Abstract:
The present invention relates to providing a system for allowing coupon-based transaction, and, more particularly, to system and method for facilitating point-of-sale transaction based on the use of coupons.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/763,296, filed Jan. 16, 2013, entitled “Apparatus, System and Method for Dynamic Discounting and Payment Processes. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to providing a system for allowing coupon-based transaction, and, more particularly, to system and method for facilitating point-of-sale transaction based on the use of coupons. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention may enable retail establishment to offer electronic transaction processing using existing point-of-sale hardware and software and may allow for the use of coupons for payment processing. 
         [0004]    The present invention provides a computer-implemented system for a mobile, user-friendly payment processing solution which may be compatible with legacy infrastructure and modern forms of payment processes such as, for example, NFS, and other payment processing solution and platform, Paypal (with email and sms, and the like), Google, and Square. One major problem for existing retailers and legacy infrastructure is the inability to sync and or easily communicate with current alternative payment processing options. For example, retailers, such as Starbucks for example, are upgrading their point-of-sale systems to be able to use existing bar codes readers for not only product skews and coupons, but for payment processing. It is estimated that less than 10% (or far lower), of existing retailer systems can use bar code readers for payment processing. 
         [0005]    The present invention may leverage the integrated, and near ubiquitous coupon functionality of point-of-service and bar code readers for payment processing and may facilitate product and/or retailer-based promotional campaigns, that may enable retailers, marketers, manufacturers to provides rebates, discounts, and the like, to consumers at point/time of transaction(s). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system for use in accordance with herein described systems and methods; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing an exemplary networked computing environment for use in accordance with herein described systems and methods; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing an exemplary method of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    A computer-implemented platform and methods of use are disclosed that provide networked access to a plurality of payment processing types, including but not limited to coupon and virtual-coupon information that may allow for existing retail and service payment processing system to provide a mobile and/or personalized solution to payments and advertising, such as via one or more applications, or “apps.” Described embodiments are intended to be exemplary and not limiting. As such, it is contemplated that the herein described systems and methods can be adapted to provide many types of users with access and delivery of many types of payment options, and can be extended to provide enhancements and/or additions to the exemplary services described. The invention is intended to include all such extensions. Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary and illustrative embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary computing system  100  that can be used in accordance with herein described system and methods. Computing system  100  is capable of executing software, such as an operating system (OS) and a variety of computing applications  190 . The operation of exemplary computing system  100  is controlled primarily by computer readable instructions, such as instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as hard disk drive (HDD)  115 , optical disk (not shown) such as a CD or DVD, solid state drive (not shown) such as a USB “thumb drive,” or the like. Such instructions may be executed within central processing unit (CPU)  110  to cause computing system  100  to perform operations. In many known computer servers, workstations, personal computers, mobile devices, and the like, CPU  110  is implemented in an integrated circuit called a processor. 
         [0012]    It is appreciated that, although exemplary computing system  100  is shown to comprise a single CPU  110 , such description is merely illustrative as computing system  100  may comprise a plurality of CPUs  110 . Additionally, computing system  100  may exploit the resources of remote CPUs (not shown), for example, through communications network  170  or some other data communications means. 
         [0013]    In operation, CPU  110  fetches, decodes, and executes instructions from a computer readable storage medium such as HDD  115 . Such instructions can be included in software such as an operating system (OS), executable programs, and the like. Information, such as computer instructions and other computer readable data, is transferred between components of computing system  100  via the system&#39;s main data-transfer path. The main data-transfer path may use a system bus architecture  105 , although other computer architectures (not shown) can be used, such as architectures using serializers and deserializers and crossbar switches to communicate data between devices over serial communication paths. System bus  105  can include data lines for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for sending interrupts and for operating the system bus. Some busses provide bus arbitration that regulates access to the bus by extension cards, controllers, and CPU  110 . Devices that attach to the busses and arbitrate access to the bus are called bus masters. Bus master support also allows multiprocessor configurations of the busses to be created by the addition of bus master adapters containing processors and support chips. 
