expired according to an expiration date may also be sent by the central
processing unit 114 to the non-participating coupon basket 124. When the
central
processing unit 114 identifies an anomaly in processing a particular coupon,
the
anomalous coupon is directed to an exception basket or bin 126. The CPU 114
determines an anomaly, for example, when the number of coupons as counted by a
counter 118 does not match the number of transactions for the coupons. A
future
applications basket or bin 128 is provided which is reserved for future
applications
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such as for receiving those coupons which cannot be read either by the scanner
I 12 or
the central processing unit 114.
The central processing unit 114 may detect local coupons which are
redeemed by the retailer or a local company other than the manufacturer and
directs
5 the local coupons to, for example, the non-participating coupon basket 124.
Hard to
handle coupons such as "buy-one get-one-free up to a predetermined price" are
directed by the central processing unit 114 to, for example, the future
application's
basket 128.
A keypad 129 may be provided for entering information such as the
10 identification number of the operator or cashier. A display 131 may be
provided for
displaying the operations or information relating to the result of processing
by the
back end apparatus 104.
The central processing unit 114 may arbitrarily assign coupons to
transactions conducted at the front end 102. For example, "n" number of
coupons as
counted by counter 118 may be matched arbitrarily with "m" number of
transactions.
In this manner, the actual transaction for a particular coupon is not
necessarily
matched with the associated coupon. For example, when a cashier overrides a
transaction, there may be less coupons than transactions. In addition, a local
printer
115 may be provided which prints information relating to the processing of the
back
end apparatus 104.
It will be appreciated that the present invention prevents fraud by
quickly and accurately determining the redemption value of coupons. In
addition, the
central processing unit 114 may run a series of fraud security programs on the
coupons processed. Such programs may include tabulating unlikely mixes of
coupons, unlikely redemption rates by the cashier or the store and comparisons
of
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coupon cuts to look for gang cuts. Suspicious results may be noted on the
manufacturer's report.
Coupon information processed by the back end apparatus 104 of a
number of retail stores is forwarded to the central processing system 106. The
information may be transferred to the central processing system 106 at
predetermined
intervals such as nightly. The central processing system 106 processes the
received
information which may involve collating the information in a predetermined
manner
such as by manufacturer or type of goods so as to generate a report. The
central
processing system 106 may generate reports including special enhanced reports,
multiple reports and/or the digital images. The report may be broken out by
retailer's
store. The reports may be available over a secured Internet access or the
like. The
reports may further include information such as time of redemption,
information
contained in the coupon bar code and/or information indicating the product
purchased
with the coupon. The reports may include a summary/detailed report of all
items
processed for settlement. The reports may also indicate why a coupon or
coupons
were not processed, such as for failure of having a bar code, only having a
partial bar
code, hand-written coupon, expired coupon and so forth. The report may
indicate the
total redemption value. In addition, or in the alternative, the report may
break down
the coupon redemption by categories of goods and may provide an analysis of
the
scanned image of the coupon. The report may include grand totals as well as
sub-
totals. The reports may be supplied to any desired party including the
manufacturer,
retailer or service corporation.
It is within the scope of the present invention to provide a system
which maintains account balances between retailers, manufacturers and a
service
corporation which operates the present invention based on the information
processed
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by the central processor 106. For example, the central processing system 106
may
arrange to electronically transfer funds between the manufacturers and the
retailers in
response to the coupon inforniation result.
The present system may process several different forms of coupons
including, for example, individual coupons in the form of a two-sided slip of
paper,
coupons coupled together or flyers. The present system may process information
on
more than one side of the coupon such as the bar code on one side and family
information on the other side.
Operations performed by the system of Fig. I will now be described
with reference to Figs. 2A and 2B. The purchase basket analysis and coupon
manager
II will be described with reference to Fig. 4C.
