INTEGRATING LOCAL PRODUCTS INTO GLOBAL WEB SERVICES,

• US 20140207591A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Acker, Joel Bennett Jr., Pedley, Douglas James, Cancro, Richard Neil
• Granted Patent: US 9,336,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for integrating locally carried products into web services provided by a global server. A user computing device, such as a mobile phone, is used to scan optical codes for products. A product identifier extracted from the optical code is used to request product information from a global server system with respect to the product or to take an action with respect to the product, such as adding the product to an electronic shopping cart. For locally carried products, notice may be provided to the user computing device to scan the product using an in-store scanner. Upon scanning the optical code, the in-store scanner retrieves product information from a local server system and encodes this information in an optical code, which the user computing device scans in order to use with respect to a web service or web-integrated transaction.

Claims

1. A method for shopping, the method comprising:

scanning, using a mobile computing device, a first optical code corresponding to a first product for which a global server system has a record;

scanning, using the mobile computing device, a second optical code from a display of an in-store optical code scanner, the second optical code corresponding to a second product for which the global server system does not have a record; and

invoking, by the mobile computing device, addition of the first and second products to a shopping list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein invoking addition of the first and second products to the shopping list comprises invoking addition of the first and second products to an electronic shopping cart.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning the first optical code comprises scanning the first optical code as affixed to an instance of the first product.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning, by the mobile computing device, a third optical code corresponding to an in-store point of sale (POS) device; and

in response to scanning of the third optical code, transmitting, by the mobile computing device, the shopping list to the POS device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein transmitting the shopping list to the POS device comprises transmitting the shopping list to the POS device by way of the global server system.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile computing device, an electronic receipt for purchase of the shopping list from the POS device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning, by the mobile computing device, a third optical code affixed to an instance of the second product;

transmitting, by the mobile computing device, data extracted from scanning the third optical code to the global server; and

if a response from the global server is negative, displaying, on the mobile computing device, a prompt to obtain data for the second product from the in-store optical code scanner.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

scanning, by the in-store optical code scanner, the third optical code;

retrieving, by the in-store optical code scanner, data relating to the second product from a local server different from the global server;

encoding, by the in-store optical code scanner, the data relating to the second product into the second optical code; and

displaying, by the in-store optical code scanner, the second optical code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second optical code is a quick response (QR) code.

10. A system for shopping, the system comprising a mobile computing device including one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational data effective to cause the one or more processors to:

scan a first optical code corresponding to a first product for which a global server system has a record;

scan a second optical code from a display of an in-store optical code scanner, the second optical code corresponding to a second product for which the global server system does not have a record; and

invoke addition of the first and second products to a shopping list.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a camera and wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to scan the first and second optical codes using the camera.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to invoke addition of the first and second products to the shopping list by invoking addition of the first and second products to an electronic shopping cart.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to scan the first optical code by scanning the first optical code as affixed to an instance of the first product.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

scan a third optical code corresponding to an in-store point of sale (POS) device; and

in response to scanning of the third optical code, transmit the shopping list to the POS device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the shopping list to the POS device comprises transmitting the shopping list to the POS device by way of the global server system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to receive an electronic receipt for purchase of the shopping list from the POS device.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

scan a third optical code affixed to an instance of the second product;

transmit data extracted from scanning the third optical code to the global server; and

if a response from the global server is negative, display a prompt to obtain data for the second product from the in-store optical code scanner.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an in-store scanner configured to:

scan the third optical code;

retrieve data relating to the second product from a local server different from the global server;

encode the data relating to the second product into the second optical code; and

display the second optical code.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second optical code is a quick response (QR) code.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the in-store scanner comprises a laser bar code scanner.