WO2001020526A1 - Appareil d'organisation de listes d'achats et procede correspondant - Google Patents

Appareil d'organisation de listes d'achats et procede correspondant Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001020526A1
WO2001020526A1 PCT/US2000/025367 US0025367W WO0120526A1 WO 2001020526 A1 WO2001020526 A1 WO 2001020526A1 US 0025367 W US0025367 W US 0025367W WO 0120526 A1 WO0120526 A1 WO 0120526A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
information
computer
consumer
portable computer
store
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PCT/US2000/025367
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English (en)
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WO2001020526A9 (fr
Inventor
Jens H. Molbak
Ian Melanson
Original Assignee
Meals.Com
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Meals.Com filed Critical Meals.Com
Priority to AU74917/00A priority Critical patent/AU7491700A/en
Publication of WO2001020526A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001020526A1/fr
Publication of WO2001020526A9 publication Critical patent/WO2001020526A9/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device and process for assisting in the organization of purchasing decisions and activities and in particular to a portable or hand-held device which can receive and/or communicate information about bargains, offers, coupons, prices and the like for facilitating purchase decisions and/or comparison shopping.
  • a number of portable computing devices can be used to store, reorder or otherwise organize and display lists, including shopping lists.
  • laptop computers In addition to so-called laptop computers, relatively small computers and other electronic devices, such as so- called “palm top, " wireless (including e.g. internet cell phones) and/or "personal digital assistant” (PDA) computers have recently become widespread.
  • Many such computers can execute programs which include a facility to store and/or process lists, such as to-do lists, shopping lists, and the like. In some situations, such lists can be organized in various fashions such as by due dates, priorities and the like from a central data base (typically in accordance with dates or priorities manually input by the end user).
  • a purchaser even using a typical priority-based or due date-based list program, receives little or no assistance in such tasks as price-based, availability-based, location-based or other comparison shopping, e.g., for selecting at which store or stores to make purchases and/or which brands to purchase.
  • grocery shopping a purchaser typically receives little or no assistance from the program in connection with implementing dietary requirements or preferences or ingredient requirements or preferences (such as a shopper who needs or desires to purchase products which are low in, or free from, fats, sugar, salt and the like).
  • the shopper typically receives little or no assistance from typical list processing programs in taking greatest advantages of coupons, sales or other special offers, and, instead, typically must seek out information regarding such sales or offers, typically from various different sources, including electronic sources and print sources.
  • Typical previous list processing programs provided little or no assistance in assisting the shopper in organization (e.g., time organization) of one or more shopping trips such as organizing the order and routes to two or more shops, and corresponding lists therefor, e.g., so as to maximize efficiency or ordering a shopping list within any particular store to reflect the physical layout of merchandise within the store (e.g., ordering the list in the same order as the aisles within which the merchandise can be found).
  • promotions are offered or made at a point in time which may be too early, such as when audio, video or print promotions are presented in various media, typically while the consumer is watching television, reading a paper or magazine or listening to the radio, which is often well in advance of the time the purchaser is making a purchase decision, in the hopes that the purchaser will remember (or in the case of coupons, retain) the offer until such time as the purchaser is organizing a shopping trip.
  • the promotion is made or offered at a time which may be considered too late, such as after the purchase has been made (e.g., printing one or more coupons on the back of a grocery store receipt or, in the case of sales or offers displayed in the store, after the consumer has made up his or her shopping list).
  • such targeting involves the use of and accumulation of information regarding the shopping habits, economic status, geographic location and similar information regarding a consumer.
  • consumers may find some of the effects of such data accumulation to be beneficial (such as being sheltered from advertisements or promotions for goods or services in which the consumer has no interest), the privacy and other concerns of many consumers argue for the capability of a degree of control over the storage and dissemination of such information.
  • a particular retailer, manufacturer or service provider may have an interest in limiting or controlling access to information about its customers (particularly access to such information by its competitors), especially if the retailer, manufacturer or service provider has expended resources or efforts in gathering such information. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which can be implemented so as to give a consumer and/or seller a degree of control over storage and dissemination of information about the consumer.
