| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080201194 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEFINING ROUTING OF CUSTOMERS BETWEEN MERCHANTS - A server or Internet service provider computer selects a soliciting merchant and an outputting merchant based on various factors. In one embodiment, the soliciting merchant is selected is its activity rate (e.g. sales rate) is low. The outputting merchant provides offers for bonuses to customers on behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is provided to the customer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant. Thus, the soliciting merchant benefits from the increased patronage such offers encourage. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20090018919 | System and Method for Tracking and Establishing a Progressive Discount Based Upon a Customer's Visits to a Retail Establishment - Methods, computer readable media and apparatus are disclosed for determining and applying a discount for a customer. In some embodiments, the process includes receiving transaction data that represents a current transaction, receiving a customer identifier of a customer, determining a current transaction time and a last transaction time, determining that a duration between the last transaction time and the current transaction time equals or exceeds a predetermined time period, and determining that the current transaction is a first instance of the customer equaling or exceeding the predetermined time period. Since it was the first time the customer equaled or exceeded the predetermined time period, a discount is applied to the current transaction. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20090138365 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING A SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT TO OFFER FOR SALE DURING A TRANSACTION - According to some embodiments, a supplemental product or service may be offered to a user during a transaction, either in addition to products and/or services the user is purchasing, or as a replacement to one or more of the products and/or services that the user is purchasing. The functionality may be implemented, for example, in a retail embodiment where a user is purchasing products and/or services at a cash register or other point-of-sale terminal. One or more embodiments may be implemented online where a user is purchasing products and/or services using a computer, terminal, telephone or other client or user device and accessing a World Wide Web site, online catalog, interactive voice response unit or system, etc. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090271290 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING A TRANSACTION BY MATCHING SELLER INFORMATION AND BUYER INFORMATION - Systems and methods are provided to facilitate a transaction between a seller and a buyer. According to one embodiment, seller offer information is received at a controller. The seller offer information is associated with an item, such as a secondary market item, being offered for sale by a seller. Buyer offer information, associated with a buyer offering to make a purchase, is also received. An evaluation rule is determined, and the seller offer information and the buyer offer information are matched based on the evaluation rule. It is then arranged for the seller to sell the item to the buyer. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20100017022 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VENDING PRODUCTS - A method and apparatus is disclosed for advancing the sale of vending machine products. The invention enables selling products without revealing the identity of the product. By concealing the identity of the products from a consumer prior to receiving payment, the present invention promotes the automated sale of perishable, slow-selling and/or less profitable products, to increase the overall profitability of a vending machine. Various embodiments are disclosed, including: predetermined price embodiments in which a vending machine sells one or more mystery products for a predetermined price; consumer-specified price embodiments in which a consumer is allowed to specify a price for one or more mystery products; and upsell embodiments in which a vending machine offers one or more upsell mystery products in exchange for the amount of change owed to a consumer, or in exchange for an amount of change owed to a consumer plus an additional monetary value. | 01-21-2010 |
| 20100049601 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING SUBSCRIPTIONS - A subscription system allows a customer to establish a subscription to a product with one or more retailers (e.g., by establishing the subscription through a controller or central system). In one embodiment, a subscription may be established after receiving information that identifies a product. Terms of a subscription for the product are established, such as a frequency and a duration of the subscription. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100106587 | Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts - A point of sale system or other computer system stores a product pricing database in which a full price and discount prices corresponding to one or more discount pricing tiers are stored for each product available for sale. Each of the discount prices for a given product has an associated threshold purchase total that has to be satisfied before the discount price is applied to a transaction. When a transaction occurs, the purchase total for the transaction is first calculated on the basis of full retail prices for the products and the purchase total for the transaction is compared with one or more threshold purchase totals which correspond to the discount pricing tiers. If a discount pricing tier is applicable (e.g. the calculated purchase total for the transaction is at least equal to a threshold purchase total), the appropriate discount prices for each product in the transaction are retrieved and used to calculate a reduced purchase total for the transaction. Qualification for discount pricing can also be based on, for example, a customer's purchasing history, or the number of a certain type of product included in the transaction instead of the purchase total of a transaction. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100241502 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS - Systems and methods are disclosed whereby credit and debit card transactions are processed at a merchant point-of-sale terminal in a manner that provides customers the opportunity to receive one or more charge enhancement offers which are presented to the customer on a record of charge. | 09-23-2010 |
