System and method for advertising to a Wi-Fi device

• US 8,165,600 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walter, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/761,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456, 455/456.3, 455/411, 455/456.2, 455/457, 705/26.1, 705/26.61, 705/26.7, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 707/770, 707/771, 707/922, 707/948, 707/959, 707/960, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

A method is disclosed for providing information related to goods available for purchase in a building. The method includes establishing a plurality of boundary zones where each of the plurality of boundary zones corresponding to a physical boundary zone within a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network. The method also includes storing product information related to the goods available for purchase that are located within at least one boundary zone of the plurality of boundary zones.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a plurality of boundary zones, each of the plurality of boundary zones corresponding to a physical boundary zone within a wireless fidelity network;

storing product information at a server, the product information related to goods available for purchase that are located within at least one boundary zone of the plurality of boundary zones;

establishing a communication link between the server and a wireless device via the wireless fidelity network in response to detecting that the wireless device has entered a first boundary zone of the plurality of boundary zones; and

sending first product information from the server to the wireless device via the communication link, the first product information related to the goods available for purchase that are located within the first boundary zone, wherein the first product information is presented to a user via a graphical user interface at the wireless device, and wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical representation of the plurality of boundary zones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product information indicates at least one shelf that is located within the first boundary zone and indicates one or more goods located on the at least one shelf.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first product information presented via the graphical user interface includes a graphical representation of the goods available for purchase within the first boundary zone.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring a location of the wireless device;

detecting movement of the wireless device between the first boundary zone and a second boundary zone; and

providing second product information to the wireless device after detecting that the wireless device moved within the second boundary zone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a location of the wireless device within the second boundary zone is determined and wherein the graphical user interface is updated to display the determined location of the wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the plurality of boundary zones comprises:

an outer boundary representing a perimeter of a building;

at least one graphical representation of a product shelf; and

a plurality of virtual boundary zones adjacent to the at least one graphical representation of the product shelf, wherein each virtual boundary zone in the plurality of virtual boundary zones corresponds to one of the plurality of boundary zones.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing additional product information to the wireless device when a cursor displayed at the graphical user interface is moved within one of the plurality of virtual boundary zones.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting movement of the cursor to a particular virtual boundary zone; and

providing third product information to the wireless device in response to detecting the cursor movement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information includes at least one of a price of a product, a location of a product, a route to find a product, an availability of a product, a coupon for a product, a promotion for a product, and an advertisement for a product.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a plurality of boundary zones, each of the plurality of boundary zones corresponding to a physical boundary zone within a wireless fidelity network;

store product information related to goods available for purchase that are located within at least one boundary zone of the plurality of boundary zones;

establish a communication link between the server and a wireless device via the wireless fidelity network in response to detecting that the wireless device has entered a first boundary zone of the plurality of boundary zones; and

send first product information from the server to the wireless device via the communication link, the first product information related to the goods available for purchase that are located within the first boundary zone, wherein the first product information is accessible to a user of the wireless device via a graphical user interface, and wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical representation of the plurality of boundary zones.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions to transmit second product information to the wireless device based on a determination that the wireless device has moved to a second boundary zone within the wireless fidelity network.