Method and medium for facilitate mobile shopping

• US 8,577,734 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: F Poszat Hu LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vengte Software AG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Treyz, G. Victor, Treyz, Susan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US12/130,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system is provided in which a handheld computing device may be used to provide a user with shopping assistance services. A shopping assistance service may allow a user to obtain directory information for a shopping mall. A user may use the handheld computing device to handle shopping lists. The handheld computing device may display promotional material based on the shopping lists. The handheld computing device may be used to obtain information on products being sold in a store. Products may be purchased using wireless financial transactions. Reminders and other messages may be sent to the handheld computing device. The location of the handheld computing device may be monitored. Services may be provided to the user based on the location of the handheld computing device. The handheld computing device may communicate with communications equipment in retail establishments using a local wireless link.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media comprising computer readable instructions that, responsive to being executed, are configured to cause a hand-held computing device to:

establish a communication link with a publicly-accessible computing device;

access a shopping list that is stored at a remote server via the publicly-accessible computing device, the shopping list including user preferences;

transmit to the publicly accessible computing device, via the communication link, a location information which is at least one of an identifier, a time-of-flight information, and triangulation information for a particular transmitter of a network of local wireless transmitters, wherein an algorithm to compute a location of the hand-held computing device within different areas of a retail location comprises the location information;

in response to transmission of the location information, receive promotional information selected based on the user preferences and associated with one or more products located within a particular area of the different areas corresponding to the particular transmitter, the promotional information received by the hand-held computing device based on the location; and

determine an aisle identifier based on an identity of the particular transmitter.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to enable the handheld computing device to access to the shopping list by causing the shopping list to be printed.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to enable the handheld computing device to access to the shopping list by downloading the shopping list onto the hand-held computing device.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the publicly-accessible computing device is embodied in a kiosk.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the publicly-accessible computing device comprises a retailer'"'"'s computing device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause addition of one or more items to the shopping list while the shopping list is maintained by the publicly-accessible computing device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause addition of one or more ingredients from a recipe to the shopping list.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the instructions are configured to cause addition of the one or more items from a gift registry to the shopping list.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the instructions are configured to cause addition of the one or more items displayed in a video to the shopping list.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the instructions are configured to cause addition of the one or more items to the shopping list responsive to selection of information displayed on the hand-held computing device.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the information displayed on the hand-held computing device comprises an advertisement.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use information from the shopping list to assist in locating or purchasing products during in-store shopping.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use the information from the shopping list to display information associated with items on the shopping list.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use the information from the shopping list to display information associated with items on the shopping list, wherein displayed information comprises product location information.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use the information from the shopping list to display information associated with items on the shopping list, wherein displayed information comprises promotional information.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use the information from the shopping list to display one or more advertisements for an item on the shopping list.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the hand-held computing device to use the information from the shopping list to display information associated with items on the shopping list, wherein the displayed information comprises information displayed based on the location of the hand-held computing device.

32. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the one or more products include one or more items on the shopping list.

33. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein each of the network of local wireless transmitters identifies a separate area in the retail location.

34. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, further comprising computer readable instructions that, responsive to being executed, are configured to cause a determination of an identity of a particular one of a plurality of retailers based on an identity of the particular transmitter of the network of local wireless transmitters.

35. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, further comprising computer readable instructions that, responsive to being executed, are configured to cause a determination of a particular predefined range surrounding the retail location based on an identity of the particular transmitter of the network of local wireless transmitters.

36. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the location of the hand-held computing device comprises a GPS location.

37. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, further comprising instructions to determine the location of the hand-held computing device.

18. A method comprising:

establishing a communication link to access information, for an item available for purchase from a retailer, from a publicly-accessible computing device that is accessible at an establishment of the retailer;

causing a shopping list, maintained by the publicly-accessible computing device, to be updated with information from a portable computing device located at the establishment, the shopping list including user preferences;

transmitting to the publicly accessible computing device, via the communication link, a location information which is at least one of an identifier, a time-of-flight information, and triangulation information for a particular transmitter of a network of local wireless transmitters, wherein an algorithm to compute a location of the portable computing device within different areas of the establishment comprises the location information;

in response to the transmitting, receiving promotional information selected based on the user preferences and associated with one or more products located within a particular area of the different areas corresponding to the particular transmitter based on the location; and

determining, using the portable computing device, an aisle identifier based on an identity of the particular transmitter.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the portable computing device comprises a smart phone.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the establishing comprises using the Internet to access the publicly-accessible computing device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the establishing comprises using a wireless local area network to access the publicly-accessible computing device.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising accessing the Internet to obtain a price associated with the item from a competitor of the retailer.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising concluding a financial transaction for the item using the portable computing device to transmit an authorization for payment to the publicly-accessible computing device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the concluding further comprises verifying an identity associated with the portable computing device.

25. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, responsive to being executed by a smart phone, cause the smart phone to:

establish a communication link to transmit, to a publicly-accessible computing device associated with a retailer, an output obtained from optically recognizing a bar code included on an item;

obtain information associated with the item from the publicly-accessible computing device for output on a display device of the smart phone;

transmit to the publicly accessible computing device, via the communication link, a location information which is at least one of an identifier, a time-of-flight information, and triangulation information for a particular transmitter of a network of local wireless transmitters, wherein an algorithm to compute a location of the smart phone within a retail location comprises the location information; and

in response to transmission of the location information, receive promotional information associated with one or more products located within a predefined distance of the location of the smart phone;

determine an aisle identifier based on an identity of the particular transmitter.

26. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 25, wherein optical recognition occurs through a scan of the bar code.

27. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 25, further comprising instructions that cause the smart phone to access the Internet to obtain additional information associated with the item.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the additional information comprises a competitor'"'"'s price for the item from a competitor of the retailer.

29. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the additional information comprises an incentive from a manufacturer of the item.

30. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the smart phone received the instructions via a downloaded application that included the instructions.

31. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 30, wherein the received instructions were received via the Internet.