Contextual searching via a mobile computing device

• US 10,223,668 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Robyn R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yesildag, Mehmet
• Application Number:
  US15/933,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20180211211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method and associated system for processing a search query to retrieve product information and offers that are customized for an end user. An electronic planogram including expected locations of a product in a retail store is generated. A received communication includes a query object, an approximate location of the product in the retail store, and a database search query. From a comparison between the approximate and expected locations of the product, an electronic message is generated to communicate, to employees of the retail store, that the product is misplaced in the retail store. The database search query is performed for retrieving product information offers that are customized for the end user. The query object and the electronic planogram are used to identify products that have been misplaced, maintain adequate inventory levels to meet customer demands, and track the location of products within the retail store.

Claims

1. A method for processing a search query to retrieve product information and offers that are customized for an end user, said method comprising:

generating, by a server computer, an electronic planogram that defines an expected location of a product in a retail store and expected locations of other products in the retail store, and provides a graphical representation of the expected locations;

receiving, by the server computer from a mobile computing device used by the end user, a communication comprising a query object, an approximate location of the product in the retail store, barcode information about the product obtained from the product in the retail store by the mobile computing device, and a database search query generated by the mobile computing device by a process comprising concatenating the barcode information about the product into a delimited string and transforming the delimited string into the database search query, wherein information within the query object comprises (i) an image of the product in the retail store captured by a camera in the mobile computing device and (ii) the database search query, wherein the approximate location of the product is based on a location of the mobile device when the image of the product was captured by the camera, wherein the approximate location is external to the query object in the communication;

determining, by the server computer using the expected location of the product in the electronic planogram, that the approximate location of the product differs from the expected location of the product by more than a specified threshold distance and in response, said server computer generating an electronic message for subsequent broadcast to employees of the retail store, said electronic message communicating that the product is misplaced in the retail store;

receiving, by the server computer from the mobile computing device a profile stored in a memory of the mobile computing device, said profile associated with the end user;

determining, by the server computer by extracting and using the information in the profile associated with the end user, shopping preferences of the end user and buying patterns of the end user;

searching, by the server computer using the database search query, the product catalog database in the server computer, wherein the product catalog database is a searchable electronic catalog;

retrieving, by the server computer from said searching the product catalog database using the database search query, the product information and offers that are customized for the end user, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user are based on the profile associated with the end user;

sending, by the server computer to the mobile computing device, the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user;

updating inventory management metrics using the information within the query object;

updating the electronic planogram using the information within the query object and notification of a sale transaction;

displaying, via the electronic planogram, an image of an optimal placement of each product available for sale within the retail store'"'"'s inventory; and

using the query object and the electronic planogram to identify products that have been misplaced, maintain adequate inventory levels to meet customer demands, track the location of products within the retail store, and retrieve product information and offers from the product catalog database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer and the mobile computing device communicate with each other across a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the barcode information about the product comprises a name of the product, a description of the product, and metadata pertaining to the product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user comprise an availability of both the product and services associated with the product, sale promotions of the product, and discounts that may be of interest to the end user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database search query is configured to be used for searching a product catalog database in the server computer for the product information and offers that are customized for the end user.

6. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

updating the electronic planogram on a scheduled periodic basis in compliance with an optimal arrangement of the retail store'"'"'s products.

7. The method of claim 1, said profile comprising information that includes color preferences of the end user, design pattern preferences of the end user, size preferences of the end user, texture preferences of the end user, price range preferences of the end user, time of day, shopping preferences of the end user, birthday of the end user, and vacations of the end user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata pertaining to the product comprises information about a current season and a current time of day during which the image of the product was captured.

9. A computer program product, said computer program product not including a transitory signal, said computer program product comprising one or more computer readable hardware storage devices having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code being executable by one or more processors to implement a method for processing a contextual search query to retrieve product information and offers that are customized for an end user, said method comprising:

generating, by a server computer, an electronic planogram that defines an expected location of a product in a retail store and expected locations of other products in the retail store, and provides a graphical representation of the expected locations;

receiving, by the server computer from a mobile computing device used by the end user, a communication comprising a query object, an approximate location of the product in the retail store, barcode information about the product obtained from the product in the retail store by the mobile computing device, and a database search query generated by the mobile computing device by a process comprising concatenating the barcode information about the product into a delimited string and transforming the delimited string into the database search query, wherein information within the query object comprises (i) an image of the product in the retail store captured by a camera in the mobile computing device and (ii) the database search query, wherein the approximate location of the product is based on a location of the mobile device when the image of the product was captured by the camera, wherein the approximate location is external to the query object in the communication;

