Checkout queue virtualization system for retail establishments

• US 8,510,163 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hess, Basil, von Reischach, Felix, Sutanto, Juliana
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US13/277,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.38
• US Class Current: 705/14.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and mechanism that virtualizes a physical queue in a retail establishment. Customers using this system have the ability to indicate they would like to pay now (i.e., enter the virtual queue) using a button on their mobile device, and then they continue shopping until the mobile device informs them to proceed to a checkout counter. In addition, the system implements features that address users waiting in the queue. One feature is about transactions within the queue. This means that customers can buy priority using their mobile device, while waiting. Another feature is targeted advertisement and recommendation of products, leading to increased impulsive purchases.

Claims

1. A method for checkout processing in a retail establishment comprising:

a mobile device of a first user transmitting to a server a checkout request message;

the mobile device receiving from the server a queuing message comprising information indicative of a position in a checkout queue;

conducting a queue transaction process between the first customer and one or more transactors, including the server identifying the one or more transactors who match an offered position in the checkout queue and an offered compensation amount and sending the offered position and offered compensation amount to the one or more transactors, the offered position being a position desired by the first customer, the offered compensation amount being an amount that the first customer is willing to exchange the offered position with a transactor; and

concluding the queue transaction process with one of the one or more transactors, including the server exchanging respective queue positions of the first customer and said one of the one or more transactors and transmitting new queue positions to the first customer and to said one of the one or more transactors.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein conducting a queue transaction process comprises the mobile device receiving the offered position in the checkout queue and the offered compensation of a first transactor, wherein concluding the queue transaction process comprises sending an acceptance of the offered position in the checkout queue and the offered compensation amount.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more transactors includes a retailer of the retail establishment.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating the mobile device to perform a step of receiving information for goods or services offered in the retail establishment.

5. The method of claim 1 the queuing information further indicative of a queue wait time.

6. A mobile device of a first customer comprising a processing unit and a memory, the memory having stored therein executable program code, the executable program code configured to cause the processing unit to:

transmit to a server a checkout request message;

receive from the server a queuing message comprising information indicative of a position in a checkout queue;

conduct using the server a queue transaction process between the first customer and one or more transactors, wherein the server identifies the one or more transactors who match an offered position in the checkout queue and an offered compensation amount and sending the offered position and offered compensation amount to the one or more transactors, the offered position being a position desired by the first customer, the offered compensation amount being an amount that the first customer is willing to exchange the offered position with a transactor;

conclude with the server the queue transaction process with one of the one or more transactors, wherein the server exchanges respective queue positions of the first customer and said one of the one or more transactors and transmits new queue positions to the first customer and to said one of the one or more transactors.

7. The mobile device of claim 6 wherein the mobile device receives the offered position in the checkout queue and the offered compensation of a first transactor and sends an acceptance of the offered position in the checkout queue and the offered compensation amount to the server.

8. A method for a virtual checkout queue comprising operating a computer system to perform steps of:

receiving a checkout request from a customer of a retail establishment of a retailer;

assigning the customer to a queue position in a checkout queue;

advancing the customer'"'"'s queue position toward a head of the checkout queue as other customers in the checkout queue are removed therefrom when they are processed at a checkout counter;

informing the customer to proceed to a checkout counter by sending a checkout summons message to the customer when the customer'"'"'s queue position is at the head of the checkout queue;

mediating a queue transaction on behalf of the customer prior to the customer'"'"'s queue position being at the head of the checkout queue, including;

identifying the one or more transactors who match an offered position and an offered compensation amount; and

sending the offered position and offered compensation amount to the one or more transactors, the offered position being a position desired by the first customer, the offered compensation amount being an amount that the first customer is willing to exchange the offered position with a transactor; and

concluding the queue transaction with one of the one or more transactors, including exchanging respective queue positions of the first customer and said one of the one or more transactors and transmitting new queue positions to the first customer and to said one of the one or more transactors.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said one of the one or more transactors is another customer of the retail establishment.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said one of the one or more transactors is the retailer.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising an additional checkout queue, wherein the step of assigning the customer to a queue position comprises:

assigning the customer to a queue position in the checkout queue if the customer does not satisfy a first predetermined criterion; and

assigning the customer to a queue position in the additional checkout queue if the customer does satisfy the first predetermined criterion.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising an additional checkout queue, wherein the step of assigning the customer to a queue position comprises assigning the customer to a queue position in the checkout queue, the method further comprising subsequently assigning the customer to a queue position in the additional checkout queue.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising activating at least an additional checkout counter if a number of customers in the checkout queue increases beyond a first predetermined value, and deactivating a checkout counter if a number of customers in the checkout queue falls below a second predetermined value.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving location information indicative of a location of the customer in the retail establishment and sending one or more messages relating to the sale of goods or services which are selected based on the location information and the customer'"'"'s queue position in the checkout queue.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more messages include offers for goods.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more messages include coupons for goods.