WO2000039728A2

WO2000039728A2 - Method and apparatus for distributing purchase incentives

Info

Publication number: WO2000039728A2
Application number: PCT/US1999/030520
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Marcus
Original assignee: Steven Marcus
Priority date: 1998-12-23
Filing date: 1999-12-22
Publication date: 2000-07-06
Also published as: AU2591600A; WO2000039728A8

Abstract

A purchase incentive distribution method includes the steps of storing purchase incentive data identifying a plurality of purchase incentives, enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive from the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data from a terminal operated by the consumer, generating a unique identifier identifying at least the consumer and the at least one purchase incentive selected by the consumer, and storing at least the unique identifier for use in verifying the validity of redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive. The validity of the redemption information may be verified based on at least the stored unique identifier, stored registered user data, cash register receipt data captured from at least one cash register receipt included in the redemption information, and stored cash register receipt data.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING PURCHASE INCENTIVES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for distributing purchase incentives for products, such as goods or services, to consumers over a communication system.

Description of Related Art

Producers and sellers of products have traditionally offered purchase incentives to encourage consumers to buy products they produce and sell. The purchase incentives may be for any products offered for sale to consumers, such as goods or services. The purchase incentives are offered by purchase incentive offerers who may be any producer of products for sale to consumers, such as a manufacturer of goods or a provider of services, or any sales outlet offering products for sale to consumers, such as a wholesaler, a retailer, or a direct marketer.

Producers and sellers have traditionally offered two basic types of purchase incentives: coupons and rebates.

A coupon offers to reduce the price a consumer pays for a specific product at the time the consumer purchases the product from a sales outlet. The coupon typically specifies a specific amount, such as 50 cents, or a specific percentage, such as 20%, which will be deducted from the sales outlet's normal price for the product at the time the consumer purchases the product.

There are three basic types of coupons—manufacturer coupons, merchant coupons, and frequent shopper coupons.

Manufacturer coupons are offered by someone other than a sales outlet, and are typically offered by a manufacturer of goods or a provider of services, but may be offered by a wholesaler or a distributer. A manufacturer coupon is typically valid for use at any sales outlet which sells the product for which it is offered and accepts coupons. A manufacturer coupon typically offers to reimburse a sales outlet for the amount of the coupon plus a handling charge when the sales outlet submits the coupon to a redemption center. The redemption center is typically an independent fulfillment house or clearinghouse, but may be operated by the coupon offerer.

Merchant coupons and frequent shopper coupons are typically offered by a sales outlet itself, and are basically similar to manufacturer coupons, except that they are typically valid only at the sales outlet which is offering the coupon, and the sales outlet absorbs the cost of accepting the coupon, rather than being reimbursed by a redemption center. The basic difference between merchant coupons and frequent shopper coupons is that frequent shopper coupons are targeted to consumers who have enrolled in a frequent shopper program operated by the sales outlet or on behalf of the sale outlet.

Manufacturer coupons, merchant coupons, and frequent shopper coupons are offered for different purposes. The basic purpose of manufacturer coupons is to encourage consumers to try new products, or to buy a specific brand of product. The basic purpose of merchant coupons is to build consumer traffic by drawing consumers into a sales outlet to take advantage of the merchant coupons. The basic purpose of frequent shopper coupons is to reward consumers who regularly shop at a sales outlet.

Coupons are subject to two major problems—misredemption and fraud. Misredemption occurs when a coupon is redeemed without the product for which it is offered being purchased, or is redeemed by someone outside the consumer population being targeted by the coupon offerer. For example, a cashier may accept a coupon without realizing that the proper product was not purchased, or may accept a coupon even knowing that the proper product was not purchased to avoid upsetting a customer. Also, a manufacturer coupon may be redeemed by a consumer who regularly purchases the product for which it is offered and would have purchased the product anyway even without the coupon, while the manufacturer may have intended the coupon to be redeemed by a consumer who has never used the product or is currently using another brand of the product.

Fraud occurs when a sales outlet knowingly submits a coupon to a redemption center without having sold the product, or when a consumer alters a coupon or makes a copy of a coupon.

Manufacturer coupons are particularly susceptible to misredemption and fraud because the cashiers which accept them have no way of knowing what manufacturer coupons are actually being offered, or what their amounts and conditions are. In contrast, cashiers generally have a good idea of what merchant coupons and frequent shopper coupons are actually being offered by their sales outlet, and what their amounts and conditions are.

Coupons have other disadvantages as well. Coupons are typically distributed in paper form by mail or in newspapers, and are expensive to print, distribute, and handle during the redemption process. Coupons have a very low redemption rate of about 2%-3%. Coupons slow down check-out lines because the cashiers must handle each coupon separately and verify that the correct product is being purchased. There is usually no way to identify who has redeemed a particular coupon, so the coupon offerer cannot tell if he is reaching the population to whom the coupon is targeted.

Rebates solve many of the problems associated with coupons. A rebate typically offers to reimburse a consumer a specified amount of money after the consumer has purchased a specified product from a sales outlet, and has provided redemption information, which typically includes a rebate redemption form and a cash register receipt, to a redemption center proving that the consumer has purchased the specified product.

When redeeming a rebate, a consumer generally has to identify himself, so that the rebate offerer can tell if he is reaching the population to whom the rebate is targeted. Rebates are less subject to misredemption than coupons because the consumer is not reimbursed until after he has purchased the product and the redemption center has had the opportunity to examine the redemption information proving that the consumer has purchased the product. The redemption center is in a better position to verify the validity of a rebate than is the cashier who accepts a coupon because the redemption center is more likely to be familiar with what rebates are actually being offered, and what their amounts and conditions are. Rebates do not slow down check-out lines because they are not accepted at the time of purchase.

However, rebates are still subject to fraud because, for example, a consumer can make copies of rebate redemption forms and cash register receipts, or can counterfeit or alter cash register receipts.

Also, rebates are less attractive to consumers than coupons because when using a rebate, the consumer has to pay the full price for the product, send in the redemption information, and wait for the redemption center to send back a check for the rebate amount.

Since the consumer has to do much more work to redeem a rebate than a coupon, rebate offerers have typically offered rebates for higher amounts, such as $1.00 or more, than for coupons, in order to make it worth the customer's while to redeem the rebate.

As can be seen from the preceding discussion, coupons and rebates have certain disadvantages which have yet to be overcome.

U.S. Patent No. 5,761,648 to Golden et al. (Golden) discloses a method of distributing coupons to consumers over an on-line network. A coupon issuer creates coupon instructions for issuing coupons, and downloads the coupon instructions to a coupon service database over an on-line network. The coupon service database assigns a unique serial number to each of the coupons specified by the coupon instructions when it receives the coupon instructions, and makes the coupons available for viewing and downloading by consumers over the on-line network.

A consumer who wants to download coupons from the coupon service database accesses the coupon service database over the on-line network from a terminal connected to the on-line network. In order to download coupons, the consumer is first required to register with the coupon service database, which assigns a PIN (personal identification number) to the consumer. The consumer is then permitted to view the available coupons on his terminal, and to select coupons he wants to download. Coupon files for the selected coupons are downloaded to the consumer's terminal where they are stored pending activation by the consumer by one of two methods.

