Context-based automated transaction processing control

• US 10,496,980 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2015
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathew, Ashvin, Bazlen, Derrick Steven, Blucher, Jeffrey, La Blanc, Sylvester M., Hofmann, Andreas, Dingle, Gregg Robert, O'Meara, Brendan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US14/838,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A computer implemented method for reducing input performed in a commerce based application is provided. The method includes receiving a sequence of input values from an input device and associating the sequence of input values with an object in the application based on the sequence. A context of the application is determined. One or more tasks in the application are automatically performed based on the object, the context and the sequence of input values.

Claims

1. A computing system composing:

an optical device configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of an object optically sensed by the optical device; and

an application component configured to;

receive the sensor signal from the optical device;

identify a location context indicative of a location associated with the application component;

identify a data object associated with the application component based on the sensor signal; and

automatically perform a transaction task, associated with a transaction, based on;

the identified data object, and

the identified location context.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the application component is configured to automatically select the transaction task, from plurality of transaction tasks, based on the location context.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a machine-readable code.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the sensor signal represents the machine-readable code.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein

the machine-readable code comprises a bar code,

the optical device comprises a bar code scanner, and

the application component is configured to identify an item for the transaction based on the bar code.

6. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the application component is configured to:

identify the data object based on the machine-readable code, the data object comprising a customer object; and

perform a transaction task using the customer object.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the customer object comprises customer information, and the application component is configured to:

populate a transaction form with the customer information.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the object is associated with an item for the transaction.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein

the transaction task comprises a first task,

the data object represents the item, and

the application component is configured to:

determine whether the location is a point of sale location or a non-point of sale location;

in response to a determination that the location is a point of sale location, perform the first task by automatically populating the transaction with the item and calculating an amount for the transaction; and

in response to a determination that the location is a non-point of sale location, perform a second task that is different than the first task.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the application component is configured to:

based on the sensor signal, define an application context; and

based on the application context, select an operation mode for the application component.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the application context comprises an object context.

12. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the application context comprises a user context.

13. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the location context is indicative of a location of the object.

14. A computing system comprising:

a sensor device comprising at least one of;

an optical device, or

a radio-frequency (RF) identification receiver,

wherein the sensor device is configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of a physical object sensed by the sensor device; and

an application component configured to;

receive the sensor signal;

determine whether a location context associated with the application component is indicative of a point of sale location; and

in response to a determination that the location context is indicative of a point of sale location, perform a first task, using a sequence of input values that represents a data object, by automatically populating a transaction with the data object and calculating an amount for the transaction; and

in response to a determination that the location context is not indicative of a point of sale location, perform a second task that is different than the first task.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the sensor device comprises an optical device.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein

the physical object is associated with a user;

and

the data object comprises a data record that stores user information associated with the user.