Segregated electronic shopping lists for recurring item purchases

• US 8,583,512 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Anirma R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stopp, Courtney
• Application Number:
  US12/982,793
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 705/26.8
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Systems, computer-implemented methods and computer program products for generating customized shopping lists for recurring purchases of the same item based upon item-level electronic transaction data. Item-level electronic transaction data is analyzed to determine purchase intervals of items and estimate when the consumer will purchase the items again. Segregated, customized shopping lists are generated such that shopping lists have identified items when it is estimated that the consumer will need to purchase the items again. Multiple shopping lists may be segregated by merchant such that consumers have two more different lists of items for different merchants for a given estimated date. For example, a consumer may be provided with a first shopping list for a grocery store such as SAFEWAY, a second shopping list for a warehouse club store such as COSTCO, and a third shopping list for a big box store or superstore such as TARGET.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating customized shopping lists for a consumer, the method being performed by an intermediate computer in communication with a computing device of a consumer and respective computers of respective electronic sources through respective networks, the method comprising:

the intermediate computer aggregating respective electronic transaction data from respective electronic sources, the aggregated item-level electronic transaction data representing respective prior purchases by the consumer from respective merchants;

the intermediate computer determining respective purchase intervals of a plurality of respective items purchased by the consumer from respective merchants, respective purchase intervals being based at least in part upon respective item-level electronic transaction data representing prior purchases of respective items by the consumer;

the intermediate computer determining respective estimated dates when the consumer will purchase respective items again based at least in part upon respective purchase intervals; and

the intermediate computer generating a plurality of shopping lists for a particular estimated date, the plurality of shopping lists comprising respective items to be purchased by the consumer from respective different merchants based at least in part upon prior purchases by the consumer from the different merchants.

2. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists being segregated by merchant and identifying respective items to be purchased from respective merchants from whom respective items were previously purchased by the consumer.

3. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists comprising:

a first shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a first merchant, and

a second shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a second merchant.

4. The method of claim 3, the first merchant and the second merchant being the same type of merchant.

5. The method of claim 4, the merchant type comprising a grocery store, a warehouse club store, a big box or super store, or an on-line merchant.

6. The method of claim 3, the first merchant and the second merchant being different types of merchants.

7. The method of claim 6, the first merchant being a first type comprising a grocery store, a warehouse club store, a big box store or superstore or an on-line merchant, and the second merchant being a second type different than the first type.

8. The method of claim 7, the first type comprising a grocery store, and the second type comprising a type other than a grocery store.

9. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists comprising:

a first shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a first merchant comprising a grocery store,

a second shopping list comprising at least one item to be purchased from a second merchant comprising a warehouse club store, and

a third shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a third merchant comprising a big box or super store.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one item on the first shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from the grocery store, the at least one item on the second shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from the warehouse club store, and the at least one item on the third shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from a big box or super store.

11. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists comprising:

a first shopping list of items to be purchased from a first merchant based at least in part upon a first estimated date; and

a second shopping list of items to be purchased from a second merchant based at least in part upon a second estimated date.

12. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists being segregated by groups of merchants, each group including a plurality of merchants and identifying items to be purchased from one or more merchants of that group.

13. The method of claim 12, the plurality of shopping lists comprising:

a first shopping list for a first group of merchants, the first shopping list identifying a first group of items to be purchased from at least one merchant of the first group of merchants, and

a second shopping list for a second group of merchants, the second shopping list identifying a second group of items to be purchased from at least one merchant of the second group.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one item on each of the first and second shopping lists was previously purchased by the consumer from at least one merchant of respective first and second groups of merchants.

15. The method of claim 1, the plurality of shopping lists being segregated by item category such that a first shopping list for a first merchant includes items of a first category, and a second shopping list for a second merchant includes items of a second category.

16. The method of claim 15, the first category comprising food, and the second category comprising a category other than food.

17. The method of claim 15, the first shopping list identifying a first merchant from whom items of a first category are to be purchased, the second shopping list identifying a second merchant from whom items of a second category are to be purchased.

18. The method of claim 1, the intermediate computer receiving item-level electronic transaction data from a computer of a financial institution at which the consumer has an account.

19. The method of claim 1, the intermediate computer receiving item-level electronic transaction data comprising Level III data that specifically identifies items by name, description, code or symbol.

20. The method of claim 1, the intermediate computer receiving item-level electronic transaction data from an electronic payment device of a merchant.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate computer is managed by a host other than a merchant that generated received electronic transaction data.