  • a number of factors can enter into purchasing decisions, including factors such as price, quality, delivery time, store location, availability, selection and the like.
  • factors such as price, quality, delivery time, store location, availability, selection and the like.
  • some consumers may wish to limit the amount of information (e.g. relating to factors which are relatively less important to the consumer) lest purchase decisions become too time-consuming.
  • it would be useful to provide a shopping facilitator which can be customized to limit the shopping choices or shopping list choices, e.g. on the basis of price range, ingredients, quality, store location, store hours, brand preferences, total number of brand choices for each item, product size or quantity for each item and the like.
  • a portable, mobile, wireless including, e.g. an internet cell phone
  • a hand-held computer such as a personal digital assistant
  • PDA personal electronic interactive devices
  • the term "PDA” includes any of a number of types of personal electronic interactive devices, including without limitation, notebook computers, palm top computers, interactive electronic notepads or books, and generally includes devices that communicate over wires, cables or fibers, as well as those that communicate without wires cables or fibers, (i.e.
  • wireless devices such as by infrared or other freespace light communication, radio communication, using either terrestrial or satellite links or relays, cellular telephone (including cellular phone devices or systems that can provide internet access or "internet cellular phones"), networks such as local area networks, wide area networks or other communication systems and the like as will be clear to those of skill in the art after understanding the present invention.
  • the consumer enters items into the PDA (e.g. using a keyboard, handwriting or symbol recognition, voice recognition, or the like) as needs or desires are noted.
  • the data can be stored either locally or in a central database (e.g via internet transmission.)
  • the PDA can display or output information relating to various purchase options, such as different stores or other retail locations where the item can be purchased, different brands, colors, sizes, flavors, sales offers, coupons, discounts and the like available at two or more stores or for two or more products or brands, and the like.
  • the user can make a selection among stores, brands, sizes, flavors, colors, and the like using such information.
  • the PDA can provide an output (e.g. can print or display) a shopping list reflecting the choices made by the consumer and preferably organized with regard to the location of the store or stores selected by the consumer and/or location of items within the store or stores.
  • the consumer uses the PDA in-store during the shopping trip.
  • the consumer couples his or her PDA either using a wireless connection capability of the PDA or by using a connector in the store, e.g. at the beginning of the shopping trip, for such purposes as receiving promotional offers for items on the shopping list, providing a shopping list organized with respect to the location of shopping list items within that particular store, and the like.
  • the consumer's PDA is coupled (in a wired or wireless fashion) to a store computer at the time of checkout, for purposes such as updating the consumer shopping list (e.g.
  • the PDA may be coupled (in a wired or wireless fashion) to other computers, such as via an Internet or other remote communication link to provide the PDA with access to current coupon, sale, promotion, store location, product information or similar information, e.g. in order to present the most recent information to the consumer when the consumer makes shopping list choices.
  • some or all of the data storage and/or data processing capability is provided at a remote site (i.e., as opposed internal storage, within the PDA) such as by storing information or providing data processing at a retailer's main computer, a remote computer with which the consumer has registered or to which the consumer subscribes (or otherwise has access) and the like.
  • FIG. 1 depicts a system involving multiple linked or linkable computers for facilitating shopping according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a flow chart depicting a shopping facilitation procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a PDA 112 is configured for coupling to any or all of a plurality of other computers, such as a remote computer 1 14 either directly via an Internet 116 or other remote link, or indirectly via coupling to, e.g., a desktop computer 1 18 (e.g. by a physical connector such as a cable or fiber or using a wireless connection such as a radio or infrared (IR) link) which in turn may be coupled to a remote computer 1 14 (e.g. via an Internet or other remote link 122).
  • a remote computer 1 14 e.g. via an Internet or other remote link 122
  • IR infrared
  • the PDA may also (or alternatively) be connected (in a wired or wireless fashion) to a retail store computer 124 such as by being coupled to a PDA cradle 126 located in a retail store 128.
