Converged web-identity and mobile device based shopping

• US 9,058,604 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carr, Michael, Lathia, Bhavnish H., Chuang, James Hsiaosung
• Primary Examiner(s): Plucinski, Jami A
• Assistant Examiner(s): REFAI, SAM M
• Application Number:
  US12/894,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 705 141- 1473
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 : based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 : User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 : based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 : based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 : Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 : Auctions
• 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 30/0639 : Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 : Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 : using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 : wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 : according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 : by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 : Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 : Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Techniques for providing information to a user of a mobile device based on an online or web-identity of the user and a geolocation of the mobile device are described herein. The user may be notified when a nearby merchant has a good or service for sale that matches a good or service in a list, such as a wish list, associated with the web-identity of the user. The users may also be provided access to a coupon within an electronic document when a mobile device storing the electronic document is located at a particular merchant. This convergence of geographical location of the user, as determined by the geolocation of his or her mobile device, with his or her web-identity can bring the online and off-line worlds closer together to provide relevant information for the user and improved marketing opportunities for merchants.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memory comprising;

an electronic document including an inactive coupon associated with a merchant, the inactive coupon to remain inactive until it is determined that the mobile device is located at the merchant; and

a coupon activation module configured to;

conceal, at least temporarily, a first aspect of the inactive coupon from a user of the mobile device while exposing, on the mobile device, a second aspect of the inactive coupon, the second aspect specifying the merchant at which the inactive coupon, upon activation, is redeemable; and

activate, without user intervention and using a signal received from the merchant via the network interface, the inactive coupon to become an active coupon based at least in part on the mobile device being located at the merchant, and, subsequent to the activation, to revert the active coupon to the inactive coupon based at least in part on the mobile device no longer being located at the merchant.

2. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises an electronic book reader device.

3. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic document comprises an eBook.

4. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the active coupon is redeemable for a good or service from the merchant.

5. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the coupon activation module is further configured to conceal the inactive coupon from the user of the mobile device until the mobile device is located at the merchant.

6. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a location sensor coupled to the one or more processors, the location sensor configured to determine a geolocation of the mobile device and compare the determined geolocation of the mobile device with a location of the merchant in order to determine when the mobile device is located at the merchant.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, storing, in memory of a mobile device, an electronic document that includes an inactive coupon;

concealing, at least temporarily, a first part of the inactive coupon from a user of the mobile device while exposing, on the mobile device, a second part of the inactive coupon, the second part specifying a merchant at which the inactive coupon, upon activation, is redeemable;

determining that the mobile device is located at the merchant associated with the inactive coupon;

receiving, by a network interface of the mobile device, a signal from the merchant;

at least partly in response to the determining that the mobile device is located at the merchant, activating, without user intervention and using the signal received from the merchant via the network interface, the inactive coupon included in the electronic document to become an active coupon;

determining, subsequent to the activating, that the mobile device is no longer located at the merchant; and

deactivating the active coupon by reverting the active coupon to the inactive coupon at least partly in response to the determining that the mobile device is no longer located at the merchant.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the determining that the mobile device is located at the merchant comprises receiving a particular signal from the merchant at the mobile device.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the determining that the mobile device is located at the merchant comprises determining that the mobile device is located within a predetermined proximity of the merchant.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising receiving a command from a user of the mobile device to use the active coupon as part of a purchase of a good or service from the merchant.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising receiving a command from the user of the mobile device to use the active coupon as part of a purchase of a good or service from an online retailer, the purchase completed at least in part by the mobile device.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising downloading the electronic document including the inactive coupon to the mobile device.

13. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising concealing all or part of the inactive coupon from the user of the mobile device when the mobile device is not located at the merchant.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, instruct a computing device to perform acts comprising:

storing, in memory of a mobile device, an electronic document that includes an inactive coupon;

refraining from revealing, at least temporarily, a first aspect of the inactive coupon included in the electronic document to a user of the mobile device while exposing, on the mobile device, a second aspect of the inactive coupon, the second aspect specifying a merchant at which the inactive coupon, upon activation, is redeemable;

determining that the merchant associated with the inactive coupon is within a predetermined proximity of a location of the mobile device;

receiving a signal from the merchant;

at least partly in response to the determining that the merchant is within the predetermined proximity of the location of the mobile device, activating, without user intervention and using the signal received from the merchant via a network interface of the mobile device, the inactive coupon included in the electronic document to become an active coupon;

determining, subsequent to the activating, that the merchant is no longer within the predetermined proximity of the location of the mobile device; and

deactivating the active coupon by reverting the active coupon to the inactive coupon at least partly in response to the determining that the merchant is no longer within the predetermined proximity of the location of the mobile device.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the acts further comprise refraining from revealing the inactive coupon to the user of the mobile device until the mobile device is located within the predetermined proximity.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the acts further comprise activating the inactive coupon in response to determining that a current time matches a predetermined time specified by the inactive coupon.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the determining that the merchant associated with the inactive coupon is within the predetermined proximity of the location of the mobile device comprises receiving a particular signal from the merchant at the mobile device.