In Fig. 2A, coupons 202 are read by an ECR (Electronic Cashier
Register) bar code reader 204 which rnay be coupled to a cash register in the
front end
102. The information corresponding to the bar code of the coupon is
transferred to
store server 206. The store server 206 authorizes the discount transaction and
forwards the discount amount to the cashier register.
The bar codes may be decoded using a sniffer 208 which may be a line
tap between the cash register and the store server 206. Bar code information
detected
by the sniffer 208 is coupled to a buffer 210 of the back end apparatus 104
which
stores the bar code information. In addition, the transactional information
may be
stored in the buffer 210.
The back end apparatus 104 receives the coupons 202 at input 210
(110) and processes the same. The processing is generally indicated by
reference
numeral 212 wherein the coupons are scanned at 214, validated at 216 and
destroyed
at 218. The coupons are determined as valid on the basis of the data in the
buffer 210
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( 122). Destroyed coupons are directed to the destruction basket 220. It is
also
possible that the data of the valid coupon images are stored in the buffer
210.
Coupons determined by the processing as being redeemable by non-participating
manufacturers are directed to the non-participating coupon basket 222 (124).
S Coupons determined as anomalous such as coupons which have no transaction
associated therewith are forwarded to the exception basket 224 (126).
Fig. 2B shows the coupon and information flow which may be
performed in the back-end 104. In step 5226, the coupons are input. The
coupons are
imaged in step 5228 and stored in step S230. Coupon validation is determined
in step
S232 and, if invalid, are directed to the exception bin in step S234. If the
coupons are
anomalous, they are forwarded to the non-participating bin in step S236. If
the
coupons originate from a non-participating manufacturer, they may be sent to
the non-
participating bin in step S238 which is reserved for future applications. The
coupons
may be validated in accordance with the company, family, value codes or the
expiration date. Upon validation, the valid coupons are destroyed in step S240
and
forwarded to the destruction bin in step 5242. Reports are generated in detail
and/or
summary in step 5244 based on the results of the processing in steps 5232-240
and
the reports may be electronically transferred to the manufacturer in step
S246.
The processing of different types of coupons is explained with
reference to Figs. 3A-I. It will be appreciated that the present invention is
not limited
to the particular types of coupons illustrated and may include other types of
coupons
as well.
Fig. 3A sets forth the processing steps for processing normal coupons.
According to the present invention, normal coupons offer discounts to
potential
consumers for a product identified on the coupon as indicated by a bar code.
In step
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5300, the normal coupon is identified. The normal coupon in step 5301 is
scanned
and the UPC is read in step S302. In at least one embodiment, the scanning and
reading is performed digitally. It is determined in step 5303 whether the
coupon has
been validly read. When the coupon is not validly read, information
representing this
state is generated and stored by the processor 114 into memory 1 16 in step
S304 and
the coupon is forwarded to the exception bin in step 5305. If the coupon is
validly
read, information is generated indicating that the coupon is readable in step
S306.
In the matching process of step S307, the coupon is matched to a
transaction at the point of sale. In at least one embodiment, the matching
process
matches the coupon to the corresponding transaction at the point of sale. In
the
alternative, the matching process arbitrarily assigns coupons to transactions
based on
the type of transaction rather than matching actual transactions with
corresponding
coupons. When no match is detected, information is generated and stored to the
ECR
file in step 5308 and the coupon is forwarded to the exception bin in step
S305.
However, if a match is detected, processor generates and stores information
indicating
valid matches in the ECR file in step 5309. in at least one embodiment, a
record of
the valid and/or invalid matches is maintained and checked in the matching
process of
step S307 to prevent the same coupon fram being used for a multiple of items
or
times. In step S310, the scanned image of the validly-matched coupons are
stored in
memory 116 (Fig. 1). In step 5311, the stored images are indexed for easy
access.
The coupon records are stored in a database in step 5312 and the valid coupons
are
destroyed in step S313.
Fig. 3B sets forth the steps for processing "manufacturer" coupons.