The first method disclosed in Golden by which the consumer can activate a coupon file which he has downloaded is for the consumer to print the coupon file for the coupon to be activated on a printer attached to his terminal. The printed coupon includes the unique serial number which was assigned to the coupon by the coupon service database when the coupon instruction for the coupon was received by the coupon service database, and a bar code specifying the consumer's PIN. The consumer then takes the printed coupon to a sales outlet where he purchases the product for which the coupon is offered. At the check-out, the consumer redeems the printed coupon by giving it to the cashier who deducts the amount of the coupon from the price of the product. At the check-out, the consumer's identity may be compared with the bar code on the printed coupon which specifies the consumer's PIN to ensure that the consumer who is redeeming the coupon is the consumer to whom the coupon was issued. The sales outlet then submits the printed coupon, apparently to the coupon service database operator, for reimbursement. The coupon service database operator may scan the bar code on redeemed printed coupons which specifies the consumer's PIN to identify, for research purposes, the consumers who redeemed the coupons. The second method disclosed in Golden by which the consumer can activate a coupon file which he has downloaded is for the consumer to transmit the coupon file for the coupon to be activated to a database specified by the coupon issuer where it is stored with the same information which would appear on the coupon if it were printed, including the unique serial number which was assigned to the coupon by the coupon service database when the coupon instruction for the coupon was received by the coupon service database, and the consumer's PIN. The consumer then goes to a sales outlet where he purchases the product for which the coupon is offered. At the check-out, the consumer presents a credit card and the check-out system accesses the coupon file for the coupon stored on the database specified by the coupon issuer and deducts the amount of the coupon from the price of the product.

Although Golden discloses that the coupon service database assigns a unique serial number to each of the coupons specified by coupon instructions received from a coupon issuer, Golden does not disclose using the unique serial number to verify the validity of a coupon which is being presented for redemption. Therefore, the coupons which are distributed by Golden 's method are subject to the same problems of fraud as coupons distributed by traditional methods. For example, a consumer could make multiple copies of a printed coupon, could transmit multiple copies of a coupon file to the database specified by the coupon issuer, or could digitally alter the amount or terms of the coupon.

Also, Golden does not disclose any mechanism for preventing misredemption of the coupons distributed by Golden 's method. Therefore, the coupons which are distributed by Gulden's method are subject to the same problems of misredemption as coupons distributed by traditional methods. For example, the cashier at the check-out could accept a coupon even if the consumer did not purchase the product for which the coupon is offered. U.S. Patent No. 5,791,991 to Small discloses a method of distributing rebates to consumers over the Internet through a site on the World Wide Web (a Web site) .

A consumer who wants to receive rebates accesses the Web site from a terminal connected to the Internet, and selects product categories for which he wants to receive rebates. He is then prompted to select specific products for which he wants to receive rebates from the selected product categories. A personalized rebate form listing all of the selected rebates is sent to the consumer's terminal where it is printed. The consumer purchases the products for which the rebates are offered, and sends the rebate form and redemption information proving that the consumer has purchased the products to a redemption center to redeem the rebates. The redemption center reimburses the consumer for a total amount of the rebates listed on the rebate form.

The rebate form may include a bar code specifying an ID number identifying the consumer. The consumer's ID number will appear on every rebate form that is printed for the consumer, such that the consumer's ID number is not a unique identifier identifying a specific rebate form printed for a specific consumer, but merely identifies a rebate form as being any one of all of the rebate forms which have been printed for a specific consumer. Small does not disclose using the consumer ID number on the rebate form for any particular purpose.

Small does not disclose any mechanism for verifying the validity of a rebate form which has been received by the redemption center. Nor does Small disclose any mechanism for tracking a specific rebate form. Therefore, the rebate forms which are distributed by Small's method are subject to the same problems of fraud as rebates distributed by traditional methods. For example, a consumer could make multiple copies of the rebate form, or could digitally alter the amount or terms of the rebates listed on the rebate form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a purchase incentive distribution method which includes the steps of storing purchase incentive data identifying a plurality of purchase incentives, enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive from the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data from a terminal operated by the consumer, generating a unique identifier identifying at least the consumer and the at least one purchase incentive selected by the consumer, and storing at least the unique identifier for use in verifying the validity of redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive.

The purchase incentive distribution method according to the present invention may further include the steps of requiring the consumer to become a registered user by providing registered user data identifying the consumer through a terminal operated by the consumer before enabling the consumer to select at least one purchase incentive from the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data, and storing the registered user data provided by the consumer. The step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid may include the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the stored unique identifier and the stored registered user data.

In the purchase incentive distribution method according to the present invention, the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive may include at least one cash register receipt from at least one sales outlet at which the consumer has made a purchase required to redeem each of the at least one selected purchase incentive. The purchase incentive distribution method according to the present invention may further include the steps of storing cash register receipt data captured from other cash register receipts included in other redemption information for redeeming purchase incentives previously selected by consumers, and capturing cash register receipt data from the at least one cash register receipt included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive. The step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid may include the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the stored unique identifier, the cash register receipt data captured from the at least one cash register receipt included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive, and the stored cash register receipt data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of one example of a system for implementing a purchase incentive distribution method and apparatus according to the present invention; and

Fig. 2 shows a process diagram for one example of a Web site for distributing purchase incentives according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described below in terms of specific embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and the scope of the invention is determined solely by the claims.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a purchase incentive distribution system operator operates a purchase incentive distribution system which distributes purchase incentives for products to consumers over the Internet through one or more sites on the World Wide Web (the purchase incentive distribution system Web site) .

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of one example of a purchase incentive distribution according to the present invention.

The purchase incentive distribution system may be implemented by a computer program running on a computer connected to the Internet through an Internet service provider. Alternatively, the computer may be connected directly to the Internet. The computer program may be stored on a computer-readable medium, and may reside on the purchase incentive distribution system's operator's computer, or on the consumer's computer, or partially on the purchase incentive distribution system's operator's computer and partially on the consumer's computer. The purchase incentive distribution system's operator's computer may be operated by the purchase incentive distribution system operator, or it may be operated by a computer service provider for the purchase incentive distribution system operator. The purchase incentive distribution system includes a database which includes data required to operate the purchase incentive distribution system.

The purchase incentive distribution system Web site may be accessed by a consumer over the Internet from any suitable terminal, such as a personal computer, a Web TV terminal, a personal digital assistant, a point-of-sale terminal, an in-store kiosk, an ATM (automated teller machine ATM) , an enhanced telephone, a smart telephone, a smart card, or any other device capable of accessing a Web site over the Internet.

The consumer's terminal may be connected to the Internet through an Internet service provider, or may be connected directly to the Internet.

The purchase incentives distributed by the purchase incentive distribution system may be for any product offered for sale to consumers, such as a good or a service. The purchase incentives are offered by purchase incentive offerers who may be any producer of products for sale to consumers, such as a manufacturer of goods or a provider of services, or any sales outlet offering products for sale to consumers, such as a wholesaler, a retailer, or a direct marketer.

The purchase incentives distributed by the purchase incentive distribution system may be rebates offering to reimburse a consumer a specified amount of money after the consumer has purchased a specified product from a sales outlet, and has submitted redemption information to a redemption center proving that the consumer has purchased the specified product. The redemption information may include information identifying the purchase incentive, a cash register receipt showing that the specified product was purchased, and any other redemption item required to redeem the purchase incentive, such as a UPC (universal product code) symbol from a package in which the product was purchased. The redemption center may be operated by the purchase incentive distribution system operator, or may be operated by another party, such as an independent fulfillment house or clearinghouse.

A purchase incentive offerer who wants to offer a purchase incentive for distribution by the purchase incentive distribution system is required to submit a purchase incentive insertion order to the purchase incentive distribution system operator specifying the terms of the purchase incentive it wants to offer.

The terms of the purchase incentive will typically include at least a product required to be purchased to redeem the purchase incentive, an amount of the purchase incentive, and any redemption items which must be submitted to redeem the purchase incentive, such as a cash register receipt showing that the product was purchased and/or a UPC symbol from a package in which the product was purchased, and may also include one or more of a minimum number of the product required to be purchased to redeem the purchase incentive, a maximum number of the product for which the purchase incentive can be redeemed, a purchase expiration date by which the product must be purchased to redeem the purchase incentive or a purchase date window within which the product must be purchased to redeem the purchase incentive, a redemption expiration date by which the purchase incentive must be redeemed, a distribution end date on which distribution of the purchase incentive is to end or a distribution time period during which the purchase incentive is to be distributed, a maximum number of the purchase incentives which are to be distributed, a specific consumer profile to which the purchase incentive is targeted, and any other terms which the purchase incentive offerer wants to impose on the purchase incentive.

When the purchase incentive distribution system operator receives a purchase incentive insertion order from a purchase incentive offerer, the purchase incentive distribution system operator may subject the purchase incentive insertion order to a review process, which may include a legal review, in which the purchase incentive distribution system operator decides whether to approve the purchase incentive insertion order. If the purchase incentive distribution system operator decides not to approve the purchase incentive insertion order, it notifies the purchase incentive offerer. If the purchase incentive distribution system operator decides to approve the purchase incentive insertion order, purchase incentive data identifying the purchase incentive in the purchase incentive insertion order and the terms of the purchase incentive is stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database to enable the purchase incentive to be distributed by the purchase incentive distribution system.

The purchase incentive distribution system Web site enables a consumer to display currently available purchase incentives based on the purchase incentive data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database, and to select one or more of the displayed purchase incentives for inclusion in a purchase incentive list to be generated by the purchase incentive distribution system. Which purchase incentives are displayed at any given time and how they are displayed at any given time may be determined by criteria specified by the purchase incentive offerers, and/or the purchase incentive distribution system operator, and/or the consumer. The purchase incentive distribution system may specify a minimum number of rebates in excess of one that the consumer is required to select at one time, and may specify a maximum number of purchase incentives that the consumer is permitted to select at one time.

After the consumer has finished selecting purchase incentives on the purchase incentive distribution system Web site, he is given the option to accept a purchase incentive list listing the selected purchase incentives and requirements for redeeming the selected purchase incentives. If the consumer chooses to accept the purchase incentive list, the purchase incentive distribution system generates a purchase incentive list which includes at least the consumer's identity; a list of the selected purchase incentives, products required to be purchased to redeem the selected purchase incentives, and any other requirements for redeeming the selected purchase incentives; the date and time the purchase incentive list was generated; and a unique identifier generated by the purchase incentive distribution system which identifies the purchase incentive list.

The purchase incentive list may specify that the products required to be purchased to redeem the purchase incentives must doe purchased within a specified time period, such as two weeks, from the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated, and that redemption information for redeeming the purchase incentives must be submitted to the redemption center within a , specified time period, such as four weeks, from the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated.

The purchase incentive list may be used by the consumer as a shopping list, and may provide space for the consumer to list other products the consumer wants to purchase for which purchase incentives are not currently available on the purchase incentive distribution system so that the consumer may use the purchase incentive list as a shopping list for all of the products he wants to purchase.

After the purchase incentive list has been generated, it is delivered to the consumer using a suitable delivery method. The delivery method may be selected by the consumer from a list of available delivery methods, which may include printing the purchase incentive list immediately at the terminal the consumer is using to access the purchase incentive distribution system Web site; printing the purchase incentive list later at a terminal at a different location; faxing the purchase incentive list to the consumer at a location specified by the consumer; e-mailing the purchase incentive list to the consumer; and storing the purchase incentive list in a suitable device, such as a personal digital assistant, a smart card, or any other device capable of storing data.

The purchase incentive distribution system stores purchase incentive list generation data that was used to generate the purchase incentive list in the purchase incentive distribution system database for later use in verifying the validity of redemption information submitted to the redemption center by the consumer to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list, thereby making it possible to prevent digital tampering, alteration, or counterfeiting of the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list. The purchase incentive list generation data includes at least the unique identifier which identifies the purchase incentive list, consumer identification data identifying the consumer, purchase incentive data identifying the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list and the terms of the purchase incentives, and the date and time the purchase incentive list was generated.

The purchase incentive distribution system database is able to retrieve the stored purchase incentive list generation data in response to a query specifying any of the data included in the purchase incentive list generation data. For example, in response to a query specifying a unique identifier, the purchase incentive distribution system database will retrieve the purchase incentive list generation data used to generate the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier specified in the query.

In order to accept the purchase incentive list, the consumer must be a registered user of the purchase incentive distribution system. A consumer who is not a registered user may be permitted to access the purchase incentive distribution system Web site and display and select purchase incentives, but he is not permitted to actually accept the purchase incentive list until he registers with the purchase incentive distribution system. The purchase incentive distribution system Web site provides a registration page which enables a consumer to register with the purchase incentive distribution system. The registration page prompts the consumer to enter consumer identification data, such as name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number, and to select a user name and a password, such as a PIN.

The registration page also prompts the consumer to enter demographic data and psychographic data which may be used by the purchase incentive distribution system to target the consumer to receive specific purchase incentives based on specific consumer profiles specified by purchase incentive offerers in the terms of purchase incentives they are offering.

The registration page may also prompt the consumer to enter a reimbursement account to which reimbursement for purchase incentives redeemed by the consumer may be credited. The reimbursement account may be a credit card account, a bank account, a telephone billing account, an Internet service provider account, a frequent shopper account, or any other type of account to which the reimbursement may be credited.

The registration page also displays terms and conditions for using the purchase incentive distribution system, and requires the consumer to agree to abide by these terms and conditions, or else be subject to having his user privileges suspended at the discretion of the purchase incentive distribution system operator. When the consumer has completed the registration process, all of the data he has entered on the registration page is stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database as registered user data. The purchase incentive distribution system Web site will prompt the consumer to enter his user name and password on future visits to the purchase incentive distribution system Web site to enable the consumer to use all of the features of the purchase incentive distribution system, including accepting purchase incentive lists. Alternatively, the purchase incentive distribution system may recognize the consumer automatically when the consumer accesses the purchase incentive distribution system Web site based on information that the purchase incentive distribution system computer program has stored in a terminal the consumer is using to access the purchase incentive distribution system Web site, so that the prompt for the consumer's user name and password may be bypassed.

