Two-way communication system implementing location tracking

• US 10,547,978 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Weiss, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US16/121,240
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 455 69, 455 73, 455439, 4554563, 4554565, 4554221, 455 121, 455427, 455438, 455418, 455411, 455557
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed to enable customers and store personnel to communication while the customers are in an access area of a brick-and-mortar store. The access area may have one or more transmitters installed at predetermined locations. By utilizing an application installed on each customer'"'"'s mobile computing device, each mobile computing device may transmit ranging data and information indicative of the customer when within range of one or more of the transmitters. The ranging data may include an indication of a range between each of the customer'"'"'s mobile computing device and one or more proximate transmitters. By correlating the information indicative of the customer to a customer'"'"'s account information, information relevant to the customer may be determined. A customer may be sent a notification including a portion of the relevant information. The notification may enable the customer to contact the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store.

Claims

1. A method for enabling two-way communication between personnel of a brick-and-mortar store and each of a plurality of customers within an access area of the brick-and-mortar store, the method comprising:

receiving, via a communication network, at a server associated with the store, information indicative of a plurality of customers located in the access area, the information being sent from a plurality of computing devices respectively associated with the plurality of customers;

determining, from the information, (i) a first set of information relevant to a first customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area, and (ii) a second set of information relevant to a second customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area;

generating (i) a first notification including at least a portion of the first set of information, and (ii) a second notification and including at least a portion of the second set of information; and

transmitting, via the communication network from the server, (i) the first notification to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the first customer, wherein the first computing device displays the first notification and the first notification enables the first computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the first customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store, and (ii) the second notification to a second computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the second customer, wherein the second computing device displays the second notification and the second notification enables the second computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the second customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is located at the brick-and-mortar store or remote from the brick-and-mortar store, and wherein the personnel are located at the brick-and-mortar store or remote from the brick-and-mortar store.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (i) the first set of information relevant to the first customer includes one or more of first reason for visit information or first order pickup information associated with the first customer, and (ii) the second set of information relevant to the second customer includes one or more of second reason for visit information or second order pickup information associated with the second customer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the communication network, (i) first ranging data indicative of first received signal strengths corresponding to a first plurality of signals received by the first computing device, the first plurality of signals being transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location within the access area and (ii) second ranging data indicative of second received signal strengths corresponding to a second plurality of signals received by the second computing device, the second plurality of signals being transmitted by the transmitter that is positioned at the predetermined location within the access area; and

determining a position of (i) the first computing device within the access area based upon the first ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter, and (ii) the second computing device within the access area based upon the second ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the first notification and the second notification based on the respective positions of the computing devices within the access area.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the first customer and the second customer are located in a common vehicle based upon the first ranging data, the second ranging data, and the predetermined location of the transmitter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting via the communication network from the server, one of the first notification to the first computing device or the second notification to the second computing device.

8. A system for enabling two-way communication between personnel of a brick-and-mortar store and each of a plurality of customers within an access area of the brick-and-mortar store, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a program memory coupled to the one or more processors storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

receive at a server associated with the store, information indicative of a plurality of customers located in the access area, the information being sent from a plurality of computing devices respectively associated with the plurality of customers,

determine (i) a first set of information relevant to a first customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area, and (ii) a second set of information relevant to a second customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area,

generate (i) a first notification including at least a portion of the first set of information, and (ii) a second notification and including at least a portion of the second set of information, and

transmit (i) the first notification to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the first customer, wherein the first computing device displays the first notification and the first notification enables the first computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the first customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store, and (ii) the second notification to a second computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the second customer, wherein the second computing device displays the second notification and the second notification enables the second computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the second customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is located at the brick-and-mortar store or remote from the brick-and-mortar store, and wherein the personnel are located at the brick-and-mortar store or remote from the brick-and-mortar store.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein (i) the first set of information relevant to the first customer includes one or more of first reason for visit information or first order pickup information associated with the first customer, and (ii) the second set of information relevant to the second customer includes one or more of second reason for visit information or second order pickup information associated with the second customer.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the system to:

receive (i) first ranging data indicative of first received signal strengths corresponding to a first plurality of signals received by the first computing device, the first plurality of signals being transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location within the access area and (ii) second ranging data indicative of second received signal strengths corresponding to a second plurality of signals received by the second computing device, the second plurality of signals being transmitted by the transmitter that is positioned at the predetermined location within the access area, and

determine a position of (i) the first computing device within the access area based upon the first ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter, and (ii) the second computing device within the access area based upon the second ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the system to:

transmit the first notification and the second notification based on the respective positions of the of computing devices within the access area.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the system to:

determine that the first customer and the second customer are located in a common vehicle based upon the first ranging data, the second ranging data, and the predetermined location of the transmitter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the system to:

transmit one of the first notification to the first computing device or the second notification to the second computing device.

15. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions for enabling two-way communication between personnel of a brick-and-mortar store and each of a plurality of customers within an access area of the brick-and-mortar store that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:

receive at a server associated with the store, information indicative of a plurality of customers located in the access area, the information being sent from a plurality of computing devices respectively associated with the plurality of customers;

determine (i) a first set of information relevant to a first customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area, and (ii) a second set of information relevant to a second customer of the plurality of customers located in the access area;

generate (i) a first notification including at least a portion of the first set of information, and (ii) a second notification and including at least a portion of the second set of information; and

transmit (i) the first notification to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the first customer, wherein the first computing device displays the first notification and the first notification enables the first computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the first customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store, and (ii) the second notification to a second computing device of the plurality of computing devices associated with the second customer, wherein the second computing device displays the second notification and the second notification enables the second computing device to initiate one of a live chat session or a live audio session with the server thereby allowing the second customer to communicate with the personnel of the brick-and-mortar store.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further storing instruction that cause the computer system to:

receive (i) first ranging data indicative of first received signal strengths corresponding to a first plurality of signals received by the first computing device, the first plurality of signals being transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location within the access area and (ii) second ranging data indicative of second received signal strengths corresponding to a second plurality of signals received by the second computing device, the second plurality of signals being transmitted by the transmitter that is positioned at the predetermined location within the access area; and

determine a position of (i) the first computing device within the access area based upon the first ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter, and (ii) the second computing device within the access area based upon the second ranging data and the predetermined location of the transmitter.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program memory further stores executable instructions that cause the system to:

transmit the first notification and the second notification based on the respective positions of the of computing devices within the access area.