SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION TO A CUSTOMER AT A POINT-OF-SALE VIA A WIRELESS LINK WITHIN A RETAIL STORE

• US 20110112898A1
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,083,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.38
• 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 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and method for providing a customer of a retailer with information during checkout may include pairing with a mobile device during checkout of a customer at a POS system. Prior to communicating data to the mobile device, permission may be received from the customer via the mobile device to allow for data to be communicated to the mobile device. The data may be communicated to the mobile device during checkout by the customer.

Claims

1. A system for providing a customer of a retailer with information during checkout, said system comprising:

a point-of-sale (POS) system at which the customer of the retailer purchases products; and

a wireless access point in communication with said point-of-sale system and configured to operate as an access point for a mobile device of the customer to communicate with said point-of-sale system, said wireless access point being configured to pair with the mobile device and, prior to communicating data to the mobile device, to receive permission from the customer via the mobile device to allow for data to be communicated to the mobile device from the POS system, said POS system further configured to communicate the data to the mobile device via said wireless access point during checkout by the customer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless access point is a barcode scanner.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said wireless access point uses Bluetooth°

communications protocol for communicating with the mobile device and POS system.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a server in communication with said POS system, said server being configured to communicate the data to said POS system for communicating to the mobile device via said wireless access point.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless access point is further configured to prevent data other than pairing and data acceptance acknowledgement data from the mobile device to be communicated to said POS system.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said POS system is further configured to not accept data other than data acceptance acknowledgement data from the mobile device.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data includes a barcode representative of a coupon, and wherein said wireless access point is further configured to scan the barcode from a display of the mobile device.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface that enables the customer to initiate a communication to the mobile device.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said POS system is further configured to broadcast information to any mobile device within wireless range of the POS system while the POS is not performing a checkout operation.

10. A method for providing a customer of a retailer with information during checkout, said method comprising:

pairing with a mobile device during checkout of a customer at a POS system;

prior to communicating data to the mobile device, receiving permission from the customer via the mobile device to allow for data to be communicated to the mobile device; and

communicating the data to the mobile device during checkout by the customer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein pairing with the mobile device is performed by a barcode scanner.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pairing is performed by the Bluetooth®

communications protocol for communicating with the mobile device.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising communicating the data received from a system other than the POS system to the mobile device.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising preventing data other than pairing and data acceptance acknowledgement data from the mobile device to be communicated to the POS system.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the POS system is configured to not accept data other than data acceptance acknowledgement data from the mobile device.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating the data includes communicating data of a barcode representative of a coupon, and further comprising scanning the barcode from a display of the mobile device.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising initiating pairing with the mobile device in response to the customer initiating pairing by physically selecting to do so via a user interface in communication with the POS.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising broadcasting information to mobile devices within wireless range of the POS while the POS is not performing a checkout.

19. A mobile device for communicating with a POS, said mobile device comprising:

an electronic display configured to display data;

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate data to a communications network using a first communications protocol and to local devices via a second communications protocol, the second communications protocol being a shorter range communications protocol than the first communications protocol;

a processing unit in communication with said electronic display and I/O unit, and configured to;

in response to receiving a request to receiving a request from the POS to receiving data, prompting a user to allow or deny data from being communicated from the POS to the mobile device; and

communicating a selected response to the prompt by the user to the POS to allow or deny data from being communicated from the POS to the mobile device.

20. The mobile device according to claim 19, wherein said processing unit is further configured to receive and store data received from the POS.

21. The mobile device according to claim 19, wherein said processing unit is further configured to display the data received from the POS on said electronic display.

22. The mobile device according to claim 21, wherein said data includes a barcode representative of a coupon.

23. The mobile device according to claim 19, wherein said processing unit is further configured to store the data and provide the user with a user interface that enables the user to view the data by category.

24. The mobile device according to claim 19, wherein said processing unit is further configured to have a default setting to automatically accept or deny data to be communicated from the POS.