Patent Publication Number: US-8533032-B2

Title: Method of generating and redeeming coupons

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/251,991, filed Oct. 3, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/528,501, filed Sep. 27, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,032,410, issued Oct. 4, 2011, which are both incorporated herein by reference. 
     This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/697,913, filed Apr. 9, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,933,800, issued Apr. 26, 2011, which is also a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/528,501, filed Sep. 27, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Coupons have been used for decades to encourage consumers to patronize a particular business or to buy a particular product. In general, coupons entitle consumers to receive a commercial advantage such as a discount on a particular purchase. Conventional coupons are presented to consumers such that each offer for a commercial advantage is included on a different coupon accompanied by a different offer code such as a bar code, etc. configured to identify the offer to a point-of-sale terminal (e.g., a personal computer or other device accessing a retail website, a check-out terminal or kiosk, etc.). In this manner, a consumer wishing to receive a plurality of commercial advantages generally must present a plurality of discrete coupons at the point-of-sale terminal where each coupon corresponds with a different product being purchased or otherwise corresponds to a discount for which the purchase is eligible. 
     Coupon collection has become increasingly difficult as avenues for distributing coupons have grown. For example, coupons are commonly distributed by direct mail, point-of-sale displays, handouts, newspaper and magazine advertisements, printed matter on products such as sales receipts, circulated through direct retail sale, email or web distribution, and in other ways. As a result, in order to find coupons corresponding to products that interest a consumer, the consumer may be required to search through a large volume of material. In addition, once coupons are collected, a consumer is required to store the coupons in a manner permitting the coupon to be subsequently located for on-demand use at the point-of-sale terminal. Difficulties collecting and redeeming coupons are further emphasized when the coupon offers being collected have different terms of use or redemption, such as different expiration dates or valid periods for use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of generating and redeeming a plurality of coupons includes generating a first coupon, generating a second coupon, distributing the first coupon to the first consumer, and distributing the second coupon to the second consumer. Generating a first coupon includes selecting a first group of offers from a plurality of offers based on prior purchasing behavior of a first consumer such that the first group of offers is individually customized to the first consumer, and printing a first bar code identifying a first account and indicating that the first coupon relates to the first group of offers. The first account includes a status of each of the first group of offers and is associated with the first consumer. Generating a second coupon includes selecting a second group of offers from the plurality of offers based on prior purchasing behavior of a second consumer such that the second group of offers is individually customized to the second consumer, and printing a second bar code identifying a second account and indicating that the second coupon relates to the second group of offers. The second account includes a status of each of the second group of offers and is associated with the second consumer. Each of the plurality of offers is redeemable for a discount on a corresponding one of a plurality of products offered for sale, and the first group of offers differs from the second group of offers. Other related products and methods are also disclosed and provide additional advantages. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the figures, in which like reference numerals designate like elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is flow chart generally illustrating a coupon system, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view illustration of one embodiment of a multiple offer coupon, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a coupon identification code. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a database of the coupon system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of coupon designations stored in the database of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a front view illustration of one embodiment of a multiple offer coupon, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear view illustration of a coupon card of  FIG. 6 , according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a front view illustration of one embodiment of a multiple offer coupon included on a sales receipt, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view illustration of one embodiment of a multiple offer coupon, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart illustrating a method of generating and redeeming a multiple offer coupon, according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a front view illustration of one embodiment of a status printout printed during the method of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method of redeeming a multiple offer coupon as part of the method of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A coupon is provided for presenting a plurality of offers for commercial advantage to a consumer wherein each of the plurality of offers is associated with a single coupon identification code. In particular, unlike conventional paper coupons that are individually clipped, organized, and taken to the retail store, coupons according to embodiments described herein provide a system and method for the consumer to redeem a plurality of offers using one disposable coupon. By associating a plurality of offers with a single coupon identification code, a more efficient and convenient method of providing commercial incentives is provided. 
     Not only are such coupons more convenient for consumers, but the coupons described herein are more efficient due to the single identification code that is scanned or otherwise entered at the point of sale. Accordingly, the time spent at the point of sale to complete a single purchase transaction is decreased for the consumer and the retail setting. Decreasing the overall time each consumer spends in the checkout line or in completing a purchasing transaction provides a more attractive shopping environment and experience, increases overall efficiency of the retail establishment, decreases the labor necessary to handle consumer purchases, and improves the bottom line of retailers from which products are purchased. In addition, in one embodiment, the coupons can be entered at the point of sale at any time during the transaction rather than only at the end of the transaction as is typical for conventional coupons. The flexibility of when the coupons described herein are entered during the transaction provides additional attributes of convenience. 
     Furthermore, according to embodiments described herein, database marketing can be incorporated to generate multiple offer coupons customized to particular consumers based upon their purchase history, demographics, and/or other pertinent factors. Since the offers presented to the one or more consumers are based on prior information about the consumer, the likelihood that a coupon will be redeemed is increased. Increased coupon redemption is typically desired as it generally corresponds to an increase in the number of products sold to consumers. As a result, the effectiveness of the marketing initiative associated with a multiple offer coupon is enhanced. 
