Method and system for interactively providing product related information on demand and providing personalized transactional benefits at a point of purchase
First Claim
1. A method of providing personalized transactional benefits at a point of purchase over a network based on personalized identification information provided by a consumer and stored in a database at one or more servers of the network, wherein a plurality of identification numbers which are used to identify one of the articles of commerce and services is also stored at the one or more servers, each one the articles of commerce and articles associated with the services bearing an indicia on which one identification number is encoded, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a mobile device having a camera associated therewith, wherein the mobile device is operably connected to the one or more servers of the network, for capturing the indicia on one of the articles of commerce and services, the indicia being associated with the identification number, the mobile device including a personal identifier to identify the consumer to the one or more servers;
capturing an image of the indicia with the camera;
processing the captured image with an optical character recognition system to identify the identification number of the product or service by optical recognition of the indicia;
transmitting the personal identifier to the one or more servers from the mobile device;
retrieving from the database at the one or more servers the identification number associated with the indicia;
processing the at least one personal identifier of the consumer at the one or more servers and retrieving from the database the personalized identification information provided by the consumer;
classifying the read product or service based on at least the identification number as belonging to a first group;
gathering from one or more other servers information related to the first group;
displaying at the mobile device location options for purchasing the product or service and comparative information including a comparison between the product or service and one or more other members of the first group; and
offering personalized transactional benefits to the consumer from the first server at least in part based on the personalized identification information provided by the consumer and stored in the database at the one or more servers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for interactively providing product and related information to a user based upon product identification information, such as a UPC code, and enabling the user to engage in various transactions related to the product. According to one aspect of the present invention, the system informs and educates the user about a particular product or service which the user is interested in and enables the user to efficiently purchase the product or service. The system is also configured to offer personalized transactional benefits to the user based on the amount and/or type of personal information that is provided by the user. According to one aspect, a mobile device with a camera can be used as the means for reading and processing product and service identifying indicia.
252 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of providing personalized transactional benefits at a point of purchase over a network based on personalized identification information provided by a consumer and stored in a database at one or more servers of the network, wherein a plurality of identification numbers which are used to identify one of the articles of commerce and services is also stored at the one or more servers, each one the articles of commerce and articles associated with the services bearing an indicia on which one identification number is encoded, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a mobile device having a camera associated therewith, wherein the mobile device is operably connected to the one or more servers of the network, for capturing the indicia on one of the articles of commerce and services, the indicia being associated with the identification number, the mobile device including a personal identifier to identify the consumer to the one or more servers; capturing an image of the indicia with the camera; processing the captured image with an optical character recognition system to identify the identification number of the product or service by optical recognition of the indicia; transmitting the personal identifier to the one or more servers from the mobile device; retrieving from the database at the one or more servers the identification number associated with the indicia; processing the at least one personal identifier of the consumer at the one or more servers and retrieving from the database the personalized identification information provided by the consumer; classifying the read product or service based on at least the identification number as belonging to a first group; gathering from one or more other servers information related to the first group; displaying at the mobile device location options for purchasing the product or service and comparative information including a comparison between the product or service and one or more other members of the first group; and offering personalized transactional benefits to the consumer from the first server at least in part based on the personalized identification information provided by the consumer and stored in the database at the one or more servers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of providing personalized transactional benefits at a point of purchase based on personalized identification information provided by a consumer and stored at at least one sewer of a network, the at least one server also having stored thereat a plurality of identification numbers which are used to identify one of products and services, each one of the products and articles associated with the services bearing an indicia on which one identification number is encoded, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a mobile device having a camera associated therewith and being operably connected to the first server of the network, for imaging the indicia on one of the product and service articles, the indicia being associated with the identification number thereof, the mobile device including a personal identifier to identify the consumer to the first server; capturing, with the camera, and storing an image of the indicia of one of the product and service articles; performing optical character recognition on the captured image to determine the product identification information; transmitting the personal identifier to the at least one server from the mobile device processing the at least one personal identifier of the consumer at the at least one server and retrieving from the database the personalized identification information provided by the consumer; determining whether the consumer belongs to an aggregate buying group; linking the consumer with an aggregate buying server if the consumer belongs to the aggregate buying group; determining at the aggregate buying server whether the read product or service has an active bid status and permitting the consumer to join other members in placing a bid for a predetermined amount of the product or the performance of the service, the aggregate buying server being in communication with other servers which provide purchasing of the product or service; entering the bid through the mobile device and transmitting the bid to the aggregate buying server where it is processed; confirming at the mobile device that the bid has been transmitted and the consumer has become a member of an aggregate buying group; notifying the consumer through the mobile device when a purchase is made by the aggregate buying group; and if the consumer is not a member of the aggregate buying group or the read product or service does not have an active bid status, then; classifying the read article or service based on at least the identification number as belonging to a first group; gathering from at least one sewer information related to the first group; displaying at the mobile device options for purchasing the scanned article or service and comparative information including a comparison between the scanned product or service and one or more other members of the first group; and offering personalized transactional benefits to the consumer from the at least one server based at least in part on the personalized identification information provided by the consumer and stored in the database at the at least one server.
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24. A method of providing personalized transactional benefits at a point of purchase based on personalized identification information provided by a consumer and stored at at least one server of a network, the at least one server also having stored thereat a plurality of identification numbers which are used to identify one of products and services, each one of the products and articles associated with the services bearing an indicia on which one identification number is encoded, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a mobile device having a camera associated therewith and being operably connected to the first sewer of the network, for imaging the indicia on one of the product and service articles, the indicia being associated with the identification number thereof, the mobile device including a personal identifier to identify the consumer to the first server; capturing, with the camera, and storing an image of the indicia of one of the product and service articles; performing optical character recognition on the captured image to determine the product identification information; transmitting the personal identifier to the at least one server from the mobile device; processing the at least one personal identifier of the consumer at the at least one server and retrieving from the database the personalized identification information provided by the consumer; classifying the read article or service based on at least the identification number as belonging to a first group; gathering from at least one server information related to the first group; displaying at the mobile device options for purchasing the scanned article or service and comparative information including a comparison between the scanned product or service and one or more other members of the first group; and offering personalized transactional benefits to the consumer from the at least one server based at least in part on the personalized identification information provided by the consumer and stored in the database at the at least one server. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification