Patent ID: 8430300

Claim:
A method employed in a device which outputs barcodes belonging to electronic coupons directly to a barcode reading device for reading by the barcode reading device of ensuring that a given electronic coupon is valid for a particular kind of use, the method comprising the steps performed in the device of: responding, at a time other than upon user selection of a given electronic coupon, to a validity event which may affect the validity of the given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use by inhibiting output of the barcode belonging to the given electronic coupon for the particular kind of use; determining, while the output of the barcode is inhibited, on the basis of validity information which is available in the device prior to the validity event whether the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use; and subsequent to the determination of whether the given electronic coupon is currently valid for the particular kind of use, ceasing to inhibit output of the given electronic coupon's barcode for the particular kind of use if the given electronic coupon is determined to be currently valid for the particular kind of use.