WO2001025981A1

WO2001025981A1 - System for identifying and validating data, in particular loyalty points for promoting sales outlets

Info

Publication number: WO2001025981A1
Application number: PCT/FR2000/002674
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marc Lepage; Olivier Bensimon
Original assignee: Dynamic Shopping Sa
Priority date: 1999-10-01
Filing date: 2000-09-27
Publication date: 2001-04-12
Also published as: FR2799292B1; FR2799292A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a system wherein labels (200) bear a product identity mark (210) and a coded mark (212) readable by another technique and capable of being modified in controlled and irreversible manner from an intact state to disabled state. A validating unit (100) comprises means for reading (106) and storing (104, 114) the identity of the product and means for reading (108, 110, 112) and for disabling (108, 110, 112) the coded mark. The activation of the storage means is conditioned by a prior reading of the coded mark and determining the intact state thereof, and the activation of the storage means brings about the activation of the means disabling the coded mark. The reading of marks, the storage of the product identity and the modification of the coded mark are concurrent and indivisible operations.

Description

Data identification and validation system, in particular loyalty points for sales promotion

The invention relates to a system for identifying and validating data, usable in particular in the context of commercial techniques for sales promotions and customer loyalty. In this area, we know the very classic system of "loyalty points", consisting for example of asking a given consumer to accumulate points for each purchase in the same store or in the same chain of stores, or even to complete a grid with proofs of purchases of articles from several brands of the same group of brands. When the consumer has accumulated a given number of points, or filled all the boxes of his grid, he can then benefit from a particular advantage such as additional discount, payment of a sum of money, delivery of a gift , participation in a draw, etc.

A first difficulty in these commercial operations is the significant risk of fraud, which can be committed in several ways. Thus, if the proof of purchase consists, for example, of reading a bar code during a checkout, it is easy to reuse the same product several times to unduly multiply the bar code readings, and therefore the creation of loyalty points.

In another technique consisting in asking the consumer to keep a proof of purchase such as a bar code or a sticker printed or stuck on the packaging, experience reveals numerous frauds consisting in peeling or cutting these stickers in the store and to abandon the product on the shelf, fraud which goes of course against the desired goal aimed at pushing the consumer to actually buy the product bearing the sticker. Another drawback of these known techniques is their relatively tedious or restrictive nature for the consumer.

Thus, cash registering assumes that the consumer makes these purchases in the same store or the same network of stores (and provided that their collection systems are interconnected); in the case of labels, the operation consisting of cutting the packaging, sticking the labels on a grid, posting the set, etc., is rather daunting and can put off a number of consumers who are not sufficiently motivated. One of the aims of the present invention is to overcome all of these disadvantages, by proposing a system of identification and validation of data which is on the one hand very difficult to defraud and on the other hand simple and attractive to implement by the consumer. Indeed, the infraudability of the system obviously conditions the economic efficiency of the system and of the promotional campaign.

In addition, the fact of offering a new and secure system can be, from the point of view of communication, a positive argument likely to enhance the image of the organizer of the operation. Finally, the simplicity of implementation and the use of a technological object constitute a new factor likely to attract a new segment of customers, until now unmotivated, but which could be seduced by the simple and playful side of participation in the promotional campaign. The basic idea of the invention is based on the use of a label where the reading of the "loyalty point" or similar information is destructive of the information, that is to say a label whose information of point is kept in a form allowing only a single reading by means of an irreversible modification of the information medium, in particular a physical modification by alteration of an element or component of this medium.

In addition, each consumer is assigned an individual, autonomous device, hereinafter designated "validator", which is in principle personal. This validator is such that, concomitantly with the reading / destruction of the loyalty point, the product is identified (for example by reading a conventional bar code) and the identity thus read is memorized in the validator, in the same way whether you check a box in a grid or paste a sticker on a grid with traditional methods. Insofar as there will be interdependence between this reading / memorization of the identity of the product and the reading / destruction of the loyalty point, the whole operation (hereinafter referred to as "validation") will also be , unique and irreversible.

More specifically, the system of the invention comprises, on the one hand, labels intended to be affixed to an article or to accompany an article and, on the other hand, a validator intended to be used by a consumer. in combination with a label.

Each label carries a product identity marking, readable according to a first technique, and a coded marking, readable according to a second technique and modifiable in a controlled manner to make it pass irreversibly from an intact state to an altered state.

The validator includes means for reading the identity marking, means for reading the coded marking, means for altering the coded marking, a data memory, and means for memorizing the identity of the product read by the means for reading the identity mark.