  • a consumer will enter shopping list items 212 into the PDA 1 12.
  • numerous methods of entering data can be used in the present invention, it is contemplated that, typically, a consumer will keep the PDA substantially or typically in his or her possession so that new items can be added to a shopping list as the consumer notices that items are needed or desired.
  • the consumer may add shopping list items while at home (e.g. while cooking, cleaning, in response to advertising and any other circumstances), while driving and/or at work.
  • the PDA may be configured to assist in the formation or maintenance of a shopping list such as by allowing the user to create a shopping list by selecting from displayed items.
  • the items displayed for selection can be based on standard or common shopping list items, can be based on previous shopping history (such as suggesting the addition of "cola” if past history suggests the consumer typically buys cola every week) and/or can be influenced by the desires of retailers, manufacturers or service providers to promote certain items.
  • the shopping facilitator software is configured to suggest purchase items in addition to those that may have been entered by the consumer. For example, the device may suggest the purchase of a gift prior to various relative's birthdays (possibly by co-ordinating with a calendar application on the PDA).
  • creation of a shopping list can be facilitated by coordination with a menu and/or recipe database. For example, in one embodiment, a consumer may select a number of meals desired during the week and the shopping facilitator will determine, from the recipe database, what items need to be purchased in order to have the ingredients on hand necessary to prepare such meals.
  • the PDA 112 can display to the consumer various choices for some or all items on the shopping list. For example, if during a previous time period the consumer had added "cola" to the shopping list 212, and the consumer has indicated that the shopping trip is to include grocery shopping (as opposed to, e.g., an exclusively hardware-item shopping trip), the computer, using downloaded information (obtained in a wired or wireless fashion), will display various cola purchase choices.
  • the consumer indicates a desire to organize a shopping trip or purchase activity, it may be desirable to filter or edit the thus-far accumulated shopping list.
  • the PDA may be configured to automatically extract, from the current accumulated shopping list, only grocery items (which may be identified as such by the consumer, at the time of entry, and/or by a word recognition procedure).
  • a shopping facilitator maybe configured to facilitate prepared food purchases such as restaurant purchases, take-out food purchases, delivery food purchases and the like, such as by presenting choices based on restaurant location, delivery times and areas, type of cuisine, price range, discounts, coupons and the like.
  • information will be downloaded (in a wired or wireless fashion) for storage in and/or display via the PDA, including, for example, store information, product information, promotional information and the like 214.
  • the downloading can occur continuously (e.g. in the case of a wireless Internet link), periodically (such as using automatic dial-up of an Internet or other computer link) or other dial-up links.
  • the PDA is configurable to automatically perform dial-up during night time hours or other times (to reduce or minimize connection costs or inconvenience) or on demand (such as when a consumer initiates a dial-up or other connection at the time the user chooses to make choices and organize the shopping list).
  • downloaded information can include offering or notifying of events such as shows, concerts, plays, public meetings, or offers of services such as transportation services (plane tickets, subway tickets or passes and the like), communication services (long distance, phone services or calling cards, cellular telephone time, internet time and the like).
  • the shopping facilitator program in addition to assisting in identifying concerts or similar events of interest, can provide assistance in purchasing admissions or tickets to such events such as by displaying seat availability and prices, and/or automatically performing ticket purchases (e.g. using stored credit card information).
  • the purchase of tickets results in the storing, on the PDA, of "virtual" or electronic admission tickets.
  • Such electronic tickets are configured such that admission to this service or event is provided when the consumer uses his or her PDA to display or establish or communicate the electronic ticket information at the ticket gate and/or provides proper identification at the ticket or admission gate.
  • the consumer downloads information from a remote site 114 which has been established for providing some or all pertinent information to assist the consumer in shopping decisions.
  • the downloaded information may be coordinated with other applications or information on the PDA, such as a calendar application.
  • information to be downloaded can potentially include advertisements, events or offers relating to time-dependent events or items such as concert tickets.