     Turning to the figures,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a coupon system  10  configured to provide for generation and redemption of coupons  12  presenting multiple promotional offers for commercial advantage. Coupon system  10  includes a database  14  and a coupon generation processor  16 . Database  14  is configured to store information that can be used to generate coupons  12  containing multiple offers that are targeted to particular consumers. It should be understood that database  14  may be a single database or any suitable collection or arrangement of databases or memory storage. Coupon generation processor  16  is in communication with database  14  and is configured to process information stored in database  14  to generate particular multiple offer coupons  12  as desired. 
     Each coupon  12  generated by coupon generation processor  16  generally includes a plurality of offers for commercial advantage. Coupon  12  may be any linked to any suitable promotion or other presentation and includes details regarding a plurality of offers for commercial advantage. In one embodiment, in order to facilitate redemption of the offers, coupon  12  includes or is otherwise associated with a corresponding coupon identification code  18 . Coupon identification code  18  is stored in database  14  and is linked to the particular details of the offers, etc. associated with a particular coupon  12 . As such, coupon identification code  18  is one example of means for linking each of the plurality of offers to a single coupon identification code. 
     Generated coupons  12  are distributed to consumers and can subsequently be redeemed at either a retailer point-of-sale (POS) terminal  20  or a remote point-of-sale (POS) terminal  22 . In one embodiment, POS terminals  20  and  22  are in communication with database  14  via network  24  and network  26 , respectively. In one example, each POS terminal  20  and  22  includes a memory or other database  21  and  23 , respectively, that can be used among other things to store the details of available offers. Accordingly, each POS terminal  20  and  22  is configured to use coupon identification code  18  to identify offers associated with coupon  12  and to access details of the identified offers stored in database  14  and/or the respective memory  21  or  23 . Using the offer details, each terminal  20  and  22  is configured to accept and redeem the offers associated with coupon  12  and, thereby, to award the consumer with a commercial advantage on a purchase being made at the corresponding POS terminal  20  or  22 . 
     POS terminals  20  and  22  are each any cash register, kiosk, self-service check-out station, personal computer, or any other suitable terminal including a computer processing unit configured to process consumer purchases for retail sale transaction. In one embodiment, retailer POS terminal  20  is located at the retail setting and is configured to process a purchases for sale to a consumer. In one embodiment, remote POS terminal  22  is remotely located from the retail setting and is configured to allow consumer interaction with a retailer website (not shown) to make one or more purchases. In one embodiment, one of retailer POS terminal  20  and remote POS terminal  22  is not present. 
     The term “network” as used herein includes an intranet communication link, an Internet communication link, or similar communication link. In one embodiment, networks  24  and/or  26  include an Internet communication link providing access to the worldwide web. In one embodiment, where database  14  is maintained by the retailer associated with retailer POS terminal  20 , network  24  may be an intranet network or private network available only to one or more retail settings associated with the overall retailer and not generally available to the public. In this manner, network  24  allows for remote communication between retailer POS and terminal  20  and database  14 . 
     In one embodiment, remote POS terminal  22  is a personal computer located at the consumer&#39;s home or other location wherein the consumer is able to view a retailer website or to otherwise remotely communicate with a retailer via network  26 . In this respect, in one embodiment, network  26  includes the Internet, and introduction of coupon identification code  18  to remote POS terminal  22  allows a consumer purchasing goods or services from the retailer website to redeem offers associated with corresponding coupon  12  via network  26  as outlined in the offer details stored in database  14 . It should be noted that while networks  24  and  26  are illustrated and primarily described as being discrete networks  24  and  26 , in one embodiment, networks  24  and  26  are the same network or have at least one communication link in common. 
     One embodiment of coupon  12  is more specifically illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In one example, coupon  12  is printed on or otherwise affixed to sheet-like media  30 , such as paper, paper board, plastic, or other suitable base substrate. In one embodiment, coupon  12  is in an electronic format delivered to a consumer via email or on a retailer website and can be subsequently printed to media  30  or maintained in a solely electronic format. Coupon  12  may be distributed to a consumer in any variety of manners such as by direct mail, email, website display, point-of-sale displays, handouts, newspaper and magazine advertisements, printed matter on products such as a transaction receipt, circulated through direct retail sale, and other suitable distribution means. 
     Coupon  12  generally includes offer details  32  and a redemption portion  34 . Offer details  32  indicate various specifics regarding individual offers being made with coupon  12 . For instance, offer details  32  include product indicia  36  (generally indicated in  FIG. 2 ) and discount indicia  38 . In one embodiment, product indicia  36  identify what goods and/or services, if any, are associated with an offer. Product indicia  36  include a name and/or brand  36   a  of the product and/or a graphical depiction  36   b  of the product associated with the offer being presented where the product may be one or more of a good and a service offered for retail sale. 
