MOBILE SCANNER GUN SYSTEM WITH MOBILE TABLET HAVING A MOBILE POS AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING APPLICATION FOR POS CUSTOMER ORDER FULFILLMENT AND IN STORE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT FOR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT

• US 20140249941A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Retail Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Retail Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: McWhirter, Brian K., McArthur, DeVan, Williams, Bromley, Hicks, Bruce J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,453,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A mobile scanner gun system is designed for a retail store with integrated mobile tablet device carried by employees. The mobile tablet device is connected to the pistol gun base housing through a base mount universal receiver with rotational coupling, and communicates to a USB barcode scanner/reader and MSR through a specialized universal serial bus wiring harness. The Main PCB has an EEPROM controlling operations of a scanner and an MSR. The mobile tablet device has mobile applications which allow wireless communication in the form of Wi-Fi or wireless cellular with a POS store systems server and corporate ERP system, and also commands the EEPROM. Merchandise to be purchased is scanned and received by the mobile tablet device and then sent wirelessly to the POS store systems server and corporate ERP system to obtain product data concerning description, price, inventory, electronic and physical coupon, promotions, customer loyalty data and rewards.

Claims

1. A mobile scanner gun system adapted to receive a mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase, comprising:

a) a mobile tablet device removably mounted on said mobile scanner gun system and having mobile application software providing Wi-Fi and wireless cellular secure communicative capability with a POS store systems server in a retail store, which is connected to a corporate ERP system;

b) said mobile tablet device being attached to barcode scanner and MSR devices through a specialized universal serial bus wiring harness;

c) said mobile tablet device having a previously programmed electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) controlling all actions of said USB barcode scanner and a gun trigger input devices for activating a scan operation of an item of interest to a customer by an employee of a retail establishment;

d) activating said scan operation causing said EEPROM of the Main PCB to communicate with said mobile tablet device, launching said application software to ready said mobile tablet device for receiving a scanned barcode;

e) said Main PCB having a previously programmed electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) controlling all actions of said USB MSR input device by swiping a customer payment card through the MSR slot for processing customer payment through the proper secured bank card processing network;

f) activating said MSR operation causing said EEPROM to communicate with said mobile tablet device, launching said application software to ready said mobile tablet device for receiving customer payment card data;

g) said application communicating with said corporate ERP system to obtain detailed information for daily inventory management purposes for such tasks as physical inventory, cycle counting, inventory receiving, store to store transfers, return to vendor and product re-ticketing;

h) said application software communicating with said store systems server to obtain detailed information of the product scanned, its inventory, selling price , electronic and physical coupons, available promotions and customer loyalty data and rewards and displaying product data on a display screen of said mobile tablet device;

i) said employee of the retail establishment communicating to a customer the detailed information of the product scanned, its inventory, selling price , electronic and physical coupons, available promotions and customer loyalty data and rewards of each item scanned;

j) said customer deciding to purchase the item and the employee accessing a sales transaction routine of said mobile POS application software, entering customer name, address and e-mail address if not already in customer loyalty database and swiping customer data, and said mobile tablet device communicating formatted customer data securely to said store systems server;

k) said POS store systems server contacting a bank card processing authority authorizing said purchase and communicating to the mobile tablet device that the customer has purchased the scanned merchandise;

l) said corporate ERP system adjusting said product inventory visible chain-wide and sending a receipt therefor to the e-mail address of the customer if requested, and printing a hard copy of the transaction on a central printer;

m) said mobile tablet device being operative, in the event that said authorization is denied, to inform the employee of this credit denial on the mobile tablet device display and alternate payment requested, so that said customer is informed;

whereby the customer purchases merchandise from any retail store employee having a mobile scanner gun system receiving full product details, price and promotions and charges the purchase in a friendly, efficient, informative atmosphere without having the need to bring the merchandise to a central checkout station and waiting in queue to check out.

2. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 1, wherein said mobile tablet device is removably connected to said pistol grip base housing through a base mount universal receiver with rotational coupling.

3. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 2, wherein said rotation sets the mobile tablet device in portrait or landscape viewing format.

4. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 1, wherein said wireless communication may be in the form of Wi-Fi through a plurality of links located within the retail establishment or wireless cellular through data plan provided by a standard cellular carrier.

5. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 1, wherein said application includes a StoreMobileRF application wherein input of real-time daily store level inventory management is inputted and stored for managing inventory from a mobile scanner gun system in any location.

6. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 1, wherein said application includes a StoreMS Mobile application for corporate-wide POS customer sales transactions of said inventory is inputted, processed, tendered and stored for all store POS sales transactions.

7. The mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device for processing a retail store purchase as recited by claim 6, wherein said StoreMS Mobile application provides access to customer loyalty data, promotions, physical and electronic coupons, gift cards, and end to end encrypted payment card processing.

8. A system providing a non-transitory computer readable electronic storage medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions executable by a portable multifunction device having a touch screen display and Internet capability to cause the device to:

display a store level inventory management application associated with software that provides entry to the corporate ERP system'"'"'s inventory management applications;

display POS transaction means that provides ability to carry out customer sales transactions throughout said retailer'"'"'s store and beyond its walls, regardless of physical location;

enabling the portable multifunction device to be operative to establish a connection between the mobile tablet device and a mobile scanner gun system and to be mountable thereon;

wherein when triggered the system provides relevant store inventory information and POS transaction capability.

9. The system as recited by claim 8, wherein said portable multifunction device is removably connected to said pistol grip base housing through a base mount universal receiver with rotational coupling.

10. The system as recited by claim 9, wherein said rotation sets the mobile tablet device in portrait or landscape viewing format.

11. The system as recited by claim 8, wherein said wireless communication may be in the form of Wi-Fi through a plurality of links located within the retail establishment or wireless cellular through a data plan provided by a standard cellular carrier.

12. The system as recited by claim 8, wherein said programs include a StoreMobileRF application wherein input of store level inventory management is inputted and stored for managing inventory from a mobile scanner gun system in any chain-store location.

13. The system as recited by claim 8, wherein said programs include a StoreMS Mobile application for in-store POS customer check out of said merchandise, which is inputted, processed, tendered and stored for POS sales transactions.

14. The system as recited by claim 13, wherein said StoreMS POS application provides access to customer loyalty data and rewards, promotions, physical and electronic coupons, gift cards, and end to end encrypted payment card processing.

15. A mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device having a store level inventory management system and a POS customer check out system for retail establishment providing a non-transitory computer readable electronic storage medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions executable by said mobile scanner gun system and mobile tablet device with Internet capability to provide communication between said mobile scanner gun system and mobile tablet device to display:

store level inventory management associated with software that provides entry to corporate ERP system inventory management;

display POS transaction means providing the ability to execute customer sales transactions throughout said retailer'"'"'s store and beyond its walls, regardless of physical location;

wherein when triggered the system provides relevant store level inventory information and POS customer check-out transaction capability.