Method and apparatus for dispensing discount coupons in response to the purchase of one or more products

For use in a retail store point-of-sale system having a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each with means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order, and a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item, a method for printing a redeemable coupon solely in response to the purchase of a plurality of triggering items, the method comprising the steps of:

• preselecting a discountable product for which a discount coupon is to be printed;
• preselecting a group of triggering products, the purchase of a plurality of which is intended to initiate printing of the discount coupon;
• storing the terms of at least one coupon deal relating to the discount coupon to be printed;
• identifying the triggering products in the customer order;
• associating the triggering products with the previously stored terms of the coupon deal;
• and
• automatically printing at least one discount coupon for the discountable product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering products.

A system for automatically generating a customer coupon advising a customer in a retail store of a product discount, solely in response to the purchase of one or more preselected items, the system comprising;

• a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each having means for reading manufacturers' source product codes on purchased items in a customer order;
• a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item;
• means for storing the terms of at least one discount deal, wherein generation of the customer coupon will be triggered by the purchase of at least one triggering product;
• means for identifying the triggering product, by its source code, in the customer order;
• means for associating the triggering product with the discount deal;
• and
• means for generating the customer coupon automatically, without operator intervention, based on the details of the discount deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product.

For use in a retail store point-of-sale system having a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each with means for reading manufacturers' source product codes on purchased items in a customer order, and a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item, a method for automatically generating a customer coupon advising the customer of a product discount, solely in response to the purchase of one or more preselected items, the method comprising the steps of:

• preselecting at least one triggering product, the purchase of which is intended to initiate an automatic discount;
• storing the terms of at least one discount deal relating to the discount to be automatically applied;
• identifying the triggering product in the customer order by the source code of the product;
• associating the triggering product with the previously stored terms of the discount deal;
• and
• automatically generating the customer coupon without operator intervention, and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering product.

A system for generating, in a retail store, a discount coupon, solely in response to a customer's action concerning the purchase of an item, the system comprising:

• a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each having means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order;
• a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item;
• means for storing the terms of at least one coupon deal in which the generation of a discount coupon for a selected product from one supplier will be triggered by a customer's action concerning the purchase of a triggering product supplied by a different supplier;
• means for identifying the triggering product in the customer order;
• means for associating the triggering product with the coupon deal;
• and
• means for automatically generating at least one discount coupon for a product other than the triggering product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than his or her action concerning the purchase of the triggering product.

A system for generating, in a retail store, a discount coupon, solely in response to the purchase of a plurality of preselected items, the system comprising:

• a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each having means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order;
• a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item;
• means for storing the terms of at least one coupon deal in which the generation of a discount coupon for a selected product will be triggered by the purchase of a plurality of products;
• means for identifying the triggering products in the customer order;
• means for associating the triggering products with the coupon deal;
• and
• means for automatically generating at least one discount coupon based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering products.

For use in a retail store point-of-sale system having a plurality of terminals at customer checkout locations, each with means for reading product codes on purchased items in a customer order, and a store controller with which the terminals can communicate, the store controller having access to an item record file containing price and other information for each product item, a method for generating a discount coupon solely in response to the purchase of a plurality of triggering items, the method comprising the steps of:

• preselecting a discountable product for which a discount coupon is to be generated;
• preselecting a group of triggering products, the purchase of a plurality of which is intended to initiate generation of the discount coupon;
• storing the terms of at least one coupon deal relating to the discount coupon to be generated;
• identifying the triggering products in the customer order;
• associating the triggering products with the previously stored terms of the coupon deal;
• and
• automatically generating at least one discount coupon for the discountable product, based on the details of the coupon deal and without the intervention or participation of the customer other than in purchasing the triggering products.