Providing a personalized transactional benefit at a point of purchase

• US 20080065509A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Williams Patent Licensing PLC LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Williams, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

A mobile device is described for providing a personalized transactional benefit at a point of purchase. The mobile device includes a communications module that is configured to retrieve from a network personalized identification information associated with a consumer based on a personalized identifier uniquely associated with the consumer. The mobile device further includes a reader coupled to the communications module. The reader is configured to capture, at the point of purchase, an image representing a product identification indicia. The communications module accesses the network to identify the captured image and to retrieve from the network information associated with the captured image. Finally, the mobile device includes a visual output device coupled to the communications module. The visual output device is configured to visually output the personalized transactional benefit based on the personalized identification information associated with the consumer and the information associated with the captured image. The consumer identity is preferably shielded from a retail establishment where the product identification indicia is captured.

Claims

1. A mobile device for providing a personalized transactional benefit at a point of purchase, comprising:

a communications module configured to retrieve from a network personalized identification information associated with a consumer based on a personalized identifier uniquely associated with the consumer;

a reader coupled to the communications module and configured to capture, at the point of purchase, an image representing a product identification indicia, wherein the communications module accesses the network to identify the captured image and to retrieve from the network information associated with the captured image; and

a visual output device coupled to the communications module configured to visually output the personalized transactional benefit based on the personalized identification information associated with the consumer and the information associated with the captured image, wherein consumer identity is shielded from a retail establishment where the product identification indicia is captured.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a storage device coupled to the communications module and configured to locally store the product identification indicia and the personalized identification information associated with the consumer.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the personalized identification information associated with a consumer is stored at a plurality of servers and later retrieved therefrom for determining the personalized transactional benefit.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the reader is a bar code reader.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the bar code reader is associated with a cellular phone.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the reader is a camera associated with a cellular phone.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the reader uses optical character recognition software and the captured image is a character, mark, printed image, illustration or text.

8. A mobile device for providing a personalized transactional benefit at a point of purchase, comprising:

means for retrieving from a network personalized identification information associated with a consumer based on a personalized identifier that is unique to the consumer;

means for capturing, at the point of purchase, an image representing product identification indicia, wherein the capturing means accesses the network to identify the captured image and to retrieve from the network information associated with the captured image;

means for visually outputting the personalized transactional benefit based on the personalized identification information associated with the consumer and the information associated with the captured image; and

means for shielding consumer identity from a retail establishment where the product identification indicia is captured.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing the image includes means for reading a bar code.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing the image includes means for capturing and identifying characters, marks, printed images, illustrations or text.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing the image uses an optical character recognition system.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing the image is a camera coupled to the mobile device.

13. A method for providing a personalized transactional benefit at a point of purchase, comprising:

retrieving from a network personalized identification information for a consumer, based on a personal identifier unique to the consumer;

capturing, at the point of purchase, an image representing a product identification indicia;

storing the product identification indicia and the personalized identification information;

visually outputting the personalized transactional benefit based on the stored product identification indicia and personalized identification information; and

shielding consumer identity from a retail establishment where the product identification indicia is captured.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the personalized identification information is stored on a plurality of servers and further comprising retrieving the personalized identification information from the plurality of servers.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising capturing the image representing a product identification indicia with a bar code reader associated with a cellular phone.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising capturing the image representing a product identification indicia with a camera associated with a cellular phone.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing the captured image using an optical character recognition system.

18. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling at least one processor associated with a mobile device by a method comprising:

retrieving personalized identification information from a network based on information provided by a consumer;

capturing, at the point of purchase, an image representing a product identification indicia;

storing the product identification indicia and the personalized identification information;

visually outputting the personalized transactional benefit based on the stored product identification indicia and personalized identification information; and

shielding consumer identity from a retail establishment where the product identification indicia is captured.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for retrieving the personalized identification information from a plurality of servers.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for capturing the image representing a product identification indicia with a bar code reader associated with a cellular phone.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for capturing the image representing a product identification indicia with a camera associated with a cellular phone.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for analyzing the captured image using an optical character recognition system.