Manufacturer coupons are input at step 5314 and scanned at step S315. If the
coupon
is not scannable, the code (such as a UPC code) is entered manually in step
S316. In
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at least one embodiment, the manual input may include a so-called 992 bypass
code
or a general manufacturer code. In either case, processor control advances to
step
S317 where it is determined whether the coupon is valid based on validity
information
received from a device in step S318 or the buffer 210 (Fig. 2A) in step S319.
Such
5 validity information may include the product, the expiration date and/or the
manufacturer. Invalid coupons are returned to the customer with no discount in
step
S320; whereas, if the coupons) is valid, customers receive the discount,
credit or
rebate in step S321.
Fig. 3C sets forth the processing steps for processing "in-store"
10 coupons. An in-store coupon is redeemed directly by the retailer or by a
local entity
such as a distributor in contrast with a national or regional coupon which is
redeemed
by a manufacturer. Heretofore, clearinghouses erroneously disposed of in-store
coupons although directed to return such coupons to the retailer. The present
invention advantageously processes in-store coupons. Steps S322-329 are
similar to
15 the steps in Fig. 3B except the processing in step 5325 processes the in-
store coupon.
Fig. 3D illustrates the processing of "free-item with purchase in the
same category" coupons (hereinafter "free-item coupons). The free-item coupon
credits the consumer to receive a free item with the purchase of another item
in the
same category. The process is substantially the same as shown in Fig. 3A for
processing a normal coupon except that the processing in step 5337 stores the
credit
in memory 216 (Fig. 2A) to the customer for the category of the item
purchased. This
category may be, for example, food groups, appliances, electronics, clothes or
other
retail goods. The credit may be stored in a database temporarily in the buffer
210
(Fig. 2A), for example.
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Fig. 3E shows the processing steps for processing a "free-item"
coupon. The free-item coupon entitles the consumer to a free item. It will be
appreciated that steps 5344-5357 are similar to the steps shown in Fig. 3A for
processing the normal coupon except that the processing in step S351 stores
the credit
of the free item to the customer.
Fig. 3F sets forth the processing of coupons which have no bar code on
the package. It will be appreciated that the processing steps S358-5362 are a
subset
of Fig. 3A wherein it is decided that the bar code is not readable in step
5361 and the
coupon is sent to the exception bin in step 5362. In the present invention,
the coupon
may be accepted in any event by manual input as set forth in steps S316 and
S324 of
Figs. 3B and 3C.
Fig. 3G sets forth the steps S362-S375 for processing "multiple
purchase" coupons of the same brand. A multiple purchase coupon for the same
brand entitles a consumer to apply the coupon a multiple of times to the same
brand.
Multiple purchase coupons may also be applied to other brands, manufacturers
or
categories. It will be appreciated that the processing steps are similar to
the
processing steps for a normal coupon as in Fig. 3A except that the processing
in Fig.
3G stores the information crediting the number of times the coupon may be
applied to
any number of future transactions.
Fig. 3H sets forth the steps S376-5389' for processing "either/or"
coupons which is similar to processing of the normal coupon in Fig. 3A.
Either/Or
coupons entitle the consumer to receive a discount for one or more of a
plurality of
goods. As illustrated in step S383, first and second items are matched
separately to
different transactions. If the first item matches a transaction, then
processing
proceeds to step 5385 for the first item. Similarly, if the second item
matches a
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transaction, then processing proceeds to step 5385 for the second item.
Otherwise,
the processing proceeds to step S384 for either the first or second item which
does not
match a transaction.
Fig. 3I sets forth the steps 5390-53103 for processing "cross-category"
coupons which is similar to processing of the normal coupon in Fig. 3A except
that in
step S397 the processor determines whether the coupon applies to the category
of the
item to be purchased. A cross-category coupon entitles the consumer to receive
a
discount for goods in different categories, such as groceries, appliances,
clothing,
electronics or the like. The categories may also be groups such as food
groups,
appliance groups, clothing groups or electronics groups or the like. The
processing
stores the categories within which the consumer is entitled to a discount.
