System and method for determining packaging preference

• US 7,407,089 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Patrick, Kyle N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savusdiphol; Paultep
• Application Number:
  US11/490,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20070045413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/383
• 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: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and system for determining packaging preference of a customer by identifying the customer using a customer identifier, and retrieving available packaging preference information using the customer identifier. In an embodiment, the customer'"'"'s packaging preference information for a particular identified item is retrieved and graphically communicated. In another embodiment, customer packaging preference information based on a quantity of items is retrieved and graphically communicated. Customer packaging preference information based on both the identified items and the quantity of items may also be retrieved and graphically communicated.

Claims

1. A method of determining a customer'"'"'s packaging preference in a conventional point-of-sale retail location, wherein the point-of-sale retail location includes a person who performs the packaging of items purchased in the point-of-sale retail location for the customer, comprising the steps of:

identifying the customer using a customer identifier; and

retrieving available container packaging preference information for the purchased items using the customer identifier for the identified customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing an indicator on the customer identifier to indicate packaging preference information for the identified customer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating the retrieved container packaging preference information to the person who performs the packaging in the point-of-sale retail location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the communicating step is performed graphically.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of communicating the retrieved container packaging preference information to the person who performs the packaging in the point-of-sale retail location by one of an auditory signal and a visual alert signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the retrieving step, storing in a non-volatile memory the packaging preference information for the identified customer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of identifying a particular item to be packaged, and retrieving available packaging preference information specific to the particular item to be packaged.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of determining a quantity of items to be packaged, and retrieving available packaging preference information specific to the quantity of items to be packaged.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a quantity of the particular items to be packaged, and retrieving available packaging preference information specific to the particular items including quantity of the particular items to be packaged.