determining, by the server computer using the expected location of the product in the electronic planogram, that the approximate location of the product differs from the expected location of the product by more than a specified threshold distance and in response, said server computer generating an electronic message for subsequent broadcast to employees of the retail store, said electronic message communicating that the product is misplaced in the retail store;

receiving, by the server computer from the mobile computing device a profile stored in a memory of the mobile computing device, said profile associated with the end user;

determining, by the server computer by extracting and using the information in the profile associated with the end user, shopping preferences of the end user and buying patterns of the end user;

searching, by the server computer using the database search query, the product catalog database in the server computer, wherein the product catalog database is a searchable electronic catalog;

retrieving, by the server computer from said searching the product catalog database using the database search query, the product information and offers that are customized for the end user, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user are based on the profile associated with the end user;

sending, by the server computer to the mobile computing device, the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user;

updating inventory management metrics using the information within the query object;

updating the electronic planogram using the information within the query object and notification of a sale transaction;

displaying, via the electronic planogram, an image of an optimal placement of each product available for sale within the retail store'"'"'s inventory; and

using the query object and the electronic planogram to identify products that have been misplaced, maintain adequate inventory levels to meet customer demands, track the location of products within the retail store, and retrieve product information and offers from the product catalog database.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the server computer and the mobile computing device communicate with each other across a network.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the barcode information about the product comprises a name of the product, a description of the product, and metadata pertaining to the product.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user comprise an availability of both the product and services associated with the product, sale promotions of the product, and discounts that may be of interest to the end user.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the database search query is configured to be used for searching a product catalog database in the server computer for the product information and offers that are customized for the end user.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, said method further comprising:

updating the electronic planogram on a scheduled periodic basis in compliance with an optimal arrangement of the retail store'"'"'s products.

15. A system, comprising:

a server computer configured to;

generate an electronic planogram that defines an expected location of a product in a retail store and expected locations of other products in the retail store, and provides a graphical representation of the expected locations;

receive from a mobile computing device used by an end user, a communication comprising a query object, an approximate location of the product in the retail store, barcode information about the product obtained from the product in the retail store by the mobile computing device, and a database search query generated by the mobile computing device by a process comprising concatenating the barcode information about the product into a delimited string and transforming the delimited string into the database search query, wherein information within the query object comprises (i) an image of the product in the retail store captured by a camera in the mobile computing device and (ii) the database search query, wherein the approximate location of the product is based on a location of the mobile device when the image of the product was captured by the camera, wherein the approximate location is external to the query object in the communication;

determine, using the expected location of the product in the electronic planogram, that the approximate location of the product differs from the expected location of the product by more than a specified threshold distance and in response, said server computer generating an electronic message for subsequent broadcast to employees of the retail store, said electronic message communicating that the product is misplaced in the retail store;

receive, from the mobile computing device, a profile stored in a memory of the mobile computing device, said profile associated with the end user;

determining, by the server computer by extracting and using the information in the profile associated with the end user, shopping preferences of the end user and buying patterns of the end user;

search, using the database search query, the product catalog database in the server computer, wherein the product catalog database is a searchable electronic catalog;

retrieve, from said searching the product catalog database using the database search query, product information and offers that are customized for the end user, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user are based on the profile associated with the end user;

send, to the mobile computing device, the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user;

update inventory management metrics using the information within the query object;

update the electronic planogram using the information within the query object and notification of a sale transaction;

display, via the electronic planogram, an image of an optimal placement of each product available for sale within the retail store'"'"'s inventory; and

use the query object and the electronic planogram to identify products that have been misplaced, maintain adequate inventory levels to meet customer demands, track the location of products within the retail store, and retrieve product information and offers from the product catalog database.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the server computer and the mobile computing device communicate with each other across a network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the barcode information about the product comprises a name of the product, a description of the product, and metadata pertaining to the product.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the retrieved product information and offers that are customized for the end user comprise an availability of both the product and services associated with the product, sale promotions of the product, and discounts that may be of interest to the end user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the database search query is configured to be used for searching a product catalog database in the server computer for the product information and offers that are customized for the end user.

20. The system of claim 15, said server computer configured to:

update the electronic planogram on a scheduled periodic basis in compliance with an optimal arrangement of the retail store'"'"'s products.