After he has accepted the purchase incentive list, the consumer purchases the products required to redeem the purchase incentives at any sales outlet or combination of sales outlets he chooses. The only requirement is that any sales outlet chosen by the consumer must provide a machine-printed cash register receipt listing at least the name of the sales outlet, the date and time of purchase, and the products which were purchased with sufficient clarity to be read by the redemption center to which the consumer will submit redemption information, including the cash register receipt(s) for the purchased products, to redeem the purchase incentives.

The cash register receipt must also identify the products which were purchased in sufficient detail, preferably by UPC code, to enable the redemption center to verify that the products which were purchased are in fact the products which are required to redeem the purchase incentives on the purchase incentive list. If the cash register receipt does not identify the products which were purchased in sufficient detail to enable the redemption center to do this, the consumer may be required to write all or a portion of the UPC codes of the products required to redeem the purchase incentives, such as the last four digits of the UPC codes, on the cash register receipt(s) .

Also, the date on the cash register receipt (s) must not be before the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated in order to prevent the consumer from redeeming purchase incentives for products he purchased before the purchase incentive list was generated. The redemption center will verify that the date on the cash register receipt (s) is not before the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated when it receives the redemption information, including the cash register receipt(s), from the consumer.

After the consumer has purchased the products required to redeem the purchase incentives on the purchase incentive list, he submits redemption information including at least the cash register receipt(s) for the purchased products, the unique identifier which identifies the purchase incentive list, and any other redemption items required to redeem the purchase incentive, such as UPC symbols from packages in which the products were sold, to the redemption center to redeem the purchase incentives. The consumer may write the unique identifier which identifies the purchase incentive list on the cash register receipt(s) or on a separate piece of paper.

Instead of writing the unique identifier which identifies the purchase incentive list on the cash register receipt (s) or on a separate piece of paper, the consumer may submit the unique identifier to the redemption center by submitting the purchase incentive list which includes the unique identifier to the redemption center together with the cash register receipt(s) and any other required redemption items. However, the redemption center does not need the purchase incentive list itself, and will only use the purchase incentive list to obtain the unique identifier which identifies the purchase incentive list. After the redemption center has obtained the unique identifier from the purchase incentive list, the redemption center may discard the purchase incentive list because it will no longer be needed.

The consumer may submit the cash register receipt(s), the unique identifier, and any other required redemption items to the redemption center by mail or any other suitable physical delivery method. The purchase incentive distribution system may also allow the consumer to electronically submit copies of the cash register receipt(s), the unique identifier, and any other required redemption items to the redemption center if permitted by the terms of the purchase incentives. When the redemption center receives the redemption information including the cash register receipt(s), the unique identifier, and any other required redemption items from the consumer, the redemption center submits a query specifying the unique identifier received from the consumer to the purchase incentive distribution system database to retrieve the purchase incentive list generation data that was used to generate the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier specified in the query.

If the unique identifier specified in the query is not found in the purchase incentive distribution system database, the purchase incentive distribution system database does not retrieve any purchase incentive list generation data in response to the query, in which case the redemption center determines that the ,-ash register receipt(s), the unique identifier, and any other required redemption items received from the consumer do not represent valid purchase incentives. The redemption center notifies the consumer of this, and denies the consumer reimbursement.

If the unique identifier specified in the query is found in the purchase incentive distribution system database, the purchase incentive distribution system database retrieves the purchase incentive list generation data that was used to generate the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier in response to the query, and which includes at least the unique identifier, consumer identification data identifying the consumer, purchase incentive data identifying the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list and the terms of the purchase incentives, and the date and time the purchase incentive list was generated.

The redemption center compares the date on the cash register receipt(s) received from the consumer with the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated which is included in the retrieved purchase incentive list generation data. If the redemption center determines that the date on the cash register receipt(s) is before the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated, the redemption center notifies the consumer of this, and denies the consumer reimbursement.

If the redemption center determines that the date on the cash register receipt(s) is not before the date on which the purchase incentive list was generated, the redemption center compares the products listed on the cash register receipt(s) received from the consumer with the products required to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer based on the purchase incentive data which is included in the retrieved purchase incentive list generation data, and compares any other required redemption items received from the consumer with any other redemption items required to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer based on the purchase incentive data which is included in the retrieved purchase incentive list generation data.

If the redemption center determines that all of the products required to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by unique identifier received from the consumer are listed on the cash register receipt(s) received from the consumer, and that any other redemption items required to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer have been received from the consumer, the redemption center reimburses the consumer for a total amount of the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer.

If the redemption center determines that any of the products required to redeem the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by unique identifier received from the consumer are not listed on the cash register receipt(s) received from the consumer, and/or that any other redemption items required to redeem any of the purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer have not been received from the consumer, the redemption center reimburses the consumer for a total amount of only those purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer for which the required products are listed on the cash register receipt (s) received from the consumer and for which any other redemption items required to redeem the purchase incentives have been received from the consumer. Also, the redemption center notifies the consumer that reimbursement is being denied for the other purchase incentives in the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier received from the consumer because the products required to redeem these other purchase incentives are not listed on the cash register receipt(s) received from the consumer, and/or that any other redemption items required to redeem these purchase incentives have not been received from the consumer.

The redemption center may reimburse the consumer by sending a check to the consumer by mail or any other suitable physical delivery method, downloading a check for printing at a terminal operated by the consumer, or crediting any reimbursement account which may have been specified by the consumer.

If a check is downloaded for printing, it may be downloaded using a secure transmission which will require the consumer to enter his user name and password to enable the check to be printed.

After the redemption center has reimbursed the consumer, the purchase incentive distribution system may update the status of the redeemed purchase incentive in the purchase incentive distribution system so that the purchase incentive offerer can keep track of how many of the purchase incentives it has authorized for distribution have been distributed and redeemed. The various steps performed by the redemption center which are described above are preferably performed by a computer whenever possible. While the various steps performed by the redemption center have been described above as being performed in a particular order, the present invention is not limited to this particular order, and the various steps may be performed in any suitable order.

The purchase incentive distribution system database will normally be operated by the purchase incentive distribution system operator whether or not the redemption center is operated by the purchase incentive distribution system operator. If the redemption center is not operated by the purchase incentive distribution system operator, but is operated by another party, such as an independent fulfillment house or clearinghouse, the purchase incentive distribution system database may electronically send purchase incentive list generation data for purchase lists which are generated by the purchase incentive distribution system to the redemption center. The purchase incentive list generation data may be sent to the redemption center automatically, either as each purchase incentive list is generated, or periodically, such as in daily dumps of purchase incentive list generation data. Alternatively, the purchase incentive list generation data may be sent to the redemption center in response to a request from the redemption center.

Alternatively, the redemption center may electronically submit a copy of the redemption information received from the consumer to the purchase incentive distribution system database so that the purchase incentive distribution system database can perform one or more of the comparing steps described above as being performed by the redemption center, i.e. the comparing steps wherein the redemption information received from the consumer is compared with the purchase incentive list generation data that was used to generate the purchase incentive list identified by the unique identifier included in the redemption information received from the consumer.