  • the shopping list application in connection with advertising or offering a concert event, will coordinate with a calendar application to determine if the consumer already has another engagement conflicting with the concert, of which the consumer should be made aware before offering the concert ticket.
  • the information may be provided in return for a subscription payment or other payment by the consumer and/or may be provided at reduced or no cost to the consumer.
  • the service provided by the remote computer 1 14 may be funded by manufacturers, retailers, service providers and the like. The service may be provided without conditions (e.g.
  • the PDA can download some or all information (in a wired or wireless fashion) from the store computer 124 of a particular retail location, service provider or the like. Further, it is possible for the PDA to be configured to connect to numerous remote computers for downloading pertinent information.
  • the PDA (or a coupled computer such as desktop computer 118) can be provided with a configurable so-called software "agent" which is configured to download information from various sites according to the preferences of the consumer (or, in some cases, the preferences of a manufacturer, retailer or service provider).
  • the PDA obtains access to various types of information that can be used to assist the consumer in making purchase choices. Although it is possible to store the pertinent information in the memory on-board a PDA, in situations where large amounts of on-board memory may not be available, some or all information may be stored (using wired or wireless communication) in any or all of various remote computers 1 18, 114, 124 in exclusive, duplicative or distributed fashion.
  • the PDAs may be provided at reduced, or no cost, to consumers by a retailer, manufacturer or service provider (or groups thereof).
  • PDAs may be provided by an entity at reduced, or no cost, to consumers but provided with (preferably non-modifiable) programming which permits the entity to affect the manner in which advertising and/or offers are displayed or otherwise provided to the consumer.
  • the entity can, in this scenario, obtain revenues by selling advertising or other marketing items to manufacturers, retailers, or service providers which will be shown to users of the PDAs distributed by such entity.
  • PDAs maybe purchased, at full price, by consumers who may wish to have shopping assistance device which is not skewed toward any particular manufacturer, retailer, or service provider (or groups thereof).
  • PDAs may be rented to consumers. Such rental arrangements may be coupled with a guarantee of (or offset in the amount of) the monthly savings the consumer can expect to achieve by use of the PDA.
  • Various other ways for financing PDAs and similar hardware will be understood by those of skill in the art after understanding the present invention.
  • Different embodiments of the present invention can result in various kinds of choice displays for the consumer.
  • the particular choice display provided to the computer, among the various possibilities for choice displays, can be selected in numerous fashions.
  • the PDA 112 maybe programmed or configured so that only a single type of choice display is available.
  • a particular retailer (or retail chain) 128 may distribute PDAs 112 to some or all of its customers on a reduced-cost or free basis but may configure such distributed PDA such that those PDAs display only choices available at the retail location of that particular retail store or chain. It is also possible for a group of retail stores or chains (either all of the same type, e.g.
  • a plurality of grocery stores or a range of store types (such as a grocery chain, a hardware chain, a drugstore chain and the like) to form a group distributing PDAs at low or no cost to their customers and, in this case, the distributing chains might distribute PDAs which are configured to present choices only for those chains or stores in the group. It is also possible, e.g. for goodwill purposes or other purposes, for a chain to distribute PDAs at reduced or low cost (or at full cost) which are not limited or restricted, in the choice display, to a particular store or chain. In another embodiment, the consumer maybe given the option to affect the choice display.
  • a consumer may be permitted to specify that he or she wishes to see only those choices available at a particular store or group of stores, only those choices available within a certain geographic area, within a certain price range, and the like.
  • the consumer may be permitted to specify that he or she wishes to see only a specified number of choices such as the three least expensive choice, the three choices with the best coupon or promotional offers and the like.
  • the consumer may be permitted to specify that the consumer wishes to include only one store (or only a specified number of stores) in the shopping trip and wishes to purchase items at the store (or group of stores) so as to minimize the total cost of items on the shopping list.
  • discounts or other offers may be provided with a time limit, executed by or in connection with the PDA and/or store computer.
  • a time limit executed by or in connection with the PDA and/or store computer.
