Methods for providing enhanced telecommunication services

• US 8,971,925 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Erlach, Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US13/584,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 705/27, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for processing a product identifying code. The product identifying code that identifies a product is received from a wireless device. A location of the wireless device is received. An item that comprises information pertaining to the product is obtained. The obtained item is transmitted to the wireless device. The information pertaining to the product includes a name of each establishment of a plurality of establishments from which the product is available and informational selected from the group consisting of a contact address for each establishment, driving instructions to each establishment, a price of the product at each establishment, a geocoded location of one establishment of the plurality of establishments relative to the location of the wireless device, descriptive information specific to the product, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more servers, from a wireless device, a product identifying code that identifies a product, wherein information pertaining to the product is stored in a data storage;

receiving, by the one or more servers, an indication of a location of the wireless device;

comparing, by the one or more servers, the received product identifying code with a plurality of stored codes stored in the data storage to determine a matching code from the stored codes, wherein the stored codes are referenced to respective items of data in the data storage, wherein the respective items of data comprise respective information pertaining to respective products;

determining, by the one or more servers, the information pertaining to the product by retrieving one of the items of data from the data storage based at least in part on the matching code being referenced in the data storage to the retrieved one of the items of data; and

transmitting, by the one or more servers, to the wireless device, information pertaining to the product, wherein the information pertaining to the product comprises a name of at least one establishment from which the product is available, and informational content including at least one of;

a contact address for the at least one establishment,

driving instructions to the at least one establishment,

a price of the product at the at least one establishment,

a geocoded location of the at least one establishment relative to the indicated location of the wireless device, or

descriptive information specific to the product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational content comprises the descriptive information specific to the product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational content comprises the geocoded location.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising indicating a distance from the at least one establishment to the wireless device based at least in part on the geocoded location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the information pertaining to the product comprises transmitting information that is specific to a geographic region in which the wireless device is indicated to be located.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the information pertaining to the product does not comprise transmitting the price of the product at the at least one establishment.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising sending, to the wireless device, a sample of digital content corresponding to the product.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, from a wireless device, a product identifying code that identifies a product;

determining demographic information of a user associated with the wireless device;

receiving an indication of a geographic position of the wireless device;

determining transaction history information of the user associated with the wireless device;

determining information pertaining to the product to send to the wireless device based at least in part on the transaction history information of the user; and

transmitting, to the wireless device, based at least in part on the demographic information of the user, the information pertaining to the product, wherein the information pertaining to the product is specific to a geographic region relating to the indicated geographic position of the wireless device, and the information pertaining to the product comprises at least one of;

a name of at least one establishment in the geographic region,

a contact address for the at least one establishment,

driving instructions to the at least one establishment,

an availability of the product at the at least one establishment,

a price for purchasing the product at the at least one establishment, or

descriptive information specific to the product.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending, to the wireless device, a sample of digital content corresponding to the product.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising indicating a distance from the geographic position of the wireless device to the at least one establishment.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the received product identifying code with a plurality of stored codes stored in a data storage to determine a matching code from the stored codes, wherein the stored codes are referenced to respective items of data in the data storage, wherein the respective items of data comprise respective information pertaining to respective products; and

determining the information pertaining to the product by retrieving one of the items of data from the data storage based at least in part on the matching code being referenced in the data storage to the retrieved one of the items of data.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a location of the wireless device is at a first establishment; and

determining, based at least in part on the location of the wireless device, a second establishment from which the product is available, wherein the at least one establishment comprises the second establishment.

13. A system comprising:

at least one computing device configured to implement one or more services, wherein the one or more services are configured to;

receive, from a wireless device, a product identifying code that identifies a product;

receive an indication that a location of the wireless device is at a first establishment;

determine, based at least in part on the location of the wireless device, a second establishment from which the product is available;

determine transaction history information of the user associated with the wireless device;

determine information pertaining to the product to send to the wireless device based at least in part on the transaction history information of the user; and

send, to the wireless device, the information pertaining to the product, wherein the information pertaining to the product comprises at least one of;

a name of the second establishment from which the product is available,

location information for the second establishment, or

a price of the product at the second establishment.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more services are further configured to:

determine demographic information of a user associated with the wireless device; and

determine the information pertaining to the product to send to the wireless device based at least in part on the demographic information of the user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the location information for the second establishment includes at least one of:

a contact address for the second establishment,

driving instructions to the second establishment, or

a geocoded location of the second establishment relative to the indicated location of the wireless device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more services are further configured to provide an indication of a distance from the second establishment to the wireless device based at least in part on the geocoded location.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more services are configured to send the information pertaining to the product based at least in part on determining that the second establishment is at least one of:

within a user-defined distance from the location of the wireless device;

or

within a user-specified geographic region.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more services are further configured to send, to the wireless device, a sample of digital content corresponding to the product.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more services are further configured to:

compare the received product identifying code with a plurality of stored codes stored in a data storage to determine a matching code from the stored codes, wherein the stored codes are referenced to respective items of data in the data storage, wherein the respective items of data comprise respective information pertaining to respective products; and

determine the information pertaining to the product by retrieving one of the items of data from the data storage based at least in part on the matching code being referenced in the data storage to the retrieved one of the items of data.