GB2290499A

GB2290499A - Integral coupon ticket

Info

Publication number: GB2290499A
Application number: GB9410316A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence Roy Flounders; Mary Sheila Flounders
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-05-20
Filing date: 1994-05-20
Publication date: 1996-01-03
Also published as: GB9410316D0

Abstract

A triple layer of ticketing paper comprises an outer sheet of ticketing paper (12) bonded by lamination to a sheet of vinyl or laminated plastic (13). The reverse or non laminated side of the vinyl or plastic is adhesively bonded to a second outer layer of ticketing paper (15). The layer of ticketing paper which is bonded by lamination only may be pierced in the shape of a coupon (16). The pre-determined coupon shape is de-laminated and removed as a clean and dry coupon leaving the coupon portion shape of vinyl or plastic exposed and dry. <IMAGE>

Description

Intearal Coupon 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 ticketing material, including multi-layer or laminated solid, layer separable and peelable-surface, composite substrates, for a variety of specific purposes, and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with a ticket serving a combined purposed 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 mechanisms.

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 payment 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 entitlement to, use of that service e.g. is entitled to be riding on a public transport vehicle or parking a vehicle or attending a sports event, concert, theatre performance etc.

The ticket may have ancillary evidential placereservation 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 commercial promotional, e.g.

merchandising, characteristics: 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. Typically 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 service is not 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 conjunctions 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.

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 issuer; and iii. the perception and regard in which tickets are held and although this apparently esoteric function may seem trivial at first sight, it potentially significantly affects - intentionally for the better - the manner in which such tickets are treated, held and sought after, and this spills over beneficially 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 usually 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.

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

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.

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 an integral ticket and coupon.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a market targetable and combined ticket and integral coupon comprising interlinked physically and visually, mutually indistinguishable ticket portion and coupon portion the said coupon portions being integral and detachable along and about a pre-configured releasable shape at least one part 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.

Part of the ticket may comprise a form of (one or more) coupons to promote the business(es) of the ticket and/or coupon issuer. In this way, the encashment coupons detached may be encouraged because the recipient may benefit from the coupon offer.

There now follows a description of some particular embodiments of the invention by way of example only with reference to accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1: Shows a triple layer ticket construction the top ticket layer (12) is bonded by laminating a layer of vinyl or plastic material (13) to the underside of the top ticket layer (12). The underside of the vinyl layer (13) is coated with an adhesive (14) and bonded to a further layer of ticket paper (15).

Figure 2: The first layer of ticket sheet only (12) to have a coupon shape pre-cut (16).

Figure 3: The coupon shape (16) will de-laminate and detach from the body of the ticket completely once the laminated seal has been broken by lifting the corner (17) of the coupon shape (16).

Figure 4: Shows the coupon shape (16) de-laminated and separated from the body of the ticket to the edge of the pre-cut coupon shape. The exposed vinyl core material (13) exposed after the removal of the coupon (16) will be dry enabling the remainder of the ticket structure to function as a standard ticketing device without any migration of adhesive, or any substances used in the manufacture of the ticket, onto the ticket cancelling machinery.

Claims

Claim 1.

A triple layer ticketing material comprising an outer sheet of ticketing paper bonded by lamination to one side of a layer of vinyl or plastic material which is adhesively bonded to a second outer layer of ticketing paper.
Claim 2.

A triple layer of material bonded together as claimed in Claim 1, to form a ticketing material which is cut into rolls or fan-folds either with or without perforations at this stage of manufacture.
Claim 3.

A coupon shape be it square, oblong, round, oval or irregular pierced into the outer layer only of ticketing material bonded by lamination to the inner core of vinyl or plastic as claimed in Claim 1 and Claim
4.

A coupon shape that will de-laminate to the edges of the coupon shape as claimed in Claim 3, when the laminated seal is broken by being lifted from a corner or edge of the pre-cut shape.
Claim 5.

A ticket from which a delaminated coupon shape has been removed as claimed in Claim 3 & 4 that can be received by ticket cancelling machinery without any adhesive or other ticket or bonding material migrating onto the machinery.