Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-21
2002-09-17
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
Conductive
C235S376000, C235S487000, C705S014270, C705S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06450407
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to providing advertisement information, including advertising as well as sales promotions, on chip cards (sometimes called “smart cards”) that additionally involve an electronic money rebate to the consumer, and to the distribution, redemption, and processing of the associated electronic money rebate.
Advertisement, Promotion, and Coupon Background
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/061,879, filed Apr. 17, 1998, entitled “CHIP CARD SYSTEM”, describes delivery of “advertisement information” to chip cards. “Advertisement information” includes two distinct elements: (1) advertising, and (2) sales promotions (which, together, is referred to herein synonymously as “advertisement information” or an “ASP”).
Advertising is widely recognized as a communication, usually by an identified sponsor, of a persuasive message about, products, ideas, and/or services to an audience. Advertisers commonly seek to enhance components of their “brand”, which include awareness, image, positioning, preference, and loyalty. Advertisers generally try to increase sales of the advertised product or service (or improve the acceptance of an idea or concept conveyed by the advertising) by persuading the audience to choose their brand.
Many successful advertising campaigns employ a memorable slogan or catch phrase that is utilized as the advertising's persuasive element. The slogan or catch phrase is often used over long periods of time to enhance the various components of the advertiser's “brand”. In some cases the slogan or catch phrase is used over decades. Nike's™ “Just Do It” ™, Avis'™ “We Try Harder”™, and Wheaties'™ “Breakfast of Champions”™ are other well-known examples of persuasive advertising slogans that have formed the basis for highly successful advertising campaigns. Many successful advertising campaigns also use memorable images or icons to help make their advertisements persuasive and compelling. Examples of persuasive images or icons include the familiar Nike™ “swoosh”™ mark, the Eveready™ Energizer Bunny™, and Kellogg's™ Tony the Tiger™.
Persuasive appeal to the audience's emotions and feelings is an element frequently found in advertising. Examples of these emotions and feelings can include, among many others, one's sense of romance, fun, adventure, style, accomplishment, desire, humor, confidence, nostalgia, curiosity, and determination. Miller Lite's™ “Taste's great, less filling”™ series of advertisements appealed to one's sense of humor and successfully persuaded consumers to purchase more Miller Lite™ beer. Another famous example is the U.S. Army's™ long running “Be all that you can be”™ advertising campaign, which appealed to one's sense of determination and adventure to persuade more individuals to join the Army.
The other component of “advertisement information” is sales promotions. Sales promotions are typically short-term incentives designed to prompt immediate action on the part of the consumer to purchase a service or product. Examples of sales promotions include rebates, samples, contests, and discount coupons. Sales promotions generally entail a person receiving something that has some monetary value such as a coupon or free product sample. Sales promotions can also involve a person merely hoping to receive something of economic value, such as contest winnings.
Advertising and sales promotions are frequently used together as part of a complete marketing program for a product or service because of the distinct advantages offered by each. For example, the makers of Wonder Bread™ might utilize a coupon sales promotion in an attempt to quickly attract customers who typically purchase other breads. At the same time, the makers of Wonder Bread™ might use an advertising campaign that seeks to build their “brand” by repeatedly using a persuasive slogan such as “Wonder helps build bodies 12 ways”™, which may help create brand loyalty by appealing to the consumer's desire to become strong and healthy by eating Wonder Bread™.
Coupons have historically been one of the most widely used forms of sales promotions. Coupons generally offer the consumer a discount for purchasing a product or service. There are three basic types of coupons: (1) manufacturer's coupons (which areusually redeemed through participating retailers); (2) store coupons; and (3) in-ad coupons.
Coupon Industry Terms (quoted from Coupons—A Complete Guide: Joint Industry Coupon Guidelines, Joint Industry Coupon Committee, Grocery Manufacturers of America, Wash. D.C., 1998.)
Manufacturer's Coupons—Coupons issued by a manufacturer offering consumers a specific amount off the purchase price of one or more of the manufacturer's products. The coupons may be distributed through a variety of media—in the manufacturer's newspaper or magazine ads; in a free-standing insert, or on a product package, by mail or door-to-door delivery, etc.
Store Coupons—A coupon printed by a retailer and available to shoppers in the store, either in a special flyer or at the shelf or display where the couponed product is stocked.
In-ad coupons—Coupons in a particular retailer's newspaper ad or handbill that are redeemable on the specific product only at the particular store or chain. The coupons are usually issued under a special agreement between the retailer and the manufacturer of the product.
Free-standing insert (FSI)—A group of manufacturers'color advertisements (each of which usually includes a coupon) printed as a separate section and inserted into a local newspaper, usually the Sunday edition.
Redemption—The cashing-in of coupons when merchandise is purchased in order to obtain discounts or premiums.
Retail Clearinghouse—An independent company used by a retailer to sort, count and submit coupons for payment to manufacturers or their agents on behalf of the retailer.
Coupon Clearinghouse—Processes coupons from grocery and other stores and sends them to manufacturers or their agents for payment.
Cross Coupon—(Also called cross-ruff coupon.) A manufacturer's coupon that is placed inside a product or printed, on the package and is redeemable on the purchase of a different product.
Universal Product Code (U.P.C.)—A combination of vertical bars printed on product packages (or on coupons) that can be “read” by an electronic scanner at the checkout to identify the item, automatically look up the item's price (or the coupon's value) in a computer, and instantaneously ring-up the price (or the value) on the cash register.
Family Code—The three digit number found immediately after the manufacturer ID code on a coupon U.P.C. It is used to validate a coupon automatically against a specific product or group of products at the point-of-sale.
Refund or Rebate Certificate—A certificate issued by the manufacturer that offers consumers money back on the purchase price of a product. Usually after they mail some proof of purchase to the manufacturer.
Misredemption—Coupons that were not redeemed properly for the correct products in accordance with the stipulations printed on the particular coupon.
The media most commonly used to distribute coupons has been FSI's. For instance, FSI's delivered over 80% of grocery coupons in 1996. The other leading distribution media are handouts, magazines, newspapers, and direct mail. These types of sales promotions have traditionally been in the form of paper coupons and rebates which the consumer must, for instance, clip out of a newspaper or magazine. Consumers often clip and collect multiple coupons, store them in a purse or wallet, and take them to a store for redemption. At the store, the consumer presents the coupons at the cash register, where the coupons are verified and entered into the retailer's point-of-sale system manually or by scanning a UPC code on the coupon. Recent innovations have included incorporation of point-of sale scanning technology and the encoding of coupon information into coupon-specific UPC codes. Clearinghous
Freeman David H.
Freeman Gary A.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Le Thien M.
Lee Seung H.
Viztec Inc.
LandOfFree
Chip card rebate system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Chip card rebate system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Chip card rebate system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2820960