Integrated customer management system and method using wireless barcode

• US 6,679,421 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GS Communication
• Original Assignee: Secubay Corporation
• Inventors: Gwon, Hyuck-Jin, Oh, Chang-Hwan, Eom, Doo-Seop, Shin, Young-Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimberly
• Application Number:
  US09/968,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20020040341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/462.05, 902/22, 705/10, 705/11, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A customer management system and method using an LCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal. The present invention is simply and conveniently identifies customers using commodity barcodes being widely used and customer information barcodes on cellular phones, realizing effective marketing at minimum cost according to the purchase propensities or preferences of the customers for commodities and rapidly provides the customers with a variety of commodity information and a variety of benefits based on the results of their barcode use at any place, thereby effectively managing the customers integratedly.

Claims

1. A customer management system using an LCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless barcode scanner for recognizing the LCD barcode corresponding to customer information and commodity information;

a membership manager for managing all matters in membership registration and withdrawal of customers with reference to information stored in a database;

a settlement processor for determining from a membership number of a given one of the customers whether a credit card of the given customer has been authenticated, transferring records containing the membership number of said given customer and the total amount of money to be paid by said given customer to a credit card company associated with the credit card of said given customer upon determining that said credit card has been authenticated, and requesting said credit card company to settle an account for the amount of money to be paid by said given customer;

a purchase information processor for extracting personal information of said given customer and information regarding a commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer from barcode data from said barcode scanner, calculating the price of each of the commodities purchased by said given customer and the total amount of money to be paid by said given customer and transferring the calculated results to components requiring them;

an Internet purchase processor for transferring the personal information of said given customer and said information regarding the commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer to said purchase information processor over the Internet;

a purchase propensity processor for receiving said information regarding the commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer from said purchase information processor, statistically processing the received information and analyzing commodity purchase information of said given customer and his or her purchase propensity or preference for commodities in accordance with the processed results;

said database adapted to store information regarding personal details of the customers, the total amounts of money to be paid by the customers, the purchase propensities or preferences of the customers for commodities, settlement records of the customers, and commodities and coupons to be delivered to the customers; and

a network interface for interfacing said components to a communication network.

2. A customer management system using an LCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless barcode scanner for recognizing the barcodes corresponding to customer information and commodity information;

a plurality of customer servers for receiving the customer information and commodity information from said barcode scanner, extracting personal details of customers from the received customer information, analyzing commodity purchase information of the customers and their purchase propensities or preferences for commodities, storing the analyzed results and sending the customer information, the commodity purchase information of the customers and information regarding the purchase propensities or preferences of the customers for commodities to a central management server; and

said central management server adapted to receive and store said information sent from said customer servers, share information with said customer servers and retrieve desired information from a given one of said customer servers.

3. A customer management system using an LCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal, as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said customer servers includes:

a membership manager for managing all matters in membership registration and withdrawal of customers with reference to information stored in a database;

a settlement processor for determining from a membership number of a given one of the customers whether a credit card of the given customer has been authenticated, transferring records containing the membership number of said given customer and the total amount of money to be paid by said given customer to a credit card company associated with the credit card of said given customer upon determining that said credit card has been authenticated, and requesting said credit card company to settle its an account for the amount of money to be paid by said given customer;

a purchase information processor for extracting personal information of said given customer and information regarding a commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer from barcode data from said barcode scanner, calculating the price of each of the commodities purchased by said given customer and the total amount of money to be paid by said given customer and transferring the calculated results to components requiring them;

an Internet purchase processor for transferring the personal information of said given customer and said information regarding the commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer to said purchase information processor over the Internet;

a purchase propensity processor for receiving said information regarding the commodity or commodities purchased by said given customer from said purchase information processor, statistically processing the received information and analyzing commodity purchase information of said given customer and his or her purchase propensity or preference for commodities in accordance with the processed results;

said database adapted to store information regarding personal details of the customers, the total amounts of money to be paid by the customers, the purchase propensities or preferences of the customers for commodities, settlement records of the customers, and commodities and coupons to be delivered to the customers; and

a network interface for interfacing said components to a communication network.

4. A customer management method using an LCD barcode displayed on a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

a) allowing a user to access a central management server and register as a member of said central management server;

b) allowing a customer server to inquire of said central management server about information regarding said user, containing a barcode number assigned to said user when registering as a member of said central management server, if said user is a new customer, not registered, and then receiving the requested information from said central management server;

c) allowing said customer server to perform customer management operations including a purchase information process and a purchase propensity process, if said user is or becomes a registered customer; and

d) allowing said customer server to send purchase records of said user to said central management server.

5. A customer management method using an LCD barcode displayer on a mobile terminal, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said step d) includes the step of allowing said customer server to collect purchase records of customers for a predetermined period of time and send the collected purchase records to said central management server at intervals of the predetermined time period and allowing said customer server and said central management server to exchange other information available for customer management with each other during the night when an associated network is at off-peak hours.