The booklet of the present invention may be utilized with the coupon
manager system 100 described with reference to Figs. 1-3. However, the booklet
of
the present invention is not limited and, alternatively, may be utilized with
other
systems such as those shown in Figs. 4A and 4B.
Fig. 4A illustrates a non-integrated system 400. In such system, sales
transactions may be scanned by scanner 406 at cash register 402 and
transferred and
recorded to store server 404. Such arrangement may be easily incorporated into
an
existing store. The system of Fig. 4A includes a central processing computer
408
which is coupled to the store server 404 by any suitable means including wired
or
wireless communication.
In operation, the central processing computer 408 stores predetermined
information relating to discounts in the store server 404. As items or goods
are
scanned using scanner 406, associated transactional information is forwarded
to the
store server 404. When the scanner 406 scans a discount coupon, recognized by
the
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UPC code, the store server 404 accesses the information stored therein to
determine
whether the coupon is redeemable. In at least one embodiment, the coupon is a
booklet of discounts with a single UPC code Such booklet is more fully
described
hereinafter.
Fig. 4B shows an integrated system 412 of the present invention.
Similar to the system of Fig. 4A, the integrated system includes a cash
register 414
and a scanner 416 in communication with the store server 418. In this
embodiment, a
tap 420 (which may be a line tap) taps the communication between the cash
register
414 or scanner 416 and the store server 418. Back end apparatus 422 determines
whether the information received identifies the booklet of the present
invention andlor
discounts for items. The store server 418 determines the discount based on the
discount information forwarded by the back end apparatus. The discounts are
relayed
to the cash register 414. The back-end apparatus 422 may be similar to the
back end
apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and may operate similarly. A central processing
computer
424 is coupled to the back end apparatus 422 for processing the discount
infornlation.
The central processing computer 424 may be similar to the central processing
computer shown in Fig. 1 and may operate similarly. The processed discount
information is forwarded to the respective manufacturers 426 for settlement.
As in
the embodiment of Fig. 1, various reports relating to the discount information
may be
forwarded to the manufacturers.
The discount information and the reports prepared by the central
processing computer 424 may be available or supplied to the manufacturers by
way of .,
a website on the Internet or on-line service. The discount information may
include,
for example, information corresponding to the total redemption value owed to a
particular retailer and/or the break down of the discounts. The website, or as
a stand-
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19
alone application, may enable electronic fund transfer capability which
electronically
transfers funds between the retailer, manufacturer and service corporation
based on
account balances generated by the processing. Processing of the booklet will
now be
further explained with reference to Fig. 4C.
Coupons or booklet 428 are scanned by ECR bar code reader 430. The
scanned bar code information is supplied to store server 432. The store server
432,
based on a comparison result to be explained, outputs to display 434 the
discounted
value of the items to be purchased. Alternatively, a gun 438 may be provided
for
scanning the bar code of the booklet 428 wherein a controller 436, based on a
comparison to be explained, determines which products if any are to be
discounted
and forwards the information to the store server 432. A printer 440 may be
provided
to print information corresponding to the discount. A tap 442 (which may be a
line
tap) taps the communication between the reader 430 and the store server 432 to
obtain
transactional information and forwards the same to a buffer 444 for storage
thereat.
The scanned coupons may be supplied to an input coupon basket 448.
A scanner 450 scans the coupons and the processor validates the coupons at 452
based
on the data stored in the buffer 444. Valid coupons are slated to be destroyed
in 454
and forwarded to a destruction basket in 464. Similar to the embodiment of
Fig. 1, an
exception basket 456 and a non-participating basket 458 are provided. In
addition, a
purchase basket analysis processing is performed 460~based on the information
in the
buffer 444 which determines the purchases. A secondary back end apparatus 462
which repeats or simultaneously performs the processing hereindescribed may be
provided for full redundancy.
Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate examples of the booklet 600(700) of the present
invention. The coupon booklet 600(700) is envisioned for use by a potential
customer
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to receive discounts for corresponding items in the booklet purchased at any
number
of stores. The booklet comprises a front cover 602(702) and a back cover
604(704)
which share a common edge 606(706). Ln addition to the front and back covers,
the
booklet may contain a number of in-between pages such as those shown in Figs.
6B-F
5 and 7B-F which are coupled to the common edge. As shown in Fig. 6B for
example,
the booklet includes a listing 608(708) of a plurality of items and prices
associated
therewith which may present discounts. The listing may also be on the front
and back
covers or the inside flap thereof. As shown in Fig. 7A, the booklet may
include as
shown in Fig. 7A, a single bar code 710 for identifying the plurality of items
712 to
10 which the consumer is entitled to discounts) 614(714) when scanned in a
sales
transaction. In at least one embodiment, the front and back covers and the in-
between
pages are coupled together so that the front and back cover and in-between
pages are
pivotable about the common edge in a book-like manner from an open position to
a
closed position. It will be appreciated that the single bar code of the
booklet of the
15 present invention may be replaced with another form of identification such
as a serial
number or the like.
A booklet may be considered a small scale edition of a book.
Although the booklet may be of any size, as illustrated in Fig. 6 and 7, the
booklet
may have the dimensions of 3 '/2 X 6 inches which is found to be a convenient
size
20 which is small enough to be carried but large enough riot to be misplaced
as well as
identifiable in a container such as a pocket or hand bag. The booklet may be a
collection of sheets fastened together along one edge. The book or booklet may
be
trimmed at the other edges to form a single series of uniform leaves. In the
alternative, the booklet may be a collection of folded sheets bound between
covers
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21
into a volume. In addition, the booklet may be a stack of sheets of paper
interleaved
alternately with the material.
The listing of items in the booklet may be formed in an index or table-
of contents form such that the items are organized according to a
predetermined
manner such as alphabetical order, food groups, discount prices, manufacturer
or the
like. The index or table-of contents may be arranged according to the type of
product
such as groceries, appliances, cameras, clothing, cookware, electronics,
footwear,
furniture, jewelry, watches, outerwear or the like. Sub-headings may be
provided, for
example, for each group which are arranged according to a manufacturer,
product-line
or the like. The index or table-of-contents may be segregated by lateral
dividing lines
616(716) shown in Figs. 6B and 7C, for example, which segregate the different
indices or contents according to, for example, category. The lateral dividing
lines
may be variably-spaced such that an area between adjacent lateral lines is
variable.
It is also within the present invention to arrange the items for discount
according to combinations of items which the retailer and/or manufacturer wish
to
combine for sale such as baby food and diapers or peaches and cream. Sometimes
it
is desired to combine in the booklet undersold items with popular items such
as
combining pork rinds which are undersold with more popular products such as
bacon.
It is within the scope of the present invention to arrange the items for
discount with prominent headings 618(718). In at least one embodiment, the
headings
are prominently displayed in a larger font-size 620(720) than the products
622(722)
and/or arranged prior to the respective products. It will be appreciated that
this
feature of the present invention advantageously allows the potential customer
to more
quickly identify the goods.
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22
It is also within the present invention to color-code the booklet. For
example, the prominent headings may be color-coded with different colors, such
as
green 624(724) for groceries, blue 626 for electronics, silver 728 for
appliances and
multi-colors 730 for film and camera products. Although it is shown in the
figures
that the headings are color coded, portions or entire areas corresponding to,
for
example, different categories of goods may be color coded. It will be
appreciated that
color-coding advantageously assists the consumer to quickly locate desired
discounts.
The booklet of the present invention may also provide a miniature
picture 732 positioned proximate or adjacent the item entitled to the
discount. In at
I O least one embodiment, the miniature picture is a miniature of an actual
photograph of
the product. It will be instantly recognized that the use of such miniature
pictures is
extremely useful to the consumer in identifying the product. Combined with the
index or table-of contents, the potential consumer quickly determines from the
index
or table-of contents the discount information and instantly is made aware and
1 S confirms by visually inspecting the miniature picture the product to be
purchased.