         [0014]    Memory devices coupled to system bus  105  can include random access memory (RAM)  125  and read only memory (ROM)  130 . Such memories include circuitry that allows information to be stored and retrieved. ROMs  130  generally contain stored data that cannot be modified. Data stored in RAM  125  can be read or changed by CPU  110  or other hardware devices. Access to RAM  125  and/or ROM  130  may be controlled by memory controller  120 . Memory controller  120  may provide an address translation function that translates virtual addresses into physical addresses as instructions are executed. Memory controller  120  may also provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the system and isolates system processes from user processes. Thus, a program running in user mode can normally access only memory mapped by its own process virtual address space; it cannot access memory within another process&#39; virtual address space unless memory sharing between the processes has been set up. 
         [0015]    In addition, computing system  100  may contain peripheral controller  135  responsible for communicating instructions using a peripheral bus from CPU  110  to peripherals, such as printer  140 , keyboard  145 , and mouse  150 . An example of a peripheral bus is the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. 
         [0016]    Display  160 , which is controlled by display controller  155 , can be used to display visual output generated by computing system  100 . Such visual output may include text, graphics, animated graphics, and/or video, for example. Display  160  may be implemented with a CRT-based video display, an LCD-based display, gas plasma-based display, touch-panel, or the like. Display controller  155  includes electronic components required to generate a video signal that is sent to display  160 . 
         [0017]    Further, computing system  100  may contain network adapter  165  which may be used to couple computing system  100  to an external communication network  170 , which may include or provide access to the Internet, and hence which may provide or include tracking of and access to the domain data discussed herein. Communications network  170  may provide user access to computing system  100  with means of communicating and transferring software and information electronically, and may be coupled directly to computing system  100 , or indirectly to computing system  100 , such as via PSTN or cellular network  180 . For example, users may communicate with computing system  100  using communication means such as email, direct data connection, virtual private network (VPN), Skype or other online video conferencing services, or the like. Additionally, communications network  170  may provide for distributed processing, which involves several computers and the sharing of workloads or cooperative efforts in performing a task. It is appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing communications links between computing system  100  and remote users may be used. 
         [0018]    It is appreciated that exemplary computing system  100  is merely illustrative of a computing environment in which the herein described systems and methods may operate and does not limit the implementation of the herein described systems and methods in computing environments having differing components and configurations, as the inventive concepts described herein may be implemented in various computing environments using various components and configurations. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , computing system  100  can be deployed in networked computing environment  200 . In general, the above description for computing system  100  applies to server, client, and peer computers deployed in a networked environment, for example, server  205 , laptop computer  210 , and desktop computer  230 .  FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary illustrative networked computing environment  200 , with a server in communication with client computing and/or communicating devices via a communications network, in which the herein described apparatus and methods may be employed. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , server  205  may be interconnected via a communications network  240  (which may include any of, or any combination of, a fixed-wire or wireless LAN, WAN, intranet, extranet, peer-to-peer network, virtual private network, the Internet, or other communications network such as POTS, ISDN, VoIP, PSTN, etc.) with a number of client computing/communication devices such as laptop computer  210 , wireless mobile telephone  215 , wired telephone  220 , personal digital assistant  225 , user desktop computer  230 , and/or other communication enabled devices (not shown). Server  205  can comprise dedicated servers operable to process and communicate data such as digital content  250  to and from client devices  210 ,  215 ,  220 ,  225 ,  230 , etc. using any of a number of known protocols, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), simple object access protocol (SOAP), wireless application protocol (WAP), or the like. Additionally, networked computing environment  200  can utilize various data security protocols such as secured socket layer (SSL), pretty good privacy (PGP), virtual private network (VPN) security, or the like. Each client device  210 ,  215 ,  220 ,  225 ,  230 , etc. can be equipped with an operating system operable to support one or more computing and/or communication applications, such as a web browser (not shown), email (not shown), or independently developed applications, the like, to interact with server  205 . 
         [0021]    The server  205  may thus deliver applications specifically designed for mobile client devices, such as, for example, client device  225 . A client device  225  may be any mobile telephone, PDA, tablet or smart phone and may have any device compatible operating system. Such operating systems may include, for example, Symbian, RIM Blackberry OS, Android, Apple iOS, Windows Phone, Palm webOS, Maemo, bada, MeeGo, Brew OS, and Linux for smartphones and tablets. Although many mobile operating systems may be programmed in C++, some may be programmed in Java and .NET, for example. Some operating systems may or may not allow for the use of a proxy server and some may or may not have on-device encryption. Of course, because many of the aforementioned operating systems are proprietary, in prior art embodiments server  205  delivered to client device  225  only those applications and that content applicable to the operating system and platform communication relevant to that client device  225  type. 
         [0022]    JavaScript Serialized Object Notation (JSON), a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data-interchange format, is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language, Standard ECMA-262, 3.sup.rd Edition, dated December 1999. JSON syntax is a text format defined with a collection of name/value pairs and an ordered list of values. JSON is very useful for sending structured data over wire (e.g., the Internet) that is lightweight and easy to parse. It is language and platform independent, but uses conventions that are familiar to C-family programming conventions. The JSON language is thus compatible with a great many operating systems (a list of such systems is available at www.json.org). 
         [0023]    In an embodiment of the present invention, a user may access the present invention through a GUI and participate in platform which may allow a user to pay for services/goods provided through a coupon which may be scanned at the point of payment by a point-of-service (POS) system. 
         [0024]    A clearing house form EDI, API, Web Services, and the like, may be integrated with at least one POS systems and/or Couponing Systems. Such integration may enable a clearing house to view, read, write, delete, add, etc. Coupon registration and skews into the present invention, such as through a retailer engine by, in part, tracking and utilizing user attributes. User attributes may include, for example, location, age and other demographics, frequency of system usage and/or purchasing of a particular service and/or good. 
         [0025]    Within the present invention, a consumer may register with the provided clearinghouse, install an HTML or native mobile application, for example. A user may then create and/or register their account with any payment option or combination, including but not limited to Visa, Amex, Mastercard, Diners Club, Debit Card, eCheck, bank account, ACH and/or other known monetary transaction processing means (such as, for example, third party facilitators such as PayPal and Google Wallet). 
         [0026]    In an embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the consumer may shop at any store, that supports a coupon-enabled POS (which is majority). The user/consumer may take items to check out and have the store clerk process the transaction/purchase. When a total price is quoted (or before), for example, $101.25, a user/consumer may activate the present invention (which may be in the form of a mobile application) and enter in his/her personal code, PIN or other user identification (if such a code is required). The user may then request or have automatically generated for them, based on location metrics, for example, a new Dynamic Personal Coupon (DPC), for the specific purchase. 
         [0027]    The DPC may allow for a default payment method or the user may select a specific payment method (Visa, Bank, AMEX, etc.). More specifically, such a request may be sent to a clearinghouse of the present invention which may allow for authorizing user, providing a payment ID/PIN, and transaction amount. 
         [0028]    If, for example, the transaction is cleared, for example over payment ability and/or authorization of user, the clearinghouse of the present invention may, in real time. deliver back, or authorize the local (on consumer&#39;s smartphone, pda) display of DPC. This can be presented as a Promotion Code, QR Code, Bar Code or an NFC transmission. The DPC may equate to exactly the total purchase price and may include cash-back and/or gratuity, for example. Such DPC may have a half-life (10 seconds, up to 1 hour), which may be set by the present invention and/or store/retailer. The present invention may cancel or control the active nature of the DPC, down to single redemption, time or time-independent, for example. 
         [0029]    As further illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a retailer may scan the DPC, which may fulfill (account for), the total purchase price of the goods/services received by the payor. Depending on the POS system in use, the DPC redemption may be sent back by the retailer, for example, to the present invention which in turn may distribute payment directly to the retailer. If the POS system is older, for example, the retailer may manually type in their 5-6 digit retailer code, or other identification code, directly the present invention (such as on a retailer specific application, for example, on a PDA) which may provide payment location/sync. 
         [0030]    There are numerous derivatives to this invention, but the primary unique and novel idea is to leverage a dynamic, personal, digital couponing system, to provide a scalable and open payment platform, potentially able to work with any smartphone or POS system. 
         [0031]    Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the herein described systems and methods are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions. There is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to the specific constructions described herein. Rather, the herein described systems and methods are intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the scope and spirit of the invention and its equivalents.