Mobile information gateway for customer identification and assignment

• US 10,089,684 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Balram, Nikhil, Berkner, Kathrin, Tosic, Ivana, Wu, Wanmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hai
• Application Number:
  US14/137,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A mobile information gateway comprises: a wearable human interface module having an image delivery and display mechanism for presenting information overlaid upon a wide field of view, a computing and communication module adapted receive information from the human interface module and adapted to send commands and information to the human interface module including information for presentation; and a backend service server coupled for processing data from the computing and communication module including user identification and verification. The present invention also includes a method comprising capturing information with a wearable human interface module; processing the captured information to determine an identity of a first customer; processing the identity of the first customer to retrieve information related to the first customer; and presenting the information related to the first customer with the wearable human interface module overlaid upon a field of view.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing first information about a first user with a wearable human interface module of a mobile information gateway device, the wearable human interface module worn by a second user;

transmitting the captured first information from the wearable human interface module to a computing and communication module of the mobile information gateway device;

processing the captured first information using a processor of the computing and communication module of the mobile information gateway device to determine an identity of the first user based on image recognition and to identify a type of service that the first user wants to be rendered based on scene analysis of user needs;

retrieving user information related to the first user using the processor of the computing and communication module based on the determined identity of the first user;

transmitting the retrieved user information related to the first user from the computing and communication module to the wearable human interface module;

presenting, using the wearable human interface module, the retrieved user information related to the first user and a suggestion of the type of service that the first user wants to be rendered by projecting the retrieved user information and the suggestion onto a transparent substrate of the wearable human interface module and overlaying the projected information over a field of view of the wearable human interface module worn by the second user such that the projected information is viewed on the transparent substrate while a real world is seen through the transparent substrate;

capturing second information about the second user with the wearable human interface module worn by the second user; and

rendering the type of service for the first user using the processor of the computing and communication module by processing the captured second information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the field of view includes a view of a service area having a plurality of users and wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a call out of the first user displayed in the field of view of the wearable human interface module.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a directional indicator specifying a direction in a service area to traverse to meet the first user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a location of the first user in a service area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is an image of the first user, and wherein the presenting the retrieved user information includes displaying the image of the first user overlaid upon a view of the first user with the image of the first user sized proportionally to a size of the first user within the field of view and positioned proximately to a position of the first user in the field of view.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

processing the captured first information by the computing and communication module to determine an identity of a third user, the captured first information including information about the third user;

retrieving user information related to the third user by the computing and communication module based on the determined identity of the third user; and

wherein presenting includes presenting with the wearable human interface module of the second user both the retrieved user information related to the first user and the retrieved user information related to the third user overlaid upon the field of view of the second user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the image recognition is one of facial recognition and iris recognition.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is one of a recommended service available to the first user or a recommended service representative for the first user.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining a service preference of the first user;

determining a service capability of a plurality of second users; and

selecting one of the plurality of second users that has the service capability similar to the service preference of the first user for receiving the service; and

wherein the wearable human interface module of the selected one of the plurality of second users receives and displays the retrieved user information related to the first user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the service preference is one from the group of professional skill level, experience level, personality match, age, gender, language and prior experience.

11. A mobile information gateway device comprising:

a wearable human interface module coupled to a first processor and a first memory storing instructions executable by the first processor, the wearable human interface module having an image capture device for generating first captured information about a first user and second captured information about a second user, an image delivery and display mechanism for presenting user information related to the first user and a suggestion of a type of service that the first user wants to be rendered by projecting the user information and the suggestion onto a transparent substrate of the wearable human interface module and overlaying the projected information over a wide field of view of the wearable human interface module worn by the second user such that the projected information is viewed on the transparent substrate while a real world is seen through the transparent substrate, and a computing and communication module interface unit for transmitting the first captured information to a computing and communication module; and

the computing and communication module coupled for communication with the wearable human interface module, the computing and communication module coupled to a second processor and a second memory storing instructions executable by the second processor, the computing and communication module adapted to receive the first captured information from the wearable human interface module worn by the second user, process the first captured information to determine an identity of the first user based on image recognition and to identify the type of service that the first user wants to be rendered based on scene analysis of user needs, retrieve the user information related to the first user based on the determined identity, send commands and information to the wearable human interface module including the user information related to the first user and the suggestion of the type of service that the first user wants to be rendered for presentation by the image delivery and display mechanism, receive the second captured information from the wearable human interface module worn by the second user and render the type of service for the first user by processing the second captured information.

12. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the image capture device of the wearable human interface module includes an audio input device and a camera.

13. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the wide field of view includes a view of a service area having a plurality of users, wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a call out of the first user and wherein the image delivery and display mechanism superimposes the call out over the first user in the wide field of view.

14. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a directional indicator specifying a direction in the wide field of view to traverse to meet the first user, and wherein the image delivery and display mechanism presents the directional indicator superimposed on the wide field of view.

15. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is a location in the wide field of view of the first user, and wherein the image delivery and display mechanism presents the location superimposed on the wide field of view.

16. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is an image of the first user, and wherein the image delivery and display mechanism presents the image of the first user overlaid upon the field of view with the image of the first user sized proportionally to the size of the first user within the field of view and positioned proximately to a position of the first user in the field of view.

17. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 comprising a backend server coupled for communication with the computing and communication module by a network, wherein:

the backend service server receives the first captured information to determine an identity of a third user and retrieves user information related to the third user based on the determined identity of the third user, the first captured information including information about the third user; and

the image delivery and display mechanism of the wearable human interface module presents both the retrieved user information related to the first user and the retrieved user information related to the third user overlaid upon the wide field of view of the second user.

18. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the image recognition is one of facial recognition and iris recognition.

19. The mobile information gateway device of claim 11 wherein the retrieved user information related to the first user is one of a recommended service available to the first user or a recommended service representative for the first user.

20. The mobile information gateway device of claim 17 wherein the backend service server determines a service preference of the first user, determines a service capability of a plurality of second users, selects one of the plurality of second users that has the service capability similar to the service preference of the first user for receiving the service and sends the retrieved user information related to the first user to the wearable human interface module of the selected one of the plurality of second users for display.