Methods and systems for providing reminders for products in proximity

• US 10,235,706 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Goulart, Valerie, Li, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zukanovich, Brandy A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Brittney N
• Application Number:
  US14/528,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20160125505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Various examples of methods and systems for providing reminders for products in proximity are described. In one implementation, a method may receive information related to a list of one or more items available for sale at a physical store, wherein the list is associated with a user. The method may also receive information related to a location of a user device associated with the user. Based at least in part on a distance between the user device and at least one item on the list of one or more items, the method may further providing an indication to the user device that the user device is proximate the at least one item on the list of one or more items.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency transponder corresponding to one or more aisles of a physical store, wherein the radio frequency transponder is configured to communicate first information associated with a radio frequency tag coupled to each item of a plurality of items located on the one or more aisles of the physical store;

receiving, by a transaction server, a list of one or more items of the plurality of items available for sale at the physical store, wherein the list is associated with a user, wherein the transaction server comprises a processor;

periodically receiving, by the processor, second information over a wireless network related to a location of a user device associated with the user, wherein the user device comprises a software application (“

app”

) installed on the user device of the user;

determining, by the processor, that the user device is within or proximate to the physical store based on the second information received that is related to the location of the user device;

providing, by the processor, over the wireless network to the user device, an indication that the user device is proximate to at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, wherein the providing the indication to the user device is based at least in part on;

determining a distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items in response to the determination that the user device is within or proximate to the physical store;

determining, by the processor, that the distance is less than a threshold distance;

periodically querying, by the radio frequency transponder, the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

determining, by the processor, whether a response has been received to the periodic querying of the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

responsive to determining that the response has been received to the periodic querying of the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, determining, by the processor, that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item; and

responsive to determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item, transmitting, by the transaction server over the wireless network, a signal to the user device to cause the user device to display on a user interface of the user device a notification which indicates that the user has passed by and did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item, wherein the notification displayed on the user interface of the user device includes a picture of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up and indicates the distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering the user device to provide a second notification to the user in response to the user device being proximate to the at least one item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item further comprises determining whether a respective location of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items has not changed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a respective location of the each item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items in the physical store; and

determining, by the processor, the distance between the user device and the each item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the periodically receiving, by the processor, the second information related to the location of the user device further comprises receiving real-time or periodic updates of the location of the user device while the user device is within the physical store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification which indicates that the user has passed by and did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item comprises one or more of a visual notification or an audible notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold distance is adjusted by one or more users or retailers of the physical store.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the threshold distance is predefined by the one or more users or retailers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification displayed on the user interface of the user device further comprises a textual description of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a transaction server, a list of one or more items of a plurality of items available for sale at a physical store, wherein the list is associated with a user, wherein the transaction server comprises a processor;

determining, by a radio frequency transponder corresponding to one or more aisles of the physical store, a respective location of each item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items in the physical store, wherein the radio frequency transponder is configured to communicate first information associated with a radio frequency tag coupled to each item of the plurality of items located on the one or more aisles of the physical store;

periodically receiving, by the processor, over a wireless network, second information related to a location of a user device associated with the user, wherein the user device comprises a software application (“

app”

) installed on the user device of the user;

determining, by the processor, whether the user device associated with the user is proximate to or within the physical store based on the second information received that is related to the location of the user device;

providing, by the processor, an indication to the user device that the user device is proximate to at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, wherein the providing the indication to the user device is based at least in part on;

determining a distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items in response to the determination that the user device is within or proximate to the physical store;

determining that the distance is less than a threshold distance;

periodically querying, by the radio frequency transponder, the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

determining, by the processor, whether a response has been received to the periodic querying of the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

responsive to determining that the response has been received to the periodic querying of the radio frequency tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, determining, by the processor that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item; and

responsive to determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item, transmitting a signal to the user device to cause the user device to display on a user interface of the user device a notification which indicates that the user has passed by and did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item, wherein the notification displayed on the user interface of the user device includes a picture of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up and indicates the distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise triggering the user device to provide a second notification to the user in response to the user device being proximate to the at least one item.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item further comprises determining whether the respective location of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items has not changed.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the threshold distance is adjusted by one or more users or retailers of the physical store.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the notification displayed on the user interface of the user device further comprises a textual description of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags available coupled to each item of a plurality of items for sale at a physical store;

a plurality of radio frequency transponders installed at the physical store and configured to query the one or more RFID tags; and

a transaction server that communicates over a wireless network with the plurality of radio frequency transponders and a user device, the transaction server comprising;

a memory configured to store one or more sets of instructions;

a processor configured to access the memory to execute the one or more sets of instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a list of one or more items of the plurality of items available for sale at the physical store, wherein the list is associated with a user;

periodically receiving user location information indicative of a location of the user device associated with the user, wherein the user device comprises a software application (“

app”

) installed on the user device of the user;

determining that the user device is within or proximate to the physical store based on the user location information;

providing an indication to the user device that the user device is proximate to at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, wherein the providing the indication to the user device is based at least in part on;

determining a distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items in response to the determination that the user device is within or proximate to the physical store;

determining that the distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items is less than a threshold distance;

periodically receiving item location information that is generated by periodic querying, by a radio frequency transponder of the plurality of radio frequency transponders, the RFID tag coupled to at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

determining whether a response has been received to the periodic querying of the RFID tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items;

responsive to determining that the response has been received to the periodic querying of the RFID tag coupled to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item; and

responsive to determining that the user did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item, transmitting a signal to the user device to cause the user device to display on a user interface of the user device, a notification which indicates that the user has passed by and did not pick up the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items when the user device was proximate to the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items, wherein the notification displayed on the user device includes a picture of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up and indicates the distance between the user device and the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to trigger the user device to provide a second notification to the user in response to the user device being proximate to the at least one item.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein, in receiving the user location information indicative of the user device associated with the user being proximate to or in the physical store, the processor is configured to receive the user location information entered by the user via a website associated with a merchant or receive real-time or periodic updates of the location of the user device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the threshold distance is adjusted by one or more users or retailers of the physical store.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the threshold distance is predefined by the one or more users or retailers.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the notification displayed on the user interface of the user device further comprises a textual description of the at least one item on the list of one or more items of the plurality of items that the user did not pick up.