Patent ID: 8655720

Claim:
A method for processing a rebate submitted at a location of a sale after a purchase of an item subject to the rebate, the method initiated by a computing device operated by a customer and performed over a data network by a programmed rebate processing device, the method comprising: receiving, by the programmed rebate processing device via the data network from a point-of-sale system at the location, electronic data corresponding to the purchase of the item subject to the rebate, the point-of-sale system configured to process the purchase for the customer; communicating, from the rebate processing device to the point-of-sale system, rebate data; subsequently receiving, by the rebate processing device via the data network and from the computing device operated by the customer, a rebate request initiated with machine-readable information and presented to the computing device by the customer, wherein the machine readable information is generated by the point of-sale system and presented to the customer at the location; processing, by the rebate processing device, the rebate request using the data read by the computing device directly from the machine-readable information from the customer by automatically comparing the data read from the machine-readable information to the electronic data; and when the information substantially matches: transmitting, by the rebate processing device via the data network for display on the computing device operated by the customer, a plurality of rebate redemption options; receiving, by the rebate processing device from the computing device, a selection of at least one of the rebate options; and preparing, by the rebate processing device, a selected rebate option for transmission to the customer in accordance with the selection.