System, method and database for processing transactions

Abstract

A check transaction processing system using a customer's checking account identification number as a unique customer identification code (“check ID”) comprising a transaction processor for processing check transactions for a store, and for storing a customer database, including customer records, for that store; each customer record being uniquely identified by the customer's check ID, and including selected customer information; said customer information including check verification status information such that a customer is assigned a check verification status value of positive, negative, or caution.

1 - 7 . (canceled)  
     
     
         8 . A computer implemented system for providing a signal at a point-of-sale depending upon a customer's shopping history, comprising: 
 a terminal for entering, during a transaction, a unique customer identification;    a database storing transaction data from prior transactions for a plurality of customers, such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in association with an identification of that customer;    circuitry responsive to the entry of said unique customer identification at said terminal during said transaction for transmitting to said point-of-sale during said transaction a customer information response signal; and    wherein said customer information response signal depends upon data stored in said database indicating dollar amount of at least one prior purchase associated with said unique customer identification.    
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said customer information response signal depends upon dollar amount of a plurality of prior purchases associated with said unique customer identification.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said customer information response signal also depends upon a frequency of prior purchases associated with said unique customer identification.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said terminal can also receive customer transaction data.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said data regarding said individual customer's prior transactions stored in association with said individual customer's identification in said database includes transaction frequency and dollar amount.  
     
     
         13 . A computer implemented method for providing a signal at a point-of-sale depending upon a customer's shopping history, comprising the steps of: 
 entering in a terminal, during a transaction, a unique customer identification;    storing, in a database, transaction data from prior shopping transactions for a plurality of customers, such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in association with said an identification of that customer;    transmitting to a point-of-sale during said transaction a customer information response signal in response to the entry of said unique customer identification at said terminal during said transaction; and    wherein said customer information response signal depends upon data stored in said database indicating dollar amount of at least one prior purchase associated with said unique customer identification.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said customer information response signal depends upon dollar amount of a plurality of prior purchases associated with said unique customer identification.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said customer information response signal also depends upon a frequency of prior purchases associated with said unique customer identification.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising the step of receiving in said terminal customer transaction data.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said data regarding said individual customer's prior transactions stored in association with said individual customer's identification in said database includes transaction frequency and dollar amount.  
     
     
         18 . A computer implemented system for updating data in a customer database, comprising: 
 a terminal for entering, during a transaction, a unique customer identification and transaction data for said transaction;    a database storing transaction data for a plurality of customers from prior shopping transactions, such that transaction data regarding prior transactions of a customer are stored in association with identification of that customer; and    circuitry responsive to the entry of said unique customer identification and said transaction data at said terminal for updating transaction data and a dollar amount of purchases associated with said unique customer identification in said customer database, and for storing in said customer database the date that transaction data association with said unique customer identification was updated.    
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein said circuitry updates said transaction data associated with said unique customer identification during said transaction.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18  wherein said database also stores a time of day that said transaction data was updated in association with said unique customer identification.  
     
     
         21 . A computer implemented method for updating data in a customer database, comprising the steps of: 
 entering in a terminal, during a transaction, a unique customer identification and transaction data for said transaction;    storing, transaction data for a plurality of customers from prior shopping transactions, such that data regarding a prior transactions of a customer are stored in association with identification of that customer; and    updating transaction data and a dollar amount of purchases associated with said unique customer identification in said customer database in response to entry of said unique customer identification and said transaction data at said terminal; and    storing in said customer database the date that transaction data association with said unique customer identification was updated.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein said circuitry updates said transaction data associated with said unique customer identification during said transaction.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising the step of storing in said database a time of day that said transaction data stored in association with said unique identification was updated.  
     
     
         24 . A computer implemented customer database comprising stored transaction data from prior point-of-sale transactions for a plurality of customers, such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in association with an identification of that customer said transaction data stored in association with an identification of that customer including: 
 dollar amount of purchases and time period.    
     
     
         25 . A computer implemented customer database comprising stored transaction data from prior transactions for a plurality of customers, such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in association with an identification of that customer, said transaction data stored in association with said identification of that customer including: 
 total dollar amount of purchases purchased during a period of time.    
     
     
         26 . The database of  claim 25  wherein said period of time is one of a day and a week.  
     
     
         27 . The database of  claim 25  wherein said transaction data stored in association with said identification of that customer further comprises a number of transactions associated with an identification of a customer.  
     
     
         28 . The database of  claim 25  wherein said transaction data stored in association with said identification of that customer further comprises a frequency of transactions.  
     
     
         29 . The database of  claim 25  wherein said transaction data stored in association with said identification of that customer further comprises a frequency of transactions for a specified period of time associated with an identification of a customer.  
     
