US 5,127,674 AGranted

Coupon organizer indexed by aisle numbers, having store directory and advertising to direct shoppers

OwnerWilliam H. Lamphere, Gary W. Lamphere +2inventors

InventorsWilliam H. Lamphere, Gary W. Lamphere, Judith W. Lamphere, Rick Lamphere

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Abstract

The invention discloses a portable clutch purse style coupon-holding device indexed to an actual store's aisles, and having a listing of items and their respective aisle locations in an on-board store directory. The user files coupons under the aisle division that corresponds to the product's aisle location, so that later, while shopping, when one finds the product on an aisle, one may retrieve that coupon under that aisle's related division within the device. The store directory has a transparent overlay on top of it whereupon one may compile a shopping list. While shopping, by referencing the location of the items marked on one's shopping list in the store directory visible below, the shopper may determine which aisles must be shopped and which may be skipped. The dividers may have advertisements for products sold on that division's related aisle; and such advertisements serve the dual-purpose of giving the user graphic cues showing whether the device's rotating leaves are turned to the appropriate aisle division. A special receptacle is tethered by a connector to the coupon-holding device so that it may easily be used for storagte of coupons for products selected, while shopping, until the shopper reaches the cashier.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of organizing coupons by means of their being filed in a way which relates the aisle location of a given coupon's product within a particular store with a filing division indexed to that aisle location for the purpose of enabling one later to retrieve that coupon for consideration while shopping on that aisle, comprising the steps of:

indexing a plurality of filing dividers so that each relates to one of the various aisles or sales areas of the said store by means of placing number or letter indicia on the tab of each divider which identifies that aisle;
printing a store directory which exhibits names of item categories sold within that store;
placing, in relationship to the said names in the store directory, the respective aisle location of each item catagory;
inserting the said store directory and aisle-related filing dividers into a container to form indexed aisle divisions thereof, arranged seriatim according to a typical pattern of the flow of shopper traffic circulating throughout all of the store layout's aisles and sales areas;
determining where to file a given coupon from one's noting the name of its product from the coupon's face, then referring to the store directory to determine the aisle where items of that product's category are located within that store;
filing each coupon by aisle by means of placing it into the aisle-related filing division which is indexed to the aisle whereon the coupon's product is located within that store;
shopping a particular aisle of the said store, and locating various competitive products thereon which are within the category of an item which one is considering for purchase;
refering to the aisle division within the said coupon holder that relates to the aisle whereon the shopping is then being conducted, reviewing its coupon contents, and retrieving therefrom all coupons previously filed therein which have been issued for various products within the category of the said item being considered for purchase;
and
matching each of those coupons with their respective products for the purpose of determining both coupon applicability and for calculating the net price, after coupon credit, of each product for use in making a purchasing decision.

7 more elements

A portable coupon organizing device, comprising in combination:

a plurality of filing divisions, each indexed by means of an indicator being placed on its tab comprised of one or more numbers or letters which are the same numbers or letters as those designating an actual aisle within a particular store, or the same letters as an abbreviation of a sales area therein;
a store directory for the said store, positioned within the device, exhibiting the names of categories of items that are sold within that store together with the aisle location of each being placed in relation to the said item names respectively;
a means for the user to employ to determine which filing division is the applicable one into which to file any given coupon;
said means being for the user to refer to the said store directory, to take note of the category of item listed within that store directory, which relates to the product for which the coupon has been issued, to determine the number or letter of that item's aisle location, or the name of its sales area location, and to file that coupon in the said applicable filing division which relates to that aisle or sales area;
indicia placed on the tab of an aisle division exhibiting the names of categories of items that actually are displayed for sale on the aisle to which that particular filing division relates;
a means for locating coupons, while shopping, for any given product found in that store;
and
said means being for the user to refer to the filing division that relates to the aisle or sales area upon which that product is found, to sort through coupons that are filed thereunder, to select out all coupons that are for products that are within the category of the item that is being contemplated for purchase, and to match each of those coupons with their respective products for the purpose of determining both the coupon's applicability and for calculating the net price, after coupon credit, of each product for use in making a purchasing decision.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.