As discussed above, which purchase incentives are displayed to a consumer at any given time and how they are displayed at any given time may be determined by criteria specified by the purchase incentive offerers, and/or the purchase incentive distribution system operator, and/or the consumer.

This may be accomplished in part by storing cloaking data in the purchase incentive distribution system database specifying conditions under which certain ones of the purchase incentives identified by the purchase incentive data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database are not to be displayed to a consumer.

For example, the consumer may access the purchase incentive distribution system Web site either directly, for example, by entering a URL (uniform resource locator) of the purchase incentive distribution system Web site in a Web browser on his terminal, or he may access the purchase incentive distribution system Web site indirectly, for example, by clicking on a hyperlink to the purchase incentive distribution system Web site at a Web site operated by a manufacturer.

The cloaking data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database may specify that if the consumer accesses the purchase incentive distribution system Web site through a manufacturer's Web site, purchase incentives offered by competitors of the manufacturer will not be displayed during the consumer's current visit to the purchase incentive distribution system Web site.

The cloaking data may specify that if a consumer has redeemed a purchase incentive, purchase incentives for the same product and/or similar products will not be displayed for a certain period of time.

The cloaking data may specify a specific consumer profile to which a purchase incentive is targeted, so that the purchase incentive will not be displayed to a consumer who does not fit the specific consumer profile.

The cloaking data may specify that a purchase incentive will not be displayed to a consumer unless the consumer has qualified to receive the purchase incentive, for example, by redeeming one or more other purchase incentives.

Requiring a consumer to become a registered user of the purchase incentive distribution system before permitting the consumer to accept a purchase incentive list enables the purchase incentive distribution system to provide an anti-fraud mechanism. When a consumer first attempts to register with the purchase incentive distribution system, the purchase incentive distribution system may check a database of known scam artists to see if the consumer is listed. If he is listed, he may be denied registration, or he may be allowed to register but be monitored for suspicious activity after registering. The purchase incentive distribution system may compare the registration data provided by the consumer during registration with registered user data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database to determine if the consumer or someone in his household is already registered under a different or similar name. The stored registered user data may include redemption history data for each registered user so that the purchase incentive distribution system can detect patterns of unusual or excessive redemptions. This enables the purchase incentive distribution system to determine whether redemption information submitted by a consumer is valid based on the registered user data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database.

As an additional anti-fraud mechanism, the purchase incentive distribution system may store cash register receipt data which has been captured from cash register receipts included in redemption information received by the redemption center in the purchase incentive distribution system database. The captured cash register receipt data may include store name, store number, date, time, transaction number, cashier, the products purchased, prices, total purchase amount, and any other data which might appear on the cash register receipt.

When the redemption center receives redemption information including a cash register receipt from a consumer, it may capture cash register receipt data from the cash register receipt and compare the captured cash register receipt data with the stored cash register receipt data in the purchase incentive distribution system database to determine whether the cash register receipt is a duplicate or a counterfeit, and to detect patterns of unusual or excessive redemptions, such as an unusually large number of cash register receipts from one particular store or cashier. This enables the purchase incentive distribution system to determine whether redemption information submitted by a consumer is valid based on the cash register receipt data captured from the cash register receipt included in the redemption information and the cash register receipt data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database.

Furthermore, since the identity of the consumer who submitted each cash register receipt is known, the cash register receipt data stored in the purchase incentive distribution system database may be analyzed to develop detailed marketing data which can be used by purchase incentive offerers to target consumers who fit specific profiles.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of an embodiment wherein purchase incentives for products are distributed to consumers over the Internet through one or more sites on the World Wide Web, the invention is not limited to such an embodiment, but includes distributing purchase incentives for products to consumers over any type of communication system using any method of communication.

Although the invention has been described in terms of distributing purchase incentives, specifically rebates, which offer to reimburse a consumer a specified amount of money if the consumer purchases a specified product and provides redemption information proving that the purchase was made, the invention is not limited to this, but includes distributing any type of offer to provide a consumer with anything of value to the consumer, such as cash, prizes, awards, points, or frequent flier miles, if the consumer purchases a specified product and provides redemption information proving that the purchase was made.

Fig. 2 shows a process diagram for one example of a Web site for distributing purchase incentives according to the present invention. Functional requirements for the Web site are set forth below. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the Web site can be implemented based on the process diagram shown in Fig. 2 and the following functional requirements using standard programming techniques which are known in the art.

WEB SITE FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS 1) Ease-Of-Use/Reliability Features a) The site contains no client-side Java, javascript or other client-side programming. Uses vanilla HTML 3.2. Possible exception: if absolutely essential: javascript may be used to open and close windows. b) The system does not employ frames. c) The system works effectively with the following browsers: i) Netscape 3.0 and higher ii) Internet Explorer 3.0 and higher, iii) AOL Browser version 3.0 and higher. d) The system requires and uses no plugins or sound. e) Site navigation is intuitive. For example: the sort and filter functions referenced below must be easy for a novice to understand and use. f) Font and graphic size and color combinations are easily readable: (e.g., >=l/8th inch on 14" monitor in 800x600 mode), assuming that the user has not changed the browser's default font size or shape. g) The site is usable in display modes ranging from 640x480 and 800x600 on 14" screen and 800x600 through 1280x1024 on 17" monitor, assuming that the user has not changed the browser's default font size or shape. h) The user may enter the site only at the "Home" page, where "Specials of the Day' are displayed. Attempts to enter at any other page (e.g., by book arking) will force him to enter a user name and password. Once those are entered, the system will take the user directly to the home page. i) Little or no scrolling is required on the part of the user to see the whole content of a page, assuming that the user has not changed the browser's default font size or shape.

2) Design Goals a) Loading Speed: i) <=5 seconds to load home page § lKBps ii) All other pages load in < 10 seconds @ lkBps, including database processing time. iii) Visible activity of some kind is displayed on all screens in

<=3 seconds. b) Number of rebates available: unlimited, so the system must provide quick and easy access to all of them. c) Minimize the number of clicks and keystrokes per rebate selected. d) Minimize total user time on the web site. e) Minimize total number of database hits (queries/updates) . f) Minimize total number of web server hits. g) All graphics of have "alt" text so the user can discern their functions even before their graphic content is fully loaded.