     Discount indicia  38  include information about the type of commercial advantage being offered. For example, discount indicia  38  may indicate that the offer is for a dollar amount off of a product purchase price, for a percentage off the product purchase price, for a percentage off a total cost of a purchase, for a free product when another product is purchased, or for any other suitable commercial advantage. In one embodiment, product indicia  36  and/or discount indicia  38  are provided for each of the plurality of offers being made with coupon  12 . In one embodiment, a check box  40  or other suitable demarcation is also included on coupon  12  to facilitate consumer tracking of which offers have been redeemed during purchasing transactions. As such, check box  40  is one example of means for manually tracking redemption of a plurality of offers for commercial advantage. 
     Redemption portion  34  includes information regarding and/or facilitating redemption of the offers presented with coupon  12 . In one embodiment, redemption portion  34  includes retailer indicia  50  and use restriction indicia  52 . Retailer indicia  50  indicate the name, logo, trademark, or other identifier of a retailer configured to accept and redeem coupon  12  and to provide a consumer with the offered commercial advantage. Use restriction indicia  52  inform a consumer of the terms of use of a particular coupon  12  or for individual offers provided by coupon  12 . For example, restriction indicia  52  may include one or more of an expiration date, a period for use, a limitation on the quantity of items for which an offer may be applied, a limitation of the number of times an offer may be redeemed, a list of exclusions, instructions regarding how to redeem the offers of coupon  12 , and any other suitable terms or limitations affecting use of coupon  12 . 
     In one embodiment, redemption portion  34  includes coupon identification code  18  configured to be scanned, read, or otherwise entered into one or both of POS terminals  20  and  22  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, coupon identification code  18  is one or more of a magnetic strip, a linear bar code (a bar code having data encoded in one direction), a multi-dimensional bar code (a bar code having data encoded in at least two directions), a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a string of characters (e.g., numbers and/or letters), etc. Coupon identification code  18  is configured to link coupon  12  to a detailed description of the terms of the offers included therein stored in database  14  as will be further described below. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in one embodiment, coupon identification code  18  is a bar code and includes information configured to facilitate processing of coupon  12 . In one example, coupon identification code  18  includes a plurality of information identifiers including one or more of a bar code identifier  60 , a coupon type identifier  62 , an account identifier  64 , a master offer identifier  66 , and a check digit  68 . In one example, coupon identification code  18  links coupon  12  to one or more offers, but does not include information regarding the details of such offers (i.e., identify products, discount amounts, or other offer terms). Bar code identifier  60  is configured to identify the origin of coupon  12 , such as from the retailer, manufacturer, or other promoting entity. 
     Coupon type identifier  62  signifies that coupon  12  relates to multiple offers for discounts or other commercial advantages rather than a single product. In one embodiment, account identifier  64  is configured to provide a substantially unique identifier associated with each coupon  12  as compared with other similar multiple offer coupons. By providing each coupon  12  with a substantially unique account identifier  64 , fraud in redeeming coupon  12  can be decreased. For example, in one embodiment, the substantially unique account identifier  64  may be used to prevent or decrease the redemption of copies, such as photocopies, of the originally rendered coupon  12 . In addition, account identifier  64  generally facilitates tracking of coupon  12 . For instance, in mass mailings each coupon  12  may be provided with a different account identifier  64  to facilitate tracking of which coupons  12  were redeemed, etc. or to otherwise differentiate each coupon  12  from other similar coupons. 
     In one example, account identifier  64  corresponds to a particular account stored in database  14  (or other storage module associated with coupon system  10 ) and is configured to facilitate tracking and use of coupon  12 . In one embodiment, account identifier  64  corresponds to an account (for example, a consumer profile  74  or coupon designation  76  described below with respect to  FIG. 4 ) associated with a consumer to whom coupon  12  was originally distributed. In this manner, each individual consumer corresponds with a different account identifier  64  or set of information corresponding to their particular consumer profile. Accordingly, usage of coupon  12  can be tracked to the account and, in some cases, to the consumer who originally received the promotion, and a retailer or provider of coupon  12  can evaluate the effectiveness of the distribution including coupon  12  by analyzing the rate of offer redemption. As such, account identifier  64  is one example of means for associating the plurality of offers with a consumer. 
     In one example, when account identifier  64  is linked with a consumer, account identifier  64  is only generally linked thereto. For instance, account identifier  64  may be associated with a financial instrument (such as a check, credit card, etc.) used and assumed to be associated with an unnamed consumer and, as such, in one embodiment, is not specifically linked to a named consumer. In one embodiment, account identifier  64  is merely a number or representation included to differentiate a first coupon  12  from a second similar coupon without being linked to an account stored by coupon system  10 . 
