System and method for distribution, redemption and processing of electronic coupons

Abstract

In a method of executing a transaction using an electronic coupon, coupon campaign information is provided to an engine. The coupon campaign information defines a discount value, a product family and a number of coupons to be distributed. Each coupon within the coupon campaign has a coupon identification (ID). Coupon publications are provided including a machine-readable portion that encodes coupon data describing the coupon campaign information. The coupon data is retrieved from the machine-readable portion of the coupon publication using a personal electronic device. The coupon data is used to retrieve a coupon ID that is stored in the personal electronic device. The coupon ID is transmitted to a point of sale (POS) system using the personal electronic device. The POS system communicates with the engine to verify a validity of the coupon ID. A discount is applied to a transaction in accordance with the discount value.

1 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A computer-implemented method of executing a transaction using an electronic coupon, comprising:
 using coupon data retrieved from a machine-readable portion of a coupon publication to retrieve a coupon ID from an engine using a personal electronic device;   transmitting the coupon ID to a point of sale (POS) system using the personal electronic device, the POS system communicating with the engine to verify a validity of the coupon ID;   entering a personal identification number (PIN) into the POS to authorize the POS to modify the coupon data stored on the personal electronic device; and   after the transaction is complete, receiving an instruction from the POS to modify a status of the coupon data.   
     
     
         27 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , wherein the personal electronic device includes a cell phone and the cell phone operates a Java Card Applet for coupon management and a mobile application for user interfacing. 
     
     
         28 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , wherein the coupon ID is encrypted by the engine using an encryption key. 
     
     
         29 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 28 , wherein the encryption key is stored on a hardware security module (HSM) in communication with the engine. 
     
     
         30 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , wherein the coupon ID is represented using an Electronic Product Code (EPC) format including a 96-bit serial number. 
     
     
         31 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 26 , wherein the personal electronic device and the POS system communicate using a near-field communication (NFC) interface. 
     
     
         32 . A method of executing a transaction using an electronic coupon, comprising:
 communicating with an engine using a personal electronic device to execute a coupon search, the engine storing coupon campaign information, the coupon campaign information defining a discount value, and a product family, each coupon within the coupon campaign having a coupon identification (ID);   selecting a coupon from a list of search results generated by the coupon search to retrieve coupon data from the engine, the coupon data including a coupon ID and being stored in the personal electronic device;   transmitting the coupon data to a point of sale (POS) system using the personal electronic device; and   receiving a discount to a transaction in accordance with the discount value, the transaction being for goods or services.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the personal electronic device includes a cell phone and the cell phone operates a Java Card Applet for coupon management and a mobile application for user interfacing. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the coupon ID is represented using an Electronic Product Code (EPC) format including a 96-bit serial number. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the personal electronic device and the POS system communicate using a near-field communication (NFC) interface. 
     
     
         36 . A system for executing a transaction using an electronic coupon, comprising:
 a personal electronic device for retrieving coupon data from a machine-readable portion of a coupon publication, the machine-readable portion of the coupon publication encoding coupon data describing coupon campaign information, the coupon campaign information defining a discount value, and a product family, each coupon within the coupon campaign having a coupon identification (ID); and   a point of sale (POS) system for retrieving the coupon data from the personal electronic device, the POS system being configured to communicate with an engine to verify a validity of the coupon data and to apply a discount to a transaction in accordance with the discount value.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the personal electronic device includes a cell phone and the cell phone operates a Java Card Applet for coupon management and a mobile application for user interfacing. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the POS system is configured to compare the product family of the coupon campaign information to a product family of a product included in the transaction. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , including a clearing and settlement system in communication with the POS system for executing a financial exchange between a manufacturer of the product and a retailer executing the transaction to compensate the retailer for the value of the discount. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the coupon ID is represented using an Electronic Product Code (EPC) format including a 96-bit serial number. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the machine-readable portion of the coupon publication includes a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device. 
     
     
         42 . The system of claim  11 , wherein the personal electronic device and the POS system communicate using a near-field communication (NFC) interface.