Abstract: An online coupon system may provide retailers with the ability to process and track online coupons displayed on personal computing devices at the point of sale without using sophisticated electronic input, image recognition devices, or other input devices. A customer may present a coupon displayed on a computing device with an active network connection. Using the computing device, the retailer may validate or activate the coupon. Activating the coupon may then send a message to a back end server that processes and tracks the discount for the retailer.

Abstract: An affiliate website may encourage a high level of customer participation and ensure that the affiliate and affiliate network receive a commission from sales using an online coupon without requiring a customer to register for and purchase the coupon. A customer may provide identifying information to an affiliate before the customer receives a coupon, and the affiliate may control the number of available coupons while ensuring commission credit for any resulting sale.

Abstract: A clickable object may obscure a coupon code on an affiliate's website to prevent a user from memorizing or otherwise copying the coupon code and using the code in an online sale transaction without setting a web browser cookie. Upon visiting the affiliate's website, the user may select or click the obscuring clickable object to reveal the coupon code. The user's action of selecting the obscuring clickable object may set the cookie in the user's web browser and ensure that the affiliate receives credit for referring the user to the retailer.