     In one embodiment, master offer identifier  66  provides information regarding the particular offers being presented with coupon  12 . More specifically, master offer identifier  66  corresponds with a portion of database  14  and/or memories  21  and/or  23  that defines the offers included with each coupon  12  and the terms of each corresponding offer. In one example, master offer identifier  66  provides information regarding a pool of offers wherein only a portion of the offers included in the pool are actually redeemable with coupon  12 . Master offer identifier  66  generally includes only an address or other pointer to a portion of database  14  and/or memory  21  or  23  that includes the details of what offers are associated with coupon  12 . In one embodiment, master offer identifier  66  and, in one example, coupon identification code  18  as a whole, are characterized as not including the terms of the corresponding offers such as the products or value of the commercial advantage being offered. Rather, the offer terms or details are only included in database  14  and/or POS terminal  20  and/or  22  and not in coupon identification code  18  itself. Check digit  68  is generated to permit checking that proper scanning of the remainder of coupon identification code  18  was completed. 
     In other embodiments, coupon identification code  18  includes other informational items and/or all the identifiers  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 , and  68  discussed above may not be included. Other alterations of the information included in coupon identification code  18  will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this patent application. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in one embodiment, database  14  includes information for generating and/or redeeming coupon  12 . In one embodiment, database  14  includes offer definitions  70 , coupon generation rules  72 , consumer profiles  74 , and coupon code destinations  76 . Offer definitions  70  include details regarding each individual offer that may potentially be presented to a consumer. In particular, offer definitions  70  may include information such as a type of offer, a product that an offer relates to, a value of the offer, and/or any restrictions associated with the offer. For example, an offer A (not shown) may be defined in offer definitions  70  as pertaining to a dollar-off discount of brand V peanut butter and may be defined as being available until a particular expiration date. Other details regarding offers may also be included, such as product size definitions, quantity restrictions, etc. In this manner, offer definitions  70  include details regarding any number of offers available for presentation to consumers. In one embodiment, offer definitions  70  are additionally or alternatively stored to POS terminals  20  and/or  22 , more specifically, to memory  21  and/or memory  23  ( FIG. 1 ) respectively included therein, or to another database (not shown) in communication with POS terminals  20  and/or  22 . 
     Coupon generation rules  72  provide general rules for determining which offers defined in offer definitions  70  will be included in a generated coupon  12  ( FIG. 2 ). In this manner, coupon generation rules  72  may be provided for any one of a variety of promotional purposes. For example, coupon generation rules  72  may include rules for providing coupons to new consumers, to seasoned consumers, to consumer who regularly purchase a predefined type of product from the retailer, to consumers of a particular area, to promote a new product, to promote a new media release, to promote a sale, etc. It should be understood that, in one example, coupon generation rules  72  can be modified, new rules added, and/or old rules deleted by a system programmer as desired to achieve a particular promotional goal. 
     In one embodiment, where coupon generation rules  72  include one or more rules for selecting offers based on the historical purchasing behavior of a consumer, database  14  additionally includes consumer profiles  74  or other accounts. Consumer profiles  74  of database  14  include a plurality of consumer profiles each identifying a particular consumer and information about the identified consumer. For instance, a consumer profile  74  may include purchasing history, demographics, or other suitable information relating to a consumer that is useful in selecting offers for presentation to that consumer. In one instance, the consumer may be identified by any one or more of a consumer name, a consumer address, a consumer financial account, a consumer log-in for or an account with a retailer website or other website, etc. 
     For example, where a consumer is identified based on a consumer financial account (i.e., a credit card account number, a checking account number, etc.), all purchases made with a particular credit card account number, checking account number, or other account identifying factor may be used to group such purchases together to define one consumer profile  74 . Consumer profiles  74  may also include demographic information, consumer purchasing tendencies, prior coupon redemption history for the consumer, and any other suitable information for database marketing. Other manners of forming and defining consumer profiles will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this patent application. 
     In one embodiment, coupon generation rules  72  may include a rule configured to select specific offers from offer definitions  70  based specifically upon details of one or more consumer profiles  74 . For example, a consumer who previously purchased a particular product may be more likely to redeem offers relating to, associated with, or competing with the particular product since the consumer is already known to purchase such products. In other examples, coupon generation rules  72  may be configured to select offers relating to products that a consumer has not purchased at the retailer before to encourage a consumer to start purchasing such types of products at the retailer. In this manner, coupon generation rules  72  may include any protocol configured to specifically select offers that a particular consumer is deemed more likely to redeem based on past or current purchasing behavior to achieve a desired promotional result such as to encourage a continuation of past purchasing behavior, an alteration in future purchasing behavior, etc. 
     In one embodiment, coupon generation rules  72  additionally or alternatively define triggering events that initiate coupon generation. For example, a consumer viewing or otherwise selecting a particular web page, item, etc. on a website such as the retailer&#39;s website is defined as a triggering event causing coupon generation processor  16  to generate coupon  12  for delivery to the consumer via the website, etc. In one embodiment, coupon  12  includes a grouping of offers customized to a specific individual consumer or a specific group of consumers such that a first group of offers, which is included on a first coupon  12  and is associated with a first consumer or group of consumers, differs from a second group of offers, which is included on a second coupon  12  and is associated with a second consumer or group of consumers (see, e.g., the different offers associated with different coupon identification codes  18   a ,  18   b  and  18   c  in  FIG. 5 . However, coupon generation rules  72  can be defined to achieve an intermediate level of customization or no customization as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     Additionally referring to  FIG. 1 , coupon generation processor  16  is any processor or suitable system configured to parse offer definitions  70 , coupon generation rules  72 , and/or consumer profiles  74  to define a coupon  12 . Once the details for a particular coupon  12  are selected, a coupon identification code  18  is assigned to coupon  12  and links coupon  12  to the offers selected for coupon  12 . More specifically, in one embodiment, the offer, or at least an identifier thereof, is linked to the assigned coupon identification code  18  as part of a coupon designation  76  stored in database  14  and/or memory  21  and/or  23 . 
       FIG. 5  schematically illustrates records stored as coupon designations  76 . Where a coupon generation processor  16  determines that a coupon  12  with a coupon identification code  18  of “ 18   a ” should include “Offer A,” “Offer B,” etc. such offer information  80  and  82  is recorded. In one embodiment, offer information  80  and  82  further includes a status, in particular, whether an offer is available for redemption, has been used, or is otherwise unavailable for redemption for each offer associated with coupon  12  having coupon identification code “ 18   a .” Other information specific to each coupon  12  may also be included in coupon designations  76 . In one example, coupon designations  76  may identify the name or other identifier of the offers associated with coupon  12  as offer information  80  and  82 , but do not generally include details regarding the terms of each offer. For example, coupon designations may include that “Offer A” and “Offer B” are associated with coupon  12  without designating a particular product, discount amount, expiration date, or other terms of “Offer A” and “Offer B.” 
     In one embodiment, the type  84  of coupon provided may also be included where various types of coupons may be defined. In one embodiment, all offers provided in a particular coupon  12  are of a single type. For example, types of coupons  12  include multi-use coupons, single-use coupons, unlimited-use coupons, etc. Multi-use coupons refer to promotional mechanisms in which coupon  12  can be used during multiple purchase transactions, but where each offer included thereon is available for a single, one-time use. For example, where coupon  12  includes an first offer, such as an offer for one dollar off a purchase price of brand V peanut butter, and a second offer, such as an offer for one dollar off a purchase price of brand W laundry detergent, each of the first offer and the second offer can only be used once even though coupon  12  can be used during multiple purchase transactions. As such, coupon  12  can be used in two separate purchase transactions where the first offer is redeemed on one of the purchase transactions and the second offer is redeemed on a different one of the purchase transactions. First and second offers can also be redeemed on a single transaction so long as each of first and second offers is only redeemed one time. 
     Single use coupons refer to promotional mechanisms that can only be used during a single purchase transaction. For example, where coupon  12  includes a first offer and a different second offer, use of coupon  12  in one purchase transaction prevents use of coupon  12  in any subsequent purchase transactions. The one-time use of coupon  12  is true for all offers associated therewith. For instance, if during a purchase transaction only the first offer is redeemed, all offers including the second offer associated with coupon  12  are voided for use in future purchase transactions. 
     Unlimited use coupons refer to promotional mechanisms that can be used during multiple purchase transactions and each offer within the coupon can also be used during multiple purchase transactions. Unlimited use coupons or any other type of coupon may include an expiration date or other quantity of use expiration such that at some point the promotional mechanism can no longer be redeemed. Such expiration date or other use restrictions, where applicable, are generally recorded as restrictions  86  in coupon designations  76 . For example, where coupon  12  ( FIG. 2 ) includes three distinct offers such as an offer for one dollar off a purchase price of brand V peanut butter, one dollar off a purchase price of brand W laundry detergent, and one dollar off a purchase price of brand X toothpaste, each offer can be redeemed during any number of purchase transactions until that coupon  12  expires on a particular date indicated in use restrictions  40  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Other offer types configured to achieve a promotional goal for the retail setting may be used as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this application. For example, particular offers within a single coupon may expire or be available on different days in order to encourage a consumer to visit a retail setting on a particular day or more than one particular day as desired (i.e. multiple phase coupons). In one example, a multi-use coupon is provided where each offer is available for a predetermined number of times (i.e., a first offer can be redeemed twice and a second offer can be separately redeemed three times) and can be used on a number of transactions. In addition, each coupon designation  76  may include a particular mode of distribution or specifics regarding the format of the corresponding coupon  12  to consumers. For example, coupons may be distributed via direct mail, email, websites, point-of-sale displays, hand-outs, newspaper and magazine advertisements, printed on other products, printed on transaction receipts, etc. Other information may be stored in database  14  in addition to or as an alternative to offer information  80  and  82  (such as offer identification and status), coupon type  84 , and/or coupon restrictions  86  as will be apparent to those of skill in the art. 
     In one embodiment, coupon designations  76  also identify a particular format or configuration of coupon  12 . For example, coupons may be generated in a variety of formats including that illustrated in  FIG. 2  for coupon  12 . For instance, coupons may be provided in a format similar to that illustrated and described for coupon  112  in  FIG. 6 , coupon  212  in  FIG. 8 , coupon  312  in  FIG. 9 , and other suitable coupon configurations. Each of coupons  112 ,  212 , and  312  are similar to coupon  12  as described above and as will primarily be referred to below except for the differences explicitly enumerated herein. It should be understood, that in general, each of coupons  12 ,  112 ,  212 , and  312  can be substituted for each other, such as in the description of the methods of  FIGS. 10 and 12  primarily described below with respect to coupon  12 . 