3) Flow a) Intro/Home page b) The new user is introduced to e-Save when he arrives at http://e-Save.com. This ho e/intro page introduces the user to e-Save and entices him to register and begin selecting rebates. The intro page contains the following elements: i) The page will consist of predefined blocks to accommodate varying text, color and background images within the page. Some of these blocks will be set aside for variable text, e.g., to be used to display notices or announcements. ii) Welcome to e-Save. iii) Explanation of benefits of e-Save. Includes a button to jump to more details. iv) Brief instructions on how the system works. Includes a button to jump to more details. v) New user: Register. Jumps to registration page. vi) If existing user, login. vii) Look around. See what e-Save has to offer before registering. viii) Super specials. The 4 or 8 or so most impressive rebates are displayed. User can click on any of them. This takes him to the rebates page and shows that he has selected this item. Using the "back" button he may return to the home page to see the specials, and click on another one. This process may be repeated until all of the "specials" have been selected. Rotate randomly from among say 20 or so. Art size for specials is different from others. ix) Button to jump to Rebates page. x) Standard ubiquitous navigation buttons (Home, Contact, Info, My e-Save, Logout, Rebates) . However, the "Rebates" button is not displayed on the home page.) xi) Date of last update of the database ("E.g., new rebates were added to this site on nn/nn/nn") xii) Summary privacy statement with click to go to comprehensive privacy statement. c) User can select any of the above and then return to the Intro page with the "back" button on the browser or the ubiquitous "Home" navigation button. Otherwise he is encouraged to click the "Get Your Rebates Now", which sends him to the Rebates page. d) Rebates page. e) This is the principal action page for e-Save. com. All rebates available to the user are listed and chosen by the user on this page. Rebates that are available only in certain regions include the text "This rebate available only in ••) . The user is presented with a default ordering of the rebates he is entitled to see. The default ordering will be rotation with each new session incrementing the display position by a single position. The user may select rebate items from this default ordering, or may select a different ordering by searching, sorting and/or filtering the rebates available on the site. Once the user has decided on a display option, he checks the specific rebates he wishes to select. He may scroll through the list of rebates available to him, several at a time, and may jump to the top and bottom of the list of available rebates at any time. When he has finished selecting rebates, he indicates that he has finished, and goes directly to the printing of the rebate list. The Rebates page contains at least the following items. i) Displays the number of items available to the user and the total dollar value of those items. ii) Standard ubiquitous navigation buttons (see below) . iii) Principal rebate selection list. This is a list of all rebate items that are selectable by the user.

4) The specific items that the user will see depends on his demographics and psychographics, as discussed in the section on

"Registration", and on the set of rebates he has previously selected. i) Sort/Filter Criteria: The user may elect to use the default ordering, or may select any of several optional display orderings.

These will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

(1) Sort: The user may sort the display at two levels, on at least the following parameters:

(a) Retailer (the manufacturer data element)

(b) Rebate amount

(c) Rebate percentage (i.e., percentage of product cost offset by the rebate)

(d) Category

(e) Rebate expiration date:

(f) Rebate posting date (i.e., the date at which the rebate became available to the user.)

(g) Brand

(h) Product name (2) Filter: The user may elect to view only those rebates that meet criteria that he specifies. These criteria include, at a minimu :

(a) New (items added since the user's last visit to the site).

(b) Retailer

(c) Region

(d) Rebates that have been added since the user's last visit.

(e) Rebate amount

(f) Rebate percentage (i.e., percentage of product cost offset by the rebate)

(g) Category

(h) Rebate expiration date

(i) Rebate posting date (i.e., the date at which the rebate became available to the user.)

(j ) Brand

(k) Product name.

(1) Last chance (rebates that are about to expire) . ii) The user may select a range/band of values to filter on for all of the numeric- (e.g., rebate amount) and date- (e.g., rebate expiration date) related criteria. The user may include one or more of these criteria at the same time (e.g., by selecting one or more items from a popup list) .

(1) Sort and filter criteria can be selected individually or in combination. E.g., the user can sort on rebate amount, or may choose to only view rebates in a specific category, or both (e.g., view rebates in a specific category, sorted by rebate amount) .

(2) The user can save one or more combinations of sort/filter criteria, and retrieve any of these sets of criteria at any time from the Rebates page.

(3) The user can add any category or subcategory item to his "my e-Save category list" at any time (i.e., by clicking a hypertext link while viewing an item on the rebates page) .

Two levels of category. Maintained by an administrator. In release 1, only one level of category on user interface but two for targeting, etc. In release 2, subcategories must appear under category during sorting/filtering, iii) Rebate Selection

(1) The user can scroll through the list of rebates that meet the criteria that he has specified (or the default order if no criteria have been specified) , a screenful at a time (free-wheeling scrolling is not permitted . . . the user is thereby encouraged to carefully view each available rebate, rather than scrolling through them quickly without reading.)

(2) The user may select one or more rebates from each screenful, by marking them (e.g., clicking a checkbox).

(3) After selecting zero or more rebates from a screen's listing, the user has several options:

(a) Jump to previous or next screenful of rebates.

(b) Jump to the top or bottom of the list of rebates.

(c) Jump to any particular page/screenful for rebates that are available.

(d) Finish selecting rebates and print the rebate list.

(e) Clear the currently selected set of rebates.

(f) Review the entire set of rebates that he has selected. (See Review List)

(g) Change the sort/filter/search criteria and redisplay the rebate list. iv) When any of the above options (e.g., "next", "previous") is selected, the system updates and displays the total dollar value of rebates selected. v) When any of the above options is selected, the system records the fact that the marked rebates have been selected. Then, any time a rebate that has been previously selected appears on the screen, it appears with the appropriate marking (e.g., a checked checkbox) indicating that it has been selected for rebate. vi) Similarly, if the user "unmarks" a rebate item that he had previously marked (e.g., "checked"), when any of the above options is selected, the system records the fact that the item has been de-selected, and the item will appear "unmarked" on all subsequent screens. vii) Rebate retention b) Once a rebate has been selected (marked) , and any of the buttons mentioned above are clicked, the rebate remains selected (marked) until one of the following occurs:

(a) The user un-marks it, or

(b) The user prints/accepts the rebate list on which this rebate is included, and confirms that the printing was successful, or

(c) The user clicks the "Clear all markings" button, which unmarks all selected/marked rebates. c) Thus, if the user exits the system without unmarking a rebate item using one of the foregoing methods, the rebate remains marked when the user returns to http://e-Save.com. i) Review Your Selections Sub-page d) From the Rebates page, the user may click a button to review the individual rebates he has selected. This "Review Your Selections" sub-page displays all the rebate items that the user has selected in a format similar to that on the Rebates page. While on this page, the user may de-select (un-mark) and re-select (re-mark) as many items as he wishes. Unlike other pages, this page may as large as necessary to accommodate all the rebates that the user has selected, even if it results in scrolling. This will be displayed in category order, and within category alphabetically. e) Info f) The Info page presents the user with the following options, not necessarily in this order: i) Overview of e-Save operation, including a graphical flow chart of the process. ii) Detailed help on the page from which the Info page was selected. iii) Frequently Asked Questions. iv) E-mail e-Save tech support with questions. v) Register vi) About e-Save g) Each sub-page that the user goes to from this main Info page includes navigation buttons that will take him to any of the other help functions (listed above) , and will also contain the standard ubiquitous navigation buttons. h) Registration page. i) The registration page establishes a user name and password for each member of the household (or other persons having access to this computer) . It captures demographic and psychographic information from each user. i) Terms and conditions are displayed. The user accepts them or not. If not, a further inducement to register is displayed and the user is then returned to the page from which he arrived. ii) A household may have several users. The first user from a household becomes the master account for that household.

Subsequent names, demographics, etc., result in the creation of subaccounts. iii) List of rebates I'd like to see. (A file with categories that will appear on this page is necessary) iv) The registration process includes a "Ok to send my email address to others to receive great bargains" checkbox. (It is prechecked and the user may uncheck it) . v) Once a user enters the information and clicks the "register me" button (or equivalent) , the system sends the registration information to a fraud-checking routine (not yet defined) . vi) If the user passes the fraud check the system sends him an e-mail with his password. The user then logs in and is brought to the intro page as usual. (Incidentally, Post Office box addresses are not permissible.) vii) In addition to the above, the registration page includes a button that permits the user to go directly to his "Status (My e-Save)" page.

