System and method for advanced identification of a customer to decrease wait time for prescription
First Claim
1. A system for advanced identification of a customer of a pharmacy, the system comprising:
- (A) a data storage device storing identification information corresponding to a customer of a pharmacy located at a store who has remotely placed a pharmacy order for a prescribed medicine or device but who has not yet picked up the prescribed medicine or device, wherein the store includes a pharmacy pick-up area;
(B) an initiator device located at the store, wherein the initiator device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal conforming to a first protocol to cause a mobile telephone to respond by wirelessly broadcasting identification information uniquely associated with the customer;
(C) at least one customer identification device located at the store that is communicatively coupled to the data storage device, the at least one customer identification device configured to;
(i) wirelessly detect a second signal carrying identification information that was wirelessly broadcasted by the mobile telephone associated with the customer after an arrival of the customer at the store and before an arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area to pick up the pharmacy order, the mobile telephone located at a second area substantially near an entrance of the store, wherein the detected signal conforms to a second protocol different from the first protocol, and wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of;
a wi-fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, and an NFC protocol;
(ii) generate an identification of the customer by comparing the wirelessly detected identification information to the stored identification information; and
(iii) transmit the identification of the customer;
(D) an output device configured to provide at least one of;
visual output or audio output, the output device located at the store; and
(E) one or more computing devices located at the store, the one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the at least one customer identification device and to the output device, the one or more computing devices configured to;
(i) receive the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device; and
(ii) cause the output device to generate an audible or visual indication to an employee of the pharmacy, after receiving the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device and before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area, that the employee of the pharmacy is to obtain the prescribed medicine or device pharmacy order for pick-up by the customer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a method for advanced identification of a customer of a pharmacy, identification information of the customer is received at a first pharmacy computing device after an arrival of the customer at a pharmacy location and before an arrival of the customer at a pharmacy pick-up area of the pharmacy location. An identification of the customer is generated based on the received identification information. The identification of the customer is sent to a second pharmacy computing device. Using the second pharmacy computing device, and based on the second pharmacy computing device receiving the identification, an indication is provided to a pharmacy employee that the customer has arrived at the pharmacy location to pick up a previously prepared pharmacy order and that the pharmacy employee is to obtain the previously prepared pharmacy order for pick-up by the customer before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A system for advanced identification of a customer of a pharmacy, the system comprising:
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(A) a data storage device storing identification information corresponding to a customer of a pharmacy located at a store who has remotely placed a pharmacy order for a prescribed medicine or device but who has not yet picked up the prescribed medicine or device, wherein the store includes a pharmacy pick-up area; (B) an initiator device located at the store, wherein the initiator device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal conforming to a first protocol to cause a mobile telephone to respond by wirelessly broadcasting identification information uniquely associated with the customer; (C) at least one customer identification device located at the store that is communicatively coupled to the data storage device, the at least one customer identification device configured to; (i) wirelessly detect a second signal carrying identification information that was wirelessly broadcasted by the mobile telephone associated with the customer after an arrival of the customer at the store and before an arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area to pick up the pharmacy order, the mobile telephone located at a second area substantially near an entrance of the store, wherein the detected signal conforms to a second protocol different from the first protocol, and wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of;
a wi-fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, and an NFC protocol;(ii) generate an identification of the customer by comparing the wirelessly detected identification information to the stored identification information; and (iii) transmit the identification of the customer; (D) an output device configured to provide at least one of;
visual output or audio output, the output device located at the store; and(E) one or more computing devices located at the store, the one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the at least one customer identification device and to the output device, the one or more computing devices configured to; (i) receive the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device; and (ii) cause the output device to generate an audible or visual indication to an employee of the pharmacy, after receiving the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device and before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area, that the employee of the pharmacy is to obtain the prescribed medicine or device pharmacy order for pick-up by the customer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system including:
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(A) a computing device including an output device and located at a pharmacy pick-up area within a store; and (B) an initiator device located at the store, wherein the initiator device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal conforming to a first protocol to cause a mobile telephone to respond by wirelessly broadcasting identification information uniquely associated with the customer; (C) a customer identification device that is communicatively connected to the computing device and that; (i) wirelessly detects a second signal carrying the identification information, wherein the identification information corresponds to stored identification information for a customer who has remotely placed a pharmacy order for a prescribed medicine or device but who has not yet picked up the prescribed medicine or device, and wherein the second signal was wirelessly broadcasted by the mobile telephone while the mobile telephone was located at a second area substantially near an entrance of the store, wherein the detected second signal conforms to a second protocol different from the first protocol, and wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of;
a wi-fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, and an NFC protocol; and(ii) transmits, in response to detecting the identification information, an identification of the customer to the computing device at the pharmacy pick-up area to cause the computing device to provide, via the output device, an audible or visual indication to obtain the prescribed medicine or device for pick-up by the customer.
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Specification