Upselling offerings to customers

• US 10,134,077 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digiprint IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Digiprint IP, LLC
• Inventors: Levy, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): Zukanovich, Brandy A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weiner, Arielle E
• Application Number:
  US15/462,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus where information relating to products and services offered by various vendors may be offered for sale to customers via computing devices owned by those customers. Products and services offered to a particular customer may be related to a product previously purchased by that customer or be related to a product that a customer has access to. In certain instances, a product that a customer has access to may include a tag, such as a circuit, a chip, or printed matter that may provide information to an electronic device of a customer. After the customer'"'"'s device received the information provided by the product tag, other products or services related to the tagged product may be received by the customer device.

Claims

1. A method for upselling offerings to customers, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to a plurality of different products offered by a plurality of different sellers over a digital communications network interface, wherein at least one first product is associated with at least one second product from the plurality of different products made available from at least one seller of the plurality of different sellers, and wherein the at least one first product is associated with at least one tag and two codes;

storing the received information relating to the plurality of different products offered by the plurality of different sellers in a database in memory of a server device accessible to a plurality of user devices over a digital communications network, wherein the information for each of the different products is accessible via a respective web address link that includes the respective associated two codes;

sending software application data to a user device from amongst the plurality of user devices over the digital communications network, wherein the software application data is executable at the user device to scan the at least one tag to read a first code that identifies an offering associated with the at least one second product and a second code that identifies a seller or manufacturer of the at least one second product;

resolving a web link address received from the user device that is comprised of the first code and the second code, wherein the web link address resolves to the information stored in the database regarding the offering associated with the at least one second product to be purchased from the seller or from the manufacturer of the at least one second product; and

processing an order for the at least one second product based on the information regarding the offering, the order processed via a user interaction at a user interface at the user device such that the at least one seller can fulfill the order of the at least one second product by way of at least the digital communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one tag that is associated with the at least one first product is included in a package of the at least one first product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first product includes a package that includes the at least one tag is associated with the at least one first product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one tag wirelessly transmits information that identifies the at least one first product to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one tag includes print media that identifies the at least one first product and that is capable of being captured by a camera at the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising polling the at least one seller for updated information relating to the at least one first product.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the plurality of different products is stored according to one or more product types.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the order of the at least one second product is accompanied by an order for one or more other products from at least one of the plurality of different sellers based on a selection set in the user interface at the user device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for upselling offerings to customers, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to a plurality of different products offered by a plurality of different sellers over a digital communications network interface, wherein at least one first product is associated with at least one second product from the plurality of different products made available from at least one seller of the plurality of different sellers, and wherein the at least one first product is associated with at least one tag and two codes;

storing the received information relating to the plurality of different products offered by the plurality of different sellers in a database in memory of a server device accessible to a plurality of user devices over a digital communications network, wherein the information for each of the different products is accessible via a respective web address link that includes the respective associated two codes;

sending software application data to a user device from amongst the plurality of user devices over the digital communications network, wherein the software application data is executable at the user device to scan the at least one tag to read a first code that identifies an offering associated with the at least one second product and a second code that identifies a seller or manufacturer of the at least one second product;

resolving a web link address received from the user device that is comprised of the first code and the second code, wherein the web link address resolves to the information stored in the database regarding the offering associated with the at least one second product to be purchased from the seller or from the manufacturer of the at least one second product; and

processing an order for the at least one second product based on the information regarding the offering, the order processed via a user interaction at a user interface at the user device such that the at least one seller can fulfill the order of the at least one second product by way of at least the digital communications network.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the at least one tag wirelessly transmits information that identifies the at least one first product to the user device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one tag that is associated with the at least one first product is a part of an insert within the packaging of the at least one first product.

12. The non-transitory computer:

readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one tag includes print media that identifies the at least one first product and is capable of being captured by a camera at the user device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the program further executable to poll the at least one seller for updated information relating to the at least one first product.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the information relating to the plurality of different products is stored according to one or more product types.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the order of the at least one second product is accompanied by an order for one or more other products from at least one of the plurality of different sellers based on a selection set in the user interface at the user device.

16. An apparatus for upselling offerings to customers, the apparatus comprising:

a database in memory that stores information relating to a plurality of different products offered by a plurality of different sellers, wherein at least one first product is associated with at least one second product from the plurality of different products made available from at least one seller of the plurality of different sellers, the at least one first product associated with at least one tag and two codes, and wherein the information for each of the different products is accessible via at least one respective web address link comprising the respective associated two codes; and

a network interface that sends software application data to a user device, wherein the software application data is executable at the user device to scan the at least one tag to read a first code that identifies an offering associated with the at least one second product and a second code that identifies a seller or manufacturer of the at least one second product; and

a processor that executes instructions stored in memory to resolve a web link address received from the user device that is comprised of the first code and the second code, wherein the web link address resolves to the information stored in the database regarding the offering associated with the at least one second product to be purchased from the seller or from the manufacturer of the at least one second product; and

a user interface that processes an order for the at least one second product based on the information regarding the offering, the order processed via user interaction at the user interface such that the at least one seller can fulfill the order of the at least one second other product.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one first product includes an insert within the package of the at least one first product.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising at least one first product package that includes the at least one tag associated with the at least one first product.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one tag wirelessly transmits information that identifies the at least one first product to the user device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the network interface also polls the at least one seller for updated information relating to the at least one first product.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the information relating to the plurality of different products is stored according to one or more product types.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the order of the at least one second product is accompanied by an order for one or more other products of the plurality of different products from the plurality of different sellers based on a selection set in the user interface at the user device.