Abstract:
An apparatus, method, system, and computer-program product for producing valuable POS indicia that provides value to both the customer and to the establishment. The apparatus includes a Point-Of-Sale (POS) system for generating a receipt of a commercial transaction at a location of the commercial transaction; a POS receipt module, coupled to the POS system, for signaling to a process that the receipt is to be printed, the module submitting a set of POS data to the process to request a responsive advertising content from the process wherein the set of POS data includes a geographic identifier component of the location; an advertising system for supporting the process, the advertising system responsive to the set of POS data, to provide the responsive advertising content to the POS-resident receipt module wherein the responsive advertising content includes a time and location sensitive individualized advertising message responsive to the geographic identifier component and to a time-of-day of the commercial transaction; wherein the POS-resident receipt module incorporates the responsive advertising content into the receipt provided to a customer associated with the commercial transaction. The method includes processes for the manufacture, assembly and use of the disclosed system, with the computer program product including machine-executable instructions for carrying out the disclosed methods.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/767,408 (Attorney Docket 20052-7002) titled “POS Receipt Bearing Real-Time Time/Geographic Advertisement” filed 26 Mar. 2006 (and its conversion (Attorney Docket 20052-7004) “POS Receipt Bearing Real-Time Time/Geographic Advertisement” filed concurrently herewith and both commonly owned, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated in their entireties by reference for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to Point-Of-Sale (POS) systems, and more particularly to real-time advertisement generation with POS Systems.  
         [0003]     There are many instances of retail POS systems that generate some type of token, coupon, or advertisement, particularly in the food supermarket context. Various systems exist in this context to provide history-driven discounting, and purchase-driven discounting. In the history-driven systems, a customer “registers” with the system and then a customer profile is created. Each time the customer identifies themselves with the system, such as by using a shopping card having their registration information, the profile is processed using a range of possible algorithms including comparing current purchases to past purchases by quantity, brand, and, product and generates general or specific coupons or tokens.  
         [0004]     In a purchase-driven system, a user is not required to register as the system processes the specific group of products and generates appropriate coupons and tokens consistent with the then current advertising algorithm. Still other systems may combine aspects of these different modalities, such as to use a customer card to realize a special pricing on a particular brand of product. A key focus of these systems is that the discount is for a product or service offered by the food supermarket—that is these systems promote the supermarket&#39;s own inventory.  
         [0005]     There are many other establishments where a POS system is used that could benefit from a properly implemented advertising program tied into its receipt system. These establishments include restaurants (e.g., “fast food” and traditional dining businesses and the like), entertainment facilities (e.g., theme parks, sporting events, theatre/movies, and the like), and retail stores and outlets of all descriptions. In many of these cases, the history-driven discounting model and the purchase-driven discounting model are inapplicable or not particularly compelling to warrant installation and management.  
         [0006]     There is believed to be a tremendous opportunity being missed by these establishments in generating customer-value and enhancing revenue by implementing a different advertising model in these situations. In all of them, a receipt is being generated that heretofore is generally viewed as worthless to the purchaser.  
         [0007]     What is needed is a system, method, and computer program product to transform receipts from these establishments into valuable indicia that provides value to both the customer and to the establishment.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Disclosed is an apparatus, method, system, and computer-program product for producing valuable POS indicia that provides value to both the customer and to the establishment. The apparatus includes a Point-Of-Sale (POS) system for generating a receipt of a commercial transaction at a location of the commercial transaction; a POS receipt module, coupled to the POS system, for signaling to a process that the receipt is to be printed, the module submitting a set of POS data to the process to request a responsive advertising content from the process wherein the set of POS data includes a geographic identifier component of the location; an advertising system for supporting the process, the advertising system responsive to the set of POS data, to provide the responsive advertising content to the POS-resident receipt module wherein the responsive advertising content includes a time and location sensitive individualized advertising message responsive to the geographic identifier component and to a time-of-day of the commercial transaction; wherein the POS-resident receipt module incorporates the responsive advertising content into the receipt provided to a customer associated with the commercial transaction.  
         [0009]     The method includes processes for the manufacture, assembly and use of the disclosed system, with the computer program product including machine-executable instructions for carrying out the disclosed methods.  
         [0010]     Real-time localized (e.g., time, geography and the like) POS indicia are realized that enhance both consumer and merchant value. The disclosed materials enable simple, efficient, and economical transformation of receipts from these establishments into valuable indicia that provide value to both the customer and to the establishment 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a high-level depiction of functionality layout; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of a representative system including an architecture and a provision for a loyalty program feature. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.  
         [0014]     The Nutricate AdServer (NAdS) is designed to download advertisements for incorporation into receipts produced on a restaurant&#39;s Point-of-Sale system. The incorporated patent application describes several examples of exemplary POS indicia incorporated into a POS real-time localized receipt. (Other variations are contemplated and are within the scope of the present invention—the invention is not limited to these examples.)  