     
         30 . The database of  claim 29  wherein said specified period of time is one of a day and a week.  
     
     
         31 . The system of any one of claims  8 ,  13 ,  18 ,  21 ,  24 , and  25 , wherein said database is local to the point-of-sale, said database stores transaction data from prior transactions for a plurality of customers such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in association with an identification of that customer, and said database is updatable from a global database concatenated from multiple store databases including said transaction data from the prior transactions of the customers at multiple stores.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said database stores the date that transaction data association with said unique customer identification was updated.  
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said terminal is in a first retail store, said database is a first store database, and said first store database is located at said first retail store.  
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33  further comprising: 
 a second store database local at a second retail store, said second store database storing transaction data from prior transactions at said second store for a plurality of customers, such that data regarding a customer's prior transactions are stored in said second store database in association with a unique identification of that customer; and    a global database storing transaction data from prior transactions in both said first retail store and said second retail store.    
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34  further comprising at least one data connection, said at least one data connection enabling transmission of data stored in said first store database and said second store database to said global database, and enabling transmission of data from said global database to each one of said first store database and said second store database.  
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35  configured to update customer records in said first store database based upon data stored in said global database.  
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 35  configured to update customer records in said first store database based upon data stored in said global database for transactions that occurred in said second retail store.  
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37  configured to update customer records in said first store database based upon data transmitted to said global database from said second store database for transactions that occurred in said second retail store.  
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 37  configured to update customer records in said second store database based upon data stored in said global database for transactions that occurred in said first retail store.  
     
     
         40 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a first frequency of transactions by that customer during a first period of time.  
     
     
         41 . The database of  claim 40 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a second frequency of transactions by that customer during a second period of time.  
     
     
         42 . The database of  claim 41 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a third frequency of transactions by that customer during a third period of time.  
     
     
         43 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a first dollar amount for one or more transactions by that customer during a first time period.  
     
     
         44 . The database of  claim 43 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a second dollar amount for one or more transactions by that customer during a second time period.  
     
     
         45 . The database of  claim 44 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer transaction data including a third dollar amount for one or more transactions by that customer during a third time period.  
     
     
         46 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a customer status.  
     
     
         47 . The database of  claim 46 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a date/time that said customer status changed.  
     
     
         48 . The database of  claim 47 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a previous status of said customer.  
     
     
         49 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a user flag.  
     
     
         50 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a transfer date/time indicating when the customer's record was last written to disk.  
     
     
         51 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer an access date/time indicating when the customer's record was last accessed and updated.  
     
     
         52 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a total number of transactions since a last global update, said global update updating data stored in association with said identification of that customer based upon data stored in association with said identification of that customer in a second database.  
     
     
         53 . The database of  claim 52 , wherein said database is structured to store in association with said identification of that customer a total dollar volume since said last global update.  
     
     
         54 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured so that it is indexed at least by customer identification.  
     
     
         55 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured so that it is indexed at least by status.  
     
     
         56 . The database of  claim 24 , wherein said database is structured so that it is indexed at least by transfer date.  
     
     
         57 . A computer implemented system comprising: 
 computer implemented customer database comprising stored transaction data from prior point-of-sale transactions, said stored transaction data comprising:    (1) data for a first customer such that data regarding said first customer's prior transactions are stored in a first customer record associating a first customer identification of said first customer with at least a first customer first dollar amount; and    (2) data for a second customer such that data regarding said second customer's prior transactions are stored in a second customer record associating a second customer identification of said second customer with at least a second customer first dollar amount;    a point of sale terminal;    a digital data processor;    and wherein said system is programmed to respond to transaction information received from the point of sale terminal including said first customer identification by identifying said first customer record in said database, and returning to said point of sale terminal a first customer information response signal;    wherein a value of said first customer information response signal depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least said first customer first dollar amount.    
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 57  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer second dollar amount.  
     
     
         59 . The system of  claim 58  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer third dollar amount.  
     
     
         60 . The system of  claim 57  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer first frequency value.  
     
     
         61 . The system of  claim 60  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer second frequency value.  
     
     
         62 . The system of  claim 61  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer third frequency value.  
     
     
         63 . The system of  claim 58  wherein a value of said first customer information response signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer first frequency value.  
     
     
         64 . The system of  claim 63  wherein said signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer second frequency value.  
     
     
         65 . The system of  claim 57  wherein said signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer first status value.  
     
     
         66 . The system of  claim 65  wherein said signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer first flag value.  
     
     
         67 . The system of  claim 57  wherein said signal also depends at least in part upon data stored in said first customer record, including at least a first customer first time value.