Retail consumer information methods and retail consumer information system

• US 7,021,536 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wadley, Donald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/284,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20040079797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/380, 235/375, 235/492, 235/493, 235/486, 235/487, 235/382, 705/10, 705/26, 705/41, 705/43, 705/44, 340/693.3, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/539.1, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0776 the adhering arrangement being a layer of adhesive, so that the record carrier can function as a sticker
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A customer e-label apparatus and method includes an electronic tag for storing information electronically. A device for writing information on the electronic tag at the point of sale of an item to a customer is provided at the point of sale. An attachment device is provided for attaching the electronic tag to the customer'"'"'s item at the point of sale.

Claims

1. A retail consumer information method comprising:

using a computing system associated with a retailer, first accessing information regarding a purchaser of an item from the retailer at the time of purchase;

storing the information using an electronic communications device;

associating the electronic communications device with the item;

after the time of purchase and the associating, second accessing the information from the electronic communications device; and

communicating the information accessed from the electronic communications device to an individual associated with the retailer to assist the individual with service of the purchaser.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing the information comprises storing identification information of the purchaser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing the information comprises storing information void of information regarding the item.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing information regarding the item using the electronic communications device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, using the computer system and the information accessed from the electronic communications device, accessing additional information not stored on the electronic communications device, and wherein the communicating comprises communicating the additional information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the additional information pertains to another item offered for sale by the retailer and different from the item purchased.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the another item is associated with the item purchased.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the additional information comprises sales price of the another item.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the accessing additional information comprises accessing the additional information from a database of the computer system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first accessing comprises accessing at a store of the retailer, and further comprising detecting presence of the electronic communications device at the store after the time of purchase and wherein the second accessing is responsive to the detecting.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first accessing comprises accessing at a store of the retailer, and further comprising detecting presence of the electronic communications device at another store of the retailer after the time of purchase and wherein the second accessing is responsive to the detecting.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving payment from the purchaser for the item and wherein the storing comprises storing after the receiving payment.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the associating comprises attaching the electronic communications device to the item.

14. A retail consumer information system comprising:

an input system configured to receive an indication that a purchaser is desirous of purchasing an item from a retailer, wherein the input system is further configured to receive information regarding the purchaser at a time of purchase of the item;

a writer configured to communicate with respect to an electronic communications device; and

processing circuitry coupled with the input device and the writer and configured to control the writer to store the information regarding the purchaser using the electronic communications device at the time of purchase of the item, and wherein the electronic communications device is associated with the item.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the information stored using the electronic communications device comprises identification information of the purchaser.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the information stored using the electronic communications device is void of information regarding the item.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the writer to store information regarding the item using the electronic communications device.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising a reader configured to receive the information from the electronic communications device at a moment in time after the time of purchase of the item.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the reader is configured to receive the information at a location of the retailer where the item was purchased.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the reader is configured to receive the information at a location of the retailer different from a location of the retailer where the item was purchased.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control communication of the information received from the electronic communications device to an individual associated with the retailer to assist the individual with service of the purchaser after the time of purchase of the item.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a display and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the display to communicate the information to the individual.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising a printing device and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the printing device to communicate the information to the individual.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access additional information using the information received from the electronic communications device and to control communication of the additional information to the individual.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the additional information comprises information regarding another item offered for sale by the retailer.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the another item is associated with the item purchased by the purchaser.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the additional information comprises sales price of the another item.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the additional information is not pertinent to the purchased item.

29. The system of claim 24 further comprising storage circuitry configured to store a database, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access the database using the information received from the electronic communications device to access the additional information.