Locating a specific product within a retail environment in furtherance of a comparison of product information based on product codes

• US 9,898,746 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Argue, Stuart, Marcar, Anthony Emile
• Primary Examiner(s): CHONG CRUZ, NADJA N
• Application Number:
  US13/549,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2664, 705 267, 705 268, 705 20, 705 35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method for comparison of product information based on product codes to determine the cost per unit weight per product and hereby determine the cheapest product per unit weight is disclosed herein. The method further comprises of displaying the location information of the cheapest product within the retail store and providing navigational information for enabling the consumer to access the product easily.

Claims

1. A method for locating, by a multipurpose mobile device having a plurality of scanners each having a different scanner type, a controller, a navigation module, and a processor, a cheapest product per unit weight in a retail store, the method comprising:

repeatedly determining by the navigation module of the mobile device, an indoor location of a user within the retail store;

identifying a label type for each label of a plurality of labels, wherein each label type is one of a plurality of different label types;

automatically selecting a scanner of the plurality of scanners having a scanner type that corresponds to the identified label type, wherein the automatic selection of the scanner is based on data stored within a digital memory of the mobile device;

scanning each label of the plurality of labels using the selected scanner of the mobile device;

extracting, by the scanner of the mobile device, information related to a price of a product and a weight of the product embedded within the plurality of labels, wherein the plurality of labels provide information about products located in disparate locations within the retail store to be compared;

electronically uploading, by the controller of the mobile device, information from the plurality of labels related to the price of the product and the weight of the product to the digital memory of the mobile device to be processed by the processor of the mobile device;

automatically determining, by a comparator of the mobile device in the form of an application stored in the digital memory of the mobile device, the cheapest product per unit weight from the products to be compared based on the extracted information by processing, by the processor of the mobile device, the application stored in the digital memory of the mobile device and executed by the processor of the mobile device to automatically compare a price per unit weight of one or more products to the information extracted from the plurality of labels;

determining, with the navigation module, locations of the products associated with each of the plurality of labels relative to the indoor location of the user by executing, with the processor of the mobile device, software code configured to determine the locations of the products associated with pricing information associated with related products relative to the indoor location of the user within the retail store;

presenting each compared product of the products in a list that is ordered according to the cheapest product per unit weight;

providing, by the processor of the mobile device, a location of the cheapest product per unit weight in the retail store relative to the indoor location of the user;

rendering a graphic mapping representation of location information of the products associated with the plurality of labels relative to the user;

providing, by the processor of the mobile device, turn by turn directions according to aisles and a shelf identification from the indoor location of the user to a desired product location within the graphic mapping representation of directions showing detailed location information and turn by turn walking directions from the indoor location of the user to the compared products of the products being considered by the user that are viewable by the user on the mobile device; and

continuously updating the graphic mapping representation of the turn by turn directions based on the indoor location of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing navigational information to the user using a GPS module to generate turn by turn directions to the user from the indoor location of the user to a desired product in the retail store.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises displaying the indoor location of the user on a map of a layout of the retail store and icons superimposed on the map that indicate the locations of desired products of the products.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises using the GPS module for providing the locations of at least two of the products to be compared and turn by turn directions from the indoor location of the user to each of the at least two of the products.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises providing navigational information between the at least two of the products to be compared and turn by turn directions from one product location to another product location.

6. A method for locating, by a mobile device having a plurality of scanners each having a different scanner type, a controller, a navigation module, and a processor, a cheapest product per unit weight in a retail store, the method comprising:

repeatedly determining, by the navigation module of the mobile device, a global location of a user within the retail store;

identifying a label type for each label of a plurality of labels, wherein each label type is one of a plurality of different label types;

automatically selecting a scanner of the plurality of scanners having a scanner type that corresponds to the identified label type;

upon a selection of the scanner having the scanner type corresponding to an RFID scanner, scanning each label of the plurality of labels using an electronic RFID module of the mobile device, wherein each scanned label of the plurality of labels is one of a plurality of electronic RFID labels;

