Systems and methods for price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics

• US 10,740,820 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2017
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Maroney, Judd Hoyt, Oakes, III, Charles Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US15/702,239
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 705 24, 705 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273

Abstract

Price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics is provided. A system for obtaining pricing information comprises at least one subsystem that electronically reads a price of a product using a mobile device scanning a display screen, at least one subsystem that searches for other available products and price data to compare to the electronically read price and product data, at least one subsystem that compares the price data of the other products to the electronically read price data, and at least one subsystem that presents purchase options based upon results of the comparison of the price and product data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an input device configured to;

scan a machine-readable code associated with a product, and

automatically retrieve information identifying the product based on the scanned machine-readable code;

a display device;

memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive, from the input device, the information identifying the product,

automatically determine a first cost for purchasing the product from at least one physical store,

automatically determine a second cost for purchasing the product from at least one online store including;

determining a price of the product at the at least one online store, and

estimating a shipping cost associated with purchasing the product from the at least one online store based on shipping costs associated with other similar products that were shipped from the same online store,

select between the product from the physical store and the product from the online store based on the determined first cost and second cost, and

automatically provide the selection to the display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device displays a purchase option for selecting a store from the at least one physical store and the at least one online store.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the purchase option includes an option for selecting a store based at least in part upon a distance between a current location of the system and the at least one physical store.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the purchase option includes an option for selecting a store based at least in part upon a travel time to the at least one physical store.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the purchase option includes an option for selecting a store based at least in part upon an estimated fuel usage cost associated with a distance to the at least one physical store.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least one of:

a laser scanner, a light emitting diode (LED) scanner, a pen-type reader, a camera-based reader, or a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to provide, to the display device, information associated with a geographical location of the at least one physical store and availability of the product at the at least one physical store.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one process is configured to provide, to the display device, information associated with an availability of the product at the at least one online store.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cost is determined at least partially based on price of the product at the at least one physical store and a travel cost associated with travelling to the at least one physical store.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processing device, from a user device, information identifying a product, the user device being configured to scan a machine-readable code associated with the product and to automatically retrieve information identifying the product based on the scanned machine-readable code;

automatically determining, by the at least one processing device, a first cost for purchasing the product from at least one physical store;

automatically determining, by the at least one processing device, a second cost for purchasing the product from at least one online store including;

determining a price of the product at the at least one online store, and

estimating a shipping cost associated with purchasing the product from the at least one online store based on shipping costs associated with other similar products that were shipped from the same online store,

selecting between the product from the physical store and the product from the online store based on the determined first cost and second cost; and

automatically providing the selection to the user device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing, to the user device, information associated with a geographical location of the at least one physical store and availability of the product at the at least one physical store.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing, to the user device, information associated with an availability of the product at the at least one online store.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically determining the first cost is at least partially based on price of the product at the at least one physical store and a travel cost associated with travelling to the at least one physical store.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the travel cost includes an estimated fuel usage cost associated with a distance to the at least one physical store.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for causing at least one processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user device, information identifying a product, the user device being configured to scan a machine-readable code associated with the product and to automatically retrieve information identifying the product based on the scanned machine-readable code;

determining a first cost for purchasing the product from at least one physical store;

determining a second cost for purchasing the product from at least one online store including;

determining a price of the product at the online store, and

estimating a shipping cost associated with purchasing the product from the online store based on shipping costs associated with other similar products that were shipped from the same online store,

selecting between the product from the at least one physical store and the product from the at least one online store based on the determined first cost and second cost; and

automatically providing the selection to the user device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for providing, to the user device, information associated with a geographical location of the at least one physical store and availability of the product at the at least one physical store.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for providing, to the user device, information associated with an availability of the product at the at least one online store.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein automatically determining the first cost is at least partially based on price of the product at the at least one physical store and a travel cost associated with travelling to the at least one physical store.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

calculating a different in price between the first cost and the second cost; and

selecting between the product from the at least one physical store and the product from the at least one online store based on whether the calculated difference in price is within a predetermine range.