Consumer interactive shopping system

• US 7,195,157 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Barkan, Edward, Roslak, Thomas K., Petrovich, Adam, Swartz, Jerome, Premutico, Mauro
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/424,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20060219780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/462.45, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0072 with means for detecting the weight of the article of which the code is read, for the verification of the registration weighing combined with recording means, e.g. in weighing scale, G01G19/415
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a consumer interactive shopping and marketing system. The system includes a portable data terminal for communicating information over a communication network. The present system has aspects that may be used within a shopping establishment or at a user'"'"'s home.

Claims

1. A computer implemented theft prevention system, comprising:

a security component that determines a statistical probability of obtaining an accurate net weight of a group of items from a customer; and

a messaging component that automatically notifies store personnel to weigh the group of items if the probability exceeds a pre-defined threshold, the security component initially computes a first value by deducting a weight of at least one item in the group of items measured by store personnel from a weight of the group of items measured by store personnel.

2. The system of claim 1, the security component determines the probability by comparing the first value to a second value, the second value is a difference between a weight of the group of items measured by the customer and the weight of the at least one item measured by the store personnel.

3. The system of claim 1, the pre-defined threshold is a low probability value of obtaining an accurate net weight from the customer.

4. The system of claim 1, the customer utilizes a portable computer terminal comprising a bar code reader within a shopping venue.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more bar codes registered with the portable terminal, the one or more bar codes are disposed on each of one or more bags that include the group of items.

6. The system of claim 1, the customer is selected based at least in part upon one of prior shopping history, types of items in the group and time of day.

7. A computer implemented theft-prevention method, comprising:

directing a customer to proceed to a weighing station based at least in part upon prior shopping history and suspicious activity;

determining a statistical probability that the customer properly scanned product information into a portable computer terminal;

notifying store personnel if the probability exceeds a pre-determined threshold; and

computing a first net weight by deductinig a weight of at least one item in a group of customer-selected items measured by store personnel from the weight of the group of customer-selected items measured by the store personnel.

8. The method of claim 7, determining the statistical probability comprises comparing the first net weight to a second net Weight, the second net weight is a difference between the weight of the group of customer-selected items measured by the customer and the weight of the at least one item measured by the store personnel.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising disposing a bar code on each of one or more bags, the one or more bags include a group of customer-selected items.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising registering the one or more bags with the portable computer terminal comprising a bar code reader, the bar code reader is carried by the customer within a shopping venue.

11. The method of claim 10, scanning the bar code on each of the one or more bags via the bar code reader.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising scanning each item prior to placing the item within the one or more bags.

13. The method of claim 12, maintaining a record at the portable terminal of each of the one or more bags used by the customer.

14. The method of claim 7, detecting that the customer is in one region of the shopping venue for a prolonged amount of time.

15. The method of claim 14, notifying store personnel that the customer did not select an item from the one region of the shopping venue based at least in part upon the amount of time.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying the customer at the portable computer terminal.

17. The method of claim 7, computing the probability based on the difference between an actual item weight and an estimated item weight.

18. A computer-implemented theft prevention system, comprising:

means for determining a probability that a customer possesses items that have not been scanned by the customer via a portable bar code reader;

means for alerting store personnel if the probability exceeds a threshold; and

means for a security component initially computes a first value by deducting a weight of at least one item in the group of items measured by store personnel from a weight of the group items of items measured by the store personnel.