When using the validator, the activation of the storage means is conditioned by a prior reading of the coded marking and a determination of the intact state thereof, and the activation of the storage means results in the activation of the means. alteration of the coded marking, the reading of the identity marking and of the coded marking, the memorization of the identity of the product read and the alteration of the coded marking being carried out in a concomitant and indivisible manner during the same setting up. work of the validator. According to various advantageous particular forms of implementation: - the first technique is an optical or magnetic technique, the product identity marking then advantageously being a bar code;

- the second technique is an induction technique;

- the coded and product identity markings are markings superimposed on the label; the label can then be formed from a sheet bearing on the front the apparent marking of product identity, and bearing the coded marking on the opposite face or within the material of the substrate of the sheet, this opposite face may in particular bear an adhesive layer intended to be affixed against a surface of the product or of a packaging thereof, in particular a surface which is not accessible without opening the product or the packaging;

the storage means further comprise means for recognizing the identity of the product among a family of products whose identities are kept in a table in the memory of the validator; advantageously the storage means comprise then furthermore means for incrementing a register, or positioning an indicator, in the memory of the validator each time the identity of a corresponding product of the family of products is recognized, and means can be further provided for detecting and signal to the consumer the incrementation of all of the registers, or the positioning of all of the indicators, from the memory of the validator; the memory of the validator contains a consumer identifier; the validator further comprises means, integrated or additional, for remote transmission of the content of the data memory.

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We will now describe an example of implementation of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the various elements making up the validator and the label of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a label according to the invention, with different variant embodiments of its constituent elements.

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In the figures, the reference 100 designates, generally, the validator according to the invention and the reference 200, the label according to the invention.

The validator 100 can be produced in the form of a portable object of small dimensions which is convenient and attractive, for example in the form of a keychain given to the consumer in return for a certain number of indications on his identity, address, consumption habits, etc. The label 200, for its part, can be produced in the form of an adhesive patch or sticker, also of small dimensions (in the drawings, the thickness has been greatly exaggerated in order to show the structure in successive layers), and associated with an article in order to reduce the risk of fraud: the label can for example be slipped or glued inside a package, placed inside a lid or a stopper, etc., so that it is not immediately visible or directly accessible without opening the packaging. The validator is specific to the organizer of the operation, that is to say that it has been personalized according to the labels and loyalty points that it will have to recognize. It is this validator who is authentic to accumulate points or proofs of purchase, which he will keep in memory. Furthermore, the validator is personal, that is to say it is assigned to a given consumer, whose identity, address, etc. it can advantageously contain, and memorize a certain amount of information allowing define a consumption profile specific to those who own and use it. It can also be personalized simply by assigning it a serial number, which will be crossed with a central consumer file.

The validator 100 includes a housing 102 allowing it to be approached and positioned relative to a label 200 in order to allow read / write operations on this label, in the manner which will be explained below.

The validator is organized around a microprocessor 104 associated with a certain number of organs, comprising:

a circuit 106 for reading product information at the surface of the label, for example an optical or magnetic bar code reading system,

a circuit for reading and destroying coded information, corresponding to a loyalty point contained in the label, for example an induction system, the circuit 108 cooperating with a coil 110 and a concentrator core 112 centered on the axis of the label in the housing 102;

a non-volatile data memory 114, allowing in particular the recognition of the information read by the circuit 106 by comparison with a list of stored references; each reference is associated with an indicator positioned when the product has been recognized, or with an incremented register each time the product has been recognized

(we will detail later how this operation is carried out); the memory also advantageously comprises an area 116 containing an identifier of the device such as a serial number and / or an identifier of the consumer to whom the device has been assigned; - a display 118 and / or a loudspeaker or vibrator 120, allowing no- to give the consumer a certain number of indications on the functioning of the validator;

- Optionally, a connector 122 for discharging the content of the memory 114 to a central site, for example by connection to an appropriate reading terminal;

- Optionally, a circuit 124 allowing the remote transmission (for example by generation of DTMF signals) of the content of the memory 114 to a central site;

an internal supply battery 126. The label 200, for its part, is advantageously produced in the form of a stack of three layers 210, 212, 214.

Layer 210, which is the visible layer (front of the label) carries a product identity marking, freely readable in known forms such as magnetic coding 216, dot matrix 218 or optical or magnetic bar code 220.

The internal layer 212, which can be an added layer or consist of the main substrate (paper, cardboard, PVC, PET, etc.) of the label, includes within it an element 222 representative of coded information of the "loyalty point" type, and having the particularity of being an element which can be modified to make it pass irreversibly from an intact state to an altered state.

Very advantageously, the change of state results from a physical modification of the element 222, which is for example a fuse which will be destroyed by an overcurrent. Other single-reading techniques can also be used in the same way, implementing chemical, thermal, optical methods, etc., in themselves known, for example by electrolysis or burning of a zone forming a memory point. In the case of a fuse, this can be included, as illustrated in FIG. 2, in a loop 224, which allows it to be easily read by a contactless technique of the "induction process" type, a technique distinct from reading. identity marking, therefore without risk of interference. The destruction of the fuse is carried out by the same technique, simply by applying a larger field inducing in the loop 224 sufficient intensity to cause the fuse to blow. As a variant, the fuse can be destroyed electrically, for example if it is mounted as a bridge between two loops 226, 228. The destruction can then be carried out with galvanic contact by pins 128, 130 coming to penetrate the surface of the label to the tracks 226, 228 embedded in the substrate, then by circulating between the tips a current sufficient to cause the blowing of the fuse.

