Method, medium, and system for price updates based on shake signatures of smart price tags

• US 10,255,612 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dey, Kuntal, Ekambaram, Vijay, Nagar, Seema, Rallapalli, Swati
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Matthew E
• Application Number:
  US15/410,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20180068333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Various embodiments determine a dynamic price of a first item for sale via an attached first smart price tag. The back-end price server receives a request for a current price of the first item for sale and a representation of a user signature motion from the first smart price tag, the first smart price tag associated with the first item for sale. The back-end price server determines the current price of the first item for sale for a user profile handle mapped to the user signature motion. The current price of the first item for sale is sent to at least one of the first smart price tag or a mobile device associated with the user profile handle. The request for a current price of the first item for sale is initiated by shaking the first smart price tag using the user signature motion.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a current price of a first item for sale via an attached first smart price tag, the method comprising:

detecting, using a shake signature detector, a user signature motion of the first smart price tag, wherein the user signature motion is a specific shaking pattern;

determining that a representation of the detected user signature motion is not registered, and in response to said determining, mapping the representation of the user signature motion to a user profile handle;

receiving, at a back-end price server, a request for the current price of the first item for sale and the representation of the user signature motion from the first smart price tag, the first smart price tag associated with the first item for sale;

determining the current price of the first item for sale based on the user profile handle mapped to the user signature motion; and

wherein the first item for sale and first smart price tag are physical objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the current price of the first item for sale to at least one of the first smart price tag or a mobile device associated with the user profile handle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for a current price of the first item for sale is initiated by shaking the first smart price tag using the user signature motion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current price of the first item for sale is determined based on current supply and demand of the first item for sale.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current supply and demand of the first item for sale is based on at least one of a given calendar day, a given time of year, a given season, a particular time of day, given crowd levels in a retail store, given online competition, given purchasing and warehousing costs, given other expenses, or factors related to a user associated with the user profile handle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the factors related to a user associated with the user profile handle include at least one of shopping frequency, club membership, user registration, an amount of money the user has previously spent, the user'"'"'s birthdays or holidays.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering a user/product combination signature with the back-end price server, the user/product combination signature including the representation of the user signature motion and a representation of a motion gesture for the first item for sale;

receiving a request for a current combination price and a representation of the user/product combination signature from a second smart price tag associated with a second item for sale; and

determining the current combination price of the first item for sale and the second item for sale.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request for a current combination price is initiated by shaking the second smart price tag using the user/product combination signature.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein registering the user/product combination signature comprises:

receiving a request to register a user/product combination signature and a representation of the user/product combination signature from the first smart price tag; and

mapping the user/product combination signature to the user profile handle and the first item for sale.

10. A back-end price server for determining a current price of a first item for sale via an attached first smart price tag, the back-end price server comprising:

a memory storing computer instructions;

a communication interface;

a processor, operably coupled with the memory and the communication interface, which

detects, using a shake signature detector, a user signature motion of the first smart price tag, wherein the user signature motion is a specific shaking pattern;

determines that a representation of the detected user signature motion is not registered, and in response to said determination, mapping the representation of the user signature motion to a user profile handle;

receives a request for the current price of the first item for sale and the representation of the user signature motion from the first smart price tag, the first smart price tag associated with the first item for sale;

determines the current price of the first item for sale based on the user profile handle mapped to the user signature motion; and

wherein the first item for sale and first smart price tag are physical objects.

11. The back-end price server of claim 10, wherein the processor further sends the current price of the first item for sale to at least one of the first smart price tag or a mobile device associated with the user profile handle via the communication interface.

12. The back-end price server of claim 10, wherein the request for a current price of the first item for sale is initiated by shaking the first smart price tag using the user signature motion.

13. The back-end price server of claim 10, wherein the processor further:

registers a user/product combination signature, the user/product combination signature including the representation of the user signature motion and a representation of a motion gesture for the first item for sale;

receives a request for a current combination price and a representation of the user/product combination signature from a second smart price tag associated with a second item for sale; and

determines the current combination price of the first item for sale and the second item for sale.

14. The back-end price server of claim 13, wherein the request for a current combination price is initiated by shaking the second smart price tag using the user/product combination signature.

15. The back-end price server of claim 13, wherein registering the user/product combination signature comprises:

receiving a request to register a user/product combination signature and a representation of the user/product combination signature from the first smart price tag; and

mapping the user/product combination signature to the user profile handle and the first item for sale.

16. A computer program product for determining a current price of a first item for sale via an attached first smart price tag, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium, readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

detecting, using a shake signature detector, a user signature motion of the first smart price tag, wherein the user signature motion is a specific shaking pattern;

determining that a representation of the detected user signature motion is not registered, and in response to said determining, mapping the representation of the user signature motion to a user profile handle;

receiving, at a back-end price server, a request for the current price of the first item for sale and the representation of the user signature motion from the first smart price tag, the first smart price tag associated with the first item for sale;

determining the current price of the first item for sale based on the user profile handle mapped to the user signature motion; and

wherein the first item for sale and first smart price tag are physical objects.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the storage medium further stores instructions for:

registering a user/product combination signature with the back-end price server, the user/product combination signature including the representation of the user signature motion and a representation of a motion gesture for the first item for sale;

receiving a request for a current combination price and a representation of the user/product combination signature from a second smart price tag associated with a second item for sale; and

determining the current combination price of the first item for sale and the second item for sale.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the request for a current combination price is initiated by shaking the second smart price tag using the user/product combination signature.