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

• US 20110145093A1
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AisleBuyer LLC (Intuit, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mercado, Jose H. JR., Preston, Dan Richard, Paradise, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• 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 purchasing products from a retail establishment using a mobile device allow a user to transact a purchase of physical products within a retail establishment site, without need for significant interaction with personnel of the retail establishment to transact the purchase. The user may install a software application on the mobile device to communicate with a purchase facilitating server. An image acquisition component of the mobile device may be used to obtain an image of indicia, such as a bar code, on a product to be purchased within the retail establishment. Image recognition may be performed on the indicia to identify the product to be purchased, the user may submit payment information via the mobile device, and the purchase facilitating server may transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the product. The purchase facilitating server may transmit a purchase confirmation to the mobile device as a receipt of the user'"'"'s purchase.

Claims

1. A method of transacting a user'"'"'s purchase of a product from a retail establishment, the method performed, at least in part, by a computer system comprising at least one hardware processor, the method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device of the user, identifier information that identifies a product being offered for sale by a retail establishment, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the mobile device of the user, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment;

accessing product information for the product;

transmitting the product information to the mobile device;

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the product;

processing at least the payment information via the at least one hardware processor to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the product from the retail establishment; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the purchase confirmation, including identification of the product purchased, from the computer system to a loss prevention device of the retail establishment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to a processing device associated with the retail establishment an indication to reduce an inventory count of the product in response to the user'"'"'s purchase of the product.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the product information at the computer system in a periodic update from a processing device associated with the retail establishment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information comprises at least one item selected from the group consisting of a bar code number for the product, a price of the product, a name of the product, a description of the product, and a thumbnail image of the product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image comprises a photograph of a bar code on the product, and the identifier information comprises a bar code number represented by the bar code.

7. 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 transacting a user'"'"'s purchase of a product from a retail establishment, the method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device of the user, identifier information that identifies a product being offered for sale by a retail establishment, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the mobile device of the user, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment;

accessing product information for the product;

transmitting the product information to the mobile device;

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the product;

processing at least the payment information to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the product from the retail establishment; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user.

8. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the purchase confirmation, including identification of the product purchased, to a loss prevention device of the retail establishment.

9. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises transmitting to a processing device associated with the retail establishment an indication to reduce an inventory count of the product in response to the user'"'"'s purchase of the product.

10. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises receiving the product information in a periodic update from a processing device associated with the retail establishment.

11. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the product information comprises at least one item selected from the group consisting of a bar code number for the product, a price of the product, a name of the product, a description of the product, and a thumbnail image of the product.

12. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the image comprises a photograph of a bar code on the product, and the identifier information comprises a bar code number represented by the bar code.

13. 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 transacting a user'"'"'s purchase of a product from a retail establishment, the method comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device of the user, identifier information that identifies a product being offered for sale by a retail establishment, wherein the identifier information is derived from an image obtained via an image acquisition component operatively connected to the mobile device of the user, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment;

accessing product information for the product;

transmitting the product information to the mobile device;

receiving an indication from the mobile device to purchase the product, the indication comprising payment information for purchasing the product;

processing at least the payment information to transact the user'"'"'s purchase of the product from the retail establishment; and

transmitting to the mobile device a purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the purchase confirmation, including identification of the product purchased, to a loss prevention device of the retail establishment.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises transmitting to a processing device associated with the retail establishment an indication to reduce an inventory count of the product in response to the user'"'"'s purchase of the product.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises receiving the product information in a periodic update from a processing device associated with the retail establishment.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the product information comprises at least one item selected from the group consisting of a bar code number for the product, a price of the product, a name of the product, a description of the product, and a thumbnail image of the product.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the image comprises a photograph of a bar code on the product, and the identifier information comprises a bar code number represented by the bar code.

19. A method of purchasing a product from a retail establishment, the 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 coupled to the mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a 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, product information comprising description and/or price information for the identified product;

displaying the product information on a display of the mobile device;

receiving input from a user of the mobile device, the input comprising an indication to purchase the product and payment information for purchasing the product;

in response to receiving the input comprising the indication, transmitting the payment information from the mobile device to the purchase facilitating service provider; and

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the payment information, a purchase confirmation from the purchase facilitating service provider, the purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user of the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the obtaining comprises photographing a bar code on the product within the retail establishment.

22. 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 of purchasing a product from a retail establishment, the method comprising:

obtaining, via an image acquisition component operatively coupled to the mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a 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, product information comprising description and/or price information for the identified product;

displaying the product information on a display of the mobile device;

receiving input from a user of the mobile device, the input comprising an indication to purchase the product and payment information for purchasing the product;

in response to receiving the input comprising the indication, transmitting the payment information from the mobile device to the purchase facilitating service provider; and

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the payment information, a purchase confirmation from the purchase facilitating service provider, the purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user of the mobile device.

23. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment.

24. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the obtaining comprises photographing a bar code on the product within the retail establishment.

25. 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 purchasing a product from a retail establishment, the method comprising;

obtaining, via an image acquisition component operatively coupled to a mobile device, an image comprising information that identifies a 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, product information comprising description and/or price information for the identified product;

displaying the product information on a display of the mobile device;

receiving input from a user of the mobile device, the input comprising an indication to purchase the product and payment information for purchasing the product;

in response to receiving the input comprising the indication, transmitting the payment information from the mobile device to the purchase facilitating service provider; and

receiving at the mobile device, in response to transmitting the payment information, a purchase confirmation from the purchase facilitating service provider, the purchase confirmation indicating that the product has been purchased from the retail establishment by the user of the mobile device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the image is obtained while the user and the mobile device are within the retail establishment.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the obtaining comprises photographing a bar code on the product within the retail establishment.