CENTRALIZED USER PREFERENCE MANAGEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DECISION MAKING DEVICES

• US 20120110467A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Blake, Norman Perkins, Collier, Christopher Lee, McGregor, George Mark, Koser, Vincent Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Systems and techniques for centralized user preference management for electronic decision making devices are provided. A user preference profile is received. A user preference profile manager may transmit a user preference from the user preference profile to a requesting user transaction terminal. the user preference manager may also receive a dynamic user preference from a user preference profile and extend the user preference profile with the dynamic user preference, where the dynamic user preference includes a preference definition and the preference definition includes read and write access controls for the dynamic user preference. Then the user manager may update the user preference profile based on data received from the user transaction terminal.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of user transaction terminals including a plurality of device types;

one or more hardware processors; and

a user preference manager communicatively coupled to the plurality of user transaction terminals, the user preference manager configured to;

receive, using the one or more hardware processors, a user preference profile associated a user;

transmit, responsive to a request from a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, a user preference from the user preference profile to the user transaction terminal, the user transaction terminal requesting the user preference;

receive a dynamic user preference from the user transaction terminal to extend the user preference profile, the dynamic user preference including a preference definition, the preference definition including access controls to control read and write access to the dynamic user preference; and

to update the user preference profile based on data received from the plurality of user transaction terminals.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web-based portal configured to:

receive initial user preferences from a user to create the user preference profile;

communicate the user preference profile to the user preference manager; and

display, to the user, existing user preferences in the user preference profile to which the user has read access; and

communicate, to the user preference manager, modifications to the existing user preferences to which the user has write access, the modifications based on input received from the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user transaction terminals are configured to receive preference selections from the user and to communicate the preference selections to the user preference manager, and wherein to update the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the preference selections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user transaction terminals are configured to record customer interaction data associated with the user and transmit the customer interaction data to the user preference manager, and wherein to update the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the customer interaction data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user transaction terminals include at least one of self-service checkout terminal, an automatic teller machine, or a product dispenser, the self-service checkout terminal being a physical terminal controlled by a retailer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals include a preference manager interface, the preference manager interface configured to communicate a set of dynamic user preferences to the user preference manager, the set of dynamic user preferences consisting of user preferences configured in the user transaction terminal and absent from the user preference profile.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals include a cache manager, the cache manager configured to:

maintain at least a portion of the user preference profile in a cache local to the user transaction terminal; and

manage user preference operations by the user transaction terminal.

8. In a system with a plurality of user transaction terminals including a plurality of device types, a method comprising:

receiving, using one or more hardware processors, a user preference profile associated with a user;

transmitting, responsive to a request from a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, a user preference from the user preference profile to the transaction terminal, the user transaction terminal requesting the user preference;

receiving a dynamic user preference from the user transaction terminal to extend the user preference profile, the dynamic user preference including a preference definition, the preference definition including access controls to control read and write access to the dynamic user preference; and

updating the user preference profile based on data received from the plurality of user transaction terminals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the user preference profile associated with the user includes:

creating the user preference profile from user preference selections received at a web-based portal;

displaying, to the user via the web-based portal, existing user preferences in the user preference profile to which the user has read access; and

receiving modifications to the existing user preferences in the user preference profile to which the user has write access, the modifications based on input received from the user via the web-based portal.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the plurality of user transaction terminals, preference selections from the user;

communicating the preference selections to the user preference manager; and

wherein updating the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the preference selections.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

recording, by the plurality of user transaction terminals, customer interaction data associated with the user;

communicating the customer interaction data to the user preference manager; and

wherein updating the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the customer interaction data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of user transaction terminals include at least one of self-service checkout terminal, an automatic teller machine, or a product dispenser, the self-service checkout terminal being a physical terminal controlled by a retailer.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising communicating, by a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, a set of dynamic user preferences to the user preference manager, the set of dynamic user preferences consisting of user preferences configured in the user transaction terminal and absent from the user preference profile.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

maintaining, by a cache manager of a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, at least a portion of the user preference profile in a cache local to the user transaction terminal; and

managing user preference operations by the user transaction terminal.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive, by a preference manager, a user preference profile associated with a user;

transmit, responsive to a request from a user transaction terminal in a plurality of user transaction terminals, a user preference from the user preference profile to the transaction terminal, the user transaction terminal requesting the user preference;

receive a dynamic user preference from the user transaction terminal to extend the user preference profile, the dynamic user preference including a preference definition, the preference definition including access controls to control read and write access to the dynamic user preference; and

update the user preference profile based on data received from the user transaction terminals.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein to receive the user preference profile associated with the user includes:

creating the user preference profile from user preference selections received at a web-based portal;

communicating, by the web-based portal, the user preference profile to the user preference manager;

displaying, to the user, existing user preferences in the user preference profile to which the user has read access; and

communicating, by the web-based portal, modifications to the existing user preferences in the user preference profile to which the user has write access, the modifications based on input received from the user.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

to receive, by the plurality of user transaction terminals, initial user preferences from the user;

to communicate the preference selections to the user preference manager; and

wherein to update the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the preference selections.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

to record, by the plurality of user transaction terminals, customer interaction data associated with the user;

to communicate the customer interaction data to the user preference manager; and

wherein to update the user preference profile includes modifying user preferences in the user preference profile associated with the customer interaction data.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of user transaction terminals include at least one of self-service checkout terminal, an automatic teller machine, or a product dispenser, the self-service checkout terminal being a physical terminal controlled by a retailer.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising, to communicate, by a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, a set of dynamic user preferences to the user preference manager, the set of dynamic user preferences consisting of user preferences configured in the user transaction terminal and absent from the user preference profile.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

to maintain, by a cache manager of a user transaction terminal in the plurality of user transaction terminals, at least a portion of the user preference profile in a cache local to the user transaction terminal; and

to manage user preference operations by the user transaction terminal.