E-mailing the user a welcome aboard message and his password. Then he goes back to the site to complete the rebate process j) The registration page is accessible from three locations: (1) The Intro page.

(2) Info page

(3) The My e-Save.

(4) The Print Rebates page, k) My e-Save page

1) The My e-Save page serves the following functions: i) It provides the user with a tabular summary of the e-savings he has accumulated over the past 12 months ii) Permits him to change his settings, e.g.,

(1) Save your password on this computer (so that the user doesn't have to enter the password each time he accesses e-Save.com) .

(This option only available if there is only one user account in the household) .

(2) Select rebate categories NOT to display in the future. (This selection can be un-done or modified at any time) .

(3) Subscribe to one or more e-mail newsletters that e-Save publishes , e.g.,.

(a) Special new savings available to you.

(b) Changes in the website

(c) Summary of your savings.

(4) Update your registration information. (Takes user to Registration sub-page) .

(5) Change your password.

(6) Delete your e-Save account, m) About page n) The About page provides information about e-Save Network, Inc. o) Logout p) The logout page is an opportunity for e-Save to do some as-yet-unspecified marketing and user-conditioning (e.g., "Before you leave, prepare your e-Save mailing envelope now. We will send you a SASE along with your check for future e-Savings") . q) The Logout page includes links to other sites. r) The user may select the Logout page from the standard ubiquitous navigation buttons. In addition, the user is automatically forced to the Logout page after he has printed his rebate list and confirmed that it printed successfully. The

Logout page itself includes all of the standard ubiquitous navigation buttons. s) Print Rebates page t) When the user clicks the "Print Rebate list" button on the

Rebates page, he is brought to the Print Rebates page. i) First the user is given an opportunity /requirement to "Review and Accept" the rebates he's selected, or just Accept with reviewing. ii) A button that says: "Oh, you don't have a printer?" (And takes him to the text in the instructions page that talks about this subject.) iii) At least some minimum number of rebates must have been selected in order to accept/print the transaction. iv) If the user has not previously registered, the Print Rebates page reminds him that he must register in order to print the rebate list, and gives him an opportunity to do so, or return to the previous page, at the user's option. v) If the user elects to register at this time, he is sent to the

Registration page, which captures his registration information, then automatically returns him to the Print Rebates page where all the rebate items that the user has selected are displayed in a format similar to that on the Rebates page. vi) The user presses a button to print the rebate list.

5) The user is reminded to turn on his printer.

6) The user is reminded that after printing has been completed and confirmed as successful, he will not be able to select the printed rebates for a specified period of time. (They may be greyed out in the rebate listing with words like "You've already received these savings") .

7) The user is given an opportunity to return to the Rebates page, i) Once the "Print Rebates" button has been pressed, and (nominally) after printing has been completed, the user is given the following options: 8) Confirm that printing was successful and that he wishes to use the list as is.

9) Reprint the list.

10) Cancel/undo the printing. a) Contact page b) The Contact page serves the following purposes: i) Provides some combination of names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses of e-Save people that the user can contact, ii) Provides the user with several lists he can complete to accomplish a variety of functions, including at least the following:

(1) Problems with the rebate process (not with the web site) .

(2) Problems with/questions about the web site.

(3) Suggestions for improving the web site and/or the process, iii) All e-mails received by e-Save trigger an automatic response containing one of several canned replies, with the specific canned reply being determined by the list (or non-list) from which the e-mail was submitted. These are followed-up with manual replies when appropriate.

11) Targeting a) When a user has redeemed a specified number of rebates for a single UPC item during a specified period, that item may not be displayed to that user as available for rebates for another, different, specified period. The grey-out period is manually entered by the data administrator, not on the insertion order. b) There are two classes of rebates: Unconditional and conditional. Unconditional rebates are available to everyone. Conditional rebates are available only to those who have redeemed a specified set of prior rebates who are members of a specific demographic or psychographic cohort. These are disappeared. Each rebate will have a list of UPCs that will be cloaked when it has been downloaded. The demo/psycho graphic criteria will also be on the insertion order. c) Each product can have one or more unique combinations of copy, rebate amount, picture/image, product size. Each of these unique sets will be treated as an identical product in terms of positioning/targeting. 12) Database a) The system maintains files of rebates, each with a unique ID, image, manufacturer, etc. b) All user-selected rebate records remain on-line until archived. Archiving can be done either manually (from an administration page) or automatically when specified criteria have been met. c) Manufacturer related data: i) Field for each rebate: date check printed/mailed. ii) Add field for receipts actually received. iii) Zipcode database tied to regions iv) Code for retailer as part of each rebate record. v) The system automatically kills (eliminates) rebates when specified conditions are met (e.g., % of budget has been expended) . d) e-Save administrative data i) Position on the rebate list for the item being selected, ii) Position on the rebate list for the item being redeemed.

13 ) Reporting a) Rebate selection & redemption frequency as a function of all parameters of the rebate. b) Association between two or more items selected and redeemed at the same time (market basket) . c) Redemptions by UPC/version by demographic/psychographic characteristics. d) Rebates expected to be redeemed in specified period of time vs budget (per rebate version) . e) Other reports.

14) Error processing a) If the fulfillment house receives an invalid or incomplete rebate list, then the fulfillment house will send e-Save error data and e-Save will trigger e-mail to the user describing the problem and instructing them how to rectify it.

15) e-Save Administrative Requirements a) Number of redemptions per UPC per manufacturer, rolled up from UPC to brands to insertion order within specifiable periods of time. This can be tied to weekly billing of manufacturers. b) Exception reporting i) Misredemptions by household and individual, broken out by type of error, and overall. ii) Misredemption trends by household and individual, and overall, over time. iii) Misredemptions by ISP c) Web statistics i) Number of unique visits to the web site. ii) Which buttons were pressed. iii) How much time spent on each page iv) Count by OS (e.g., Win 95, 3.1, etc.) v) Count by browser vi) Count by pages visited vii) Count by ISP. d) Analysis i) Navigation path taken by those who visit the site but don't rebate. ii) Navigation patterns for those who select rebates but don't redee .

16) The user may specify his default display mode and the system will adjust the display accordingly.

17) If a hypertext link exists for a rebate item, when user clicks this link, the system pops up an info page that contains detailed information on the product, plus lists other, related products (cross-promote) .

18) Track the specific questions read by users in the FAQ.

19) When the user is reviewing the rebates he has selected he is given the option of seeing "related items".