  • a consumer enters a store and optionally couples a PDA to an in-store computer (in a wired or wireless fashion)
  • it may be desired to present one or more discounts or offers intended to be used during the current shopping trip such as by making an offer which is valid for, e.g. 90 minutes and which will be erased from (or deactivated in) the PDA after that time.
  • the consumer might be presented with three cola choices: a 6-pack of Brand X, a 6-pack of Brand Y or a 12-pack of Brand Y, with the price per ounce, coupons or other promotions available and the like displayed, and, where applicable, the store locations where the products are available.
  • the consumer will make a selection among these choices (or based wholly or partly on promotions, coupons, discounts offers or the like) which will be received by the PDA 112 or other computer 218.
  • offers preferably, but not necessarily, personalized and/or targeted to particular consumers or households
  • email messages may have one or more links to web sites or other internet facilities for shopping assistance.
  • the computer 112 or 1 18 can provide a shopping list, e.g., printed or displayed, preferably displayable on the PDA 112, 222.
  • the shopping list is organized to assist the shopper such as providing separate lists for each store where items are to be purchased during the shopping trip
  • the shopping list is organized in the order the items are located withm the store, such as in the order of their aisle location within the store
  • Information about location of items within stores can be provided to the PDA 112 or desktop computer 1 18 (m a wired or wireless fashion) as part of the download procedure described above or can be provided, e.g. to the PDA by downloading to the PDA directly from the store computer 124, e.g. at the time the consumer enters the store.
  • the discounts, coupons or other offers, advertising and the like which are downloaded for presenting to the consumer are designed or selected at least in part in accordance with certain characteristics of the consumer. For example, it may be preferred to present certain offers or advertising only to consumers who have certain types of purchase histories (e.g. who typically make at least a threshold monthly dollar amount of purchases, either of a particular type or total purchases), to consumers to have a history of buying certain types of products or certain brands, to consumers who have certain demographic characteristics (geographic location, income, family size and so forth), to consumers who have indicated certain preferences or desires (sizes, colors, flavors and the like) and so forth.
  • certain types of purchase histories e.g. who typically make at least a threshold monthly dollar amount of purchases, either of a particular type or total purchases
  • consumers to have a history of buying certain types of products or certain brands e.g. who typically make at least a threshold monthly dollar amount of purchases, either of a particular type or total purchases
  • consumers to have a history of buying certain types of products or certain brands
  • a consumer is offered an opportunity to enter data into the PDA (e.g in response to "questionnaires" describing preferences, purchase history, demographic information and similar information).
  • the PDA may store (or communicate to another computer such as a store computer and the like, for storage therein) purchase history information as a result of executed or processed shopping lists or transactions performed using the PDA
  • the preference, demographic or purchase history information can also be obtained from consumer information entities and downloaded, e.g using download techniques similar to those described above.
  • Provision of such targeted advertising or offers can be of benefit to both consumers (who can benefit from the most beneficial coupons and offers and are relieved of many advertisements for products or services in which the consumer has little interest), and manufacturers, retailers or service providers (who can benefit by reducing expenditure of marketing resources on non-targeted consumers).
  • the consumer and/or retailer, manufacturer, service provider or other seller may have some sensitivity to the manner in which sales history, demographic or other information about the customer is disseminated or used.
  • the system of the present invention can facilitate a degree of control over such user dissemination.
  • the customer is preferably provided with an option to configure the PDA to prevent or limit the downloading of certain information.
  • certain preferences colors, flavors, sizes and the like, e.g.
  • the consumer may be permitted to block or prevent the downloading of such information to any remote computer or to select categories for remote computers, or the consumer may be permitted to permit or allow downloading of some types of information while blocking others, such as downloading preference information while blocking downloading of demographic information.
  • the PDA will be carried, by the consumer, during the shopping trip, it is also possible, as a result, of the organization of the shopping trip list, to output a printed list for use during the shopping trip and/or to provide the shopping list to a store or an independent shopper selecting items, based on the list for purchase (and delivery to the consumer).
  • the PDA can be used to provide advertising or offers to a consumer during the shopping trip.
