Systems and methods for recommending a retail location

• US 9,524,521 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Lyman, Nate L
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US14/967,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 235/462.45, 235/376
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method and a system are disclosed for generating a recommendation of a retail location on a network-based system. For example, a system may obtain a retail location definition associated with a geographic location. The geographic location may represent the retail location. The system then builds a scan event model from product scan messages received from a plurality of scanning devices located within the geographic location. The scan event model may include one or more scan events each being associated with a product definition and the retail location definition. Next, a recommendation query from the search device is received by the system. The recommendation query may include a product identifier and a query location. The system may generate a recommendation of the retail location based on determining that the product identifier and the query location match the one or more scan events of the scan event model.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a scan event handler, implemented by one or more processors, configured to build a scan event model from historical product scan messages previously received from a plurality of mobile scanning devices associated with a plurality of users, each of the historical product scan messages having a product association and a scan location association; and

a recommendation engine, implemented by the one or more processors, configured to;

receive a query from a specific mobile scanning device associated with a specific user, the query including a product identifier;

identify a select retail location from a respective scan location in the historical product scan messages, the select retail location associated with a product definition matching the product identifier;

retrieve online pricing associated with the product definition and offered from a merchant identified by a merchant definition, in the scan event model, that corresponds with the select retail location; and

generate a recommendation based on the merchant and the online pricing.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the historical product scan messages are received responsive to each of a respective mobile scanning device scanning a universal product code (UPC) attached to a product.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, in generating the recommendation, the recommendation is further configured to:

identify the select retail location from a portion of the historical product scan messages that corresponds to the product definition that matches the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, in generating the recommendation, the recommendation is further configured to:

receive a query location from the specific mobile scanning device;

determine the query location is proximate to one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages; and

identify the select retail location from the one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the query location corresponds to geo-location information from the specific mobile scanning device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein, in generating the recommendation, the recommendation is further configured to:

identify the merchant definition responsive to a lack of access to local pricing for the product definition matching the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

building a scan event model from historical product scan messages previously received from a plurality of mobile scanning devices associated with a plurality of users, each of the historical product scan messages having a product association and a scan location association;

receiving a query from a specific mobile scanning device associated with a specific user, the query including a product identifier;

identifying a select retail location from a respective scan location in the historical product scan messages, the select retail location associated with a product definition matching the product identifier;

retrieving online pricing associated with the product definition offered from a merchant identified by a merchant definition, in the scan event model, that corresponds with the select retail location; and

generating a recommendation based on the merchant and the online pricing.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the historical product scan messages are received responsive to each of a respective mobile scanning device scanning a universal product code (UPC) attached to a product.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein identifying from the historical product scan messages a select retail location having a product definition matching the product identifier comprises:

identifying the select retail location from a portion of the historical product scan messages that corresponds to the product definition that matches the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein identifying from the historical product scan messages a select retail location having a product definition matching the product identifier comprises:

receiving a query location from the specific mobile scanning device;

determining the query location is proximate to one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages; and

identifying the select retail location from the one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the query location corresponds to geo-location information from the specific mobile scanning device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein retrieving online pricing associated with the product definition offered from a merchant that corresponds with the select retail location further comprises:

identifying the merchant definition responsive to a lack of access to local pricing for the product definition matching the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions thereon, which;

when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

building a scan event model from historical product scan messages previously received from a plurality of mobile scanning devices associated with a plurality of users, each of the historical product scan messages having a product association and a scan location association;

receiving a query from a specific mobile scanning device associated with a specific user, the query including a product identifier;

identifying a select retail location from a respective scan location in the historical product scan messages, the select retail location associated with a product definition matching the product identifier;

retrieving online pricing associated with the product definition offered from a merchant identified by a merchant definition, in the scan event model, that corresponds with the select retail location; and

generating a recommendation based on the merchant and the online pricing.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the historical product scan messages are received responsive to each of a respective mobile scanning device scanning a universal product code (UPC) attached to a product.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying from the historical product scan messages a select retail location having a product definition matching the product identifier comprises:

identifying the select retail location from a portion of the historical product scan messages that corresponds to the product definition that matches the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying from the historical product scan messages a select retail location having a product definition matching the product identifier comprises:

receiving a query location from the specific mobile scanning device;

determining the query location is proximate to one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages; and

identifying the select retail location from the one or more retail locations associated with respective historical product scan messages.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein retrieving online pricing associated with the product definition offered from a merchant that corresponds with the select retail location further comprises:

identifying the merchant definition responsive to a lack of access to local pricing for the product definition matching the product identifier received from the specific mobile scanning device.