FEEDBACK LOOP FOR CONSUMER TRANSACTIONS

• US 20080154704A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Jain, Kamal, Moromisato, George P., Flake, Gary W., Chickering, David M., Horvitz, Eric J., Gounares, Alexander, Connolly, Michael, Hemmen, Jeffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• 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 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate verification or feedback in association with consumer transactions. In particular the architecture can image a transaction receipt, translate the image into text-based data, and extract relevant transaction data there from. Such relevant transaction data can be saved to a data store maintained or supervised by the customer and/or transmitted to authorized components that can benefit from data related to transaction histories, verification, and/or feedback.

Claims

1. A system that tracks consumer transactions in order to facilitate verification or feedback, comprising:

a scanning component that reads a receipt that relates to a transaction between a vendor and a customer;

an extraction component that identifies and extracts relevant transaction data included in the receipt; and

an integration component that stores the relevant transaction data to a data store maintained by the customer, the data store including a profile associated with the customer.

2. The system of claim 1, the receipt is a paper receipt printed by the vendor or an electronic receipt or record transmitted by the vendor at a point-of-sale (POS).

3. The system of claim 1, the scanning component includes a camera that creates a digital image of the receipt.

4. The system of claim 1, the extraction component translates a digital image of the receipt into text-based machine-editable data in order to identify the relevant transaction data.

5. The system of claim 1, the extraction component utilizes specialized rules to translate the receipt.

6. The system of claim 1, the relevant transaction data includes at least one of vendor information, a date of the transaction, a time of the transaction, a customer rewards identification, a descriptor for one or more purchased items, a sale price for one or more purchased items, a discount price associated with one or more purchased items, a Universal Product Code (UPC) for one or more of purchased items, a savings code for one or more purchased items, or a transaction reference ID.

7. The system of claim 1, the integration component utilizes the relevant transaction data to update the profile associated with the customer.

8. The system of claim 1, the integration component transmits the relevant transaction data to a component that facilitates update of a veracity score included in the profile, the veracity score reflects a tendency of the customer to fulfill published shopping objectives.

9. The system of claim 1, the integration component transmits the relevant transaction data to a component that facilitates verification that an engagement-based incentive associated with the profile has been satisfied.

10. The system of claim 1, the integration component transmits the relevant transaction data to a component that determines a relevance of an advertisement based upon a transaction history included in the profile.

11. The system of claim 1, the integration component transmits the relevant transaction data to a personal finance component associated with the customer.

12. The system of claim 1, the extraction component communicates with a vendor data store maintained by the vendor to retrieve a translation legend for the receipt.

13. The system of claim 1, the relevant transaction data is a transaction reference ID and the extraction component employs the transaction reference ID to access a vendor data store maintained by the vendor.

14. The system of claim 12, the extraction component retrieves other relevant transaction data from a record associated with the transaction reference ID included in the vendor data store.

15. The system of claim 1 is included in a mobile device.

16. A method for facilitating verification or feedback by examining consumer transactions described in a receipt, comprising:

capturing an image of a receipt relating to a transaction between a vendor and a customer;

identifying relevant transaction data included in the receipt;

translating portions of the image into text-based data for identifying relevant transaction data; and

saving the relevant transaction data to a data store including a profile associated with the customer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising utilizing a mobile device for the act of imaging, and the act of saving includes saving the relevant transaction data to a data store residing on the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

employing the relevant transaction data for updating the profile associated with the customer;

facilitating update of a veracity score included in the profile by propagating at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

facilitating verification that an engagement-based incentive associated with the profile has been satisfied by propagating at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

facilitating determination of a relevance of an advertisement based upon a transaction history included in the profile by propagating at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

or

transmitting the relevant transaction data to a personal finance component associated with the customer.

19. A method for facilitating mobile verification or feedback by examining consumer transactions described in an electronic record, comprising:

receiving at a point-of-sale a transaction reference ID that relates to a transaction between a vendor and a customer;

employing at the point-of-sale the transaction reference ID for accessing an electronic record associated with the transaction, the record is included in a vendor data store maintained by the vendor;

identifying relevant transaction data included in the record; and

storing the relevant transaction data to a data store including a profile associated with the customer.

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

utilizing the relevant transaction data for updating the profile associated with the customer;

facilitating update of a veracity score included in the profile by transmitting at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

facilitating verification that an engagement-based incentive associated with the profile has been satisfied by transmitting at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

facilitating determination of a relevance of an advertisement based upon a transaction history included in the profile by transmitting at least one of the relevant transaction data or a signal indicating the profile has been updated;

or

propagating the relevant transaction data to a personal finance component associated with the customer.