Patent US5008519A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5008519A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Foolproof coupon redemption system
Assignee: CUNNINGHAM WILLIAM R AND BANK OF AMERICA ILLINOIS TRUSTEES UNDER WILLIAM R CUNNINGHAM REVOCABLE TRUST DATED MARCH 1 1995
•
Filing: 1988-11-16
•
Granted: 1991-04-16
•
Expires: 2008-11-16
Abstract
Abstract A manufacturers' coupon redemption system that is electronically controlled, and compatible in any supermarket using Universal Product Codes. The system includes a newly-styled, uniform coupon, with special bar code indicia redeemable on up to three families of products. At the supermarket, a special device for reading the coupons is provided that reads the coupons presented by the consumer. The system verifies that the consumer did, in fact, purchase the items specified, that the coupon has not expired, and other validation conditions. The unit communicates the results of the validation to the cash register for credit to the consumer's bill. The accepted coupon is then mutiliated to prevent reuse. The reader devices, and the in-store controller, are under the jurisdiction of the coupon clearing house, thus enabling the clearing house to electronically poll the coupon redemption data by computer directly from the stores, and to immediately produce tallies and totals for the purpose of immediate billing of the manufacturers and crediting of the retailers.
Inventors
- 👤 William R. Cunningham
- 👤 Carmelo S. Amareno
- 👤 Helmut Kayan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 20:34
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/387; G07; G07G; G07G1/00; G07G1/0036; G07G1/12; G07G1/14; G07G1/145
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
62 words
A coupon-redemption system for redeeming and validating coupons at a check-out counter of a supermarket, and the like, comprising, in combination: an electronic cash register for totaling purchased goods of a consumer; an automatic coupon-reading device for automatically transporting a coupon and reading bar code on a coupon; and means coupling said coupon-reading device to said cash register for transferring data therebetween.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
62 words
A coupon-redemption system for redeeming and validating coupons at a check-out counter of a supermarket, and the like, comprising, in combination: an electronic cash register for totaling purchased goods of a consumer; an automatic coupon-reading device for automatically transporting a coupon and reading bar code on a coupon; and means coupling said coupon-reading device to said cash register for transferring data therebetween.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
The system according to claim 1, wherein said means for transferring data comprises a programmable interface means for communicating with said coupon-reader and said cash register; said cash register comprising means for placing said coupon-reader in a ready-mode where the reading of coupons thereby is set via said programmable interface means at the initiation of a check-out procedure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 2, wherein said programmable interface means comprises a transaction terminal through which said cash register and said coupon-reader electronically communicate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system according to claim 1, wherein said coupon-reader comprises transport means for transporting a coupon therethrough; and a bar-code reader for reading bar-code on a coupon, said transport means transporting a coupon to said bar-code reader for a reading thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system according to claim 4, wherein said coupon-reader further comprises a coupon-in sensing means for sensing the presence of a coupon, said coupon-in sensing means activating said transport means to transport a coupon to said bar-code reader.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system according to claim 5, further comprising means for physically invalidating a coupon after said bar-code reader has read the data thereon.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system according to claim 6, wherein said means for invalidating comprises a punch and means for actuating said punch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 4, wherein said coupon-reader further comprises microprocessor means for controlling the operation of said transport means and said bar-code reader.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system according to claim 6, wherein said coupon-reader further comprises microprocessor means for controlling the sequencing and operation of said transport means, bar-code reader, and means for invalidating.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system according to claim 9, wherein said microprocessor comprises means for determining a valid coupon, for determining the proper operation of said means for invalidating, and for determining the value of a coupon.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system according to claim 1, further comprising a discount coupon comprising a series of bar-code data thereon, said bar-code data comprising the following fields: expiration date data, minimum purchase quantity data, coupon value data, product information data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system according to claim 11, wherein said coupon bar-code data further comprises the following fields: manufacturer marketing code data unique to the issuer of the coupon; merchant number data allowing redemption of said coupon for a selected merchant.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system according to claim 11, wherein said bar-code data further comprises a begin-data field and an end-data field marking the beginning and ending of the bar-code data for allowing bi-directional reading of said bar-code data, and a special field for identifying said coupon as being compatible with said coupon-reading device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system according to claim 11, wherein said product-information data comprises a first field of the UPC symbol of the product, and at least a second field limiting said product to at least one other characteristic, such as size of package.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 11, wherein said bar-code data is linearly-arranged and located along a side strip of one surface face of said coupon.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
