Robust Security Technology for Coupons

A system used by a merchant to mint store coupons through secure physical embodiment, which can be handed over from person to person, to promote the store business, comprising:

• (i) a secure physical coupon, (ii) a coupons accounting system, (iii) a coupon mint, (iv) a coupon authenticator, and (v) a coupon server verifier,
• wherein the physical secure coupon will be built with randomized features that would assign it a unique identity, “signature”, the image of which will be recorded at the coupon server identifier database, the secure physical coupon will be marked per its nominal value and marked per its use limitations,
• and where the coupon accounting system will manage the quantities and dispositions of the issued secure physical coupons,
• and where the coupons mint will manufacture the secure physical coupon in the desired denomination, inscribed with any desired use limitations,
• and where the coupons authenticator will be physically applied to the secure physical coupon and measure its features, and compare these measurements to the record kept in the authenticator instrument for this coupon, or where the coupon authenticator will engage the coupon server verifier, to compare the measurements to the records for this secure physical coupon, and verify the secure physical coupons if the measurements agree with the stored record for that secure physical coupon;
• the coupon server verifier will establish on-line communication channel to respond to query from the coupon authenticator and communicate to the coupon authenticator the stored record of the features of the examined secure physical coupon.