  • a consumer may be provided with the opportunity to couple a PDA (in a wired or wireless fashion) to an in- store computer (such as by placing it an in-store coupling "cradle" 126), e.g. at the beginning of a visit to the store whereupon the in-store computer can download information for displaying various offers, to the consumer, on the PDA.
  • These offers or advertisements can be displayed immediately, continuously, on a rotating basis, at periodic or random times during the shopping trip, or can be based on the movement, pauses, or location of the consumer within the store (e.g. sensed using an electronic locator system based on the location of the PDA), information to permit such in-store displays of advertising or offers can, if desired, be related to some or all items on the shopping list and/or can be related to information about customer characteristics such as preferences, purchase history, demographic information and the like.
  • the PDA can also be used in connection with the checkout or payment procedure. For example, when one or more coupons or offers have been created specific to a particular consumer (or limited to a select group of consumers) the information about such offers should be taken into account when determining the amount due. Furthermore, when offers were provided having an expiration time or date, the validity of the offers should be verified when calculating the amount due. These items can be accomplished or facilitated by storing information pertinent to such offers in the PDA for use during the checkout procedure. In addition to coupon information, other information which can be stored in the PDA, for use during the checkout procedure, includes information such as customer identification numbers ("frequent shopper" numbers), credit card information (e.g. if the consumer wishes to make the purchase using a credit card or debit card) and the like.
  • information from the PDA should be provided to the store computer or checkout computer.
  • this procedure might involve relatively high hardware costs and may involve making modifications to the store's checkout software which could be expensive and/or otherwise unacceptable.
  • the checkout or store computer automatically by displaying bar codes (or similar scannable codes) on the PDA screen which are scanned by the store point of sale (POS) bar code scanners.
  • the PDA screen is used for displaying bar codes in accordance with bar coding systems commonly used for printed coupons and/or universal product code (UPC) standards. Since store checkout software is often already configured for scanning printed coupons, this feature can be implemented with little or no reprogramming of store software. Similarly, many stores are already configured to scan and receive bar codes indicative of customer identification information ("frequent shopper" number) so that this type of information can be input with little or no modification of store software.
  • a consumer may couple to (or otherwise interact with) the store computer (in a wired or wireless fashion) , e.g. at the beginning of the shopping trip (e.g. via the cradle 126 as described above) and, at that time, receive a (possibly temporary) identification number (possibly linked to the customer's credit card or other information downloaded to the store computer via the cradle link 126).
  • the number may be stored in the PDA, for use during check out (as described below) or may be printed, e.g. in barcode format, for scanning or other entry, for use at checkout.
  • the (possibly temporary) identification number can be entered into the POS computer via scanning a barcode (displayed on the PDA screen or in printed form) containing the "temporary" identification number, for facilitating the transaction (e.g. charging to the customer's credit card, if desired, or storing the customer's telephone number for notification of the receipt of a back-ordered item or the like) at the time of checkout.
  • a temporary number is coupled to a set or suite of discounts or offers available to that consumer such that, at check-out, upon scanning-in a bar code (displayed on the PDA, or printed-out at a kiosk) corresponding to that number the entire suite of offers available to the consumer can be applied, as appropriate.
  • family shopping lists can be coordinated by a replication process in which, each time a family member's PDA is coupled to a website computer, store computer or other central computer, all new items added by that family member are uploaded to the central site (in a wired or wireless fashion) and a new augmented shopping list (including items input by all family members, and also modified to reflect any purchases of shopping list items which have been made by other family members) is downloaded (in a wired or wireless fashion) to the individual's PDA.
  • the "current" shopping list reflects only items currently needed or desired by the consumer.
  • the items deleted or marked as "purchased” are similarly deleted or marked in the PDA's of family members of the same purchasing family, e.g. using a replication procedure such as that described above.
  • the present invention can assist a consumer in making purchasing decisions, e.g. by facilitating the creation and maintenance of shopping lists.
