METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FULFILLING PURCHASES

• US 20080242357A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and apparatus for fulfilling purchases is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, a portable communication device having a controller element that receives from an online system a barcode image as an object of acknowledgment of a product purchased from said online system, and presents on a display of the portable communication device said barcode image to complete a purchase fulfillment process by way of at least one among a visual inspection of the barcode image by a merchant employee and processing of said barcode image by a point of sale (POS) device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable communication device, comprising a controller element that:

receives from an online system a barcode image as an object of acknowledgment of a product purchased from said online system; and

presents on a display of the portable communication device said barcode image to complete a purchase fulfillment process by way of at least one among a visual inspection of the barcode image by a merchant employee and processing of said barcode image by a point of sale (POS) device.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the object of acknowledgment further comprises at least one among artwork associated with the merchant or the product purchased, a code, an audio message, and computer instructions.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the barcode image corresponds to a receipt of purchase.

4. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the POS device comprises a scanner, and wherein the POS device scans the barcode image to complete the purchase fulfillment process.

5. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the product purchased corresponds to a good or service.

6. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the object of acknowledgment further comprises a security feature, and wherein the POS device analyzes the security feature to authenticate the object of acknowledgement.

7. The portable communication device of claim 6, wherein the security feature comprises at least one among a password, an encrypted message, and a digital rights management policy.

8. The portable communication device of claim 1, comprising a transmission element that transmits one among a wireline and a wireless message associated with the object of acknowledgment to the POS device to complete the purchase fulfillment process.

9. The portable communication device of claim 8, wherein the portable communication device is coupled to the POS device with a universal serial bus (USB) cable to deliver the wireline message.

10. The portable communication device of claim 8, wherein the wireless message conforms to one among a plurality of 802 protocols defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

11. The portable communication device of claim 8, wherein the POS device comprises one among a wireless fidelity (WiFi) receiver and a radio frequency identification (RFID) receiver for receiving the wireless message.

12. The portable communication device of claim 1, comprising a receiving element that receives from the online system a wireless message corresponding to the object of acknowledgment.

13. The portable communication device of claim 12, wherein the wireless message corresponds to one among a multimedia message service (MMS) message and a short message service (SMS) message.

14. A point of sale (POS) device, comprising a controller element that:

receives an object of acknowledgment from a portable communication device, wherein the portable communication device receives said object of acknowledgment from an online system responsive to a product being purchased from the online system; and

completes a purchase fulfillment process associated with the purchased product according to the object of acknowledgment.

15. The POS device of claim 14, wherein the object of acknowledgment comprises at least one among an image, a code, and an audio message, wherein the image comprises at least one among a receipt of purchase, and wherein the POS device comprises at least one among a barcode reader, a credit or debit card reader, and a cash register.

16. The POS device of claim 14, comprising a scanner element that:

scans an image corresponding to the object of acknowledgment; and

processes said image to complete the purchase fulfillment process.

17. The POS device of claim 14, comprising a receiving element that receives from the portable communication device one among a wireline and a wireless message associated with the object of acknowledgment.

18. The POS device of claim 17, wherein the POS device is coupled to the portable communication device with a universal serial bus (USB) cable.

19. The POS device of claim 17, wherein the receiving element operates according to one among a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, and a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point.

20. An online system, comprising a controller element that distributes an object of acknowledgment to a portable communication device to complete a purchase fulfillment process by presentation of the object of acknowledgment to a merchant by way of the portable communication device.

21. The online system of claim 20, wherein the portable communication device presents by way of a display said object of acknowledgment to a point of sale (POS) device of the merchant to complete the purchase fulfillment process.

22. The online system of claim 20, wherein the controller element distributes said object of acknowledgment to the portable communication device responsive to purchasing a product using said online system.

23. A method, comprising a retailer that completes an online purchase fulfillment process by accepting an object of acknowledgment presented by a portable communication device of a consumer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said portable communication device receives the object of acknowledgment from an online system responsive to a product purchased therefrom.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising establishing a fee agreement between the retailer and a service provider of the online system associated with each online purchase made through the online system and fulfilled by the retailer.

26. The method of claim 23, comprising said retailer utilizing a point of sale (POS) device that communicates with the portable communication device to complete the purchase fulfillment process.