20) The user may click a button to take him to the e-Save Shopping List page. a) On the shopping list page, users can create a shopping list based on Simmons' three-level hierarchy of categories. Once a set of categories has been selected, the user can, optionally, enter free-form text that further describes the item (e.g., brand name and size) , and then add the item to the list. The user can save a list at any time, giving it a unique name. Any saved list can be retrieved at any time. b) When an item is added to the shopping list, all the rebates that apply or potentially apply to that item (based on the categories to which it belongs) appear, a screenful at a time. These can be marked, unmarked, etc., in the same way as was done on the Rebates page. c) Items marked during the "shopping list" process remain marked if/when the user returns to the Rebates page and vice versa. d) At any time, the user may click on any item in the then-current shopping list and view the rebates potentially or actually associated with it. e) The shopping list may be printed at any time. Printing this list has no effect on the rebates that have been selected. f) The shopping list can be cleared at any time. As with any "clear" or "print" function, the user is warned about the consequences of his action and required to confirm it, before the clearing of the list actually occurs. g) The system maintains a (hidden) "permanent" record of every printed and/or saved shopping list. h) At any time, including following the printing of the shopping list, the user has the option of switching to the Rebates page. Immediately following the printing of the shopping list, the user is prompted with the option to "Select additional rebates", which will take him to the Rebates page, i) The shopping list and rebates are printed on a single page.

21) Link e-Save to retailer (e.g., Safeway) shopping lists.

22) Language options, gettable on the Settings page: English, Spanish, French

23) The Info page will include surveys and other opportunities to gather info from the user. 24) The My e-Save page will show the status of the user's rebates presently in process ("printed" but not yet redeemed) or recently redeeme .

25) In the My e-Save page, the user may specify display characteristics, e.g., 640x480 or 800x600, number of colors, etc.

26) In the My e-Save page, the user can select "Credit My Mastercard account in lieu of receiving a check." Other options include "send it to charity, send it me, send it to siskiyou decorative

27) Links to e-Save may be created in specified manufacturers' web sites. Each such manufacturer's site will link to a separate, manufacturer- and product-specific "Welcome" page in e-Save. Once the e-Save site has been accessed through one of these Welcome pages, the rebates associated with other specified manufacturer's products will be cloaked for the user for a specified period of time. All such manufacturer/product-specific "Welcome" pages will share the same template, but the text and graphics will be manufacturer- and product-specific. The System will generate these "Welcome" pages automatically based on data contained in the e-save database.

28) MasterCard Alliance a) The user is given the option of having refund credited to his credit card account b) The fulfillment house will credit the account and send e-Save the information.

29) If a condition (e.g., a UPC was redeemed or a UPC was not redeemed) is met, then another set of UPC's and/or versions of the same UPC are made available for a specified period of time beginning after a specified period of time. i) Optionally, the user may be sent an e-mail informing him of the new rebate opportunity (if he has subscribed to that e-mail functionality) . ii) Optionally, a specific set of coupons may be included with the next rebate check mailed to the user.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A purchase incentive distribution method comprising the steps of: storing purchase incentive data identifying a plurality of purchase incentives; enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive from the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data from a terminal operated by the consumer; generating a unique identifier identifying at least the consumer and the at least one purchase incentive selected by the consumer; and storing at least the unique identifier for use in verifying the validity of redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive.

2. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein each of the purchase incentives is a rebate offering to reimburse the consumer a specific amount of money after the consumer has made a purchase required to redeem the purchase incentive.

3. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive includes the step of requiring the consumer to select at least two purchase incentives at one time.

4. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive includes the step of preventing the consumer from selecting more than a maximum number of purchase incentives at one time.

5. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling a consumer to select at least one purchase incentive includes the step of displaying at least some of the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data on the terminal operated by the consumer.

6. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of storing cloaking data specifying conditions under which certain ones of the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data are not to be displayed on the terminal operated by the consumer.

7. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 6, wherein the step of displaying at least some of the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data includes the step of displaying any of the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data on the terminal operated by the consumer except any of the certain ones of the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data for which the conditions specified by the stored cloaking data are met.

8. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the redemption information is provided by the consumer after the consumer has made a purchase required to redeem each of the at least one selected purchase incentive at at least one sales outlet.

9. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the redemption information is provided by at least one sales outlet after the consumer has made a purchase required to redeem each of the at least one selected purchase incentive at the at least one sales outlet.

10. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the stored unique identifier.

11. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of: requiring the consumer to become a registered user by providing registered user data identifying the consumer through a terminal operated by the consumer before enabling the consumer to select at least one purchase incentive from the purchase incentives identified by the stored purchase incentive data; and storing the registered user data provided by the consumer; wherein the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid includes the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the stored unique identifier and the stored registered user data.

12. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 10, wherein the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive includes at least one cash register receipt from at least one sales outlet at which the consumer has made a purchase required to redeem each of the at least one selected purchase incentive; wherein the purchase incentive distribution method further comprises the steps of: storing cash register receipt data captured from other cash register receipts included in other redemption information for redeeming purchase incentives previously selected by consumers; and capturing cash register receipt data from the at least one cash register receipt included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive; and wherein the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid includes the step of verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the stored unique identifier, the cash register receipt data captured from the at least one cash register receipt included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive, and the stored cash register receipt data.

13. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of: if it is determined that the redemption information is not valid, denying the consumer reimbursement for a total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive; and if is determined that the redemption information is valid, reimbursing the consumer for the total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive.

14. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 13, wherein the step of reimbursing the consumer includes the step of issuing a check to the consumer for the total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive;

15. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 14, wherein the step of issuing a check to the consumer includes the step of sending a printed check to the consumer.

16. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 14, wherein the step of issuing a check to the consumer includes the step of printing a check at a terminal operated by the consumer.

17. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of reimbursing the consumer includes the step of crediting a reimbursement account specified by the consumer for the total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive.

18. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 17, wherein the reimbursement account is a bank account.

19. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 17, wherein the reimbursement account is a credit card account.

20. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 10, wherein the step of storing at least the unique identifier includes the step of storing the unique identifier together with other unique identifiers which were previously stored after purchase incentives were selected by consumers; wherein the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive includes at least the unique identifier identifying at least the consumer and the at least one purchase incentive selected by the consumer; and wherein the purchase incentive distribution method further comprises the steps of: determining whether the unique identifier included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is one of the stored unique identifiers; if it is determined that the unique identifier included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is not one of the stored unique identifiers, denying the consumer reimbursement for a total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive; if it is determined that the unique identifier included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is one of the stored unique identifiers, verifying whether the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid based on at least the unique identifier included in the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive; if it is determined that the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is not valid, denying the consumer reimbursement for the total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive; and if is determined that the redemption information for redeeming the at least one selected purchase incentive is valid, reimbursing the consumer for the total amount of the at least one selected purchase incentive.

21. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: generating a purchase incentive list including at least the unique identifier and the at least one selected purchase incentive; and delivering the purchase incentive list to the consumer.

22. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 21, wherein the step of delivering the purchase incentive list to the consumer includes the step of printing the purchase incentive list at a terminal specified by the consumer.

23. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 21, wherein the step of delivering the purchase incentive list to the consumer includes the step of faxing the purchase incentive list to the consumer at a location specified by the consumer.

24. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 21, wherein the step of delivering the purchase incentive list to the consumer includes the step of e-mailing the purchase incentive list to the consumer.

25. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 21, wherein the step of delivering the purchase incentive list to the consumer includes the step of storing the purchase incentive list in a portable electronic memory device operated by the consumer.

26. A purchase incentive distribution method according to claim 25, wherein the portable electronic memory device is a smart card.