| 摘要 |
The present invention teaches a device allowing the use of the credit card information system, presently used to convey only credit, identification, and transaction total amount information, to convey details of the products sold and further to re-convey coupon information to the retailer. The primary server continues to serve its normal role as an arbiter or communicator between the retailer's computer system/POS terminal and those large computers used to verify transaction information, i.e. receiving and retransmitting packets of data between other computers which handle processing of the information. Database maintenance and access, transaction processing, coupon UPC matching and tranmission and other tasks are carried out by the coupon server. The additional information which needs to be sent and retransmitted is the product identifier (for example, a UPC code). Since UPC codes are also used for coupon information, this functions in both directions. Price adjustment based upon coupons is still carried out normally at the register. The software necessary to carry out the operation at the POS station/register level may be implemented in parallel to the retailer's normal transaction applications (the software the usually handles sales, returns and other POS transactions). In one embodiment, this may be implemented at the level of COM hooks which capture and route or reroute information as needed for the operation of the invention.
|
