Virtual redeemable offers

• US 20100094701A1
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghosh, Riddhiman, Jain, Jhilmil
• Granted Patent: US 10,467,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with tracking in store consumer behavior are described. One example method includes receiving a product tag data (PTD) and a personal data (PD) from a portable digital device (PDD). The PTD is associated with a scan of a product tag of a product. The example method may also include storing the PTD and the PD in a database. The example method may also include creating a virtual redeemable offer (VRO) based, at least in part, on an analysis of the PD, the PTD associated with the scan, and a product information (PI) associated with the product tag. The PI may be stored in the database and describes the product. The example method may also include providing the CRVC to the PDD.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a data store to store a personal information of a user of the apparatus;

a tag scanner to read a product tag to acquire a product tag information;

a database interface logic;

to send the personal information and the product tag information to a database;

to receive a product information from the database, where the product information is based at least in part, on the product tag information, and where the product information includes one or more of, a detailed product description, a customized marketing data, and a virtual redeemable offer (VRO); and

a display to display a barcode that is scannable by a barcode scanner associated with a point of sale (POS) system, the barcode being associated with the VRO.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, including a privacy logic to control the database interface logic to selectively share the personal information with the database.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, where the VRO is provided to a second apparatus by the apparatus, to facilitate redemption of the VRO using the second apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the product tag is located at a first store, and where the VRO is redeemable at a second store.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tag scanner is operable to read one or more of, a radio frequency identification (RFID) product tag, and a near field communication (NFC) product tag.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the personal information includes one or more of, a customer identification number, a customer name, an apparatus identification number, and a product scan data, where the scan storage includes information associated with one or more past scans of product tags.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving a product tag information associated with a product tag scanned by a portable digital device (PDD);

transmitting to a product and customer database (PaCD) a personal data and a product tag data (PTD) associated with the product tag information;

receiving a customized redeemable virtual coupon (CRVC) that is based, at least in part, on the PTD, the personal data, and a product information (PI) stored in the PaCD, where the PI is associated with the product tag and describes the product;

creating a representation of the CRVC; and

providing the representation of the CRVC to a point of sale (POS) system during a store checkout.

8. The method of claim 7, where the CRVC is also based, at least in part, on a PTD associated with one or more past scans of a product tag that is stored in the database.

9. The method of claim 7, where providing the CRVC to the POS system is performed by displaying a barcode associated with the CRVC on a display of the PDD, and where the barcode is readable by a barcode reader of the point of sale (POS) system.

10. The method of claim 7, where the product tag is located at a first store, and where the CRVC is redeemable at a second store.

11. The method of claim 7, including:

receiving the PTD and a personal data (PD) from the PDD;

storing the PTD and the PD in the PaCD;

creating a customized redeemable virtual coupon (CRVC) based, at least in part, on an analysis of the PD, the PTD, and a product information (PI) associated with the product tag, where the PI is stored in the PaCD and describes the product; and

providing the CRVC to the PDD.

12. The method of claim 11, including receiving from the POS system information associated with the CRVC that was scanned and redeemed at the POS system, and where the PaCD stores the information associated with the CRVC in the database.

13. The method of claim 11, where receiving the PTD from the PDD includes receiving a product tag from a mobile phone that performs the scan by using a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, and where the method includes determining a customer preference based on analyzing of one or more of, the PD, the, and the PI.

14. A system, comprising:

a mobile device including;

a product tag reader to read a product tag of a product and retrieve a product identifier associated with the product;

a data store to store a customer information and the product identifier;

a database interface to interface with a server; and

a display screen to display a barcode;

a product and customer information server (PaCIS);

to receive the customer information and the product identifier from the database interface;

to provide to the database interface a virtual coupon based, at least in part, on the customer information, and a product information associated with the product identifier, and where the virtual coupon includes information to create the barcode; and

a point of sale (POS) system comprising a barcode scanner to read the barcode associated with the virtual coupon displayed on the display screen.

15. The system of claim 14, the PaCIS server comprising:

a receive logic to receive a product tag information (PTI) and a customer information from the mobile device, where the PTI is associated with a scan of a product tag;

a product and customer database (PaCD);

to store the PTI and the customer information;

to create a customized marketing information (CMI) based, at least in part, on the PTI and the customer information, where the CMI includes a product information associated with the PTI and retrieved from the PaCD; and

a transmit logic to transmit the CMI to the mobile device, where the CMI that is transmitted to the PDD includes a virtual redeemable offer (VRO) that is storable on the mobile device, and where the VRO is redeemable at the POS.