It will be noted that, in all cases, the fact of placing the fuse, that is to say the coded marking representative of the loyalty point, in an internal layer of the label or within the substrate thereof, therefore in a way that is neither apparent nor accessible, significantly reduces the risk of fraud by consumers who do not have the necessary skill, time and technical knowledge. We will now describe the way in which the system which has just been described is implemented. Beforehand, the consumer has received a validator, and the latter includes an identifier which is specific to him, for example a device identifier (making it possible to cross-check with the consumer to whom he has been delivered) and / or his own identifier to the consumer (identity, address, consumption profile, etc.). After purchasing a particular product involved in the promotion operation, the consumer opens the packaging in order to access the label (as indicated above, it can be stuck inside a package, a cover, a stopper, etc., so as not to be directly accessible without first opening the packaging). It then applies the validator against the label.

The first operation then performed by the validator consists in reading the coded marking corresponding to the loyalty point, that is to say, in the example described above, in activating the reading circuit 108 so as to check whether the fuse 222 is intact. If this is the case, the reading circuit 106 is activated by the microprocessor 104, which makes it possible to read the identity of the product. This information is then processed by the microprocessor 104 in connection with the memory 114. More specifically, the microprocessor 104 compares the product identity read on the label with a list of identities recorded in the memory 114 to determine that there is has a good match between the product read and one of the products participating in the operation. If so, an indicator is positioned (or a register is incremented) in the memory 114, thus making it possible to keep a record of the identification - that is to say of the purchase - of the product concerned. The read / destroy circuit 108 is then immediately activated so as to destroy the fuse 222, thus preventing any reading and use of the coded information, and consequently of the product identity information, by another validator. . It will be noted that the above operations (reading the presence of fuse 222, reading and memorizing the identity of the product and destroying the fuse) are operations which are linked in a conditional manner (each step is conditioned by a correct execution of the previous step) and indivisible, and appear to the consumer as having been performed concomitantly and almost instantaneously. If, at the initial stage, the fuse is not or no longer readable, no reading of the product identification code will be possible by the device, the operation of which will be inhibited.

Similarly, if the reading of the identification code of the product reveals that it is a product other than those participating in the promotional operation, then no destruction of the fuse will be operated, thus leaving intact the "point of loyalty "of this third party product.

When the consumer has thus validated the number of proofs of purchase required, that is to say when all the registers or indicators of the memory 114 have been incremented, a visual or audible indication is delivered by the microprocessor, indicating to him that 'he "won" and can then obtain a consideration (gift, etc.) from the organizer of the promotional operation.

To do this, he can deliver or send his validator to the organizer, which will oblige him to decline his identity at this time if he has not already done so before. It can also remote transmit the data to a central computer site, via the connector 122 (by connecting the latter for example to a terminal in a store) or via the telephone interface 124.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and validating data, in particular loyalty points for sales promotion, a system characterized in that it comprises:

• on the one hand, labels (200) intended to be affixed to an article (300) or to accompany an article, each label bearing:

- a product identity marking (216; 218; 220), legible according to a first technique, and - a coded marking (222), legible according to a second technique and modifiable in a controlled manner to make it pass irreversibly from a state intact in an altered state, and

• on the other hand, a validator (100) intended to be used by a consumer in combination with a label, and comprising: - means (106) for reading the identity marking,

- means (108, 110, 112) for reading the coded marking,

- means (108, 110, 112) for altering the coded marking,

- a data memory (114), and

- Means (104, 114) for memorizing the identity of the product read by the means for reading the identity marking, and in that, when using the validator:

the activation of the storage means is conditioned by a prior reading of the coded marking and a determination of the intact state thereof, and the activation of the storage means results in the activation of the means for altering the marking coded, the reading of the identity marking and the coded marking, the memorization of the identity of the product read and the alteration of the coded marking being carried out in a concomitant and indivisible manner during the same implementation of the validator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first technique is an optical technique.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first technique that is a magnetic technique.

4. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the product identity marking is a bar code (220).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said second technique is an induction technique.

The system of claim 1, wherein the coded and product identity markings are overlapping markings of the label.

7. The system of claim 6, in which the label is formed from a sheet bearing on the front the apparent marking, of product identity, and bearing the coded marking on the opposite face or within the material. of the sheet substrate.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said opposite face carries an adhesive layer (214) intended to be affixed against a surface of the product or of a packaging thereof, in particular a non-accessible surface without opening the product or packaging.

9. The system of claim 1, in which the storage means further comprises means for recognizing the identity of the product among a family of products whose identities are kept in a table in the memory of the validator.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the storage means further comprises means for incrementing a register, or positioning an indicator, in the memory of the validator each time the identity of a corresponding product of recognition is recognized. the product family.

11. The system of claim 10, in which means (118, 120) are further provided for detecting and signaling to the consumer the incrementation of the totality of the registers, or the positioning of the totality of the indicators, of the memory of the validator.

The system of claim 1, wherein the memory of the validator contains an identifier (116) of the consumer.

13. The system of claim 1, in which the validator further comprises means (124), integrated or additional, for remote transmission of the content of the data memory.