22. A system for generating customized shopping lists for a consumer, comprising:

an intermediate computer in communication with a computing device of a consumer and respective computers of respective electronic sources through respective network;

the intermediate computer being configured to

aggregate respective electronic transaction data from respective electronic sources, the aggregated item-level electronic transaction data representing respective prior purchases by the consumer from respective merchants, determine respective purchase intervals of a plurality of respective items purchased by the consumer from respective merchants, respective purchase intervals being based at least in part upon respective item-level electronic transaction data representing prior purchases of respective items by the consumer;

determine respective estimated dates when the consumer will purchase respective items again based at least in part upon respective purchase intervals; and

generate a plurality of shopping lists for a particular estimated date, the plurality of shopping lists comprising respective items to be purchased by the consumer from respective different merchants based at least in part upon prior purchases by the consumer from the different merchants.

23. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to segregate the plurality of shopping lists by merchant and identify respective items to be purchased from respective merchants from whom respective items were previously purchased by the consumer.

24. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to generate

a first shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a first merchant, and

a second shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a second merchant.

25. The system of claim 24, the first merchant and the second merchant being the same type of merchant.

26. The system of claim 25, the type comprising a grocery store, a warehouse club store, a big box or super store, or an on-line merchant.

27. The system of claim 24, the first merchant and the second merchant being different types of merchants.

28. The system of claim 27, the first merchant being a merchant of a first type comprising a grocery store, a warehouse club store, a big box store or superstore or an on-line merchant, and the second merchant being a second type different than the first type.

29. The system of claim 28, the first type comprising a grocery store, and the second type comprising a type other than a grocery store.

30. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to generate

a first shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a first merchant comprising a grocery store,

a second shopping list comprising at least one item to be purchased from a second merchant comprising a warehouse club store, and

a third shopping list including at least one item to be purchased from a third merchant comprising a big box or super store.

31. The system of claim 30, the intermediate computer being configured to generate the plurality of shopping lists such that at least one item on the first shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from the grocery store, the at least one item on the second shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from the warehouse club store, and the at least one item on the third shopping list was previously purchased by the consumer from a big box or super store.

32. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to generate

a first shopping list of items to be purchased from a first merchant based at least in part upon a first estimated date;

and

a second shopping list of items to be purchased from a second merchant based at least in part upon a second estimated date.

33. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to segregate the plurality of shopping lists by groups of merchants, each group including a plurality of merchants, and identify items to be purchased from one or more merchants of that group.

34. The system of claim 33, the intermediate computer being configured to generate

a first shopping list for a first group of merchants, the first shopping list identifying a first group of items to be purchased from at least one merchant of the first group of merchants;

and

a second shopping list for a second group of merchants, the second shopping list identifying a second group of items to be purchased from at least one merchant of the second group.

35. The system of claim 34, the intermediate computer configured to generate the plurality of shopping lists such that at least one item on each of the first and second shopping lists was previously purchased by the consumer from at least one merchant of respective first and second groups of merchants.

36. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being configured to segregate the plurality of shopping lists by item category such that a first shopping list for a first merchant includes items of a first category, and a second shopping list for a second merchant includes items a second category.

37. The system of claim 36, the first category comprising food, and the second category comprising a category other than food.

38. The system of claim 36, the first shopping list identifying a first merchant from whom items of a first category are to be purchased, the second shopping list identifying a second merchant from whom items of a second category are to be purchased.

39. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being in communication with and configured to receive item-level electronic transaction data from a computer of a financial institution at which the consumer has an account.

40. The system of claim 22, the item-level electronic transaction data comprising Level III data that specifically identifies items by name, description, code or symbol.

41. The system of claim 22, the intermediate computer being in communication with and configured to receive item-level electronic transaction data from an electronic payment device of a merchant.

42. The system of claim 22, wherein the intermediate computer is managed by a host other than a merchant that generated electronic transaction data.

43. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying one or more instructions executable by a computer to perform a process for notifying a consumer about recurring purchases of the same item, the process comprising aggregating respective item-level electronic transaction data from respective electronic sources, the aggregated item-level electronic transaction data representing respective prior purchases by the consumer from respective merchants, determining respective purchase intervals of a plurality of respective items purchased by the consumer from respective merchants, respective purchase intervals being based at least in part upon respective item-level electronic transaction data of recurring purchases of respective items;

determining respective estimated dates when the consumer will purchase respective items again based at least in part upon respective purchase intervals; and

generating a plurality of shopping lists for a particular estimated date, the plurality of shopping lists comprising respective items to be purchased by the consumer from different merchants based at least in part upon prior purchases by the consumer from the different merchants.