         [0015]     Scenario: A foodservice establishment contracts with an advertiser to publish on their customer receipts commercial messages personalized for each customer. The contract might stipulate differing messages for each type of customer as identified by the location of the particular restaurant, the time the meal was purchased and the menu items purchased. The contract may place limits, upper or lower, on impressions in given regions, or at particular restaurants within regions. The contract might stipulate the number of impressions that each category of message can generate. There may be further stipulations of updating the messages and associated graphics with a particular periodicity. And lastly, there may be provisions for periodic updating of all above parameters and syntax.  
         [0016]     Management: This contract is parameterized, and stored in the NAdS&#39;s Contract database. This may be one of several contracts registered with the NAdS, each uniquely identified, and managed and executed alongside others. Contracts between more than one chain and more than one advertiser may coexist on the same server.  
         [0017]     Invocation: As a customer finishes ordering his meal, the counter clerk keys the POS system for a receipt, generating a query to the Nutricate AdServer. The POS identifies itself with a unique identifier; the NAdS queries the POS for location, time-of-service and Purchase Details. For security purposes, an encoded dialog may take place between the two systems before the NAdS accepts the transaction from the POS.  
         [0018]     On authentication, the NAdS searches out the appropriate contract, determines the nature and status of the transaction to be executed, and processes the contract parameters with the POS data. The Content Server then generates the appropriate content, and the NAdS transmits the content to the POS for printing along with the receipt. Registers and servers accumulate data on executed transactions for accounting and billing purposes.  
         [0019]     Caching &amp; Security: To optimize latency in printing whilst ensuring security, it may be desirable in some cases to cache some information, parameters and content on the POS itself, and to replenish and update it only periodically. This would reduce the number of transactions between the POS and NAdS, and may require specific modifications to be made to the POS software.  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a high-level depiction of functionality layout.  FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of a representative system including an architecture and a provision for a loyalty program feature.  
         [0021]     Sequenced Operation within the Nutricate AdServer  
         [0022]     Note that the Query Server (QS) acts as an executive of the system thus invoking various services in turn. (The following is a representative, non-exhaustive example) of an operational sequence.  
         [0023]     1. QS is invoked by the Query Client (QC) with information (Transaction Information): 
    Location and POS information;     Purchase information; and     Customer information.    
 
         [0027]     2. QS calls Transaction Server (TS) for authorization, providing Transaction Information at 1.  
         [0028]     3. TS calls Contract Server to determine contract information (cotan) including contract type and contract limits  
         [0029]     4. TS invokes Billing Server (BS) to obtain authorization. When authorization is obtained, TS returns cotan to QS  
         [0030]     5. QS calls Business Logic Engine (BLE) with cotan and Transaction Information at 1.  
         [0031]     6. BLE determines and passes Content Selection Criteria (cosec) to QS  
         [0032]     7. QS calls Content Server (CS) with cosec and cotan. CS returns advertisement content to QS.  
         [0033]     8. To complete the call from QC, QS does following: 
    a. Calls TS to commit the transaction; TS in turns calls BS to report the transaction; and     b. Returns advertisement content to QC.    
 
         [0036]     Sequenced Operation at the Client End  
         [0037]     Operations described here are triggered at the client-end when a print file is generated by the POS System and sent to the POS Printer. If the Nutricate option is not selected, the print file is simply printed by the POS Printer. Otherwise, the following sequence of operations is followed:  
         [0038]     1. The Parser parses the print file to retrieve the following information for passing to the Query Client (QC): 
    Customer ID; and     Purchase information.    
 
         [0041]     2. Parser passes Purchase Information to Nutricate Receipt Synthesizer (NRS).  
         [0042]     3. NRS generates Nutritional Information to append to receipt (or other consumer interest enhancement information) This enhancement information may be directly integrated into the receipt or more loosely appended to the receipt through other association systems, such as for example a secondary printer).  
         [0043]     4. QC calls the Loyalty Program Server with Customer ID to obtain any customer information available.  
         [0044]     5. QC obtains location and POS information from the Local Information Store.  
         [0045]     6. For getting advertisement content, QC calls QS with following information: 
    Location and POS information;     Purchase information; and     customer information.    
 
         [0049]     7. The QC passes the advertisement content NRS.  
         [0050]     8. NRS recreates the Receipt by placing nutritional information, advertisement content and POS receipt in appropriate sequence.  
         [0051]     9. NRS sends the Receipt to the POS printer.  
         [0052]     As described herein, commercial establishment includes commercial entities individually or collectively, and any or all of such establishments could be networked together and linked by cross-selling relationships, with receipts from each establishment carry advertising messages relating to customer opportunities at other linked establishments.  
