LOCATING PRODUCTS USING TAG DEVICES

• US 20160284014A1
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: ADEL, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,922,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A device may detect location information. The location information may indicate a location of the device. The device may receive product search information that identifies one or more criteria for searching inventory information. The inventory information may be associated with the location, and may include information regarding products. The device may cause a search of the inventory information to be performed, based on the product search information, to determine compatible products. The device may determine one or more selected products of the compatible products. The one or more selected products may be selected for purchasing. The device may locate tag devices associated with the one or more selected products to guide a user to a physical location of the tag devices. The device may provide purchase information associated with the one or more selected products.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

detect location information indicating a location of the device;

receive product search information that identifies one or more criteria for searching inventory information,

the inventory information being associated with the location, and

the inventory information including information regarding one or more products;

cause a search of the inventory information to be performed to determine one or more compatible products of the one or more products,

the search being performed based on the product search information;

determine one or more selected products of the one or more compatible products,

the one or more selected products being selected for purchasing;

locate one or more tag devices associated with the one or more selected products to guide a user to a physical location of the one or more tag devices; and

provide purchase information associated with the one or more selected products.

2. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide information to guide the user to a physical location of the one or more tag devices.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more tag devices are associated with one or more security elements,

the one or more security elements, unless deactivated, performing an action based on the one or more tag devices being removed from the location;

and

where the one or more processors are further to;

cause the one or more security elements to be deactivated after providing the purchase information.

4. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive the inventory information based on the location information; and

store the inventory information as locally stored inventory information; and

where the one or more processors, when causing the search to be performed, are further to;

cause the search to be performed on the locally stored inventory information.

5. The device of claim 1, where the inventory information is stored by a store server device;

and

where the one or more processors, when providing the purchase information, are further to;

provide the purchase information to the store server device to cause the store server device to update the inventory information based on the purchase information.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

detect device information that describes the device;

provide compatible product information via a user interface,

the compatible product information identifying the one or more compatible products; and

provide an advertisement via the user interface,

the advertisement being provided based on at least one of the device information, the location information, the product search information, or the compatible product information.

7. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when locating the one or more tag devices, are further to:

locate the one or more tag devices based on at least one of;

a near field communication signal,

a radio-frequency identification signal,

a Bluetooth signal,

a ZigBee signal, or

a WiFi signal,

transmitted to or received from the one or more tag devices.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

determine location information describing a location of the device;

determine product search information for searching inventory information,

the inventory information identifying one or more products offered for sale at the location;

determine compatible product information based on the inventory information and based on the product search information,

the compatible product information identifying one or more compatible products of the one or more products offered for sale;

receive selection information that identifies one or more selected products of the one or more compatible products;

identify a physical location of the one or more selected products based on one or more tag devices associated with the one or more selected products;

provide a purchase interface based on identifying the physical location of the one or more selected products;

receive an interaction via the purchase interface to purchase the one or more selected products; and

provide purchase information based on receiving the interaction to purchase the one or more selected products.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the product search information, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine device information that describes the device; and

determine the product search information based on the device information,

the product search information causing a search to be performed for products related to the device information.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

store, locally, the inventory information to generate locally stored inventory information; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the compatible product information, further cause the one or more processors to;

determine the compatible product information based on the locally stored inventory information.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the purchase information, further cause the one or more processors to:

cause the inventory information to be updated based on the purchase information.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the compatible product information, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide the compatible product information via a user interface; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the selection information, further cause the one or more processors to;

receive the selection information based on an interaction with the user interface.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more tag devices include one or more security elements,

the one or more security elements, unless deactivated, performing an action based on the one or more tag devices being removed from the location;

and

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to;

cause the one or more security elements to be deactivated.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the physical location of the one or more selected products, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide, via a user interface, a map based on the physical location of the one or more selected products,

the map guiding a user to the one or more selected products.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device, location information indicating a location of the device,

the location being associated with one or more products;

receiving or determining, by the device, product search information,

the product search information indicating one or more criteria for determining one or more compatible products of the one or more products;

causing, by the device, a search of inventory information to be performed to determine the one or more compatible products,

the inventory information identifying the one or more products, and

the search being performed based on the product search information;

providing, by the device, compatible product information that identifies the one or more compatible products;

receiving, by the device, an interaction to indicate one or more selected products of the one or more compatible products,

the one or more selected products being selected for purchasing;

locating, by the device, a physical location of one or more tag devices associated with the one or more selected products; and

guiding, by the device, a user to the physical location of the one or more tag devices based on locating the one or more tag devices.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the inventory information,

the inventory information being received based on the location of the device;

storing, locally, the inventory information as locally stored inventory information; and

the method, when causing the search to be performed, further comprises;

performing the search of the locally stored inventory information.

17. The method of claim 15, where the one or more tag devices include one or more security elements to be deactivated before removing the one or more selected products from the location;

and

the method, further comprising;

receiving security element deactivation information for deactivating the one or more security elements; and

providing the security element deactivation information to the one or more tag devices to cause the one or more tag devices to deactivate the one or more security elements.

18. The method of claim 15, where the one or more tag devices are at least one of attached to, included in, or a component of the one or more selected products.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining device information that describes the device;

receiving an advertisement based on at least one of the device information, the location information, or the product search information; and

the method, when providing the compatible product information, further comprises;

providing the advertisement in association with the compatible product information.

20. The method of claim 15, where locating the physical location of the one or more tag devices further comprises:

locating the one or more tag devices based on at least one of;

a near field communication signal,

a radio-frequency identification signal,

a Bluetooth signal,

a ZigBee signal, or

a WiFi signal being transmitted to or received from the one or more tag devices.