In addition, or in the alternative, the booklet of the present invention
includes additional advertisements and/or information. This may include
sweepstakes
information or instant savings information 734 which awards the consumer with
a
prize such as cash or credit or a trip in exchange for particular uses of the
booklet in
20 order to entice the consumers to use the booklet. The information may also
include
coupons 736 prominently displayed in noticeable portions of the booklet such
as the
inner front page in order to highlight the discount which may be listed in the
index or
table-of contents.
The booklet of the present invention includes a single bar code which
25 entitles the consumer to a plurality of the discounts in the booklet. It
will be instantly
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23
appreciated that this advantageously allows the consumer to carry a single,
convenient
and compact book representative of a plurality of coupons without the
necessity or
hassle of carrying detachable or detached coupons. It will further be
appreciated that
the hook arrangement allows the consumer to easily hold the booklet along the
common edge in the palm of one hand while flipping through the pages quickly
and
conveniently as a book rather than detached coupons. In at least one
embodiment, the
booklet is self contained and has no detachable parts such that the consumer
advantageously maintains all of the information in a neat, compact booklet
without
the problems of messy, detachable or detached coupons or information.
In addition, the consumer may not need to examine the booklet at all;
and may simply submit the booklet upon each shopping transaction for scanning
to
obtain the discounts which coincidentally are in the booklet. Further, the
consumer
may use the booklet a number of times which obviates the need for coupon
hunting
and clipping. The products in the booklet may be discounted once or a
plurality of
times according to records maintained by the back end apparatus of the present
invention.
The bar code may be a CTPC code but, alternatively, may be another
type of code such as an extended code which contains manufacturer, value or
family
information. This is particularly advantageous in marketing where the booklets
may
be mailed to a particular family with a unique family code which identifies
for the
retailer/manufacturer which family is purchasing a particular product or
products.
This information may be processed by the present invention and relayed to the
manufacturer in the form of a demographics marketing report for future
marketing to
either the family or region where the family lives.
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The booklet of the present invention in at Least one embodiment is
substantially rectangular in shape having front and back covers with a common
edge
and pages therebetween. The common edge may be formed of a spine or a folded
line
of a number of papers. Alternatively, the front and back covers and in-between
pages
S may be coupled together by any suitable fixing method such as staples, glue
or a
spiral binder or the like. While the booklet of the present invention is shown
in Figs.
6 and 7 as being substantially rectangular with uniform edges, it is within
the present
invention that the booklet may be in another shape and/or may have non-uniform
edges. The booklet of the present invention may include tabs on the pages
which may
be labeled with an indicator thereby providing an index.
The booklet of the present invention may provide discounts or
discounted prices for items purchased. In addition, or in the alternative, the
items
purchased using the booklet may provide the consumer with other entitlements,
including the coupon entitlements described herein with reference to Figs. 3A-
4C. In
1 S addition, or in the alternative, the entitlements may be a credit granted
to the
consumer which may credit an account held electronically for the consumer. A
credit
may be different from a coupon discount because a credit is applied to a
future
transaction not necessarily related to the present transaction. Such credit
accounts
may be, for example, a vacation account which accumulates credit for the
consumer
for cash value or items purchased at a later date for the~consumer's vacation.
The
account may also be a holiday or birthday account for saving credit for cash
value or
to be applied to items purchased for a holiday or birthday. The account may be
a
tuition savings account whereby credits are applied to the tuition of the
consumer or
relative of the consumer. The credit account may be an account for cash value
2S including an interest bearing account which accumulates interest such as a
money
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market account. It will be appreciated that the credit accounts of the present
invention
advantageously promotes loyalty of the consumer to the retailer, manufacturer
or
service corporation.
