LOAD-BALANCING STORE TRAFFIC

• US 20080154673A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Jain, Kamal, Flake, Gary W., Chickering, David M., Meek, Christopher A., Horvitz, Eric J., Gounares, Alexander G., Connolly, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/862,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154673A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can identify relevant features or characteristics of one or more shoppers in the vicinity of a business establishment. In addition, the architecture can monitor resources both of the business establishment as well as other remote or disparate businesses. Based upon the shopper traffic data and the resource data, the architecture can determine or infer a traffic modifier (e.g., an advertisement or incentive) that can be transmitted to a display device that is typically in close proximity to the business establishment in order to modify behavior of the shopper as well as to adjust resources based upon inferred results of the modified behavior.

Claims

1. A system that employs environment and/or resource data to facilitate more efficient management of shopper traffic and/or resource allocation, comprising:

an environment monitoring component that monitors shopper traffic, and that transmits associated traffic data;

a resource monitoring component that monitors a resource related to a business establishment, and that transmits resource data associated with the resource; and

a management component that employs the traffic data and the resource data to determine a traffic modifier.

2. The system of claim 1, the environment monitoring component monitors physical traffic in or immediately surrounding the business establishment.

3. The system of claim 1, the environment monitoring component infers demographic information or objectives information from the shopper traffic.

4. The system of claim 1, the environment monitoring component monitors online shopper traffic that is facilitated by a computer network.

5. The system of claim 1, the environment monitoring component receives a shopper account ID associated with a known customer in geographic proximity.

6. The system of claim 1, the resource is at least one of inventory, equipment, personnel, a schedule, or a budget.

7. The system of claim 1, the resource monitoring component receives resource data associated with a disparate business establishment.

8. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is determined to drive the shopper traffic to abundant resources.

9. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is determined to divert or delay shopper traffic with respect to scarce resources.

10. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is conditional incentive that is only redeemable at a disparate business establishment.

11. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is a conditional incentive that is only redeemable after a period of time, the period is inferred based upon when a potential burden on the resource will be relieved.

12. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is a conditional incentive that is only redeemable prior to a period of time, the period is inferred based upon when a potential burden on the resource will be appear.

13. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is an advertisement that is selected based upon a characteristic identified or inferred that is highly represented in the shopper traffic.

14. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is an advertisement that is selected based upon a characteristic identified or inferred, the characteristic is associated with a shopper.

15. The system of claim 1, the traffic modifier is an advertisement that is transmitted to a display device proximal to the business establishment.

16. The system of claim 1, the management component determines a resource modifier based upon an inference related to an expected result of dissemination of the traffic modifier.

17. A computer-implemented method for facilitating efficient managing of shopper traffic and/or resource allocation based at least in part upon environment and/or resource data, comprising:

examining aspects of an environment geographically local to a business establishment, the examined aspects including at least shopper traffic;

monitoring business resources relating to the business establishment; and

determining a traffic modifier in real time based at least in part upon the shopper traffic and the business resources.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

inferring demographic information relating to the shopper traffic;

inferring objectives information relating to the shopper traffic;

obtaining a customer account ID relating to a known customer of the business establishment who is in the physical vicinity of the business establishment;

or

receiving resource data relating to a distinct business establishment.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

utilizing the traffic modifier to direct shopper traffic to an abundant resource;

utilizing the traffic modifier to disperse shopper traffic away from a scarce resource;

utilizing the traffic modifier to delay consumption of the scarce resource;

or

determining a resource modifier by inferring a result of applying the traffic modifier.

20. A computer-implemented system for facilitating more efficient management of shopper traffic and/or resource allocation, comprising:

means for inspecting features of an environment in proximity to a business establishment, the inspected features including at least shopper traffic;

means for monitoring business resources relating to the business establishment; and

means for inferring a traffic modifier at least from the shopper traffic and the business resources.