Abstract:
A coupon generator system according to the present invention may include a coupon generator, a database, a calendar generator, and a flash coupon generator. The coupon generator may be configured to receive coupon information from a user and generate coupon images and information regarding coupons. The database may be configured to receive images and information from the coupon generator and provide access to the data to other components of the system. The calendar generator may be configured to draw information and images from the database and generate a publicly-accessible calendar with coupons. The flash coupon generator may be configured to draw information from the database and generate flash coupon files for print media. Preferably, the system comprises a web server coupled to the Internet. The system may further include an on-line community calendar configured to receive content from the calendar generator.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to and incorporates by reference U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/954,278 filed Mar. 17, 2014 and titled “Coupon Wizard” 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to the creation of digital coupons to be placed on an online virtual calendar that any newspaper subscribers can browse through and print. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Advertisers often rely on coupons to promote selected goods and/or services. Advertisers generally desire to have their coupons receive timely and widespread exposure. However, periodical publishing is now spread over different media, including print and on-line publication, complicating the publication of coupons. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    One example of the present invention relates to a system and method for (a) the creation of small coupon graphics (“Splashes” defined below) to be placed automatically in a periodical publication, such as a newspaper&#39;s (“Periodical”) online and mobile calendar; (b) the creation of Splashes to be placed automatically in a Periodical&#39;s online and mobile coupon page; (c) the creation of small coupon graphics (“Flashes” defined below) added automatically to a zip file that contains other Flashes as well as traditional human-created advertising, editorial and photos needed for a printed Periodical; (d) the creation of printable complete coupons that can be accessed by clicking on the online or mobile Splashes; and (e) associated tracking, accounting and control features. 
         [0005]    A coupon generator system according to the present invention may include a coupon generator, a database, a calendar generator, and a flash coupon generator. The coupon generator may be configured to receive coupon information from a user and generate coupon images and information regarding coupons. The database may be configured to receive images and information from the coupon generator and provide access to the data to other components of the system. The calendar generator may be configured to draw information and images from the database and generate a publicly-accessible calendar with coupons. The flash coupon generator may be configured to draw information from the database and generate flash coupon files for print media. Preferably, the system comprises a web server coupled to the Internet. The system may further include an on-line community calendar configured to receive content from the calendar generator. 
         [0006]    The coupon generator may be configured to receive coupon specific information from a user, draw customer-specific information from the database, and combine textual information with a coupon image blank to create a coupon. The flash coupon files may comprise PDF files. 
         [0007]    With the coupon generator, the Advertiser can self-generate and automatically disseminate its coupons to the Periodical&#39;s online and mobile calendar, online and mobile coupon page, online and mobile content and paper-and-ink-printed media. The coupon generator allows Advertisers complete flexibility to quickly and timely create coupons that will reach the Periodical&#39;s entire reader-base with little or no need for Periodical&#39;s staff (“Staff”) time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a coupon generator system according to one aspect of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates a flow diagram of a coupon generating method according to another aspect of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0010]    A periodical publication, such as a newspaper, may have both print edition and on-line editions. Periodicals may also publish community calendars, including various community events. In one example of the present invention, the periodical publication provides a website or other on-line service to advertising customers, and customers may prepare ads for inclusion in the periodical and/or community calendar. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates one example of a coupon generator system  10  and its environment. Coupon generator system  10  may comprise a web server  12  including a Coupon/Flash/Splash Generator  14 , a database  16 , a calendar generator  18  and a Flash PDF generator  20 . The Coupon/Flash/Splash Generator  14  is configured to draw customer information from the database  16  and insert coupon information and images into the database  16 . The calendar generator  18  and Flash PDF generator  20  are configured to draw coupon information and images from the database  16 . 
         [0012]    The web server  12  may comprise any conventional World Wide Web server, such as an Apache server, coupled to the Internet. An Advertiser  22  may access the Coupon/Flash/Splash Generator  14  via a network, such as the Internet. Periodical readers  24  may also access calendars populated by the calendar generator  18  and other on line publications via the network. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a method  100  of using a Coupon Generator System  10  is illustrated. The following steps may be performed: 
         [0014]    Step  110 . An Advertiser registers for a Coupon generator system  10  account on the Periodical&#39;s website. Alternately, as an accommodation to a good customer or for an additional fee, Staff may register the Advertiser. As part of the registration process, the Advertiser must provide Advertiser&#39;s (a) name; (b) logo (if applicable); (c) “tag line” (if applicable); (d) address; (e) phone number (if applicable); (f) e-mail address (if applicable); (g) website URL (if applicable); (h) bar or QR code (if applicable); and (i) contact person (if applicable) (collectively “Advertiser Details”). 
         [0015]    Step  112 . Staff must approve the Advertiser&#39;s account. This allows for credit checks, standards verification and abuse prevention. Once approved, Advertiser Details are added to the coupon generator system&#39;s SQL database. Registration and approval need be done only once. Staff can terminate an Advertiser&#39;s use of the Coupon generator system for failure to pay bills, violation of decency standards, abuse, etc. 
         [0016]    Step  114 . Advertiser logs in to the coupon generator system  10  to enter (a) coupon start date (direct entry or clicking a calendar); (b) coupon expiration date (direct entry or clicking a calendar); (c) summary offer (e.g. “free soda”; limited number of characters); (d) full offer (e.g. “free soda with purchase of $10 or more”); and (e) disclaimer (e.g. “one soda per person”). In most cases, the coupon start date and coupon expiration date will be the same (e.g. Tuesday). Once the coupon generator system&#39;s form has been filled out, Advertiser clicks [Preview]. If the form has not been filled out completely, the Advertiser is alerted to missing or incomplete data. The coupon generator system  10  will not allow the Advertiser to proceed until the form is complete. 
         [0017]    Clicking [Preview] brings up a preview of the coupon, which is a pre-populated GIF file of what a consumer will see if the consumer wishes to print the coupon (“Coupon GIF”). In addition to the items the Advertiser entered in the coupon generator system form (coupon start date; coupon expiration date (if the expiration date is the same as start date, only one date is shown); full offer; and disclaimer) the Coupon GIF file contains the Advertiser Details drawn from the SQL database. The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically place that textual information on top of a GIF image depicting a blank coupon to create the Coupon GIF, which will look like a traditional coupon. 
         [0018]    If the Advertiser does not like the Coupon GIF, the Advertiser clicks [EDIT] and reverts to the coupon generator system form. If the Advertiser likes the Coupon GIF, the Advertiser clicks [SUBMIT]. An Advertiser can create as many coupons as desired. 
         [0019]    Depending on how the Advertiser fills out the coupon generator system form, Splashes may be displayed one specific day (e.g. next Tuesday), over a span of days (e.g. March 1 to March 15) or recur (e.g. every Monday). 
         [0020]    Alternately, as an accommodation to a good customer or for an additional fee, an Advertiser may telephone, email, or otherwise provide information to Staff, and Staff may then login as the Advertiser and create a coupon. 
         [0021]    Step  116 . The coupon generator system  10  adds the coupon information to the SQL database. The Advertiser can no longer edit or change the coupon. If needed, Staff has access to the SQL database to correct errors, make edits or delete the coupon information. 
         [0022]    Step  118 . The coupon generator system  10  generates a Flash. A Flash is a small, less than an inch in diameter, image depicting a graphic such as a star or bubble containing solely the Advertiser&#39;s name and coupon date. Print readers would be conditioned to know the Flash referred to an Advertiser&#39;s coupon on that date in the Periodical&#39;s online or mobile calendar or online or mobile coupon page. The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically place that textual information to create the Flash, which is then converted via PHP to a PDF file (“Flash PDF”). 
         [0023]    Step  120 . The Flash PDF is automatically added to the file that a separate system has created that contains all human-produced traditional print advertising graphic files as well as other Flash PDFs, editorial content and photos. Only Flash PDFs with start dates through expiration dates that include the coming week&#39;s printed-Periodical are included in the zip file. When the person or system laying out a print version of the Periodical goes to download all the ads, editorial content and photos for the particular week from the SQL database, these Flash PDFs would be included in the zip file. The Flash PDFs would be used to fill holes in the paper on an as needed basis. Thus, the Flash PDFs fill otherwise un-used space in the printed periodical, and drive subscriber traffic to the Periodicals online or mobile publication. 
         [0024]    Step  124 . Reader sees a Flash in the Periodical 
         [0025]    Step  126 . Which conditions reader to visit the Periodical&#39;s online or mobile calendar or online or mobile coupon page. 
         [0026]    Step  130 . The coupon generator system  10  generates a Splash. A Splash is a clickable image containing a miniature version of the Advertiser&#39;s coupon with items (a), (b) and (c) from Step  110  and item (c) from Step  114 . The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically place those items to create the Splash. The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically place the Splash on the Periodical&#39;s online and mobile calendar on the date specified in Step  114  (a) and repeats the Splash each day through the date specified in  114  (b). If Step  114  (a) and Step  114  (b) are the same dates, there would be only one Splash. For example, a florist might want its Splash on the calendar on the same day as the senior prom. The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically place the Splash on the Periodical&#39;s online and mobile coupon page ordered first chronologically and then alphabetically. The coupon generator system  10  uses PHP code on the server side to dynamically remove the Splash after its expiration date specified in Step  114  (b). 
         [0027]    Step  132 . The print, online or mobile reader browses to the Periodical&#39;s online or mobile community calendar and sees Splashes amongst community calendar items in sequential date-contextual order. The print, online or mobile reader browses to the Periodical&#39;s online or mobile coupon page and sees Splashes in chronological then alphabetical ordered. 
         [0028]    Step  134 . Clicking on a Splash takes the consumer to a new page, which has the Coupon GIF and a print button so that the reader can print the coupon. 
         [0029]    Step  136 . The reader presents the printed coupon to the Advertiser for redemption. 
         [0030]    A Splash or PHP resized Coupon GIF may also be shown throughout the Periodical&#39;s website as a banner ad. Clicking on such banner ad takes the consumer to a new page, which has the Coupon GIF and a print button so that the reader can print the coupon as in Step  134 . 
         [0031]    The coupon generator system  10  tracks the date the Advertiser creates a coupon and the number of coupons the Advertiser creates for invoicing purposes. The coupon generator system  10  also tracks the number of consumers who click Splashes and print Coupon GIFs.