APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING PRINT MEDIA COUPONS TO VIRTUAL COUPONS AND REDEEMING SAME

摘要

A print media coupon may be converted to a virtual print media coupon by a device which captures an image of information on the print media coupon and which creates the virtual print media coupon based on the captured image. The virtual print media coupon may be stored in a virtual coupon repository associated with a customer of a retail enterprise that controls the repository, and/or may be stored in another memory. Alternatively or additionally, a virtual print media coupon displayed on a mobile device may be stored in the virtual coupon repository after scanning during the purchase transaction.

主权项

1. A system for redeeming print media coupons at a retail enterprise, the system comprising:
a database having stored therein a plurality of virtual coupon repositories and a plurality of customer accounts each for a different customer member of a coupon service hosted by the retail enterprise, each customer account including a customer identifier identifying the customer associated with that customer account and linked to one of the plurality of virtual coupon associated only with that customer, communication circuitry to send and receive wireless communication signals, a point-of-sale terminal, a processor communicatively coupled to the database, the communication circuitry and the point-of-sale terminal, and a memory having instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to wirelessly receive, via the communication circuitry, a signal wirelessly transmitted from a customer mobile device and carrying information relating to an image of a print media coupon captured by a camera on-board the customer mobile device and to a specified one of the plurality of virtual coupon repositories, to process the wirelessly received information to determine therefrom a corresponding virtual print media coupon, to store the virtual print media coupon in the specified one of the plurality of virtual coupon repositories, to receive, via the point-of-sale terminal in response to customer interaction therewith as part of a transaction for the purchase of one or more items from the retail enterprise, the customer identifier associated in the database with the specified one of the plurality of virtual coupon repositories, to process, via the point-of-sale terminal, the one or more items in the purchase transaction, to compare the one or more items in the purchase transaction with the virtual print media coupon stored in the specified one of the plurality of virtual coupon repositories, and to deduct, via the point-of-sale terminal, a discount amount of the stored virtual print media coupon from a price of any item in the purchase transaction that matches the stored virtual print media coupon.