SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUGGESTING PRODUCTS FOR PURCHASE FROM A RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT USING A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110145051A1
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AisleBuyer LLC (Intuit, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mercado, Jose H. JR., Preston, Dan Richard, Paradise, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/966,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145051A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence

Abstract

Techniques for suggesting products for purchase from a retail establishment using a mobile device allow a user to receive, on the user'"'"'s mobile device, product suggestions and offers that are relevant to one or more products that the user has already scanned for purchase in the retail establishment, that are relevant to the user'"'"'s shopping history, and/or that are relevant to the user'"'"'s current location within the retail establishment as measured via the mobile device. While the mobile device is used to scan products into an electronic shopping cart, the server may analyze the current contents of the cart to generate a suggestion or offer for a product which the user may be likely to decide to purchase. If the user accepts the product suggestion, the purchase facilitating server may transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the suggested product via the mobile device while the user is within the retail establishment.

Claims

1. A method of suggesting products for purchase by a user of a mobile device from a retail establishment, the method performed, at least in part, by a computer system comprising at least one hardware processor, the method comprising:

identifying, based on identifier information, a first product selected by the user within the retail establishment;

identifying, via the at least one hardware processor, at least one second product to suggest for purchase; and

transmitting suggestion information to the mobile device, the suggestion information suggesting the at least one second product to the user for purchase from the retail establishment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the first product and/or the at least one second product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the first product and/or the at least one second product;

processing at least the payment information to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the first product and/or the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the first product and/or the at least one second product has been purchased by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a bid placed by a seller of the at least one second product on an association between the first product and the at least one second product.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one second product comprises determining that the first product and the at least one second product belong to a set of products useful for a particular purpose, and that the at least one second product has not yet been selected by the user for purchase.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on one or more users'"'"' shopping history in relation to the first product.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a discount to apply to the user'"'"'s purchase of the at least one second product, based on the user'"'"'s shopping history; and

including an indication of the discount in the suggestion information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a location of the user and the mobile device within the retail establishment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the mobile device an indication of one or more locations within the retail establishment at which the at least one second product can be found.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the mobile device an image of a bar code taken within the retail establishment, or a bar code number determined from the image;

determining whether the bar code or the bar code number matches the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device an indication of the determination.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, as part of the user'"'"'s shopping history, data indicating whether or not the user purchases the at least one second product after receiving the suggestion information.

12. At least one tangible computer-readable storage medium encoded with a plurality of computer-executable instructions that, when executed in a computer system comprising at least one hardware processor, perform a method of suggesting products for purchase by a user of a mobile device from a retail establishment, the method comprising:

identifying, based on identifier information, a first product selected by the user within the retail establishment;

identifying at least one second product to suggest for purchase; and

transmitting suggestion information to the mobile device, the suggestion information suggesting the at least one second product to the user for purchase from the retail establishment.

13. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

14. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the first product and/or the at least one second product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the first product and/or the at least one second product;

processing at least the payment information to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the first product and/or the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the first product and/or the at least one second product has been purchased by the user.

15. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a bid placed by a seller of the at least one second product on an association between the first product and the at least one second product.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein identifying the at least one second product comprises determining that the first product and the at least one second product belong to a set of products useful for a particular purpose, and that the at least one second product has not yet been selected by the user for purchase.

17. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on one or more users'"'"' shopping history in relation to the first product.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a discount to apply to the user'"'"'s purchase of the at least one second product, based on the user'"'"'s shopping history; and

including an indication of the discount in the suggestion information.

19. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a location of the user and the mobile device within the retail establishment.

20. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises transmitting to the mobile device an indication of one or more locations within the retail establishment at which the at least one second product can be found.

21. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the mobile device an image of a bar code taken within the retail establishment, or a bar code number determined from the image;

determining whether the bar code or the bar code number matches the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device an indication of the determination.

22. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises storing, as part of the user'"'"'s shopping history, data indicating whether or not the user purchases the at least one second product after receiving the suggestion information.

23. A system comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

at least one memory storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of suggesting products for purchase by a user of a mobile device from a retail establishment, the method comprising;

identifying, based on identifier information, a first product selected by the user within the retail establishment;

identifying at least one second product to suggest for purchase, based on an association between the first product and the at least one second product; and

transmitting suggestion information to the mobile device, the suggestion information suggesting the at least one second product to the user for purchase from the retail establishment.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the first product and/or the at least one second product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the first product and/or the at least one second product;

processing at least the payment information to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the first product and/or the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the first product and/or the at least one second product has been purchased by the user.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a bid placed by a seller of the at least one second product on an association between the first product and the at least one second product.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein identifying the at least one second product comprises determining that the first product and the at least one second product belong to a set of products useful for a particular purpose, and that the at least one second product has not yet been selected by the user for purchase.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on one or more users'"'"' shopping history in relation to the first product.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a discount to apply to the user'"'"'s purchase of the at least one second product, based on the user'"'"'s shopping history; and

including an indication of the discount in the suggestion information.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one second product is identified based on a location of the user and the mobile device within the retail establishment.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises transmitting to the mobile device an indication of one or more locations within the retail establishment at which the at least one second product can be found.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the mobile device an image of a bar code taken within the retail establishment, or a bar code number determined from the image;

determining whether the bar code or the bar code number matches the at least one second product; and

transmitting to the mobile device an indication of the determination.

33. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises storing, as part of the user'"'"'s shopping history, data indicating whether or not the user purchases the at least one second product after receiving the suggestion information.

34. A method performed, at least in part, by a mobile device comprising at least one hardware processor, the method comprising:

obtaining, via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a first product being offered for sale by a retail establishment;

transmitting the image, or a product identifier determined from the image, from the mobile device to a purchase facilitating service provider;

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the image or product identifier, suggestion information suggesting at least one second product for purchase from the retail establishment; and

displaying the suggestion information on a display of the mobile device.

35. At least one tangible computer-readable storage medium encoded with a plurality of computer-executable instructions that, when executed in a mobile device comprising at least one hardware processor, perform a method comprising:

obtaining, via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a first product being offered for sale by a retail establishment;

transmitting the image, or a product identifier determined from the image, from the mobile device to a purchase facilitating service provider;

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the image or product identifier, suggestion information suggesting at least one second product for purchase from the retail establishment; and

displaying the suggestion information on a display of the mobile device.

36. A system comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

at least one memory storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising;

obtaining, via an image acquisition component operatively connected to a mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a first product being offered for sale by a retail establishment;

transmitting the image, or a product identifier determined from the image, from the mobile device to a purchase facilitating service provider;

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the image or product identifier, suggestion information suggesting at least one second product for purchase from the retail establishment; and

displaying the suggestion information on a display of the mobile device.