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.