  • the present invention provides for a PDA or other portable computing and/or display device which implements some or all of the shopping facilitator features but which is preferably sufficiently portable that it can be substantially constantly available to the consumer for entry of items onto the shopping list, as needs or ideas arise and can be available to the consumer during the shopping trip to facilitate shopping, facilitate taking advantage of offers, coupons, and the like.
  • Purchasing decisions can be facilitated by presenting the consumer with a choice of among a variety of purchasing options or choices for some or all items on a shopping list. Purchase choices can reflect discounts, coupons or other offers available for various purchase items.
  • Shopping lists can be organized to reflect the location of the stores and/or the location of items within the store.
  • frequent shopper programs of the type in which accumulated purchase totals or points count toward purchase discounts or similar benefits at a particular retailer or chain
  • frequent shopper points or "meta" frequent shopper points can be configured to award points based on use of the PDA and/or shopping assistance program.
  • information stored on the PDA is, from time to time, backed up by replicating on another computer such as a desktop or other personal computer, website computer, store computer or the like.
  • the present invention in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombmations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure.
  • the present invention includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g. for improving performance, achieving ease and ⁇ or reducing cost of implementation.

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  • Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Abstract

Selon l'invention, un utilisateur se sert d'un assistant numérique personnel (PDA, 112) pour entrer des données d'identification concernant les articles qu'il désire acheter, de manière à compiler une liste d'achats. Lorsque l'utilisateur fait ses courses, le PDA (112) présente des choix, des offres et des rabais qui correspondent aux articles figurant sur la liste d'achats afin de faciliter la sélection d'un produit particulier qui correspond à une entrée sur la liste d'achats, de préférence pendant que l'utilisateur fait ses courses; la liste d'achats est organisée de manière à faciliter les achats, par exemple, en arrangeant les articles dans l'ordre selon lequel ils sont disposés dans les allées du magasin. On peut présenter à l'utilisateur des bons, des rabais et d'autres offres en fonction des articles figurant sur sa liste d'achats, des informations sur l'historique de ses préférences en matière d'achats, des données démographiques et des informations similaires. Les procédures de paiement ou de passage à la caisse sont facilitées par l'utilisation du dispositif de calcul portatif (114, 118) grâce à la communication du numéro d'acheteur régulier ou d'autres informations d'identification de l'acheteur ou relatives à sa carde de crédit ou de débit ainsi que d'informations sur les bons, rabais ou autres offres.
PCT/US2000/025367 1999-09-15 2000-09-14 Appareil d'organisation de listes d'achats et procede correspondant WO2001020526A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU74917/00A AU7491700A (en) 1999-09-15 2000-09-14 Shopping list organizer apparatus and method

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15412399P 1999-09-15 1999-09-15
US60/154,123 1999-09-15

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001020526A1 true WO2001020526A1 (fr) 2001-03-22
WO2001020526A9 WO2001020526A9 (fr) 2002-11-21

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PCT/US2000/025367 WO2001020526A1 (fr) 1999-09-15 2000-09-14 Appareil d'organisation de listes d'achats et procede correspondant

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU7491700A (fr)
WO (1) WO2001020526A1 (fr)

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GB2382192A (en) * 2000-07-20 2003-05-21 Multichannel Retail Ltd System for making purchases at a shopping centre of the self-service type.