The system of the present invention may include the manner in which
5 the booklet is distributed and used. In at least one embodiment, the booklet
is issued
for predetermined time periods such as monthly in ride-along direct mail
pieces to
consumers. Participating stores which participate in the system may have a
list of
offers downloaded io either the store server or the back end processor
described
herein. When the consumer checks out, the booklet is handed to the cashier who
10 scans the single bar code on the booklet. It will be instantly appreciated
that this
advantageously allows the consumer to obtain any discounts which may be
available
without the consumer having to find the discount. The system of the present
invention may automatically transfer the information and/or the electronic
fund
transfer at predetermined intervals such as nightly. At the end of the
predetermined
15 time period, a new booklet is distributed and the previous information is
either
automatically deleted or replaced by new information. It may be also within
the
processing of the present invention to establish payment of the booklets, the
distribution and/or number of items in the booklet. It is also within the
present
invention to establish a partnership with a bank or other financial
institution to
20 establish savings accounts for consumers from and through direct deposit of
the
savings the consumer receives by utilizing the booklet in accordance with the
credit
aspect of the present invention.
The booklet may also include, as shown in Fig. 7G, extended front 702
and back covers 704 which extend past the pages encloseable therebetween. In
one
25 embodiment, the extended portion is a tab or opposing tabs 734 (a) and
734(b) formed
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26
which may be detachable along a perforated edge 736. An advertisement 738,
which
may include a coupon, may be provided on the tab. It will be appreciated that
the tab
easily distinguishes the booklet of the present invention from junk mail.
The processing steps for the integrated coupon booklet are shown in
S Fig. SA. In step SS00, the coupon booklet is presented and in step SS02 the
booklet is
scanned. In step SS04 it is determined whether the bar code, such as a UPC, is
readable and in step S506 the operator manually keys in the booklet bar code
when
unreadable. In step SS08, it is determined whether the bar code is valid and,
when
invalid, it is determined that an incorrect format of the bar code is scanned
in step
SS 10 and manual entry of the bar code by, for example, a keypad is retried in
step
SS06. In the alternative, when it is determined that the bar code is invalid
it is further
decided that, for example, an expired booklet is granted a grace period such
as one
day or week in step SS 12 and/or the maximum number of uses of the booklet is
extended in step SS 14. The results of the processing in steps SS 12 and SS 14
are
1 S recorded and may be reported in the report(s).
When it is determined that the bar code is valid, processing in step
SS14 compares a customer order to a coupon table which may contain one or more
pieces of discounting information relating to a discount, credit or rebate
relating to a
particular item. The table may be downloaded/updated by the central processing
computer of the present invention. When no match is determined in step 5516
between a particular sales transaction and coupon information, the discount
for that
item is ignored in step SS 18. Otherwise, control advances to step SS20
wherein the
discount is authorized. In step SS22, the item authorized for a discount is
added to a
list. In step SS24, detailed and/or summary reports of the discounts are
stored and/or
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27
printed and in step S52G the booklet discount is added to a total to be
forwarded to a
particular manufacturer for redemption.
Fig. SB sets forth steps S528-5556 for processing coupons or booklet
(see Fig. SB) according to the non-integrated system which are similar to the
steps set
forth in Fig. SA.
The present coupon processing may be set forth in a computer program
which may be stored in a suitable medium such as an optical disk or the like.
As is to be appreciated, finding, cutting out, and carrying a large
number of coupons may be inconvenient for a customer. The present invention
provides a booklet which overcomes these disadvantages. Such present booklet
will
now be described.
It will be appreciated that, while the present invention was described in
terms of coupon redemption, the present is not limited thereto and is
applicable to
other forms of redemption such as rebates or credit accounts.
Although the booklet present invention has been described with a
single bar code only for each booklet, it is within the present invention to
include one
or more bar codes each representing a plurality of items in the booklet.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention and
modifications thereof have been described in detail herein, it is to be
understood that
this invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and modifications,
and that
other modifications and variations may be effected by one skilled in the art
without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended
claims.
