Online shopping system
First Claim
1. A method of operating an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
- presenting identifications of items on a web page for selection by a customer, presenting an online display acknowledging the customer'"'"'s selection of the item;
presenting an online display of an order cutoff time and an associated delivery window selected by the customer;
presenting an online display permitting the customer to submit a purchase order for the item;
receiving a submission of a purchase order for the item from the customer;
comparing a time of submission of the purchase order to the order cutoff time associated with the delivery window selected by the customer; and
presenting an online display accepting the customer'"'"'s submission of the purchase order for the item in response to the time of submission being before the order cutoff time.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers. The online shopping system presents an online display of an order cutoff time and an associated delivery window for items selected by the customer. The system accepts the customer'"'"'s submission of a purchase order for the item in response to a time of submission being before the order cutoff time. The online shopping system does not settle with a credit supplier of the customer until the item selected by the customer is picked from inventory but before it is delivered. Therefore, the customer can go online and make changes to the order. In addition, available service windows are presented to the customer as a function of customer selected order and service types; and further, the order picking is assigned in accordance with a picker'"'"'s preference.
167 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method of operating an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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presenting identifications of items on a web page for selection by a customer, presenting an online display acknowledging the customer'"'"'s selection of the item;
presenting an online display of an order cutoff time and an associated delivery window selected by the customer;
presenting an online display permitting the customer to submit a purchase order for the item;
receiving a submission of a purchase order for the item from the customer;
comparing a time of submission of the purchase order to the order cutoff time associated with the delivery window selected by the customer; and
presenting an online display accepting the customer'"'"'s submission of the purchase order for the item in response to the time of submission being before the order cutoff time. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method of changing submitted online orders with an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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providing a database of items available for sale to a customer;
presenting online representations of the items for selection by a customer, presenting an online display acknowledging the customer'"'"'s selection of the item;
presenting an online display of an order cutoff time and an associated delivery window selected by the customer;
presenting an online display permitting the customer to submit an order for the item;
presenting an online display confirming receipt of a submitted order for the item by the customer including the delivery window and payment information;
thereafter receiving online instructions from the customer to change the submitted order; and
presenting an online display confirming the change to the submitted order in response to receiving the online instructions prior to the order cutoff time. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5)
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6. A method of settling submitted online orders with an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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presenting items on a web page for selection by a customer, presenting an online display acknowledging the customer'"'"'s selection of first items;
presenting an online display permitting the customer to submit an order for the first items and authorization to pay for the order via a credit supplier;
presenting an online display acknowledging the customer'"'"'s submission of the order for the first items;
thereafter, picking the first items for delivery;
thereafter, pricing the order for the first items;
thereafter, settling the order for the first items with a credit supplier; and
then, delivering the order of the first items to the customer. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of determining pick routes with an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the pick routes being used to pick items in the store for a plurality of orders, the method comprising:
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detecting an available picker;
identifying a picker'"'"'s preferred pick zone;
retrieving all orders having items to be picked and having imminent departure times;
prioritizing the orders first, on the basis of orders that have items in picker'"'"'s preferred pick zone; and
assigning orders in order of highest priority to a pick route. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of determining pick routes with an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the pick routes being used to pick items in the store for a plurality of orders, the method comprising:
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assigning a plurality of the orders to a delivery route;
dividing the store into pick zones, each pick zone having items with a common characteristic;
detecting an available picker;
identifying a pick zone preferred by the picker; and
generating a picking list forthe picker in response to identifying the pick zone preferred by the picker, the picking list listing items in the pick zone preferred by the picker in an order in which the items are to be picked by the picker.
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18. A method of determining pick routes with an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the pick routes being used to pick items in the store for a plurality of orders, the method comprising:
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presenting online representations of items for selection by different customers, presenting online displays confirming receipt of submitted orders for items from respective ones of the different customers;
assigning a plurality of the submitted orders to a delivery route;
dividing the store into pick zones, each pick zone having items with a common characteristic;
detecting an available picker to pick items for at least one of the plurality of submitted orders on the delivery route;
identifying a pick zone preferred by the picker; and
generating a picking list for the picker in response to identifying the pick zone preferred by the picker, the picking list listing items in the pick zone preferred by the picker in an order in which the items are to be picked by the picker.
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19. A method of determining available service windows for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, a service window is a window of time during which items are provided to a customer in response to an online order by the customer, the method comprising:
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presenting an online display permitting a customer to select one of two order types, each of the order types being limited to specific items and/or services not available with an other order type;
presenting an online display permitting a customer to select one of two service types, each of the service types having service windows with times and dates different from times and dates of service windows for an other service type;
receiving an online request from the customer to display available service windows for selected ones of the order and service types;
retrieving all possible service windows for the selected ones of the order and service types over a date interval;
identifying available service windows for the selected ones of the order and service types by eliminating service windows that have a time and date earlier than a current time and date plus lead times for the selected ones of the order and service types, and exceed system resources to pick and deliver items selected by the customer associated with the selected ones of the order and service types; and
presenting to the customer an online display of the available service windows for the selected ones of the order and service types. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method of determining available service windows for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, a service window is a window of time during which items are provided to a customer in response to an online order by the customer, the method comprising:
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presenting an online display permitting customers to select one of at least two order types, each order type being limited to specific items and/or services not available with another of the order types;
presenting an online display permitting a customer to select one of two service types, each of the service types representing a different service in providing items and/or services to a customer;
receiving online requests from customers to display service windows for respective selected ones of the order and service types;
selecting a first online request from a first customer to display service windows for one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types;
retrieving all possible service windows for the one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types over a time and/or date interval;
identifying available service windows for the one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types by eliminating service windows that have a time and date earlier than a current time and date plus a lead time for the one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types, and exceed system resources to pick and deliver items selected by the customer associated with the one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types;
presenting to the first customer an online display of the available service windows for the one of the respective selected ones of the order and service types; and
servicing other online requests from customers to display service windows for others of the respective selected ones of the order and service types by iterating the above steps of selecting, retrieving, identifying and presenting for each of the other of the respective selected ones of the order and service types.
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23. A method of providing customer service for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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providing an online database containing first tables relating to items and/or services available for sale, second tables relating to orders submitted by customers and third tables relating to customer information;
providing a customer interface for communicating with the online database, the customer interface permitting a customer to access the first tables to submit an online order and to access the second tables to submit an online service request with respect to the online order;
providing a member proxy interface for communicating with the online database, the member proxy interface permitting a member proxy to access the first and second tables to facilitate submission of an order by a customer, and the third tables to only view some information relating to customers and to change other information relating to the customer; and
providing a customer service representative interface for communicating with the online database, the customer service interface permitting a customer service representative access to the first, second and third tables and permitting the customer service representative to request changes to information relating to the online order in the second tables and to change the some and the other information relating to the customer information in the third tables.
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24. A method of providing customer service for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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presenting an online display permitting a customer to submit an online service request relating to an online order previously delivered to the customer;
receiving the online service request from the customer, the service request having a priority label;
storing the online service request in a queue;
assigning an action to the service request by a customer service representative;
receiving from the customer an online request relating to a status of the online service request; and
presenting to the customer in response to the online inquiry a display representing the status of the online service request. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of providing customer service for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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presenting an online display permitting a customer to submit an online service request relating to an online order;
receiving online service requests relating to changes to online orders submitted by customers, and changes to information associated with customers;
assigning online service requests relating to orders to first service tickets, each of the first service tickets being dedicated to a single online order;
assigning online service requests relating to information associated with customers to other service tickets, each of the other service tickets being dedicated to a single customer; and
assigning by customer service representatives service actions to the first and the other service tickets. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A method of providing customer service for an online shopping system that permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the method comprising:
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presenting an online display permitting a customer to submit an online service request relating to a previously submitted online order;
receiving an online service request from a customer relating to a change to the online order previously submitted by the customer;
storing the service request in a queue;
selecting by a customer service representative the service request in the queue;
assigning by a customer service representative a service action to the service request;
transferring by the customer service representative via the online shopping system a request for the service action assigned to the service request to a first person responsible for fulfillment of online orders received by the online shopping system. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An online shopping system permitting a customer having a computer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers, the online shopping system comprising:
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a server computer adapted to be in electrical communications with the customer computer via an internet connection, the server computer storing information relating to items and/or services available for sale and delivery addresses;
a dispatcher computer adapted to be located in the store and in electrical communications with the server computer for reading information from and transferring information to the server computer;
a picker computer adapted to be located in the store and in electrical communications with the server computer for reading information from and transferring information to the server computer; and
a driver computer in electrical communications with the server computer for reading information from and transferring information to the server computer. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification