Walmart doesn’t offer digital coupons, doesn’t accept coupons on online orders, and using paper coupons in the store can sometimes turn into a hassle for couponers and cashiers alike. But a new proposal suggested by the country’s largest retailer could make couponing at Walmart a breeze.

In a newly-published patent application, succinctly titled “Mobile Coupon System”, Walmart describes a process that would allow you to combine all of your coupons – digital and paper – into a single bar code that can be scanned at the checkout, or even while shopping online.

It’s a potentially game-changing idea in theory, though it’s unclear exactly how it might work in practice.

Walmart describes a typical in-store shopping scenario, in which a shopper “brings in stacks of coupons”. Checking out with said stacks “is a time-consuming process for the customers, as well as cashiers, and is not sustainable in the growing mobile world,” the patent application reads. Scanning paper coupons one by one “greatly increases the waiting time for customers at checkout registers, which in turn decreases the amount of items sold, productivity, and many other qualities.”  Entire article from Coupons in the News here.