Real-time sales information architecture

• US 7,376,585 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Haller, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Application Number:
  US10/373,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/20, 705/21, 705/23, 705/24, 705/26, 705/27, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/02 for self-service type systems, e.g. supermarkets A47F10/06 takes precedence; hand-carts B62B; baskets B65D
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A sales information architecture detects user interaction with a tagged item and in response displays product information about the item to the user. The architecture can process a sales transaction involving the item and report the sale in real-time to other enterprises such as manufacturers using a publish subscribe messaging service.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator generating a customer interaction message based upon a customer interaction resulting in a rendering of media content associated with an entertainment media item, the customer interaction message including item identifying information, and interaction type information;

a processor generating a sales message based upon the customer purchasing the entertainment media item, the sales message including item identifying information, customer information, and store location information; and

a publish and subscribe module;

receiving, from the RFID interrogator, customer interaction selection criteria from at least a first enterprise application and sales selection criteria from at least a second enterprise application,

receiving, from the RFID interrogator, the customer interaction message and the sales message,

automatically comparing the customer interaction message against the customer interaction selection criteria to select an interaction subscriber list, the interaction subscriber list including at least the first enterprise application,

automatically publishing the customer interaction message to the interaction subscriber list,

automatically comparing the sales message against the sales selection criteria to select a sales subscriber list, the sales subscriber list including at least the second enterprise application, and

automatically publishing the sales message to the sales subscriber list.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the entertainment media item further comprises a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a book, an electronic book, or a video game.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the customer interaction further comprises sampling a track of the electronic media item, viewing a track of the electronic media item, playing a track of the electronic media item, requesting information about the electronic media item, navigating through information associated with the electronic media item, or navigating through portions of the electronic media item.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a support structure; and

a touch screen display configured to display product information associated with the electronic media item and purchasing information associated with the customer purchasing the entertainment media item.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the RFID interrogator further comprises at least one RFID sensor configured to detect an RFID tag associated with each entertainment media item.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the RFID interrogator is further configured to detect a customer card.

7. The device of claim 6, further comprising a display configured to display a buying page, the buying page including information about each entertainment media item and a purchase price based upon detecting a customer card with the RFID interrogator.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to generate a sales message based upon a customer selecting a purchase control on the buying page.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first enterprise application is a hit-list provider enterprise application, or a record label enterprise application.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a publish and subscribe module, customer interaction selection criteria from at least a first enterprise application and sales selection criteria from at least a second enterprise application;

receiving, at the publish and subscribe module a customer interaction message based upon a customer interaction resulting in a rendering of media content associated with an entertainment media item from a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator, the customer interaction message including item identifying information, and interaction type information;

automatically comparing, at the publish and subscribe module, the customer interaction message against the customer interaction selection criteria to select an interaction subscriber list, the interaction subscriber list including at least the first enterprise application;

automatically publishing, at the publish and subscribe module, the customer interaction message to the interaction subscriber list;

receiving, at the publish and subscribe module, a sales message based upon the customer purchasing the entertainment media item from a processor, the sales message including item identifying information, customer information, and store location information;

automatically comparing, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message against the sales selection criteria to select a sales subscriber list, the sales subscriber list including at least the second enterprise application; and

automatically publishing, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message to the sales subscriber list.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising reading a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the entertainment media item.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the REID tag includes a unique system identifier (UID) which uniquely identifies the entertainment media item.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the UID is an electronic product code (ePC).

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising accessing a product database based upon the UID, the product database including product information for each entertainment media item.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the product information includes an artist name, an album title, a track listing, a price, test data, or digital audio files.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically playing a portion of the entertainment media item, based upon the UID.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising prompting a user to place the electronic media item on a sensor area.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying an entertainment media item information page on a touch screen display.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reading first and second RED tags each associated with a first and second entertainment media items, respectively, using an RFID sensor;

displaying first and second information pages associated with the first and second entertainment media items, respectively, on a display;

detecting that the second RED tag has been removed from the RFID sensor;

removing the second information page from the display;

detecting that the first RFID tag has been removed from the RFID sensor; and

removing the first information page from the display.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the sales message to an RFID security detection system, thereby preventing the entertainment media item from triggering the RFID) security detection system.

21. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program product comprises instructions that, when read by a machine, operate to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive, at a publish and subscribe module, customer interaction selection criteria from at least a first enterprise application and sales selection criteria from at least a second enterprise application;

receive, at the publish and subscribe module, a customer interaction message based upon a customer interaction resulting in a rendering of media content associated with an entertainment media item from a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator, the customer interaction message including item identifying information, and interaction type information;

automatically compare, at the publish and subscribe module, the customer interaction message against the customer interaction selection criteria to select an interaction subscriber list, the interaction subscriber list including at least the first enterprise application;

automatically publish, at the publish and subscribe module, the customer interaction message to the interaction subscriber list;

receive, at the publish and subscribe module, a sales message based upon the customer purchasing the entertainment media item from a processor, the sales message including item identifying information, customer information, and store location information;

automatically compare, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message against the sales selection criteria to select a sales subscriber list, the sales subscriber list including at least the second enterprise application; and

automatically publish, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message to the sales subscriber list.

22. A method comprising:

receiving, at a publish and subscribe module, customer interaction selection criteria enabling selection of an interaction subscriber list with which to publish a received customer interaction message from at least a first enterprise application, and sales selection criteria enabling selection of a sales subscriber list to publish received sales messages from at least a second enterprise application;

receiving, at the publish and subscribe module, a customer interaction message based upon a customer interaction resulting in a rendering of media content associated with an entertainment media item from a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator, the customer interaction message including item identifying information, and interaction type information;

automatically comparing, at the publish and subscribe module, the customer interaction message against the customer interaction selection criteria to select an interaction subscriber list to publish the received customer interaction message based upon on an identification of the content of the customer interaction message as corresponding to a customer interaction, the interaction subscriber list including at least the first enterprise application;

automatically publishing the customer interaction message to the interaction subscriber list including the first enterprise application based upon the selected interaction subscriber list;

receiving, at the publish and subscribe module, a sale message based upon the customer purchasing the entertainment media item from a processor and, the sales message including item identifying information, customer information, and store location information;

automatically comparing, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message against the sales selection criteria to select a sales subscriber list to publish the received sales message based upon on an identification of the content of the sales message as corresponding to a sales, the sales subscriber list including at least the second enterprise application;

automatically publishing, at the publish and subscribe module, the sales message to the sales subscriber list including the second enterprise application.