Beacon triggered processes

• US 10,296,950 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vigier, Benjamin, Fugman, Corey G., Krsmanovic, Filip, Su, Yingfeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunham, Jason B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Loharikar, Anand R
• Application Number:
  US14/586,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20160092943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Techniques and systems for beacon triggered processes are disclosed. A described technique includes causing a beacon device to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within the vicinity of an establishment; detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message; retrieving a transaction record based on a user or mobile device identifier in the first message; generating and transmitting a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment; the second message being configured to provide notification of an arrival of the user and dispatch an employee to meet the user and handle the transaction; and generating and transmitting a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction at the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a beacon device to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within a vicinity of an establishment;

detecting, by a server, a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving, by the server, a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

generating, by the server, a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment;

transmitting, by the server, the second message to a notification device that is within the vicinity of the establishment, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch an employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

generating, by the server, a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device; and

transmitting, by the server, the third message to the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating barcode data that corresponds to the transaction record,

wherein the third message comprises the barcode data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third message comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

2. A method comprising:

causing a beacon device to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within a vicinity of an establishment;

detecting, by a server, a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving, by the server, a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

assigning an employee to facilitate a completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record;

transmitting, by the server, a second message to a notification device that is within the vicinity of the establishment to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment, the second message being based on the transaction record, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch the employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

retrieving an image of the employee based on an employee identifier that corresponds to the employee; and

transmitting, by the server to the mobile device, a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device, wherein the third message comprises at least a portion of the image.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

10. A system comprising:

a beacon device configured to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within a vicinity of an establishment;

a notification device configured to present one or more notifications; and

a server configured to perform operations comprising;

detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

generating a second message based on the transaction record to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment;

transmitting the second message to the notification device, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch an employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

generating a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device; and

transmitting the third message to the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 10, comprising:

generating barcode data that corresponds to the transaction record,

wherein the third message comprises the barcode data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the third message comprises customer instructions for completing the transaction.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the third message comprises status information associated with the transaction record.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the transaction record comprises a product identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the product identifier.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the second message comprises employee instructions for completing the transaction, the employee instructions comprising instructions for obtaining a product corresponding to the product identifier, providing the product to the user, or both.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the transaction record comprises appointment information.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the transaction record comprises a service identifier, and wherein the second message comprises the service identifier.

11. A system comprising:

a beacon device configured to broadcast a beacon message, the beacon device being within a vicinity of an establishment;

a notification device configured to present one or more notifications; and

a server configured to perform operations comprising;

detecting a presence of a user of a mobile device based on receiving from the mobile device a first message that is responsive to the beacon message, the first message comprising a user or mobile device identifier;

retrieving a transaction record based on the user or mobile device identifier;

assigning an employee identifier to facilitate a completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record;

transmitting a second message to the notification device to facilitate a completion of a transaction associated with the transaction record at the establishment, the second message being based on the transaction record, wherein the second message is configured to (i) provide notification of an arrival of the user of the mobile device and (ii) dispatch an employee of the establishment to meet the user and handle the transaction at the establishment;

retrieving an image of an employee corresponding to the employee identifier; and

transmitting to the mobile device a third message based on the transaction record to facilitate the completion of the transaction associated with the transaction record at the mobile device, wherein the third message comprises at least a portion of the image.