COMPUTER-ASSISTED SHOPPING AND PRODUCT LOCATION

• US 20140129378A1
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.), Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

In general, techniques are described that enable crowdsourcing of product-related information. Product-related information may include availability and intra-store locations of various products at particular stores. An example system includes an interface, a memory, and one or more programmable processors configured to receive, at the interface an intra-store product location from a first client device, the intra-store product location indicating a location of a product within a store. The programmable processor(s) are further configured to store, to at least one storage device coupled to the system and in association with the product, the received intra-store product location, receive, at the interface, a request associated with the product from a second client device, and send, from the interface, the intra-store product location to the second client device in response to receiving the request associated with the product.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an intra-store product location from a first client device, the intra-store product location indicating a location of a product within a store;

storing, by the one or more processors to at least one storage device and in association with the product, the received intra-store product location;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a request associated with the product from a second client device; and

sending, by the one or more processors, the intra-store product location to the second client device in response to receiving the request associated with the product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request associated with the product from the second client device further comprises:

detecting, by the one or more processors, that the second client device is at or near the store,

wherein sending the intra-store product location to the second client device is responsive to detecting that the second client device is at or near the store.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting that the second client device is at or near the store further comprises:

receiving, by the one or more processors and from the second client device, one or more location coordinates associated with the second client device; and

comparing the location coordinates associated with the second client device to one or more location coordinates associated with the store.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting that the second client device is at or near the store further comprises:

triangulating, by the one or more processors, a position of the second client device; and

comparing the triangulated position of the second client device to one or more location coordinates associated with the store.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to sending the intra-store product location to the second client device, receiving, by the one or more processors and from the second client device, an updated intra-store product location associated with the product, the updated intra-store product location being different from the intra-store product location; and

storing, by the one or more processors to at least one storage device, the updated intra-store product location in place of the intra-store product location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a request associated with the product from a third client device; and

sending, by the one or more processors, the updated intra-store product location to the third client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request associated with the product from the second client device further comprises:

receiving a request to add the product to a shopping list from the second client device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request associated with the product further comprises:

receiving a machine-readable code associated with the product; and

mapping the machine-readable code to an identification of the product.

9. A shopping assistant system comprising:

an interface;

a memory; and

one or more programmable processors configured to;

receive, at the interface, an intra-store product location from a first client device, the intra-store product location indicating a location of a product within a store;

store, to at least one storage device coupled to the shopping assistant system and in association with the product, the received intra-store product location;

receive, at the interface, a request associated with the product from a second client device; and

send, from the interface, the intra-store product location to the second client device in response to receiving the request associated with the product.

10. The shopping assistant system of claim 9, wherein the storage device is positioned at the store, and wherein the storage device comprises a local database associated with the store.

11. The shopping assistant system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to:

subsequent to sending the intra-store product location to the second client device, receive, at the interface and from the second client device, an updated intra-store product location associated with the product, the updated intra-store product location being different from the intra-store product location; and

store, to the storage device coupled to the shopping assistant system, the updated intra-store product location in place of the intra-store product location.

12. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more programmable processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving an intra-store product location from a first client device, the intra-store product location indicating a location of a product within a store;

storing, to a storage device and in association with the product, the received intra-store product location;

receiving, by the computing device, a request associated with the product from a second client device; and

sending, by the computing device, the intra-store product location to the second client device in response to receiving the request associated with the product.

13. A method comprising:

sending, by a client device to a shopping assistant system, a request associated with a product;

receiving, by the client device from the shopping assistant system in response to the request, availability information and information indicating whether an intra-store product location is available for the product at a store; and

sending, by the client device to the shopping assistant system in response to receiving the information indicating whether an intra-store product location is available, an updated intra-store product location, the updated intra-store product location for the product.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, by the client device, the intra-store product location via user input entered at an interface of the client device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

scanning, by the client device, a machine-readable code affixed to the product;

determining, by the client device, a location of the client device at a time of scanning the machine-readable code; and

determining the intra-store product location based at least in part on the determined location of the client device at the time of scanning the machine-readable code.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the location of the client device at the time of scanning the machine-readable code further comprises:

determining at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) coordinate of the client device and a distance from at least one wireless access point deployed in the store.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the intra-store product location includes at least one of an aisle number and a shelf number associated with the product.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the information indicating whether an intra-store product location is available includes at least one of:

1) data indicating a previous intra-store location associated with the product, and

     2) data indicating that the product is not available at the store.

19. A client device comprising:

an interface;

a memory; and

one or more programmable processors configured to;

send, from the interface to a shopping assistant system, a request associated with a product;

receive, at the interface from the shopping assistant system in response to the request, availability information and information indicating whether an intra-store product location is available for the product at a store; and

send, from the interface to the shopping assistant system in response to receiving the information indicating whether an intra-store product location is available, an updated intra-store product location, the updated intra-store product location for the product.

20. The client device of claim 19, further comprising:

a user interface device configured to receive a user input,

wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to determine the intra-store product location based at least in part on the received user input.

21. The client device of claim 19, further comprising:

a device configured to scan a machine-readable code coupled to the product,

wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to;

determine a location of the client device at a time of scanning the machine-readable code by the image capture device; and

determine the intra-store product location based at least in part on the determined location of the client device at the time of scanning the machine-readable code.