GB2177346A - Machine-readable associated ticket and coupon - Google Patents

Abstract

A market targetable and surveyable combined ticket and coupon comprising interlinked visually, mutually distinguishable ticket portion and coupon portion, said portions being mutually detachable along and about a pre-configured severing line, at least one of said portions incorporating machine readable encoded data upon the ticket's value, and the ticket issuing source and the ticket and/or coupon take up purchase or usage, whereby before issue the ticket may be target to selected categories to prospective coupon customers or vice-versa and after ticket issue the take-up or redemption of coupons may be monitored from said machine-readable data.

Description

SPECIFICATION Multipart encoded ticket This invention relates to tickets, which term is used herein to embrace a variety of vouchers, coupons, tokens or card elements, whether of paper, cardboard, plastics, metal foil or indeed any suitable material, including multi-layer or laminated solid, layer separable and peelablesurface, composite substrates, for a variety of specific purposes, and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with a ticket serving a combined purpose of 'ticketing' and 'promoting'.

'Ticketing' is a term used herein for convenience of reference to indicate the recognition upon due and prescribed payment, typically in monetary terms, of a liability, debt, obligation or due to offer, make available and/or perform some 'service' or activity in the broad sense hereinafter indicated, regardless of whether or not the actual ticket transaction is effected by cash, cheque, credit card, direct debit or any of the other diverse contemporary payment methods and machanisms.

Thus, although the ticket has been purchased, it has minimal inherent value, i.e. as an object in its own right, apart from evidencing that pyament in a transaction has been recognised or accorded for the service to which it relates, and therefore that the bearer has a legitimate or authorised presence in, or entitiement to, use of that service, e.g. is entitled to be riding on a public transport vehicle or attending a sports eventm, concert, theatre performance, etc.

The ticket may have ancillary evidential place-reservation functions, but this does not necessarily greatly or materially enhance its inherent value in the eyes of the ticket bearer.

A multiplicity of ticket and coupon forms and purposes are known individually in the context of diverse service operations and schemes, and of which more recently have evolved tickets with the following supplementary commerical promotional, e.g. merchandising, characterisitcs: 1. Tickets bearing, typically by printing, essentially subsidiary advertising or promotional material-whether in the form of a visual written and/or pictorial message; 2. Coupons or vouchers exchangeable or redeemable for products/goods or services or even occasionally cash; and 3. Tickets bearing encoded machine-readable data.

Typically, tickets in any of the above-identified categories 1 to 3 are employed in product or service promotional schemes to promote or increase sales to customers or users.

However, hitherto the three elemental characteristics identified have not been brought together and harmonised to link the conventional 'original real value' ticket, 'entitlement recognition' or exchange function with the conventional coupon or voucher product, service or cash exchange or redemption value.

Thus conventional tickets are not generally redeemable for cash, except when the sercive is no available, for example when a sports event or theatre performance is cancelled, whereupon a refund or credit (e.g. 'raincheck') is made available.

Similarly, conventional coupons or vouchers are generally offered with the intention or redemption in exchange for a specific product or service being promoted by or in conjunctionm with the ticket issue. There has hitherto been no linkage between the service receipt or exchange voucher of the ticket and the redeemable coupon value.

Moreover, tickets are generally issued after the exchange of money, whereas coupons are generally issued without specific charge, but as a subsidy in contemplation of a new or repeat product service purchase.

Moreover, conventional tickets and coupons do not incorporate any means of targetting their sale and/or redemption, nor of linking those two aspects in the manner of a market survey/census return, in order to generate marketing information on their usage as a basis for increasing their appeal and effectiveness. That is to say no customer survey or identification is incorporated.

The present invention is concerned to improve: i. the effectiveness with which coupons are issued, collected, taken up and redeemed; ii. the promotion of ticket sales by the offer of a coupon redeemable for products not necessarily connected with the ticket is suer; and iii. the perception and regard in which tickets are held and although this apparently eso teric function may seem trivial at first sight, it potentially significantly affects-in tentionally for the better-the manner in which such tickets are treated, held and sought after, and this spills over benefici ally to the ultimate issuer of the ticket, whose services the owner of the ticket is thus encouraged to use.

A parallel situation obtains for the coupon or voucher, which is not unusually even less highly regarded than a ticket-not the least because it represents a lesser direct value and is often an ancillary result of a purchase of goods or services for which a predominant or majority value has already been accorded.

Moreover, for example coupons are sometimes given away in 'mailshots' without requiring any pre-product/service purchase, merely in order to encourage a purchase. Thus coupons are often discarded and not redeemed, which is disadvantageous to the promoter when redemption marks a new or repeat product/service purchase and possibly the establishment of a new long term repeat customer and brand loyalty.

Moreover, there is no means or mechanism for identifying or gleaning information about coupon recipients-in particular with regard to their potential value as customers.

Another aspect common to both tickets and vouchers is a lottery or draw, random/chance selection scheme.

Reply cards, typically postage-paid also feature in tickets, coupons or vouchers.

Tickets and ticketing are a verifiable means of confirming that a contract has been struck and paid for, for services rendered or to be rendered. As such they have the elemental characteristic of a receipt, e.g. for money paid, and may advance or reinforce contractual aspects such as terms or conditions of sale with attendant restrictions upon liability.

For the purposes of the present discussion, a ticket is regarded as a general form of postpurchase receipt, whereas a coupon is generally a pre-purchase token, (i.e. prior to the purchase for which the ticket is applicable-unless a straight cash refund is offered) whether or not offered on its own, en bloc with other coupons or on another product as a result of another purchase, for a particular product or service effective only when a subsequent purchase transaction is effected relating to that same product or service.

It is also known to incorporate printed coupons on packaging material, such as sealed pouches, envelopes or wallets containing product, along with the other printed packaging matter.

The present invention is concerned in certain of its broadest aspects, uniquely to link a ticket and coupon in a hitherto unknown manner.

It is another feature of some aspects of the present invention to achieve a combined ticket, coupon and product packet.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a market targetable and surveyable combined ticket and coupon comprising interlinked visually, mutually distinguishable ticket portion and coupon portion, said portions being mutually detachable along and about a pre-configured severing line, at least one of said portions incorporating machine readable encoded data upon the ticket's value, and the ticket issuing source and the ticket and/or coupon take up, purchase or usage, whereby before issue the ticket may be target to selected categories to prospective coupon customers or vice-versa and after ticket issue the take-up or redemption of coupons may be monitored from said machine-readable data.

Part of the ticket may comprise a form of (one or more) business card(s) to promote the business(es) of the ticket and/or coupon issuer. In this way, the retention of business cards given out may be encouraged because the recipient may benefit from the coupon offer, or indeed from a 'free' ticket-possibly only once certain potentially valuable customer information has been completed by the recipient and returned to the business card issuer.

The attraction and submission of conventional business cards from prospective customers, particularly, for example, at exhibitions, trade fairs, etc., can be encouraged by having the business card incorporated in a form according to the invention by, (say), offering the issuer's business card with promotional ticket and coupon, and when the issuer's business card is substituted for the prospective customer's card that customer may participate in a special exhibition prize draw.

There now follows a description of some particular embodiments of the invention by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a severable two-part ticket with a wipe or scratch-off panel on one portion/section; Figure 2 shows a severable two-part ticket with a peel-off panel on one section/portion; Figure 3 shows a severable two-part ticket incorporating a postage pre-paid postcard/reply section; Figure 4 shows a severable two-part ticket with a leaflet section; Figure 5 shows a severable two-part ticket with a special cut or severing line between the two parts; ; Figure 6 shows a severable two-part ticket incorporating a sample packet in one part, and Figures 7a, 7b, 8, 8B and 9a, 9b show front and reverse sides designed (a and b respectively) alternative ticket configurations which should be self-explanatory and which are accordingly not described further.

Referring to the drawings, a combined ticket and promotional coupon may take various disparate forms within the scope of the invention

Claims (5)

claimed. Thus, for example, in Fig. 1 a ticket 11 comprises a promotional 'shopping list' coupon portion 12 and a "wipe-off" surface 15 portion divided therefrom by a perforated and/or creased/folded severing line 14. The ticket 19 of Fig. 2 is attached to a peelable surface coupon portion 17. A postage-paid reply card coupon portion 18 is featured in the ticket 19 of Fig. 3. In Fig. 4 detachable leaflets 23 are linked to a ticket of Fig. 5. Finally, a sealable sample bag or pouch 30 is incorporated in the ticket of Fig. 6. CLAIMS

1. A machine-readable ticket, voucher or coupon comprising two or more distinct and machine distinguishable mutually severable portions, one or more of which incorporates a magnetically, optically or otherwise encoded element representing and exchangeable for a real or monetary value accorded thereto by the issuer thereof and serving as an exchange medium therefor, one or more portions bearing a visually identifiable representation of a real monetary ticket value, the or each ticket portion evidencing a previous transaction for services, a coupon portion bearing a legend or designation exchangeable or redeemable for or towards goods, the relative individual exchange values of the various portions being independent.

2. A multi-part combined ticket, voucher or redeemable coupon, comprising a plurality of ticket portions; an electronically-readable encoded data portion representing a real or monetary value assigned thereto and incorporating provision for franking or cancelling out all or part of said value by electronic, magnetic or optical means; a visual legend or designation on the ticket portion enabling visual identification of the same and distinguishing from a visual promotional message portion; a severable boundary portion between said 'real value' ticket portions, said severable boundary portion incorporating a machine-readable configuration code line to indicate that the portions have been mutually severed, the data on the two portions being interrelated.

3. A ticket, voucher or coupon comprising two or more mutually severable portions, at least one of which incorporates a coded element representing and exchangeable for a real or monetary value accorded thereto and serving as an exchange medium and at least one or more other portions of which bear a visible, identifiable representation of a monetary ticket value, a further portion bearing a legend or designation and exchangeable for goods, the relative individual exchange values of the various portions being independent, an electronically-readable coded data portion representing said goods exchange value, an electronically-writable portion representing data particular or unique to ticket holder, an electronically-writable portion representing the exchange or redemption location or said token or voucher, an electronically-writable cancellation portion for marking said exahnge portion, an electronically-writable cancellable or frankable portion for marking said monetary value portion, an encoded separation strip and/or severable line between two or more of said mutually severable portions, at least one of said encoded portions incorporating a readable and interpretable visual indication or marking, the encoding representing the number, nature and diversity of different ticket, coupon or voucher portions, a mailing or mailable element with an addressable portion, a returnable portion with a return addressable portion, a postal franking being incorporated in conjunction with said addressable portion.

4. A combined ticket and coupon substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.

5. A market targetable and surveyable combined ticket and coupon comprising interlinked visually, mutually distinguishable ticket portion and coupon portion, said portions being mutually detachable along and about a preconfigured severing line, at least one of said portions incorporating machine readable encoded data upon the ticket's value, and the ticket issuing source and the ticket and/or coupon take up, purchase or usage, whereby before issue the ticket may be target to selected categories to prospective coupon customers or vice-versa and after ticket issue the take-up or redemption of coupons may be monitored from said machine-readable data.