USA Technologies Inc. said that
it filed three applications with the U.S. Patent Office for its proprietary technology involving electronic commerce and interactive advertising.
The company also said that it is in the process of developing a hybrid credit
card/electronic commerce terminal with Internet advertising capabilities.
“One of our primary goals is to become the preferred method and industry
standard for self-serve, public access e-commerce,” said George R. Jensen,
Jr., chairman and CEO of USA Technologies. “This new
technology is intended to allow advertisers and merchants to leverage their
strategies for Internet advertising and e-commerce–reaching consumers
beyond the Internet.”
“In the near future, our touch-screen credit card terminal is intended for
locations where consumers would like to pay by credit card for goods, services
and/or information in an unattended manner. This would give advertisers access
to a targeted, captive audience while they conduct everyday transactions,”
said Jensen. “In addition, the consumer can respond to the advertisement for
additional information on advertised products–even engaging in a purchase.”
“We are developing a universal point-of-sale solution whereby companies can
utilize the infrastructure of the Internet to run interactive advertisements
on a touch-screen credit card terminal. Our technology is intended to give
consumers quicker and easier access to goods, services and information while
making their routine transactions with their preferred method of payment,
credit cards,” said Brock Kolls, senior vice president, research and
development.
“One application that we are very enthusiastic about is the ability to work
with Internet search engines,” Kolls added “Our new technology provides search
engines with the opportunity to export their advertising content off of the
Internet into mainstream points of commerce, such as the vending industry.”
The new technology will be packaged with the company’s proprietary
technology, TransAct, a network controlled, unattended credit card terminal
capable of processing unattended credit card-transactions as low as $1 cost-
effectively.
Examples include vending machine purchases, mass transit or taxi fares and
movie tickets, the company said. While consumers make these routine purchases
they will be exposed to the interactive advertising and electronic commerce
applications via a color touch-screen located on the host equipment.
The TransAct technology is currently being implemented in USA’s Public PC, as
well as MBE Business Express–a joint venture product with Mail Boxes Etc.
Activated with a credit card utilizing TransAct, MBE Business Express is described as a
self-serve, automated business center, allowing the use of a computer, the
Internet, a photocopier, printer and fax machine 24-hours per day.
