Method and apparatus for using prior activities to improve the probability of completing transactions for a customer in a retail environment

• US 6,647,372 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1999
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forecourt Communication Group, Iamnetworks Com
• Original Assignee: Forecourt Communication Group
• Inventors: Slinker, Scott W., Brady, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/453,188
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/16, 705/18
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history

Abstract

Apparatus, and a corresponding method, present to a customer various forms of information (product, brand . . . ) during periods where the customer is idle. A signal indicating the start or impending start of idle time is used to present to the customer various offers in a series of interactions between a computer interface and the customer. The interactions are planned based on previously acquired information about the customer, the current transaction, the venue of the transaction, the time of day and the date of the transaction, and the history of prior customer activities. The method of the invention enables a system of computers to collect information about the characteristics of a customer in a retail, banking or service establishment utilizing a point-of-sale terminal, which has input and output devices that the customer can use to communicate with the system of computers for identification purposes and to select from various options presented to the customer. The information concerning the customer'"'"'s activities are accumulated and analyzed such that the resulting information can be used to improve the efficiency of the customer'"'"'s next interaction with the system in the same or different venues. The efficiency increase results from a fitting of a set of possible activities into the idle time, in such a manner as to select a set of activities and their order that will provide the highest value likelihood that the customer will complete each activity.

Claims

1. A system for selecting one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system comprising:

at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier, for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring interactive, single transaction dialogues;

a server responsive to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, to access said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data, to utilize said activity database to configure a dialogue based on said one or more activities that are selected, to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer and to receive responses from said customer, without the customer, having to initiate another transaction;

wherein the server, in selecting a dialog, makes use of historically experienced customer actions for a population of customers in similar venues to a venue of said customer checkout location.

2. A system for selecting one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system comprising:

at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier, for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring interactive, single transaction dialogues;

a server responsive to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, to access said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data, to utilize said activity database to configure a dialogue based on said one or more activities that are selected, to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer and to receive responses from said customer, without the customer, having to initiate another transaction;

wherein the server, in selecting a dialog, makes use of historically experienced customer actions for a population of customers in a same venue as a venue of said customer checkout location.

3. A system for selecting one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system comprising:

at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier, for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring interactive, single transaction dialogues;

a server responsive to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, to access said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data, to utilize said activity database to configure a dialogue based on said one or more activities that are selected, to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer and to receive responses from said customer, without the customer, having to initiate another transaction;

wherein the server, in selecting a dialog, makes use of a time and day of an action of said customer.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein presentation dialogues comprise offerings of products or services to said customer.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein a customer response to a presentation dialogue comprises an acceptance or a refusal of an offering of a product or a service.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein a customer profile includes historically experienced activities and purchases of said customer.

7. A memory media including instructions for controlling a system to select one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system including at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring dialogues; and

a server, the memory media comprising;

a) means for controlling said server to respond to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, by accessing said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data;

b) means for controlling said server to cause said activity database to configure an interactive, single transaction dialogue based on said one or more activities that are selected;

c) means for controlling said server to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer, and without the customer having to initiate another transaction;

d) means for controlling said server to receive responses from said customer and to provide a message to said customer;

wherein means b), in selecting a dialog, makes use of historically experienced customer actions for a population of customers in similar venues to a venue of said customer checkout location.

8. A memory media including instructions for controlling a system to select one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system including at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring dialogues; and

a server, the memory media comprising;

a) means for controlling said server to respond to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, by accessing said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data;

b) means for controlling said server to cause said activity database to configure an interactive, single transaction dialogue based on said one or more activities that are, selected;

c) means for controlling said server to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer, and without the customer having to initiate another transaction;

d) means for controlling said server to receive responses from said customer and to provide a message to said customer;

wherein means b), in selecting a dialog, makes use of historically experienced customer actions for a population of customers in same venue as a venue of said checkout location.

9. A memory media including instructions for controlling a system to select one or more activities to be presented to a customer, the system including at least one terminal for dispatching a customer identifier for presenting information to the customer and for receiving information from the customer;

a customer database including (i) customer identification data and (ii) customer profile data including preferred activity identifiers, historical information regarding a customer'"'"'s prior activities with respect to said system and an estimation of a probability that an activity identifier will be selected by a customer;

an activity database including means for configuring dialogues; and

a server, the memory media comprising;

a) means for controlling said server to respond to a customer identifier from said at least one terminal, by accessing said customer database, to select and order one or more activities, based on said customer profile data;

b) means for controlling said server to cause said activity database to configure an interactive, single transaction dialogue based on said one or more activities that are selected;

c) means for controlling said server to dispatch said dialogue to said terminal for presentation to said customer, and without the customer having to initiate another transaction;

d) means for controlling said server to receive responses from said customer and to provide a message to said customer;

wherein means b), in selecting a dialog, makes use of time and day of an action of said customer.

10. The memory media as recited in claim 9, wherein presentation dialogues comprise offerings of products or services to said customer.

11. The memory media as recited in claim 10, wherein a customer response to a presentation dialogue comprises an acceptance or a refusal of an offering of a products or a service.

12. The memory media as recited in claim 11, wherein a customer profile includes historically experienced activities and purchases of said customer.