METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING A UNIVERSAL LIST SYSTEM

• US 20130073423A1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZipList, Inc. (Advance Publications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ZipList, Inc. (Advance Publications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Allen, Geoffrey Benjamin, Geyer, Steven Lee, Herrup, Bradley Spector, McElrath, Rodney Dale, Ramsey, Timothy Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium includes code to cause a processor to receive, via a first communication mode, a first indicator associated with a first user-performed process, and receive, via a second communication mode different from the first communication mode, a second indicator associated with a second user-performed process. The code includes code to cause the processor to identify, using the first indicator a first set of items for the first user-performed process, and identify, using the second indicator, a second set of items for the second user-performed process. The code further includes code to cause the processor to define a vendor-agnostic list to include the first set of items and the second set of items, and send a signal associated with at least a portion of the vendor-agnostic list to a communication device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, via a first communication mode, a first indicator associated with a first user-performed process;

receive, via a second communication mode different from the first communication mode, a second indicator associated with a second user-performed process;

identify, using the first indicator, a first plurality of items for the first user-performed process;

identify, using the second indicator, a second plurality of items for the second user-performed process;

define a vendor-agnostic list to include the first plurality of items and the second plurality of items; and

send a signal associated with at least a portion of the vendor-agnostic list to a communication device.

2. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first communication mode and the second communication mode each includes at least one of an instant message, an electronic-mail message, a text message, an optical pattern scan, a mobile device application, a personal computer application, a response to an interactive advertisement, an interactive television application response, a TCP/IP transmission, or an interactive voice response.

3. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first indicator has a representation within a print medium to be viewed by the user of the communication device.

4. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first indicator has a representation within television viewable content to be viewed by the user of the communication device.

5. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first indicator has a representation within audible content to be perceived by the user of the communication device.

6. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first process and the second process each is at least one of an activity, a recipe or a home improvement project.

7. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code to cause the processor to determine the first plurality of items includes code to cause the processor to query a process database using the first indicator.

8. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

store an association of the first indicator with an identifier of a user of the communication device in response to receiving the first indicator from the communication device.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine an identity of a user of the communication device based on at least one of a telephone number of the communication device, a user name associated with an instant message account, an electronic mail address, or an identifier of the communication device.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

associate the first process with an account of a user of the communication device such that the user can view the first user-performed process when signing into the account.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a first communication module configured to receive, from a first communication device via a first communication mode, an indicator associated with a user-performed process;

a second communication module configured to receive, from a second communication device via a second communication mode different than the first communication mode, the indicator associated with the user-performed process;

an item module configured to query a process database, using the indicator, for a plurality of items used to perform the user-performed process; and

an action module configured to provide a first vendor-agnostic list including the plurality of items to the first communication device, the action module configured to provide a second vendor-agnostic list including the plurality of items to the second communication device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first communication mode and the second communication mode each includes at least one of an instant message, an electronic-mail message, a text message, an optical pattern scan, a mobile device application, a personal computer application, a response to an interactive advertisement, an interactive television application response, a TCP/IP transmission, or an interactive voice response.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a validation module configured to query a user database to retrieve an identifier of a user account based on at least one of a telephone number of the first communication device, a user name associated with an instant message account, an electronic mail address, or an identifier of the first communication device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of items is at least one of a list of ingredients used in a recipe, a list of supplies used in a home improvement project, or a list of supplies used in an activity.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indicator has a representation within a print medium to be viewed by one of a user of the first communication device and a user of the second communication device.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indicator has a representation within television viewable content to be viewed by one of a user of the first communication device and a user of the second communication device.

17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, via a plurality of communication modes, a plurality of indicators, each indicator from the plurality of indicators being uniquely associated with a user-performed process from a plurality of user-performed processes;

identify, for each user-performed process from the plurality of user-performed processes, a set of items for that user-performed process;

define a vendor-agnostic list to include the set of items for each user-performed process from the plurality of user-performed processes; and

associate the vendor-agnostic list with an account of a user.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of communication modes includes at least two of an instant message, an electronic-mail message, a text message, an optical pattern scan, a mobile device application, a personal computer application, a response to an interactive advertisement, an interactive television application response, a TCP/IP transmission, or an interactive voice response.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

identify an identity of the user based on at least one of a telephone number of a communication device of the user, a user name associated with an instant message account, an electronic mail address, or an identifier of the communication device.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a first user-performed process from the plurality of user-performed processes is a recipe and a second user-performed process from the plurality of user-performed processes is a home improvement project.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

store an association of each indicator from the plurality of indicators with an identifier of the user in response to receiving the plurality of indicators.