A.c. Nielsen Company

Nuworld Marketing Ltd.

Nch Marketing Services, Inc.

Noworld Marketing, Ltd.

Robert Marshall

George Rogers

Robert T Kulakowski

Timothy Halfman

A system is provided for dispatching one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients of said packets at a remote location. The steps included in such a system are: (1) developing a subscriber directory containing unique identification information for each of said potential recipients; (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said recipients; (3) identifying the potential recipients for a particular packet; (4) transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said potential recipients; and (5) receiving and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by said appliance.

Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving and printing packets of information

A system is provided for distributing in a retail environment one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, forms, messages, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients of said packets from a receiver-printer-dispenser at a remote location. The steps included in such a system are: (1) developing a receiver directory containing unique identification information for each of said potential receiver-printer-dispenser within a store or retail environment; (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said RPD; (3) identifying the potential RPD's for a particular packet; (4) transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said potential RPD's; (5) receiving, storing and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by said appliance; and (6) detecting whether said printed packet has been removed, and printing another copy of said packet in the event the printed packet has been removed. A variety of audio and visual display components and motion sensors are also provided to enhance the appeal of the RPD's and encourage consumers to accept the printed packet.

Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving, storing and selectively printing coupons and the like in a retail environment

A system is provided for distributing in a retail environment one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, forms, messages, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients of said packets from a receiver-printer-dispenser at a remote location. The steps included in such a system are: (1) developing a receiver directory containing unique identification information for each of said potential receiver-printer-dispenser within a store or retail environment, (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said RPD; (3) identifying the potential RPD's for a particular packet; (4) transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said potential RPD's; (5) receiving, storing and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by said appliance; and (6) detecting whether said printed packet has been removed, and printing another copy of said packet in the event the printed packet has been removed. A variety of audio and visual display components and motion sensors are also provided to enhance the appeal of the RPD's and encourage consumers to accept the printed packet.

Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving, storing & selectively printing coupons and the like in a retail environment

A system is provided for dispatching one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients at a remote location. The system utilizes a remote receiver and printer having a unique identification number and bit-string code based on predetermined characteristics of the subscriber. The steps included in the system include: (1) developing a subscriber directory containing unique identification information for each of the potential recipients; (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of the recipients; (3) identifying the potential recipients for a particular packet by identification number or bit-string code; (4) transmitting the packet through a pager network to all of the potential recipients; and (5) receiving and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by the appliance.

Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving and selectively printing packets of information using bit-string selection means

A printer appliance is provided for use in receiving and printing packets of information transmitted by wireless means, particularly by a pager network. The appliance includes a receiver module for receiving the packets of information transmitted over the network; a microprocessor for analyzing the packets received to determine whether the packets are intended to be processed and printed by the appliance; and a printer for printing the packets of information.

Printer appliance for use in a wireless system for broadcasting packets of information

A market research system is provided for management of manufacturer's discount coupon offers. The market research system includes an automated coupon processing system for processing coupon redemption data. The coupon redemption data includes offer identification. At least one manufacturer provides a coupon release input. A central controller is coupled to the coupon processing system and the manufacturer for receiving the coupon redemption data and the coupon release input. The central controller defines a knowledge database responsive to the received coupon redemption data. Responsive to the defined knowledge database, the central controller generates a response template library. The central controller selects a response template from the generated response template library responsive to a received coupon release input and transmits the selected response template to the manufacturer.

Marketing research method and system for management of manufacturer's

A manufacturer's discount coupon redemption system and method provide for the automated statistical analysis of coupon shipment data characteristics in order to identify coupon shipment parametric abnormalities. Allowable ranges for preselected coupon shipment data characteristics are established and are automatically updated. Data characteristics associated with each coupon shipment are compared to the allowable ranges to identify instances of coupon shipment parametric abnormalities, that is, data characteristics that fall outside of the allowable ranges. Those coupon shipments that exhibit parametric abnormalities are segregated for further review and evaluation. The system and method utilize an operational knowledge base in which data characteristics of interest associated with a plurality of previously processed coupon shipments from a plurality of retail stores are stored and used as an information base to statistically derive the allowable ranges against which the data characteristics of new coupon shipments are compared. Periodically, at least a portion of the information stored in the operational knowledge base is replaced with data characteristics associated with more recently processed coupon shipments. Ultimately, the system and method result in a decision either to pay the submitting retail stores for their coupon shipments or to deny payment or to refer the payment decision to the involved manufacturers. In addition, the information identified and utilized in the system and method may be used to provide extensive financial and marketing information services.

Automated system for statistically analyzing data characteristics of

A system and method for protecting against redundant mailings compile mail listings associated with, for example, refund promotion requests received during a given period of time for a number of different refund promotions. Each listing in the compilation is compared on an automated basis with one or more other listings in the compilation according to one or more rules defining a first statistically significant event to identify suspicious listings. Listings in the compilation are also compared on an automated basis to listings previously identified as suspicious and may also be compared to listings associated with known abusers and complainers. Listings identified as suspicious are thereafter compared on an automated basis according to one or more different rules defining a second statistically significant event to identify redundant mailings.

System and method for protecting against redundant mailings

A process and apparatus for aligning paper documents includes a paper jogger having a removable paper tray for receiving a large number of individual paper documents, such as retail store coupons, and adapted to slide onto and to be removably secured to an oscillating platform of the paper jogger for aligning the edges of the paper documents. A removable divider is positioned in the tray to segregate the paper documents in the tray into discrete portions. The tray containing the divider and segregated paper documents is then placed on and secured to the platform for oscillation and resultant paper alignment. After the paper documents are sufficiently aligned, the tray may be removed from the platform for use in storing the aligned paper documents or in conveying the aligned paper documents to subsequent processing stations.

Process and apparatus for aligning paper documents

A method and apparatus for identifying images having different spatial characteristics divides the image into a predetermined number of image elements, determines whether each of the image elements is relatively light or relatively dark and assigns a white designation or a black designation to each image element as a result of this determination. The number of white designated and black designated image elements are counted, as are the number of like designated image elements adjacent to each image element. The counts thus obtained are compared with corresponding counts resulting from known images, and the image is identified when a match within a predetermined tolerance is found.

Method and apparatus for identifying images

An automatic document sorter particularly suitable for sorting retail store coupons employs a plurality of relatively coarse sorting processes in cascade. The sorting processes sequentially sort the documents according to predetermined properties of the document, including codes, such as bar codes or the like; physical properties, such as size, thickness, color, reflectivity and opacity; the characteristics of the inscriptions on the face of the document; and any uniquely marked areas of the document face. Such a sorting hierarchy permits the documents to be sorted rapidly by reducing the precision required in each sorting step. The hierarchy also permits each document to be classified during each sorting step as falling into a particular class of documents in order to simplify subsequent sorting steps. If a property uniquely identifying the document is found during any one of the sorting steps, the processing is terminated at that point without completing the subsequent sorting steps.

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El Paso, TX, United States of America

Robert Marshall