| US 7,613,631 B2 | ||
| Method and apparatus for managing subscriptions | ||
| Jay S. Walker, Ridgefield, Conn. (US); Magdalena Mik, Greenwich, Conn. (US); James A. Jorasch, Stamford, Conn. (US); Andrew S. Van Luchene, Norwalk, Conn. (US); Michiko Kobayashi, Stamford, Conn. (US); Geoffrey M. Gelman, Stamford, Conn. (US); Russell Pratt Sammon, Stamford, Conn. (US); Andrew P. Golden, New York, N.Y. (US); and Adam Stevenson, Solana Beach, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Walker Digital, LLC, Stamford, Conn. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 26, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/768,594. | ||
| Application 11/768594 is a division of application No. 09/538805, filed on Mar. 30, 2000, granted, now 7,251,617. | ||
| Application 09/538805 is a continuation in part of application No. 09/221457, filed on Dec. 28, 1998, granted, now 6,415,262, filed on Jul. 02, 2002. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/165366, filed on Nov. 12, 1999. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0250388 A1, Oct. 25, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. G06Q 20/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 705—16 [705/14; 705/26; 235/378] | 5 Claims |
| 1. A process comprising:
receiving, by a controller, a request by a customer to establish a subscription;
receiving, by the controller, information that identifies a product;
identifying, by the controller, at least one supermarket offering the product;
establishing, by the controller, terms of a subscription for the product, in which the subscription is valid at the at least
one supermarket, in which the terms include information identifying:
a subscription price, in which the subscription price is less than a retail price of a unit of the product,
a frequency of the subscription that indicates a period of time,
a duration of the subscription, in which the duration of the subscription includes a plurality of the periods of time, and
in which in order to comply with the frequency of the subscription the customer is required to purchase at least one unit
of the product in each respective period of time;
receiving, by the controller and from the customer at a point of sale, an identifier that identifies the subscription;
receiving, by the controller and from the customer at the point of sale, an indication of the product;
determining, by the controller, whether the customer is complying with the frequency of the subscription; and
authorizing, by the controller, the customer to purchase the product at the subscription price if the customer is redeeming
the product in accordance with the frequency.
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