Providing electronic access to consumer-customized nonverbal information regarding products and services

• US 8,175,929 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accessify, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Setern Software II Limited LLC
• Inventors: Haseltine, Florence P
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/326,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 705/27, 235/383, 382/103, 382/100
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Generic information provided by printed and online catalogs may be supplemented or replaced by information that is customized for and/or related to the consumer, enabling a third party to more fully understand the purchase decision and thus offer more informed feedback. A party accessing a merchant system may be provided electronic access to consumer customized nonverbal information by, e.g., collecting an electronic version of consumer-customized nonverbal information at a merchant site, and displaying the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information for a party accessing the merchant system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing an image of merchandise as physically arranged at a merchant'"'"'s physical premises by a consumer;

enabling a remote device to access a merchant system via a network, the merchant system having one or more captured images; and

transmitting at least one captured image from the merchant system to the remote device over the network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving feedback input via the remote device regarding purchase of the merchandise; and

outputting the feedback for viewing by the consumer at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the enabling comprises:

storing the one or more captured images at the merchant system; and

communicating a notification of the stored images to the remote device.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the notification includes a portion selectable to navigate the remote device to the merchant site over the network to gain access to the one or more captured images.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises streaming the one or more captured images to the remote device over the network.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the transmitting, receiving feedback regarding purchase of the merchandise input via the remote device, wherein the feedback includes an authorization for purchase of the merchandise by the consumer and payment information; and

automatically completing a purchase transaction for the merchandise based on the payment information included in the feedback.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more captured images form a captured video of the merchandise.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a collecting device to collect, at a merchant'"'"'s physical premises, an electronic version of consumer-customized nonverbal information;

a transmitting device to transmit the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information to a remote site for viewing by a party; and

a receiving device to receive feedback at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises from the party regarding the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information transmitted to the remote site for viewing by the party.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the consumer-customized nonverbal information describes a product available for purchase from the merchant as it relates to a consumer.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the consumer-customized nonverbal information comprises an image of merchandise as arranged by a consumer at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the consumer-customized nonverbal information comprises a video of merchandise as arranged by a consumer at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising an input/output unit to output the feedback to a display device for viewing at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the feedback comprises an authorization from the party to enable purchase of merchandise that corresponds to the consumer-customized nonverbal information.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the consumer-customized nonverbal information comprises a plurality of images of merchandise available for purchase from the merchant as arranged by a consumer at the merchant'"'"'s physical premises; and

the transmitting device is configured to transmit the plurality of images as a video stream to the remote site.

15. One or more computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, perform the operations comprising:

collecting, by the computing device, at a merchant'"'"'s physical premises, an electronic version of consumer-customized nonverbal information related to merchandise as arranged according to a consumer;

outputting, by the computing device, a user interface to enable display of the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information at a remote device; and

receiving, by the computing device, feedback input at the remote device regarding the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information.

16. One or more computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the user interface includes search functionality operable to search for consumer-customized nonverbal information related to the merchandise.

17. One or more computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 , wherein the feedback includes one or more of a recommendation regarding purchase of the merchandise by the consumer or an authorization for the consumer to purchase the merchandise.

18. One or more computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the consumer-customized nonverbal information comprises a plurality of images of the merchandise.

19. One or more computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising communicating, by the computing device, a notification describing the consumer-customized nonverbal information to one or more electronic communication addresses designated by the consumer.

20. One or more computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

authenticating, by the computing device, the remote device to access the electronic version of the consumer-customized nonverbal information; and

selectively outputting, by the computing device, the user interface based on the authentication.

21. A method comprising:

storing on a merchant system one or more images of merchandise as arranged according to a consumer;

communicating a notification of the one or more stored images to a remote party over a network, the notification including a link selectable to navigate a remote device to the one or more images of the merchandise; and

receiving feedback input by the remote party via the remote device regarding purchase of the merchandise responsive to the notification.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein communicating notification further comprises outputting a webpage having the selectable link for display to the remote party via the remote device.

23. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the feedback includes a recommendation input by the remote party regarding purchase of the merchandise by the consumer.

24. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the feedback includes an authorization for the consumer to purchase the merchandise.

25. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the notification is automatically communicated to the remote party using identifying information designated for the remote party and one or more electronic communication techniques corresponding to the identifying information.

26. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the notification comprises an instant message communicated to an instant messaging address of the remote party.

27. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the notification comprises an email message communicated to an email address of the remote party.

28. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the notification comprises a message communicated to a phone number associated with the remote party.

29. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the communicating comprises communicating the notification over the Internet to the remote device.

30. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the communicating comprises communicating the notification over a wireless network to the remote device.

31. One or more computer-readable medium storing instructions that, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the operations recited in claim 21.

32. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor; and

one or more computer-readable instructions stored in the memory that, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the operations comprising;

output, by the computing device, one or more images of merchandise as arranged according to a consumer to a remote device over a network;

receive, by the computing device, feedback input via the remote device regarding purchase of the merchandise responsive to output of the one or more images; and

based at least in part on the feedback, automatically complete, by the computing device, a transaction to purchase the merchandise.

33. A computing device as recited in claim 32, wherein the operations further comprise configuring, by the computing device, a web page to display the one or more images via the remote device.

34. A computing device as recited in claim 32, wherein to output comprises outputting the one or more images over the Internet to the remote device configured as a web-enabled telephone.

35. A computing device as recited in claim 32, wherein the operations further comprise:

capturing, by the computing device, the one or more images at the computing device;

storing, by the computing device the one or more images in the memory;

receiving, by the computing device at least one electronic communication address corresponding to a remote party; and

communicating, by the computing device a message to the at least one electronic communication address, the message configured to notify the remote party regarding the one or more images of merchandise stored in the memory at the computing device.

36. A computing device as recited in claim 35, wherein the message includes a link selectable to navigate to the one or more images of merchandise stored in the memory at the computing device.

37. A method comprising:

streaming, by a computer-based system for providing access to products and services, one or more images of merchandise as arranged at a merchant'"'"'s physical premises according to a consumer to a device identified by the consumer over a network;

receiving, by the computer-based system, feedback input via the device regarding purchase of the merchandise responsive to streaming the one or more images; and

outputting, by the computer-based system, the feedback to the consumer to assist the consumer in determining whether to purchase the merchandise.

38. A method as recited in claim 37, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer-based system, at least one electronic communication address to identify the device, wherein the streaming comprises streaming the one or more images of merchandise to the at least one electronic communication address.

39. A method as recited in claim 37, wherein the identified device is a wireless computing device.

40. One or more computer-readable memories storing instructions which, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method recited in claim 37.