SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GROUP SHOPPING WITH A SHARED SHOPPING LIST

• US 20150317708A1
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Eramian, David Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,248,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating group shopping using a shared shopping list. A group such as a family having a shared shopping list may check in at a merchant location. The shared shopping list may be stored by a service provider or a payment provider. As the members of the group move around within the merchant location, one or more wireless beacons at the merchant location may communicate with user devices of the group members to track the locations of the group members. When a group member approaches or is close to an item on the shared shopping list, the user may be provided with an alert that they are nearby or approaching the location of the item. In some embodiments, directions to a list item or a related item such as a replacement item for an unavailable list item may be provided in the alert.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a hardware memory storing a shopping list associated with a plurality of users; and

one or more hardware processors in communication with the hardware memory and configured to;

receive check-in information from the plurality of users at a merchant location;

determine a location within the merchant location of at least one product from the shopping list;

determine that at least one of the plurality of users at the merchant location is nearby or approaching the location of the at least one product; and

provide an alert to the at least one of the plurality of users that the at least one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are configured to receive the check-in information from a beacon at the merchant location when a user device of each of the plurality of users is in communication with the beacon.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more hardware processors is configured to determine that at least one of the plurality of users at the merchant location is nearby or approaching the location of the at least one product by determining the location of the at least one user with at least one additional beacon at the merchant location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors is further configured to:

determine an additional location within the merchant location of at least one additional product from the shopping list;

determine that at least an additional one of the plurality of users at the merchant location is nearby or approaching the additional location of the at least one additional product; and

provide an additional alert to the at least the additional one of the plurality of users that the at least the additional one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the additional location.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

determine that the at least one product has been obtained by the at least one of the plurality of users; and

remove the at least one product from the shopping list.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to provide the alert using a display of a user device of the at least one of the plurality of users.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are configured to receive the check-in information when a user device of each of the plurality of users is in proximity to a wireless beacon at the merchant location and in communication with the wireless beacon using one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, cellular communication, global positioning system communication, and Bluetooth low energy communication.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

determine that the at least one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the location of an unavailable product; and

provide an additional alert to the at least one of the plurality of users including the location of a replacement product for the unavailable product.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

determine an age of the at least one of the plurality of users; and

determine whether to provide the alert based on the determined age.

10. A method comprising:

storing, electronically by a hardware memory, a shared shopping list of a plurality of users;

receiving, electronically by one or more hardware processors, check-in information from the plurality of users at a merchant location;

determining, electronically by the one or more hardware processors, a location within the merchant location of at least one product from the shared shopping list;

determining, electronically by the one or more hardware processors, that at least one of the plurality of users at the merchant location is nearby or approaching the location of the at least one product; and

providing, electronically by the one or more hardware processors, an alert to the at least one of the plurality of users that the at least one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, while the at least one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the location of the at least one product, providing a plurality of additional alerts to corresponding additional ones of the plurality of users that the additional ones of the plurality of users are nearby or approaching additional locations of additional products on the shared shopping list.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one product comprises a branded product having a brand that is associated with the merchant location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one product comprises a branded product having a brand that is a preferred brand of the at least one of the plurality of users.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the preferred brand based on a purchase history of the at least one of the plurality of users.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving comprises receiving an identifier from a user device of each of the plurality of users.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the identifier comprises receiving the identifier with at least one beacon at the merchant location when the user device is in communication with the at least one beacon.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, in response to execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

storing a shared shopping list of a plurality of users;

receiving check-in information from the plurality of users at a merchant location;

determining a location within the merchant location of at least one product from the shared shopping list;

determining that at least one of the plurality of users at the merchant location is nearby or approaching the location of the at least one product; and

providing an alert to the at least one of the plurality of users that the at least one of the plurality of users is nearby or approaching the location.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the check-in information based on communications between a wireless beacon at an entrance to the merchant location and a user device of each of the plurality of users and wherein the determining of the location comprises determining the location based on additional communications between the user device of the at least one of the plurality of users and a plurality of additional wireless beacons at the merchant location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that a last item on the shared shopping list has been obtained; and

providing a notification to the plurality of users that the shared shopping list has been completed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one product has been obtained by the at least one of the plurality of users;

removing the at least one product from the shared shopping list to form an updated shopping list; and

providing the updated shopping list to the plurality of users.