Systems and methods for providing product information via an interactive display device

• US 10,176,471 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geopri, LLC
• Original Assignee: Geopri, LLC
• Inventors: Hodges, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/176,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20160364714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 705 23, 705 24, 705 2681
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for providing product information via an interactive display device in a dynamic format. The present invention implements a system for defining product variations and assigning references to them at the point of sale or delivery. The system further includes an interactive display device for providing informational data associated with a product variation assigned to a product upon recognition of the product in contact therewith. The present invention is unique in allowing a seller to assign or modify a reference associated with a unique identifier, such as a barcode label, at the point of sale or delivery, thereby changing the information delivered to the buyer based on details about the specific unit sold, the circumstances of the transaction, or the identity of the buyer.

Claims

1. A system for providing product information to a user at a point of sale (POS) or point of delivery (POD), the system comprising:

a POS/POD computing device associated with a seller comprising a processor coupled to a memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the POS/POD computing device to;

correlate a unique identifier that is associated with a product to an identification of the product;

generate a request having embedded data comprising;

a product instance identifier that is tied to the unique identifier and further associated with an instance of a product being sold or delivered to a buyer; and

a selected one of a plurality of different and separate information content references, wherein each of the information content references includes informational data associated with the product, wherein the request is generated based on seller input via the POS/POD computing device, the seller input comprising selection of the product instance identifier and selection of the one of the plurality of different information content references; and

transmit the request to a server, the server comprising a database concurrently storing the plurality of different and separate information content references, wherein the request is transmitted during the instance of the product being sold or delivered to the buyer, wherein the product instance identifier is dynamically associated with the selected one of the plurality of different information content references during the instance of the product being sold or delivered to the buyer at the point of sale or delivery; and

an interactive display device comprising a processor coupled to a memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the interactive display device to;

recognize that the product has been placed on, or in proximity to, a display surface of the interactive display device;

recognize the unique identifier that is associated with the product;

generate, post-sale or delivery of the product to the buyer, a request for information regarding the product based on the recognition of the product instance unique identifier that is associated with the product, wherein the request comprises at least the product instance identifier tied to the unique identifier;

transmit the request to the server;

receive, over a communication channel, the selected information content reference that has been dynamically associated with the product instance identifier from the server in response to the request; and

display the informational data associated with the product sold or delivered to the buyer via the display surface.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising the server.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of different and separate information content references comprises a data file comprising informational data associated with at least the product.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of different and separate information content references comprises a data file directed to at least one other data file associated with one of the information content references.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the informational data is selected from the group consisting of:

product information and details;

characteristics of one or more users associated with the product;

details surrounding the exchange of the product from one user to another user, and combinations thereof.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the product is a food or beverage product held by a container and the unique identifier is associated with the container.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the unique identifier is a machine-readable identifier label that is selected from the group consisting of:

text, graphics, an image, a linear barcode, a matrix barcode, an RFID element, and a combination thereof.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the interactive display device comprises a touchscreen display and the unique identifier comprises a passive untouched capacitive assembly.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the passive untouched capacitive assembly is a circular ring that comprises two or more electrically conductive nibs that protrude from the ring, the nibs being configured on the passive untouched capacitive assembly such that a touch sensor of the interactive display device recognizes that the product has been placed on the display surface due to the nibs.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the touch sensor is configured to detect multi-point input on the display surface via capacitance measurement.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the passive untouched capacitive assembly is a circular ring that comprises three or more electrically conductive nibs.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the three or more electrically conductive nibs are uniquely arranged about each passive untouched capacitive assembly.

13. A system for providing product information to a user at a point of sale (POS) or point of delivery (POD), the system comprising:

a server comprising a database that concurrently stores a plurality of different and separate information content references, wherein each of the information content references includes informational data associated with a product, the server comprising a processor coupled to a memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the server to;

receive and store, from a POS/POD computing device associated with a seller, a request having embedded data comprising;

a product instance identifier that is tied to a unique identifier associated with a product and correlated to an identification of the product and further associated with an instance of the product being sold or delivered to a buyer; and

a selected one of a plurality of different and separate information content references, wherein the request is generated based on seller input via the POS/POD computing device, the seller input comprising selection of the product instance identifier and selection of the one of the plurality of different information content references;

dynamically associate, during the instance of the product being sold or delivered to the buyer at the point of sale or delivery, the product instance identifier with the selected one of the plurality of different information content references based on a reading of the embedded data by the processor;

receive, post-sale or delivery of the product to the buyer, a request for information from an interactive display device regarding the product based, at least in part, on recognition of the unique identifier that is associated with the product in response to placement of the product on a display surface of the interactive display device, wherein the request comprises at least the product instance identifier tied to the unique identifier; and

output to the buyer, over a communication channel, the selected information content reference that has been dynamically associated with the product instance identifier to thereby display the informational data associated with the product sold or delivered to the buyer.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the informational data is selected from the group consisting of:

product information and details;

characteristics of one or more users associated with the product;

details surrounding the exchange of the product from one user to another user, and combinations thereof.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of different and separate information content references comprises a data file comprising informational data associated with at least the product.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of different and separate information content references comprises a data file directed to at least one other data file associated with one of the product content references.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the interactive display device comprises a touchscreen display and the unique identifier comprises a passive untouched capacitive assembly.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the passive untouched capacitive assembly is a circular ring that comprises two or more electrically conductive nibs that protrude from the ring, the nibs being configured on the passive untouched capacitive assembly such that a touch sensor of the interactive display device recognizes that the product has been placed on the display surface due to the nibs.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the touch sensor is configured to detect multi-point input on the display surface via capacitance measurement.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the passive untouched capacitive assembly is a circular ring that comprises three or more electrically conductive nibs, wherein the three or more electrically conductive nibs are uniquely arranged about each passive untouched capacitive assembly.