extracting, using the electronic RFID module of the mobile device, information related to a price of a product and a weight of the product embedded within the plurality of electronic RFID labels to be compared, the plurality of electronic RFID labels providing information about products located in disparate locations within the retail store,

electronically uploading, by the controller of the mobile device, information from the plurality of electronic RFID labels related to the price of the product and the weight of the product to a digital memory of the mobile device to be processed by the processor of the mobile device;

automatically determining, by a comparator of the mobile device in the form of an application stored in the digital memory of the mobile device, the cheapest product per unit weight from the products to be compared based on the extracted information by processing, by the processor of the mobile device, the application stored in the digital memory of the mobile device and executed by the processor of the mobile device to automatically compare a price per unit weight of one or more products to the information extracted from the plurality of electronic RFID labels;

determining, with the navigation module, locations of the products associated with each of the plurality of electronic RFID labels relative to the global location of the user by executing, with the processor of the mobile device, software code configured to determine the locations relative to the user of the products associated with information associated with related products;

providing, by the processor of the mobile device, a location of the cheapest product per unit weight according to aisles and a shelf identification in the retail store relative to the user;

rendering a graphic representation of location information of the products associated with the plurality of electronic RFID labels and showing detailed location information and turn by turn walking directions from the global location of the user to compared products of the products being considered by the user;

providing, by the processor, turn by turn directions from the global location of the user to a desired product location with a graphic display of directions that is viewable by the user on the mobile device; and

continuously updating the graphic representation of the turn by turn directions based on the global location of the user.

7. A mobile device comprising:

a plurality of scanners each having a different scanner type;

a controller;

a digital memory;

a navigation module; and

a processor,

wherein the mobile device is configured to;

repeatedly determine, by the navigation module, an indoor location of a user within a retail store;

identify a label type for each label of a plurality of labels, wherein each label type is one of a plurality of different label types;

automatically select a scanner of the plurality of scanners having a scanner type that corresponds to the identified label type;

scan each label of the plurality of labels using the selected scanner of the mobile device;

extract, by the scanner, information related to a price of a product and a weight of the product embedded within the plurality of labels, wherein the plurality of labels provide information about products located in disparate locations within the retail store to be compared;

electronically upload, by the controller, information from the plurality of labels related to the price of the product and the weight of the product to the digital memory to be processed by the processor;

determine, by a comparator in the form of an application stored in the digital memory, a cheapest product per unit weight from the products to be compared based on the extracted information by processing, by the processor, the application stored in the digital memory and executed by the processor to automatically compare a price per unit weight of one or more products to the information extracted from the plurality of labels;

determine, with the navigation module, locations of the products associated with each of the plurality of labels relative to the indoor location of the user by executing, with the processor, software code configured to determine the locations of the products associated with pricing information associated with related products relative to the indoor location of the user within the retail store;

provide, by the processor, a location of the cheapest product per unit weight in the retail store relative to the indoor location of the user;

render a graphic mapping representation of location information of the products associated with the plurality of labels relative to the user;

provide, by the processor, turn by turn directions according to aisles and a shelf identification from the indoor location of the user to a desired product location within the graphic mapping representation of directions showing detailed location information and turn by turn walking directions from the indoor location of the user to compared products of the products being considered by the user that are viewable by the user on the mobile device; and

continuously update the graphic mapping representation of the turn by turn directions based on the indoor location of the user.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is further configured to provide navigational information to the user using a GPS module to generate turn by turn directions to the user from the indoor location of the user to a desired product in the retail store.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the mobile device is further configured to display the indoor location of the user on a map of a layout of the retail store and icons superimposed on the map that indicate the locations of desired products of the products.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the mobile device is further configured to use the GPS module to provide the locations of at least two of the products to be compared and turn by turn directions from the indoor location of the user to each of the at least two of the products.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to provide navigational information between the at least two of the products to be compared and turn by turn directions from one product location to another product location.