         [0053]     As described above, consumer interest enhancement information may include other types of information different from or in addition to nutritional information (as appropriate for the commercial entity and consumer pool). The embodiments of the present invention include options to directly or loosely couple one or more of the consumer interest enhancement information and/or the advertising content onto the receipt. These optional couplings include different modes of associating the content to the receipt such as direct integration into the receipt, production of an ancilliary receipt or generation of a token or other mechanism to retrieve the information through some other communication channel (e.g., download from a computer system or kiosk adapted for this purpose).  
         [0054]     The additional information (consumer interest enhancement information and/or the advertising content) is preferably transaction sensitive information responsive to a transaction attribute (e.g., time and/or geographic location and/or other characteristic(s) of the transaction including data regarding the consumer and/or commercial entity and the commercial transaction).  
         [0055]     The system, method, computer program product, and propagated signal described in this application may, of course, be embodied in hardware; e.g., within or coupled to a Central Processing Unit (“CPU”), microprocessor, microcontroller, System on Chip (“SOC”), or any other programmable device. Additionally, the system, method, computer program product, and propagated signal may be embodied in software (e.g., computer readable code, program code, instructions and/or data disposed in any form, such as source, object or machine language) disposed, for example, in a computer usable (e.g., readable) medium configured to store the software. Such software enables the function, fabrication, modeling, simulation, description and/or testing of the apparatus and processes described herein. For example, this can be accomplished through the use of general programming languages (e.g., C, C++), GDSII databases, hardware description languages (HDL) including Verilog HDL, VHDL, AHDL (Altera HDL) and so on, or other available programs, databases, nanoprocessing, and/or circuit (i.e., schematic) capture tools. Such software can be disposed in any known computer usable medium including semiconductor, magnetic disk, optical disc (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and the like) and as a computer data signal embodied in a computer usable (e.g., readable) transmission medium (e.g., carrier wave or any other medium including digital, optical, or analog-based medium). As such, the software can be transmitted over communication networks including the Internet and intranets. A system, method, computer program product, and propagated signal embodied in software may be included in a semiconductor intellectual property core (e.g., embodied in HDL) and transformed to hardware in the production of integrated circuits. Additionally, a system, method, computer program product, and propagated signal as described herein may be embodied as a combination of hardware and software.  
         [0056]     One of the preferred implementations of the present invention is as a routine in an operating system made up of programming steps or instructions resident in a memory of a computing system, during computer operations. Until required by the computer system, the program instructions may be stored in another readable medium, e.g. in a disk drive, or in a removable memory, such as an optical disk for use in a CD or DVD computer input or in a floppy disk for use in a floppy disk drive computer input. Further, the program instructions may be stored in the memory of another computer prior to use in the system of the present invention and transmitted over a LAN or a WAN, such as the Internet, when required by the user of the present invention. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media in a variety of forms.  
         [0057]     Any suitable programming language can be used to implement the routines of the present invention including C, C++, Java, assembly language, etc. Different programming techniques can be employed such as procedural or object oriented. The routines can execute on a single processing device or multiple processors. Although the steps, operations or computations may be presented in a specific order, this order may be changed in different embodiments. In some embodiments, multiple steps shown as sequential in this specification can be performed at the same time. The sequence of operations described herein can be interrupted, suspended, or otherwise controlled by another process, such as an operating system, kernel, etc. The routines can operate in an operating system environment or as stand-alone routines occupying all, or a substantial part, of the system processing.  
         [0058]     In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0059]     A “computer-readable medium” for purposes of embodiments of the present invention may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, system or device. The computer readable medium can be, by way of example only but not by limitation, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, system, device, propagation medium, or computer memory.  
         [0060]     A “processor” or “process” includes any human, hardware and/or software system, mechanism or component that processes data, signals or other information. A processor can include a system with a general-purpose central processing unit, multiple processing units, dedicated circuitry for achieving functionality, or other systems. Processing need not be limited to a geographic location, or have temporal limitations. For example, a processor can perform its functions in “real time,” “offline,” in a “batch mode,” etc. Portions of processing can be performed at different times and at different locations, by different (or the same) processing systems.  
         [0061]     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “a specific embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and not necessarily in all embodiments. Thus, respective appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in a specific embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0062]     Embodiments of the invention may be implemented by using a programmed general purpose digital computer, by using application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, optical, chemical, biological, quantum or nanoengineered systems, components and mechanisms may be used. In general, the functions of the present invention can be achieved by any means as is known in the art. Distributed, or networked systems, components and circuits can be used. Communication, or transfer, of data may be wired, wireless, or by any other means.  
         [0063]     It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application. It is also within the spirit and scope of the present invention to implement a program or code that can be stored in a machine-readable medium to permit a computer to perform any of the methods described above.  
         [0064]     Additionally, any signal arrows in the drawings/Figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise specifically noted. Furthermore, the term “or” as used herein is generally intended to mean “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted, where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.  
         [0065]     As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.  
         [0066]     The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0067]     Thus, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of embodiments of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Therefore, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.