Providing navigation functionality in a retail location using local positioning technology

• US 9,659,316 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Hanson, Carrie Anne, Scanlon, Sharon, Gill, Davindar
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US14/327,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 235385, 705323
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing navigation functionality in a retail location using local positioning technology are presented. In some embodiments, a customer assistance computing platform may receive one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by a customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device. Subsequently, the computing platform may determine an identity of a customer using the customer computing device. The computing platform then may determine a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal. Thereafter, the computing platform may generate one or more navigation instructions to guide the customer to another location. Then, the computing platform may send the one or more navigation instructions to the customer computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a customer assistance computing platform comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface;

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from a customer computing device, one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by the customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, an identity of a customer using the customer computing device based on the identifier associated with the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device;

generating, by the at least one processor, one or more navigation instructions to guide the customer using the customer computing device to a second location; and

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the one or more navigation instructions, wherein the beacon signal received by the customer computing device is associated with at least one beacon deployed at a banking center, and

wherein the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device include a unique identifier associated with the at least one beacon deployed at the banking center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with the customer computing device includes user account information associated with a mobile banking application on the customer computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from the customer computing device, biometric input information captured by the mobile banking application on the customer computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the identity of the customer using the customer computing device includes confirming the identity of the customer using the customer computing device based on the biometric input information captured by the mobile banking application on the customer computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the customer using the customer computing device includes accessing beacon deployment information that maps identifiers for a plurality of beacons to corresponding deployment locations of the plurality of beacons.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the customer using the customer computing device includes determining that the customer using the customer computing device is located in a specific area of the banking center.

7. A method, comprising:

at a customer assistance computing platform comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface;

receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from a customer computing device, one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by the customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, an identity of a customer using the customer computing device based on the identifier associated with the customer computing device;

determining, by the at least one processor, a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal received by the customer computing device;

generating, by the at least one processor, one or more navigation instructions to guide the customer using the customer computing device to a second location;

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the one or more navigation instructions, wherein the beacon signal received by the customer computing device is associated with at least one beacon deployed at a banking center;

accessing, by the at least one processor, customer information associated with the customer using the customer computing device;

generating, by the at least one processor, based on the customer information associated with the customer using the customer computing device, a request for visit information associated with the customer'"'"'s current visit to the banking center; and

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to the customer computing device, the request for visit information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more navigation instructions are generated in a customer-preferred language based on language settings included in the customer information associated with the customer using the customer computing device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more navigation instructions are generated based on visit input received from the customer computing device in response to the request for visit information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more navigation instructions are generated based on one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more predicted needs of the customer using the customer computing device are determined based on customer history data obtained from at least one computer system different from the computing platform.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the customer history data includes web history data associated with the customer using the customer computing device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the customer using the customer computing device is automatically added to at least one queue of one or more customers waiting for service at the banking center.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one processor, a notification indicating that the customer using the customer computing device is present at the banking center; and

sending, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, to a banking center associate computing device, the notification.