Smart receipt

Abstract

A method, program, and system for processing electronic receipts within a computer network are provided. The present invention comprises creating a customer profile for a user using a Smart Receipt application. When the user purchases items, electronic receipts (smart receipts) are sent from the point of sale to a designated database. The database may be on a credit card company server, the product manufacturer's server, a special cash receipts server, or a central clearing house server. When the customer wants a copy of a receipt, he or she enters search parameters which specify the desired receipt. The search parameters may include item type, date of purchase, and method of purchase. A Smart Receipt object is then initiated, which retrieves the specified electronic receipt from the appropriate database, according to the search parameters. A copy of the retrieved electronic receipt is then downloaded to a client machine (e.g. PDA, PC) designated by the customer profile.