Merchandise pickup system, method, and media for allied merchants

• US 10,380,537 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transform Sr Brands, LLC (ESL Investments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Transform Sr Brands, LLC (ESL Investments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agasti, Varun Reddy, Munjal, Leena
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Matthew E
• Application Number:
  US14/286,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272, 705 2681
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that provide a pickup process for items purchased from stores of allied merchants. In some embodiments, a customer may place an order via an e-commerce storefront that includes products from multiple merchants in a geographic region. In response to receiving the order, a merchandise pickup system may assign associates to collect the ordered products from the allied merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location. The merchandise pickup system may send a pickup notification to the customer indicating the products are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a customer via a computing device, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;

associating a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates;

receiving geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update;

tracking a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via geographic location updates received from a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate;

assigning, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location, wherein said assigning comprises;

determining, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is in route to an allied merchant;

assigning, to the associate determined to be in route to the allied merchant, one or more products from the order for purchase from the allied merchant; and

informing the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant;

requesting, the associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order;

adjusting an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of the unavailable product of the order; and

sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending a pickup notification comprises sending the pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.

5. A non-transitory computer readable media, comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed, result in a pickup system:

receiving, from a customer via a computing device, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;

associating a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates;

receiving geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update;

tracking a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via geographic updates received from a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate;

assigning, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location, wherein said assigning comprises;

determining, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is in route to an allied merchant;

assigning, to the associate determined to be in route to the allied merchant, one or more products from the order for purchase from the allied merchant; and

informing the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant;

requesting, an associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order;

adjusting an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of the unavailable product of the order; and

sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

6. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the pickup system receiving the order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce system.

7. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the pickup system determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

8. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the pickup system sending the pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.

9. A merchandise pickup system, comprising:

an e-commerce system comprising one or more first processors that, in response to executing a plurality of first instructions, are configured to provide one or more storefronts for a plurality of allied merchants and receive, from a customer via a computing device, an order that comprises products from multiple allied merchants of the plurality of allied merchants; and

a local pickup system comprising one or more second processors that, in response to executing a plurality of second instructions, are configured to

receive the order from the e-commerce system, associate a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates,

receive geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update,

track a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate,

assign, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location,

determine, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is in route to an allied merchant,

assign, to the associate determined to be in route to the allied merchant, one or more product from the order for purchase from the allied merchant,

inform the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant,

request, an associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order,

adjust an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of unavailable products of the order, and

send a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

10. The merchandise pickup system of claim 9, wherein said local pickup system is further configured to determine whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

11. The merchandise pickup system of claim 9, wherein said local pickup system is further configured to send a pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a customer via a computing device, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;

associating a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates;

receiving geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update;

tracking a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via geographic location updates received from a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate;

assigning, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location, wherein said assigning comprises;

determining, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is located at an allied merchant;

assigning, to the associate determined to be located at the allied merchant, one or more products from the order for purchase from the allied merchant; and

informing the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant;

requesting, the associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order;

adjusting an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of the unavailable product of the order; and

sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said sending a pickup notification comprises sending the pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.

15. A non-transitory computer readable media, comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed, result in a pickup system:

receiving, from a customer via a computing device, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;

associating a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates;

receiving geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update;

tracking a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via geographic updates received from a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate;

assigning, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location, wherein said assigning comprises;

determining, based the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is located at an allied merchant;

assigning, to the associate determined to be located at the allied merchant, one or more products from the order for purchase from the allied merchant; and

informing the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant;

requesting, an associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order;

adjusting an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of the unavailable product of the order; and

sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

16. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the pickup system determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the pickup system sending the pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.

18. A merchandise pickup system, comprising:

an e-commerce system comprising one or more first processors that, in response to executing a plurality of first instructions, are configured to provide one or more storefronts for a plurality of allied merchants and receive, from a customer via a computing device, an order that comprises products from multiple allied merchants of the plurality of allied merchants; and

a local pickup system comprising one or more second processors that, in response to executing a plurality of second instructions, are configured to

receive the order from the e-commerce system, associate a plurality of mobile computing devices with a plurality of associates,

receive geographic location updates from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, each geographic location update indicative of a geographic location for a mobile computing device that originated the respective geographic location update,

track a geographic location for each associate of the plurality of associates via a respective mobile computing device associated with each associate,

assign, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, one or more associates to purchase the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the purchased products to a pickup location,

determine, based on the tracked geographic locations for the plurality of associates, that an associate is located at an allied merchant,

assign, to the associate determined to be located at the allied merchant, one or more products from the order for purchase from the allied merchant,

inform the associate, via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, of the one or more products assigned to the associate for purchase from the allied merchant,

request, an associate via the mobile computing device associated with the associate, to purchase and return an alternative product to the pickup location in lieu of an unavailable product of the order,

adjust an amount to be collected based on the alternative product purchased in lieu of unavailable products of the order, and

send a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.

19. The merchandise pickup system of claim 18, wherein said local pickup system is further configured to determine whether the order is ready for pickup based upon updates received from the mobile computing devices associated with the one or more associates.

20. The merchandise pickup system of claim 18, wherein said local pickup system is further configured to send a pickup notification to the customer via the computing device after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.