Method for Self-Checkout with a Mobile Device

• US 20200134588A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelms, David Martin, Todd, Jason, Webb, Tim, Marbut, Philip Wayne, Ryner, Douglas Jahe
• Granted Patent: US 10,803,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method for purchasing an item using a mobile device is provided. The method includes but is not limited to inputting identification information into the mobile device which identifies the item for purchase and generating an order for the item identified by the identification information. The method also includes but is not limited to displaying on a display of the mobile device an optical machine-readable representation of the order.

Claims

1. A method of converting a mobile phone into a mobile point-of-sale device, the method comprising:

executing a mobile self-checkout application on the mobile phone, the mobile self-checkout application allowing a user of the mobile phone to select items in a store and tender payment for the selected items via a user interface rendered by the mobile self-checkout application on a display of the mobile phone;

initiating a session between the mobile phone and a server, the session managed by a session manager;

rendering the user interface on a display of the mobile device by the mobile self-checkout application;

in response to selection of a scanning function via the user interface, activating an imaging device of the mobile phone to capture identification information associated with a physical object;

activating a radio transmitter of the mobile phone to transmit the captured identification information associated with the physical object to the server executing a virtual terminal sales application;

receiving, by the mobile phone, item information associated with the physical object from the server;

generating, by the mobile phone, a virtual shopping cart to save the item information associated with the physical object;

adding the item information of the physical object to the virtual shopping cart to maintain the order;

receiving instructions via the user interface of the mobile self-checkout application to check out, receiving, by the server, payment information to complete a transaction for the order in response to selection of a checkout function via the user interface;

completing, by the server, the transaction for the order based on the payment information; and

transmitting, by the server, receipt information to the mobile phone in response to completion of payment for the order;

rendering, by the mobile phone on the display, the receipt information in a machine-readable element; and

optically scanning the machine-readable element rendered on the display of the mobile phone, by an optical scanning machine in communication with the server, to confirm completion of payment for the order.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering the order on the display of the mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, additional identification information from the mobile phone associated with additional physical objects;

receiving, by the mobile phone, additional item information associated with the additional physical objects; and

adding, by the mobile phone, the additional item information associated with the additional physical objects to the virtual shopping cart.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user interaction with the mobile phone to remove a selected one of the physical objects from the transaction; and

removing, by the mobile phone, the item information associated with one of the physical objects to alter the order in the virtual shopping cart.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of a plurality of virtual sales terminal applications executing on the server processes the payment for the transaction after the transaction is transferred to one of the plurality of virtual sales terminals from either the mobile phone or from another virtual sales terminal application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile phone, information associated with the user to identity the user; and

in response to identification of the user, rendering, by the mobile phone, a shopping screen of the self-checkout application including the virtual shopping cart.

7. The method of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the user is a customer number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein to transfer the virtual shopping cart information to the virtual terminal sales application on the server, the mobile phone generates a POS message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual shopping cart maintains state of the order on the mobile phone.

10. A system comprising:

a mobile phone executing a first application to allow a user of the mobile phone to select items in a store and tender payment for the selected items via a user interface rendered by the first application on a display of the mobile phone, the first application allowing a user of the mobile phone to;

initiate a session between the mobile phone and the server, the session managed by a session manager;

capture identification information for a physical object;

receive instructions via the user interface of the mobile self-checkout application to check out;

a server executing a second application to;

receive the identification information for the physical object from the mobile phone;

transmit item information based on the identification information for the physical object to the mobile phone, the mobile phone responsive to the identification information to add the item information of the physical object to a virtual shopping cart of the first application to maintain the order;

upon receipt of instruction from the user interface of the first application to check out, retrieve payment information associated with the user to complete a transaction for the order;

complete the transaction for the order;

transmit receipt information to the mobile phone in response to completion of payment for the order, the receipt information being renderable on a display of the mobile phone as a machine readable element; and

an optical scanning machine in communication with the server, the optical scanning machine scanning the machine-readable element rendered on the display of the mobile phone to confirm completion of payment for the order.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile phone executes the first application to render the order on the display of the mobile phone.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is configured to:

receive additional identification information from the mobile phone associated with additional physical objects;

transmit additional item information associated with the additional physical objects; and

adding, by the mobile phone, the additional item information associated with the additional physical object to the order.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile phone removes the item information associated with the physical object from the order in response to user interaction with the mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a virtual sales terminal application executing on the server process the payment for the transaction.

15. A method of converting a mobile phone into a mobile point-of-sale device, the method comprising:

executing a mobile self-checkout application on the mobile phone, the mobile self-checkout application, allowing a user of the mobile phone to select items in a store and tender payment for the selected items via a user interface rendered by the mobile self-checkout application on a display of the mobile phone;

rendering the user interface on the mobile device by the mobile self-checkout application;

in response to selection of a scanning function via the user interface, activating an imaging device of the mobile phone to capture identification information associated with a physical object;

determining, by the mobile phone, item information associated with the physical object;

generating, by the mobile phone, a virtual shopping cart to save the item information associated with the physical object;

adding the item information of the physical object to the virtual shopping cart to maintain the order;

receiving instructions via the user interface of the mobile self-checkout application to check out,

retrieving, by the server, payment information to complete the transaction;

completing, by the server, the transaction based on the payment information; and

transmitting, by the server, a confirmation receipt to the mobile phone in response to completion of payment for the transaction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a machine readable representation associated with the order in the virtual shopping cart and a user identification information;

rendering the machine-readable element on the display of the mobile phone in association with the mobile self-checkout application;

optically scanning the machine-readable element rendered on the display of the mobile phone, by an optical scanning device in communication with the server; and

transferring, by the mobile phone, the virtual shopping cart information to the virtual terminal sales application on the server in response to receiving instructions via the user interface of the mobile self-checkout application to check out.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the server, whether the order exists on the virtual terminal sales application; and

in response to a determination that the order does not exist on the virtual terminal sales application generating an instance of the order including the state of the order on the virtual terminal sales application or in response to a determination that the order exists on the terminal sales application, updating the state of the order on the terminal sales application based on the virtual shopping cart information received from the mobile phone.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile phone, information associated with the user to identity the user;

in response to identification of the user, transmitting a shopping list including item information associated with physical objects in a store to the mobile phone; and

rendering, by the mobile phone, a shopping screen of the self-checkout application including the virtual shopping cart.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information associated with the user is a customer number.