US6587835B1 (en) 2000-02-09 2003-07-01 G. Victor Treyz Shopping assistance with handheld computing device
WO2003058529A1 (fr) * 2002-01-04 2003-07-17 Lockheed Martin Corporation Instrument logistique d'aide a l'achat et procede d'utilisation associe
FR2863383A1 (fr) * 2003-12-05 2005-06-10 Drom Technologies Procede et systeme pour effectuer des achats a distance
WO2006056012A1 (fr) * 2004-11-26 2006-06-01 Gregory Joseph Phillips Procede et systeme d'assistance aux consommateurs
US7308356B2 (en) 2002-01-30 2007-12-11 Comverse, Inc. Wireless personalized self-service network
EP2026272A1 (fr) * 2007-08-09 2009-02-18 Alcatel Lucent Système et procédé de gestion d'offres promotionnelles à destination de consommateurs situés a proximité d'étalages d'un centre commercant
US7725842B2 (en) 2003-04-24 2010-05-25 Bronkema Valentina G Self-attainable analytic tool and method for adaptive behavior modification
US9626697B2 (en) 2013-12-08 2017-04-18 Marshall Feature Recognition Llc Method and apparatus for accessing electronic data via a plurality of electronic tags
US10650434B2 (en) 2016-03-09 2020-05-12 Walmart Apollo, Llc Predictive shopping

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USRE34915E (en) * 1984-11-26 1995-04-25 Coupco, Inc. Paperless system for distributing, redeeming and clearing merchandise coupons
US5227874A (en) * 1986-03-10 1993-07-13 Kohorn H Von Method for measuring the effectiveness of stimuli on decisions of shoppers
US5544040A (en) * 1991-08-09 1996-08-06 Gerbaulet; Jean-Pierre System for management of common purchase operations for goods and services
US5664110A (en) * 1994-12-08 1997-09-02 Highpoint Systems, Inc. Remote ordering system
US5857175A (en) * 1995-08-11 1999-01-05 Micro Enhancement International System and method for offering targeted discounts to customers
US5873069A (en) * 1995-10-13 1999-02-16 American Tv & Appliance Of Madison, Inc. System and method for automatic updating and display of retail prices
US5918213A (en) * 1995-12-22 1999-06-29 Mci Communications Corporation System and method for automated remote previewing and purchasing of music, video, software, and other multimedia products
US5937391A (en) * 1996-07-11 1999-08-10 Fujitsu Limited Point-service system in online shopping mall

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8577734B2 (en) 2000-02-09 2013-11-05 Vengte Software Ag Limited Liability Company Method and medium for facilitate mobile shopping
US6587835B1 (en) 2000-02-09 2003-07-01 G. Victor Treyz Shopping assistance with handheld computing device
US8612294B1 (en) 2000-02-09 2013-12-17 Vengte Software Ag Limited Liability Company Handheld computing device systems
GB2382192A (en) * 2000-07-20 2003-05-21 Multichannel Retail Ltd System for making purchases at a shopping centre of the self-service type.
WO2003058529A1 (fr) * 2002-01-04 2003-07-17 Lockheed Martin Corporation Instrument logistique d'aide a l'achat et procede d'utilisation associe
US7200567B2 (en) * 2002-01-04 2007-04-03 Lockheed Martin Corporation Purchasing aid logistics appliance and method for use
US7308356B2 (en) 2002-01-30 2007-12-11 Comverse, Inc. Wireless personalized self-service network
US7725842B2 (en) 2003-04-24 2010-05-25 Bronkema Valentina G Self-attainable analytic tool and method for adaptive behavior modification
FR2863383A1 (fr) * 2003-12-05 2005-06-10 Drom Technologies Procede et systeme pour effectuer des achats a distance
WO2005057442A2 (fr) * 2003-12-05 2005-06-23 Drom Technologies Procede et systeme pour effectuer des achats a distance
WO2005057442A3 (fr) * 2003-12-05 2005-08-18 Drom Technologies Procede et systeme pour effectuer des achats a distance
WO2006056012A1 (fr) * 2004-11-26 2006-06-01 Gregory Joseph Phillips Procede et systeme d'assistance aux consommateurs
EP2026272A1 (fr) * 2007-08-09 2009-02-18 Alcatel Lucent Système et procédé de gestion d'offres promotionnelles à destination de consommateurs situés a proximité d'étalages d'un centre commercant
US9626697B2 (en) 2013-12-08 2017-04-18 Marshall Feature Recognition Llc Method and apparatus for accessing electronic data via a plurality of electronic tags
US10650434B2 (en) 2016-03-09 2020-05-12 Walmart Apollo, Llc Predictive shopping

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU7491700A (en) 2001-04-17
WO2001020526A9 (fr) 2002-11-21

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