115 words
A coupon-redemption system for redeeming and validating coupons at a check-out counter of a supermarket, and the like, comprising, in combination: an electronic cash register for totaling purchased goods of a consumer; an automatic coupon-reading device for automatically transporting a coupon therethrough and for reading bar code on a coupon; means coupling said automatic coupon-reading device to said cash register for transferring data therebetween; said means for transferring data comprising a programmable interface means for communicating with said coupon-reader and said cash register; said cash register comprising means for placing said coupon-reader in a ready-mode where the reading of coupons thereby is set via said programmable interface at the initiation of a check out procedure.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
115 words
A coupon-redemption system for redeeming and validating coupons at a check-out counter of a supermarket, and the like, comprising, in combination: an electronic cash register for totaling purchased goods of a consumer; an automatic coupon-reading device for automatically transporting a coupon therethrough and for reading bar code on a coupon; means coupling said automatic coupon-reading device to said cash register for transferring data therebetween; said means for transferring data comprising a programmable interface means for communicating with said coupon-reader and said cash register; said cash register comprising means for placing said coupon-reader in a ready-mode where the reading of coupons thereby is set via said programmable interface at the initiation of a check out procedure.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system according to claim 16, wherein said coupon-reader comprises transport means for transporting a coupon therethrough; and a bar-code reader for reading bar-code on a coupon, said transport means transporting a coupon to said bar-code reader for a reading thereof.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system according to claim 16, wherein said coupon-reader further comprises a coupon-in sensing means for sensing the presence of a coupon, said coupon-in sensing means activating said transport means to transport a coupon to said bar-code reader.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system according to claim 16, further comprising means for physically invalidating a coupon after said bar-code reader has read the data thereon.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 16, wherein said coupon-reader further comprises microprocessor means for controlling the operation of said transport means and said bar-code reader.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system according to claim 20, wherein said microprocessor comprises means for determining a valid coupon, for determining the proper operation of said means for invalidating, and for determining the value of a coupon.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
113 words
A coupon-reading device for use in stores for automatically reading and transporting a discount coupon, comprising: a main housing having a coupon-entranceway by which a coupon is fed thereto; means for transporting a coupon from said coupon-entranceway to the interior of said main housing; bar-code reading means mounted interiorly in said housing for reading bar-code provided on a coupon; means for sensing the presence of a coupon at said coupon-entranceway for activating said means for transporting to transport a coupon into said interior of said main housing for the reading by said bar-code reading means; and control means for controlling the actuation and deactuation of said transport means and said bar-code reading means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
113 words
A coupon-reading device for use in stores for automatically reading and transporting a discount coupon, comprising: a main housing having a coupon-entranceway by which a coupon is fed thereto; means for transporting a coupon from said coupon-entranceway to the interior of said main housing; bar-code reading means mounted interiorly in said housing for reading bar-code provided on a coupon; means for sensing the presence of a coupon at said coupon-entranceway for activating said means for transporting to transport a coupon into said interior of said main housing for the reading by said bar-code reading means; and control means for controlling the actuation and deactuation of said transport means and said bar-code reading means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 22, wherein said control means comprises a microprocessor.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
34 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 22, further comprising means for physically invalidating a coupon mounted in said interior of said main housing, said control means also controlling operation of said means for invalidating.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
23 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 24, further comprising a coupon-out sensor for indicating when a coupon has been ejected into said coupon-entranceway.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 22, in combination with a discount coupon comprising a strip of bar-code thereon.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
116 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 26, wherein said strip of bar-code is positioned along a side of a surface face of said discount coupon; said device further comprising means for physically invalidating a coupon mounted in said interior of said main housing, said control means also controlling operation of said means for invalidating; said means for invalidating being mounted in said interior of said main housing above said strip of bar-code when said discount-coupon is transported thereat; whereby said means for invalidating invalidates said discount-coupon by mutilating at least a portion of said side of said surface face of said coupon containing said strip of bar-code thereon, so that portions of said bar-code are removed.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
62 words
The device according to claim 26, in further combination with an electronic cash register, and means for coupling said coupon-reading device to said electronic cash register for data communication between said coupon-reader device and said register; said register automatically placing said coupon-reader device in its ready mode for receiving discount-coupons via said means for coupling in response to a check-out procedure thereof.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
63 words
The coupon-reading device according to claim 22, wherein said means for transporting comprises an upper tractor-drive assembly, and a lower tractor-drive assembly, a coupon being inserted between said tractor-assemblies for transport; said coupon-entranceway lying at its interior end offset from and between said tractor-assemblies for directing a coupon therebetween; and means for driving at least one of said tractor-assemblies to transport a coupon.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
173 words
A method of automatically crediting discount-coupons at point-of-purchase, comprising the steps of: (a) tallying up the purchased items on an electric cash register; (b) feeding discount-coupons into an automatic coupon-reader for verifying and validating the coupons; (c) reading the bar-code data on the face of coupon; (d) verifying the correct bar-code format on the discount-coupon; (e) determining the validity of the discount-coupon for the particular tally from said (a), so that the discount-coupon matches with a product purchased during said step (a); and (f) automatically crediting the value of each validated coupon from said step (d) to the tally of said step (a) by the cash register; said step (b) comprises manually inserting a coupon to be read at the entrance of the coupon-reader, and, thereafter, automatically feeding the coupon into the coupon-reader for a preset period of time so that said step (c) may be performed, said step of automatically feeding comprising sensing the presence of a coupon at the entrance of the coupon-reader and, thereafter, transporting the coupon into the coupon-reader.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
173 words
A method of automatically crediting discount-coupons at point-of-purchase, comprising the steps of: (a) tallying up the purchased items on an electric cash register; (b) feeding discount-coupons into an automatic coupon-reader for verifying and validating the coupons; (c) reading the bar-code data on the face of coupon; (d) verifying the correct bar-code format on the discount-coupon; (e) determining the validity of the discount-coupon for the particular tally from said (a), so that the discount-coupon matches with a product purchased during said step (a); and (f) automatically crediting the value of each validated coupon from said step (d) to the tally of said step (a) by the cash register; said step (b) comprises manually inserting a coupon to be read at the entrance of the coupon-reader, and, thereafter, automatically feeding the coupon into the coupon-reader for a preset period of time so that said step (c) may be performed, said step of automatically feeding comprising sensing the presence of a coupon at the entrance of the coupon-reader and, thereafter, transporting the coupon into the coupon-reader.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 30, wherein said step (e) comprises rejecting a coupon if it is found to be invalid, and indicating such rejection by physical means.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 30, wherein said step (a) comprises placing the coupon-reader in a ready-mode ready to receive and feed coupons.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 30, further comprising the step of invalidating the coupon after said step (e) for each valid coupon.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 33, wherein said step of invalidating comprises punching a hole through a portion of the bar-code data on the surface face of the discount-coupon to thereby prevent the re-use of such coupon.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of verifying the effective carrying out of said step of invalidating.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method according to claim 33, wherein said step (f) comprises sending an invalidate command from the electronic cash register to the coupon-reader to perform said step of invalidating, said step of invalidating being carried out automatically in response to said step of sending.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 33, further comprising rejecting the coupon if said step of verifying indicates that said step of invalidating was not carried out.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US11604A
Cited
US3108824A
Cited
US3211470A
Cited
US3245534A
Cited
US3711683A
Cited
US3959624A
Cited
US4540880A
Cited
US4554446A
Cited
US4634147A
Cited
US4791281A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-04-15 | 1994-10-15 | 1995-04-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-04-15 | 1998-10-15 | 1999-04-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-04-15 | 2002-10-15 | 2003-04-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |