US 6,076,068 AGranted

Coupon delivery system

AssigneeAd Response MicroMarketing Corporation

InventorsJames P. DeLapa, James W. Willman

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Abstract

A computer-implemented method and apparatus for generating coupons to provide discounts for purchases includes providing a computer-based kiosk at a retail establishment such as a grocery store. A user identification of a household is received at the kiosk. The kiosk outputs a series of targeted coupons which have been assigned to the individual household on the basis of at least one attribute of that household. Images of coupons may be formatted "on the fly" from parameters set forth in a coupon record. The system may further include an enhancement system which provides tools for enhancing the coupon offer data by designating particular offers as either a targeted coupon offer assigned to individual households as a function of purchases by that household or a mandatory coupon which is assigned to substantially all households. The kiosk may additionally print personalized messages by substituting for a keyword a value derived from an attribute of the identified household and outputting the graphic image of the personalized message.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A retail establishment discount coupon generating system, comprising:

a targeting system which assigns coupons to individual households as a function of purchases by each household and generates extract file containing coupon offer definition for substantially all assigned coupons, wherein said coupon offer definition includes an offer description, texts, bar code data and a discount value;
a delivery system which processes the extract file from said targeting system into coupon offer data for particular household which is retrievable by a remote device and stores the coupon offer data for a plurality of households on a particular storage device;
and
a kiosk positioned at an entry area of a retail establishment including at least a user identification device and an output device wherein said kiosk retrieves data from said delivery system coupon offer data for coupons assigned to the household identified with said identification device and outputs coupons assigned to identified household solely in response to identification of a user;
and
wherein said delivery system includes an enhancement system which provides tools for enhancing the coupon offer data by designating particular coupon offers as one of a targeted coupon offer assigned to individual households as a function of purchases by that household and a mandatory coupon which is assigned to substantially all households.

3 more elements

A retail establishment discount coupon generating system, comprising:

a targeting and delivery system which assigns coupons to individual households as a function of purchases by each household including coupon offer definition for substantially all assigned coupons, wherein said coupon offer definition includes an offer description, text, bar code data and a discount value;
said targeting and delivery system processes the assigned coupons into coupon offer data for particular households which is retrievable by a remote device and stores the coupon offer data for a plurality of households on a particular storage device;
a kiosk positioned at an entry area of a retail establishment including at least a user identification device and an output device wherein said kiosk retrieves data from said targeting and delivery system coupon offer data for coupons assigned to the household identified with said identification device and outputs coupons assigned to the identified household in response to identification of a user;
and
wherein said targeting and delivery system includes an enhancement system which provides tools for enhancing the coupon offer data by designating particular coupon offers as one of a targeted coupon offer assigned to individual households as a function of purchases by that household and a mandatory coupon which is assigned to substantially all households.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/713,205Filed 12 Sep 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 17 Sep 1992
Granted: 13 Jun 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06Q 30/02
Commerce: marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
G06Q 20/387
Payment protocols; Details thereof: payment using discounts or coupons
G06Q 30/0225
Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates: avoiding frauds
G06Q 30/0236
Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates: incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Family

Serial947,285Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Sep 1992
Serial316,909Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Oct 1994
Serial470,224Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 6 Jun 1995
US 5,822,735 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,353,218 AParent of this continuation
US 6,076,068 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.