     More specifically, referring to  FIG. 6 , in coupon  112 , a redemption portion  134  is substituted for redemption portion  34  of coupon  12  of  FIG. 2 . Redemption portion  134  includes information regarding redemption of coupon  112  or at least a portion thereof. In one embodiment, redemption portion  34  includes a coupon card  160  removably coupled with sheet media  30  of coupon  112 , for example, such that coupon card  160  is bordered on at least two sides by sheet media  30  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In one embodiment, coupon card  160  is sized similarly to a credit card or common currency such that coupon card  160  is configured to easily fit within a wallet of a consumer to facilitate availability of coupon card  160  during purchase transactions. With additional reference to the rear view illustration of coupon card  160  in  FIG. 7 , in one embodiment, coupon card  160  includes coupon identification code  18  and one or more of offer details  132 , check boxes  140 , retailer indicia  50 , and use restriction indicia  52 . 
     In one embodiment, additional offer details  132  include additional product indicia  136  and discount indicia  138 . In one example, due in part to the limited space provided on coupon card  160 , additional product indicia  136  and discount indicia  138 , which are similar to product indicia  36  and discount indicia  38 , are provided in an abbreviated format as compared to the format illustrated in  FIG. 6  for product indicia  36  and discount indicia  38 . For example, discount indicia  138  may be generalized to apply to all offers associated with coupon  112  and/or product indicia  136  may list the items included in the offers without graphical or other large representations of the products associated with the offers of coupon  112 . 
     Since coupon card  160  includes coupon identification code  18 , while coupon  112  as a whole can be distributed to consumers for promotional purposes, only coupon card  160  can be removed from media  30 , stored, transported, and presented at POS terminal  20  and/or  22  to redeem the associated offers. Accordingly, the bulk of coupon  112  (i.e., media  30 ) need not be stored and transported, which further increases consumer convenience. In this manner, product indicia  136 , discount indicia  138 , and check boxes  140 , if any, aid a consumer in tracking what offers relate to coupon card  160 , which offers have been used, which offers are still available, etc. 
     Coupon  212  illustrated in  FIG. 8  is printed as part of a receipt  200  provided at retailer POS terminal  20  ( FIG. 1 ) following completion of a purchase transaction. Coupon  212  is printed to include one or more of redemption portion  34  with coupon identification code  18 , product indicia  136 , discount indicia  138 , check boxes  40 , retailer indicia  50 , and use restriction indicia  52 . As such, coupon  212  can be used similarly to coupon  12  described above. 
     Coupon  312  illustrated in  FIG. 9  is printed to or otherwise appears on substrate  30  or is electronically presented to a consumer, for example, via email or when a consumer is viewing a retailer&#39;s website. Coupon  312  includes offer details  332  and redemption portion  334 . Offer details  332  are similar to offer details  32  described with respect to coupon  12  ( FIG. 2 ), but one or more of the offers indicated by offer details  332  relates to a different type of offer. Furthermore, the offers of coupon  312  are illustrated as all relating to a similar brand to illustrate a method of promoting purchase of products related to products previously purchased by a consumer. For example, where a consumer previously purchased brand N fabric sheets, the offers of coupon  312  may relate to other the brand N products, for example, brand N laundry detergent and liquid fabric softener, to encourage consumer brand loyalty as indicated by offer details  332 . Offer details  32 ,  132 , and  332  can readily be substituted for one another. 
     Coupon  312  also includes redemption portion  334 . Redemption portion  334  differs from redemption portion  34  of coupon  12  and redemption portion  134  of coupon  112  as it does not include coupon identification code  18  ( FIG. 2 ). Rather, coupon  312  includes instructions for redemption, namely that the offers indicated by offer details  332  are automatically redeemable by using a retailer credit card (i.e., a credit card associated with the redeeming retailer) to purchase the indicated products or to otherwise make a purchase eligible for an offer (e.g., to make a purchase of sufficient size such as for $ 50  or more to receive ten percent off the purchase). 
     In one embodiment, coupon designations  76  stored in database  14  ( FIG. 1 ) are stored as part of a financial account or record associated with the retailer credit card such that, upon use of the retailer credit card, POS terminal  20  or  22  ( FIG. 1 ) accessing database  14  is instructed to apply each offer indicated by coupon  12  where applicable. In this manner, a consumer need not present any additional information at POS terminal  20  or  22  ( FIG. 1 ) to redeem an offer, other than the retailer credit card, to pay for any purchases made. Other suitable formats and associated methods of linking a multiple offer coupon with a financial account or record (e.g., a retailer credit card) may alternatively or additionally utilized. Other types and formats of coupons  12 ,  112 ,  212 , and  312  are also contemplated. 
