LIST-BASED SELECTION SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

• US 20100106590A1
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aperture Investments LLC
• Inventors: Casey, Timothy Daniel, Fuzell-Casey, Jacquelyn
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.250
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0219 based on funds or budget
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A system and methods for enabling a user to create a list of items on a portable computing device, to communicate with external devices to locate each of the items available on the list within a geographically limited area, to provide users with visual or aural cues as to the location of items on the list, to progress through the list of items as each item is selected or rejected, and providing discounts toward, information about, or alternatives to the available items on the list.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to locate and select one or more items within a geographic area from a list, comprising:

a computer system including a database of items within the geographic area, the database of items including one or more available items, the computer system further including a location within the geographic area for each of the one or more available items; and

an input/output system providing communication between the computer system and a portable computer containing the list, the computer system receiving the list from the portable computer through the input/output system and indicating to the portable computer the location of a first available item and one or more additional available items among the one or more available items, the portable computer indicating to the user the location of the first available item and indicating to the user the location of the additional available items based on one or more status states.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computer includes a display and wherein the location of the first available item and the location of the additional available items are indicated on a map depicted on the display.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, and wherein the location of the first available item and the location of the one or more additional available items are based on the position of the portable computer.

4. The system recited in claim 3, wherein the portable computer includes a GPS device for identifying the position of the portable computer.

5. The system recited in claim 3, wherein the portable computer communicates with a plurality of remote transmitter/receivers distributed throughout the geographic area to identify the position of the portable computer.

6. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more status states include a selected state and a rejected state.

7. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more additional available items have an order, wherein the order is based on the location of the first available item or one or more prior items among the one or more additional available items.

8. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer.

9. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the additional information includes a price for the one or more items.

10. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer, wherein the additional information includes a price for one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer develops a running cost total based on the price of the one or more items selected by the user and a quantity of the one or more items selected by the user.

11. The system recited in claim 10, further comprising a check-out system receiving the running cost total and payment information from the portable computer and processing the payment information based on the running cost total.

12. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the items, and wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer based on the position of the portable computer.

13. The system recited in claim 12, wherein the additional information includes incentive information and/or advertising information for at least one of the items.

14. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic area is a retail store and the portable computer is affixed to a cart.

15. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein the one or more available items are near the seat location.

16. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein the one or more available items selected by the user are delivered to the user at the seat location.

17. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic area is a shopping mall.

18. A portable selection system for enabling a user to locate and select one or more items from a list, comprising a portable computer including a memory for storing the list, a display for displaying the list to the user, a processor, and an input/output system for communicating with a computer system including a database of items, the portable computer sending the list to the computer system and receiving from the computer system a location for each of one or more available items among the items on the list, the portable computer indicating to the user the location of a first available item on the list and indicating to the user the location of one or more additional available items on the list based on one or more status states.

19. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the location of the first available item and the location of one or more additional available items are indicated on a map of at least a portion of the geographic area on the display.

20. The portable selection system recited in claim 19, wherein the one or more additional available items have an order in which the one or more additional available items are shown on the map and the order is based on a physical location of the one or more additional available items with the geographic area and a position of the portable computer within the geographic area.

21. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area.

22. The portable selection system recited in claim 20, wherein the portable computer further includes a GPS device for identifying the position.

23. The portable selection system recited in claim 20, wherein the portable computer communicates with a plurality of remote transmitter/receivers distributed throughout the geographic area to identify the position.

24. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the status state includes a selected state and a rejected state.

25. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer receives the additional information from the computer system.

26. The portable selection system recited in claim 25, wherein said additional information includes a price for the one or more items.

27. The portable selection system recited in claim 25, wherein the additional information includes a price for one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer develops a running cost total based on the price of the one or more items selected by the user and a quantity of the one or more items selected by the user.

28. The portable selection system recited in claim 27, wherein the portable computer sends the running cost total to a check-out system.

29. The portable selection system recited in claim 28, wherein the portable computer includes payment information that the portable computer sends to the check-out system.

30. The portable selection system recited in claim 25, wherein the additional information includes alternative information for at least one of the available items.

31. The portable selection system recited in claim 25, wherein the additional information includes incentive information for at least one of the available items.

32. The portable selection system recited in claim 25, wherein the additional information includes advertising information for at least one of the available items.

33. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the geographic area is at least one retail store.

34. The portable selection system recited in claim 33, wherein the portable computing device is affixed to a cart associated with the retail store.

35. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location.

36. The portable selection system recited in claim 18, wherein the geographic area is a shopping mall.