       FIG. 10  is a flow chart generally illustrating one embodiment of a method for generating and redeeming a multiple offer coupon generally at  400  and is described with additional reference to  FIG. 1 . Method  400  includes gathering consumer data at  402 . Consumer data can be gathered at  402  in any suitable manner, such as per known purchase behavior modeling techniques. For instance, consumer purchases made at a particular retailer such as by POS terminal  20  or  22  can be systematically stored to database  14  as consumer profiles  74  ( FIG. 4 ) based on a linking account identifier such as a financial account number, etc. as described above. In this manner, at  404 , consumer data including the purchases commonly made by a consumer, the monetary purchase volume of a consumer, the frequency of purchases made by a consumer, etc. for a particular consumer (or at least with a financial account associated with a particular consumer) is gathered, tabulated, and/or otherwise tracked and stored to database  14  to create a consumer profile  404 . 
     At  406 , coupon  12  is generated. In particular, in one example, prior to generating coupon  12 , at  408 , individual offers are defined and stored as offer definitions  70  ( FIG. 4 ) to database  14  and/or memory  21  and/or  23 . As described above, individual offers may be defined to offer any commercial advantage linked to a product for purchase or other purchase identifying factor. At  410 , a coupon generation rule  72  ( FIG. 4 ), which provides instructions for selecting offers for association with a coupon to be generated, is defined and stored to database  14 . As described above, coupon generation rules may be defined by a system programmer to achieve any promotional purpose (e.g., to promote repeat purchases, to encourage product loyalty, to promote purchases in related departments, etc.) as will be apparent to those of skill in the art. 
     As such, in one embodiment, generating a coupon at  406  includes coupon generation processor  16  executing the coupon generation rule  72  ( FIG. 4 ) defined at  410  using consumer profile  74  ( FIG. 4 ) as defined at  404  to select a group of two or more offers, which were defined at  408 , for inclusion with coupon  12 . In one example, generating a coupon at  406  includes generating a coupon  12  customized for a particular consumer. In one example, generating a coupon  406  includes generating a coupon  12  configured to be sent to a group of similar consumers. In one embodiment, operations  402  and  404  are eliminated and coupon  12  is generated at  406  without reference to a consumer profile or other account. 
     At  412 , the generated coupons  12  are distributed to corresponding consumers (i.e. the consumers corresponding to consumer profile  74  used to generate coupon  12 ). Coupons  12  may be distributed through any one or more of a variety of means for distributing such as direct mail, email, websites, point-of-sale displays, handouts, newspaper and magazine advertisements, printed matter on products such as cash register receipts, circulated through direct retail sale, etc. More specifically, in one example, coupons  12  are printed to substrate  30  and physically distributed to consumers. In one example, coupons  12  are electronically generated and are electronically delivered to consumers via email or one or more websites. In one embodiment, whether coupons  12  are physically or electronically delivered to consumers, each coupon  12  has a coupon identification code  18  customized to the corresponding consumer(s) or, more particularly, a new or existing consumer profile  74  associated therewith. 
     At  414 , the consumer presents coupon  12  at one of POS terminals  20  and  22 . The retailer via POS terminal  20  or  22  redeems at least one of the offers presented by coupon  12  on the purchase where applicable. For example, if a consumer is purchasing brand V peanut butter and the consumer electronically or manually presents coupon  12  at POS terminal  20  or  22  during the purchase transaction, one dollar will be deducted from one of the price of the peanut butter or the total purchase cost, provided the offer relating to brand V peanut butter is still available for redemption as defined by database  14 . The method of redeeming coupon  12  on a transaction will be further described below with respect to  FIG. 12 . 
     At  416 , a consumer optionally may request a coupon status inquiry be performed by POS terminal  20  or  22  redeeming the coupon at  414  or at any other POS terminal  20  or  22 . Coupon identification code  18  is input into POS terminal  20  or  22 , and POS terminal subsequently communicates with database  14  to access coupon designations  76 , more specifically offer information  80  and  82  including the offer identification and status. As such, the consumer can be updated as to the current status of offers related to coupon  12 , in particular, as to when offers were redeemed, what offers are still available, etc. In one embodiment, performing a coupon status inquire at  416  includes printing the current status of coupon  12  at  418 . A status inquiry  416  can be performed before and/or after coupon  12  is redeemed on a transaction at  414 . 
     One embodiment of a status printout  420  printed at  418  is generally illustrated in  FIG. 11 . In one example, status printout  420  includes similar fields as printed on coupon  12 , such as at least a portion of coupon identification code  18  such as master offer code  66  and retailer indicia  50 . In addition, status printout  420  includes one or more of offer details  432  including product indicia  436 , discount indicia  438 , and a status  480  for each of the offers. Similar to product indicia  36  ( FIG. 2 ), product indicia  436  identify which products, if any, correspond with the offers associated with coupon  12 . Similar to discount indicia  38  ( FIG. 2 ), discount indicia  438  identify the value of the offer. 
     Status  480  indicates at least one of whether an offer is still available, whether an offer has expired, whether an offer has been used, a date the offer expired, a date the offer was used, and other pertinent information. In this manner the consumer is informed of which, if any, of the offers relating to coupon  12  remain available for future use. Accordingly, the consumer is reminded of remaining offers, which thereby encourages a consumer to use the remaining offers for a subsequent purchase. Additional indicia such as indicia  482 , etc. may also be included on status printout  420  to promote coupon use, to entertain consumer, and/or for any other purpose. In one embodiment, all or part of coupon  12  is disposable following completion of method  400  for generating and redeeming multiple offer coupon  12 . 
       FIG. 12  more specifically illustrates one embodiment of a method for redeeming a coupon at  414 , which was previously generally described with respect to  FIG. 10 . Method  414  is described with additional reference to system  10  of  FIG. 1 . Method  414  includes entering coupon identification code  18  into POS terminal  20  or  22  at operation  500 . Coupon identification code  18  can be entered into POS terminal  20  or  22  by scanning (for example, RFID, bar code, or magnetic strip scanning), key pad entry, or other suitable means and, in one embodiment, can be entered at any point during the transaction (for example, prior to product processing, during product processing, or after product processing for sale). At  504 , POS terminal  20  or  22  additionally or alternatively accesses coupon designations  76  ( FIG. 4 ) to determine which offers are presented with coupon  12 . The identified offers are then compared to offer definitions  70  stored in one or more of database  14 , memory  21 , and memory  23  to access the details regarding the terms of those offers. More specifically, at  504 , POS terminal  20  and  22  determines which offers are presented with coupon  12  that are still available for use (i.e., have not expired, have not previously been used, etc. depending on the coupon type) as designated by coupon designations  76 . 
     In addition, at  506 , the products being purchased by the consumer are processed at POS terminal  20  or  22 . Processing the products generally includes entering the product description/identification and the product price into POS terminal  20  or  22 . Accordingly, at  508 , the offers identified at  504  and the products processed at  506  are compared to determine if any of the identified offers can be applied to the purchase of the processed products. For example, if an identified offer is for a one dollar discount on brand X toothpaste, the process products are analyzed to determine if brand X toothpaste is being purchased. If brand X toothpaste is not being purchased, than the one dollar discount is not applied to the transaction. However, if brand X toothpaste is being purchased, then the one dollar discount is applied to the transaction. In one embodiment, operations  500  and  504  can be performed at any time relative to the operation of processing of the products to be purchased at  506 . In particular, operations  500  and/or  504  can be at least partially completed during any one of before, during, or after operation  506 . 
     At  510 , following operation  508 , database  14  is updated to indicate one or more of coupon use, redemption of an offer, to update an offer status, to update a consumer profile  74 , to debit a financial account or record, to record a purchase, to link consumer profiles  74 , etc. In one embodiment, use of coupon  12  is particularly useful in updating the past purchasing history of a consumer. More specifically, as described above, consumer profiles  74  are typically generated based on a number of a financial account previously used to make a purchase at a retail setting. Accordingly, if a single consumer uses multiple financial accounts, such as a first credit card, a second credit card, a checking account, etc., it is possible that multiple consumer profiles  74  (e.g., one of for each financial account) have been generated for a single consumer since there may be no indication that the multiple financial accounts are related. 
     However, where coupon  12  is distributed to the consumer based upon a first consumer profile (i.e., a first credit card) and coupon  12  is redeemed in a transaction using a financial account associated with a second consumer profile (i.e., a second credit card), coupon system  10 , more particularly, database  14  is notified that both the first consumer profile and the second consumer profile relate to a single consumer. Upon such a determination, the two consumer profiles can be merged into one compound consumer profile or can be otherwise linked for future analysis. In this manner, a more complete representation of the purchasing behavior of the consumer can be generated by linking information from the once separate consumer profiles together. 
     At  512 , the purchasing transaction is completed and a receipt is printed at POS terminal  20  or electronically transmitted to POS terminal  22 . In one embodiment, in addition to providing a traditional purchase receipt at  512 , coupon status printout  420  ( FIG. 11 ) may automatically be printed at  514  while in other embodiments, coupon status printout  420  is printed upon explicit inquiry of the status of coupon  12 . The status of the offers is determined based upon database updates entered at  510  and/or the prior recorded status of offers in database  14 . 
     In one embodiment, printing the receipt at  512  additionally includes printing a new coupon, at  516 , such as printing a new coupon  212  ( FIG. 8 ) including a new coupon identification code  18  and corresponding to new offers. In one example, new coupon  212  includes offers generally not related to the offers presented with original coupon  12 . For example, new coupon  212  may be offered during a transaction that renders original coupon  12  void (i.e. no more offers are available for redemption with coupon  12 ). In other examples, new coupon  212  is offered following transactions in which no coupon  12  was redeemed. New coupon  212  may be another multiple offer coupon or any other coupon generally associated with receipt marketing. In one embodiment, operations  514  and/or  516  are eliminated. 
     Although the invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, such embodiments are meant for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered to limit the invention. Various alternatives and other modifications are within the scope of the invention and its various embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill.