WO2017115286A1

WO2017115286A1 - Teleportation to virtual digital store

Info

Publication number: WO2017115286A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/058032
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rishi TANDON; Manoj KHOLIA; Praveen AGARWAL
Original assignee: Tandon Rishi; Kholia Manoj; Agarwal Praveen
Priority date: 2015-12-28
Filing date: 2016-12-28
Publication date: 2017-07-06

Abstract

The present invention relates to digital communication and in particularly relates to methods, apparatus and systems for accessing one or more items from a virtual digital store over a network. The present invention relates to scanning a digital code using an electronic device. Once the digital code is scanned, the associated virtual store and its associated contents are rendered instantaneously to the mobile device. Thereafter, the user can access the virtual store and its associated contents in a manner similar to as if the user of accessing a physical store and the contents displayed therein.

Description

TELEPORTATION TO VIRTUAL DIGITAL STORE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to digital communication and in particularly relates to methods, apparatus and systems for accessing one or more items from a virtual digital store over a network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

In the world of internet, a wide variety of business models have been utilized in conducting business on the global communication network using the Internet. Internet allows parties to buy, sell and shop in thousands of different locations and stores. Thus, the Internet has opened up a variety of contacts between persons and businesses in ways that were not possible before. Businesses and, particularly, advertising companies have attempted to utilize the Internet to sell their products to broader audiences.

The businesses owners have started developing their own individual websites to showcase their products and to increase the visibility in the market. However, creating websites and maintaining the websites becomes cumbersome for the business owners. Several e-commerce platforms have come up that overcome the problems relating to creating and maintaining the websites for the business owners. Such e-commerce platforms allow the business owners to showcase their products along with the details including product description, product image, prices etc. on their platform. By "clicking" on the item or indicating a choice in some other conventional way, a shopper may purchase an item on-line.

Given the typical on-line web site for retail establishments, on-line shopping at such stores may be a pale comparison to shopping in the physical store, both in terms of the shopping experience and the level of service provided. Online shopping may offer many conveniences over shopping in a physical store and has been widely adopted by customers for its ease and convenience. However, the online shopping experience can be isolating and lacks the advantages of interactivity. Many shoppers, particularly those who like to shop, do not feel comfortable shopping on-line and prefer the "look and feel" of a real store to a virtual one. Strictly on-line shops, lack personal and digital social interaction; such interaction can greatly stimulate a sale of the product or service. Such on-line shops lack effective user interaction at a personal and social level in a physical context.

Several mechanisms and platforms have developed that help in creating virtual stores that provide a way for shoppers to shop in a convenient and comfortable way on-line. With emerging technologies, such as three-dimensional internet (3Di) and virtual worlds, becoming popular, retailers are turning to these technologies to sell their products online. Creating these three-dimensional (3D) web stores becomes extremely time-consuming as well as costly. Further, every time a user has to go to the web browser and search for a particular virtual store in order to access the same. While computer hardware is becoming faster and cheaper and Internet access speeds are increasingly faster and broadband connections more prevalent, the process of accessing the virtual stores and buying goods on-line has not changed since the beginning of web browsing.

Moreover, in the existing systems, a consumer will normally have to go to multiple websites looking for the things that they may be interested in purchasing, then making multiple purchasing stops, entering personal information multiple times to complete their purchases. This can result in significant amounts of time looking for the right products to purchase and in completing those purchases. In addition, the existing systems do not provide an advantage to the business owners in terms of enhancing their visibility in the market.

Thus, there is a long felt need that provides a mechanism and a platform that provides user friendly and easy access to the products showcased online with minimal user input. There exists a need that saves consumer time in searching and going to physical store or business for information about product & service and purchasing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to scanning a digital code using an electronic device. Once the digital code is scanned, the associated virtual store and its associated contents are rendered instantaneously to the mobile device. Thereafter, the user can access the virtual store and its associated contents in a manner similar to as if the user of accessing a physical store and the contents displayed therein. It is an object of the invention to provide mechanism for a user friendly and easy access to the items/products showcased online with a single click.

A method of providing access to one or more items is provided. The method comprising: receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

scanning said digital code based on the request;

sending a request for identifying the virtual store assigned to scanned digital code;

identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code;

rendering one or more contents associated with identified the virtual store; providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.

A system for providing access to one or more items is provided. The system comprising: a receiver for receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

a scanning device for scanning said digital code based on the request;

a transmitter for sending a request for identifying the virtual store assigned to scanned digital code;

a processing unit for identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code;

a rendering unit for rendering one or more contents associated with identified the virtual store; and

a controlling unit further providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.

It is another object of the invention to provide method and systems that save consumer time in searching and going to physical store or business for information about product & service and purchasing.

It is further object of the invention to create unified system that realistically conveys the physical store's intended atmosphere, environment, and customer's shopping experience, which uniquely brands that store.

It is an object of the invention to provide a single platform for providing access to a plurality of virtual shops or stores and preserves effective user interaction at a personal and social level in a physical context transforming it from a strictly on-line context.

It is an object of the invention to provide a more realistic online shopping experience that mimics the experience of shopping at a physical store more closely.

It is a further object of the invention to enable users to create one or more lists of what the user may need to buy during a virtual shopping experience at the store based upon historical or predetermined ordering patterns or upon actual selections at the time the user is virtually shopping.

It is a further object of the invention to monitor and analyse user behaviours and historical patterns during a virtual store experience. To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Figures:

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a flow chart for a method of accessing the contents online in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a device for accessing the contents online in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 shows a flow chart for a method of providing access to one or more contents in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 shows a device for providing access to one or more contents in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 shows a flow chart for a method of providing access to one or more contents in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 shows an exemplary implementation of the present invention; and

Figure 6 illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a computer system, which is representative of a hardware environment for practicing the present invention;

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein. Detailed Description:

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to "an aspect", "another aspect" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart for a method of accessing one or more items in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The method 100 includes a step 102 for receiving a request for scanning a digital code. The digital code being associated with a virtual store and may include, but not limited to, a bar code, a QR code etc.. The digital code may be in a printed form or embedded electronically. For instance, the digital code may be printed on a hoarding, a pamphlet, any paper article etc.. The digital code may also be embedded electronically and read from emails, social networking websites, any image etc. In the preferred embodiment, the digital code associated with a virtual store is a QR code. The virtual store as referred herein represents a real physical store in a digital form. The present invention caters to various categories of real physical stores including but not limited to, clothing stores, grocery stores, jewellery stores, stationary stores, mobile stores, electronic stores, shoe store, hardware store, etc.

In an embodiment, the virtual store is created by converting video and still images of a real physical store into digital information. The media components that form part of the virtual store include, but not limited to, photos of physical store location, video clips of the store and audio clips etc. The more the images of the physical store the better the virtual reality experience. The virtual store may also include pictures of the staff of the store to provide the complete atmosphere of the store. Apart from the above, the virtual store primarily includes photos of merchandise/items to sell, the textual information about the merchandise to sell in the store and Audio and Video Clips describing the merchandise to sell in the store etc.. By navigating through the virtual store, shoppers can virtually transact in a manner similar to how they would transact at the real physical store. In an exemplary implementation, the users can virtually travel down aisles with a virtual shopping basket or cart and view images of the aisles and products as they are actually displayed in the real physical store. The virtual store may also be created any other manner that is well known to a person skilled in the art.

In an embodiment, the electronic device is selected from a group comprising a smartphone, smart glass, virtual reality 3D devices, smart watch, smart television, PDA, tablets, netBooks, e- readers and other wearable and handheld smart devices.

The method further includes step 104 for scanning the digital code based on the request received in step 102. The digital code may be scanned using one or more scanning units including, but not limited to, bar code sensors, in-built camera, QR code readers etc. provided in the electronic device. The method further includes sending a request for identifying the virtual store assigned to the scanned digital code in step 106. The scanned digital code is mapped with the pre-stored list of digital codes to identify the virtual store assigned/corresponding to the scanned digital code. Once the virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code is identified, the virtual store and it's associated one or more contents/items are rendered in step 108. The rendered virtual store and it's associated one or more contents/items are accessed by the user as indicated in step 110. The one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store may include photos of the corresponding physical store location, video clips of the store and audio clips, pictures of the staff of the store, photos of merchandise/items to sell, the textual information about the merchandise to sell in the store and Audio and Video Clips describing the merchandise to sell in the store etc.. It is to be noticed that accessing the one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store is equivalent to accessing the complete virtual store in itself.

In an embodiment, the method 100 further includes displaying one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store to the user on the display screen of the electronic device.

In an embodiment, the step 108 of accessing the one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store include, but not limited to, viewing the images of one or more contents/items; accessing the details of one or more products such as description, manufacture, date of manufacture, available quantity etc., placing an order in respect of one or more products, making a transaction in respect of one or more products, assigning one or more products as favourites or putting them in a wish list column. By way of an example, when the user locates a product that he would potentially like to purchase, he may view the product in a 3D interactive virtual reality manner as if at the store and viewing the product. The user may interactively rotate the product in any and all possible 360 degree rotations, zoom in and out, and interact with the merchandise in a life-like manner. In another example of a virtual store of an electronic store, the access may include the operation of movable parts and the generation of sounds relating to an electronic device, such as opening and closing of a compact disc (CD) player , insertion of a CD , playing virtual CDs, and playing the AM and FM radio stations, all in 3D view. Depending upon the nature of the business related to the virtual store, different types of access may be possible and fall within the scope of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, each of the product /merchandise associated with the virtual store is linked with a unique bar code. The unique bar code may be scanned by the user for accessing the corresponding product/merchandise.

In an embodiment, the method 100 further includes provisioning sending of a request for interacting with a representative/ administrator of the virtual store.

In an embodiment, the method 100 further includes provisioning sending of a request in respect of particular item or product representative/ administrator of the virtual store. In an embodiment, the method 100 further includes storing the received one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store for future purposes. In another embodiment, the method 100 further includes monitoring and storing the details of the contents accessed by the user. The storing may be performed in the memory of the electronic device or on cloud.

Referring to Figure 2, a device 200 for accessing one or more contents/items in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The device 200 includes a first receiver 202 for receiving a request for scanning a digital code. The device 204 further includes a scanning unit 204 for scanning the digital code based on the received request. The scanning unit 204 may include bar code sensors, in-built camera, QR code readers etc. that work in operational interconnection with each other for the purposes of scanning the digital code. The device 200 further includes a transmitter 206 for sending a request for identifying the virtual store associated with the scanned digital code. The device 200 further includes a rendering unit 208 for receiving the contents associated with the identified virtual store. A controlling unit 210 is further provided for accessing the received one or more contents associated with the identified virtual store. The controlling unit 210 may include one or more processors, micro-controllers, microprocessors etc. The device 200 further includes a display unit 212 and a memory unit 214 for displaying and storing the virtual store and the associated one or more contents. The device 200 may include a software based application using standard TCP/IP protocol that will operate in interconnection with the aforesaid units to enable the users to view the virtual store on their devices. An input/ output unit 216 is further provided for receiving one or more inputs from the user. The device 200 further includes a power supply unit 218 for supplying power to various units of the device 200. Each of the aforesaid units including are operably interconnected to each other. In an embodiment, the first receiver 202, second receiver 208, transmitter 206 may form part of a standalone module.

Referring to Figure 3, a flow chart for a method for providing access to one or more contents in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The method 300 includes a step 302 for receiving a request for identifying a virtual store and its associated contents corresponding to a scanned digital code. The method 300 further includes ascertaining, at step 304, whether the scanned digital code corresponds one of the pre-stored digital codes or not. On positive ascertaining in step 304, the virtual store and the associated one or more contents corresponding to the scanned digital code are identified in step 306. The method 300 further includes transmitting, at step 308, the virtual store and the associated one or more contents identified in step 306 to the user.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes provisioning access to one or more contents associated with the virtual store transmitted in step 308. In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes assigning a unique digital code to each of the plurality of virtual stores.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes creating a list of plurality of virtual stores and their associated unique digital codes.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes storing the list of plurality of virtual stores and their associated unique digital codes in a cloud or local memory.

In an embodiment, on negative ascertaining in step 304, the method 300 includes transmitting an error notification to the user. The error notification may be, but not limited to, in the form of a popup message, a flash message, a USSD message, an SMS etc.

In an embodiment, on negative ascertaining in step 304, the method 300 includes sending a request to the user to provide additional inputs pertaining to the details of the store or product the user is looking for. Based on the additional inputs received from the user and also on the users location, the method 300 includes providing one or more options relating to the virtual store to the user.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes keeping a track of the one or more contents/items/merchandise accessed by the user.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes notifying the concerned administrator of the virtual store when the corresponding virtual store is rendered/ access by the user device. The notification may include, but not limited to, providing contact details of the user, details of items accessed by the user, time of access, current location of the user, and any request made by the user etc.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes provisioning access to the administrator of the virtual store to change any of the details associated with the virtual store. This may include, changing the pictures, videos, audios, contact details, product/merchandize details etc. associated with the virtual store. The method 300 further includes updating the virtual store and the associated contents if any change is made by the administrator.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes providing provisioning access to the administrator of the virtual store to change any of the details associated with the virtual store. This may include, changing the pictures, videos, audios, contact details, product/merchandize details etc. associated with the virtual store. The method 300 further includes updating the virtual store and the associated contents if any change is made by the administrator.

In an embodiment, the method 300 further includes prompting the user details of other virtual stores. The details of other virtual stores may be promoted based on the similarity of the nature of business associated with the virtual store currently being accessed by the user, location of the user, past user actions etc..

Referring to Figure 4, a device 400 for providing access to one or more contents in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The device 400 includes a receiver 402 for receiving a request for identifying a virtual store assigned to a scanned digital code. A controlling unit 404 is provided for ascertaining whether the scanned digital code corresponds to one of the pre- stored digital codes or not. A processing unit 406 is further provided for identifying the virtual store and the associated one or more contents corresponding to the scanned digital code. The device 400 further includes a transmitter 408 for transmitting the one or more contents associated with the identified virtual store. A memory unit 410 is provided for storing the details of the plurality of virtual stores, mapping list of the plurality of virtual stores and their associated unique digital codes. The memory unit 410 may also semantically collect and store data that identifies the user actions with the virtual store. The data may be used to determine which products may be of interest to the user. The device 400 further includes a power supply unit 412 for supplying power to various units of the device 400. An input/ output unit 216 is further provided for receiving one or more inputs from an administrator for making any changes to the stored details or for provisioning any request. The device 400 may further include modules for facilitating downloading and streaming of the "virtual store" to the devices scanning the digital code. Each of the aforesaid units including are in operational interconnection with each other. In an embodiment, the controlling unit 404 and processing unit 406 may form part of a standalone module.

In an embodiment, the device 200 as referred in figure 2 and the device 400 as referred in Figure 4 operate in client server architecture. In the exemplary implementation, the user of device 200 scans a digital code that is associated with a virtual store created in respect of a real physical store. Once the digital code is scanned, the details of the scanned digital code are transmitted to device 400 that analyses the scanned digital code to ascertain whether the scanned digital code corresponds to any of the pre-stored list of digital codes. Each of the digital codes in the pre-stored list is associated with a virtual store created in respect of a physical store. The association between a digital code and its corresponding virtual store is pre-assigned. If ascertained that the scanned digital code corresponds to one of the digital codes in the pre-stored list of digital codes, the virtual store and its associated contents are transmitted to device 200. The transmitted virtual store and its associated contents are thereafter rendered on device 200. Once the virtual store and its associated contents are rendered on device 200, the user can thereafter access the virtual store and its associated contents. Thus, it may be noticed by doing a single scan/ click, the user straight way is able access to a virtual store and inherently access a physical real store. The present invention avoids the time consumed when the user opens the web browser and manually enters the website to access a virtual store or any of the available products/ items/merchandize. Further, the present invention by utilizing the concept of virtual store system preserves effective user interaction at a personal and social level. Further, the user gets the information of all the business/ physical stores using a single platform. In an embodiment, client - server devices may be implemented on a cloud network. Implementation on a cloud network provides an easy access through the use of mobile or PC without any hardware installations.

Referring to Figure 5, a method of providing access to one or more items is illustrated in a flow chart. The method 500 comprises:

Step 502 of receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

Step 504 of scanning said digital code based on the request;

Step 506 of sending a request for identifying the virtual store assigned to scanned digital code;

Step 508 of identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code;

Step 510 of rendering one or more contents associated with identified the virtual store;

Step 512 of providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.

In an embodiment, the method 500 further includes:

creating one or more virtual stores having one or more data contents by converting video and still images of a real physical store into digital information; and

assigning a unique digital code to each of said one or more virtual stores;

creating and storing a mapped list of unique digital code and corresponding virtual store.

In another embodiment, the method 500 further includes rendering one or more contents associated a virtual store when a user enters a physical store.

In another embodiment, the method 500 further includes ascertaining, whether the scanned digital code corresponds one of the pre-stored digital codes or not. On positive ascertaining, the method 500 includes identifying and transmitting the virtual store and the associated one or more contents to the user. On negative ascertaining, the method includes one or more of: a. transmitting an error notification to the user;

b. sending a request to the user to provide additional inputs pertaining to the details of the virtual store or product the user is looking for;

c. providing one or more options relating to the virtual store to the user based on the additional inputs received from the user;

d. providing one or more options relating to the virtual store to the user based on the location of the user.

In another embodiment, the method 500 identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code includes:

mapping the scanned digital code with the mapped list of unique digital code and corresponding virtual store.

In another embodiment, the method 500 includes one or more of:

provisioning sending of a request for interacting with a representative/ administrator associated with identifies virtual store.

provisioning sending of a request in respect of particular item or product representative/ administrator of the virtual store.

In another embodiment, the digital code is in the form of one or more of:

a bar code;

a QR code;

printed form;

embedded electronically.

In another embodiment, the method 500 further includes one or more of:

displaying one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store to the user on the display screen of the electronic device;

storing the rendered one or more contents/items associated with the virtual store for future purposes.

In another embodiment, the method 500 further includes one or more of:

tracking the one or more contents/items/merchandise accessed by the user;

notifying administrator of the virtual store when said virtual store and associated one or more contents are rendered; notifying administrator of the virtual store when said virtual store and associated one or more contents are accessed by the user device;

provisioning access to the administrator of the virtual store to change any of the details associated with the virtual store.

In another embodiment, the method 500 further includes one or more of:

updating the virtual store and the associated contents;

updating digital code associated with a virtual store;

prompting the user details of other virtual stores, wherein said prompting is based on the similarity of the nature of business associated with the virtual store currently being accessed by the user, location of the user, or past user actions.

Referring to Figure 6, a system for providing access to one or more items is illustrated. The system 600 includes a receiver 602 for receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

a scanning device 604 for scanning said digital code based on the request;

a transmitter 606 for sending a request for identifying the virtual store assigned to scanned digital code;

a processing unit 608 for identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code; a rendering unit 610 for rendering one or more contents associated with identified the virtual store; and

a controlling unit 612 for further providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.

Referring to figure 7, an exemplary implementation of the present invention is illustrated. The forthcoming description of Figure 7 depicts example to illustrate the usefulness of the present invention. However, it may be strictly understood that the forthcoming example shall not be construed as being limitations towards the present invention and the present invention may be extended to cover analogous implementations through other type of like mechanisms. Referring to Figure 7 (a), a user scans the digital code using his mobile device. In the preferred embodiment, the digital code is a QR code. The camera and the inbuilt bar code scanners in the mobile device are involved in scanning the digital code. Once the digital code is scanned, the associated virtual store and its associated contents are rendered instantaneously to the mobile device as indicated in Figure 5(b). Thereafter, the user can access the virtual store and its associated contents in a manner similar to as if the user of accessing a physical store and the contents displayed therein. In the preferred embodiment, each of the product /merchandise associated with the virtual store is linked with a unique bar code. The unique bar code may be scanned by the user for accessing the corresponding product/merchandise.

Referring to Figure 8, a typical hardware configuration of a computer system, which is representative of a hardware environment for practicing the present invention, is illustrated. A hardware configuration of the device 200 and 400 and 600 in the form of a computer system 800 is shown. The computer system 800 can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system 800 to perform any one or more of the methods disclosed. The computer system 800 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 800 may operate in the capacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-client user network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The computer system 800 can also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while a single computer system 800 is illustrated, the term "system" shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

The computer system 800 may include a processor 802 e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. The processor 802 may be a component in a variety of systems. For example, the processor may be part of a standard personal computer or a workstation. The processor 802 may be one or more general processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, or other now known or later developed devices for analysing and processing data. The processor 802 may implement a software program, such as code generated manually (i.e., programmed).

The computer system 800 may include a memory 804, such as a memory 804 that can communicate via a bus 808. The memory 804 may be a main memory, a static memory, or a dynamic memory. The memory 804 may include, but is not limited to computer readable storage media such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In one example, the memory 804 includes a cache or random access memory for the processor 802. In alternative examples, the memory 804 is separate from the processor 802, such as a cache memory of a processor, the system memory, or other memory. The memory 804 may be an external storage device or database for storing data. Examples include a hard drive, compact disc ("CD"), digital video disc ("DVD"), memory card, memory stick, floppy disc, universal serial bus ("USB") memory device, or any other device operative to store data. The memory 804 is operable to store instructions executable by the processor 802. The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described may be performed by the programmed processor 802 executing the instructions stored in the memory 804. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor or processing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

As shown, the computer system 800 may or may not further include a display unit 810, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developed display device for outputting determined information. The display 810 may act as an interface for the user to see the functioning of the processor 802, or specifically as an interface with the software stored in the memory 804 or in the drive unit 818.

Additionally, the computer system 800 may include an input device 812 configured to allow a user to interact with any of the components of system 800. The input device 812 may be a number pad, a keyboard, or a cursor control device, such as a mouse, or a joystick, touch screen display, remote control or any other device operative to interact with the computer system 800.

The computer system 800 may also include a disk or optical drive unit 818. The disk drive unit 818 may include a computer-readable medium 822 in which one or more sets of instructions 824, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions 824 may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described. In a particular example, the instructions 824 may reside completely, or at least partially, within the memory 804 or within the processor 802 during execution by the computer system 800. The memory 804 and the processor 802 also may include computer-readable media as discussed above. The present invention contemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions 824 or receives and executes instructions 824 responsive to a propagated signal so that a device connected to a network 828 can communicate voice, video, audio, images or any other data over the network 828. Further, the instructions 824 may be transmitted or received over the network 828 via a communication port or interface 820 or using a bus 808. The communication port or interface 820 may be a part of the processor 802 or may be a separate component. The communication port 820 may be created in software or may be a physical connection in hardware. The communication port 820 may be configured to connect with a network 828, external media, the display 810, or any other components in system 800 or combinations thereof. The connection with the network 828 may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection or may be established wirelessly as discussed later. Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system 800 may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly. The network 828 may alternatively be directly connected to the bus 808.

The network 828 may include wired networks, wireless networks, Ethernet AVB networks, or combinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephone network, an 802.11, 802.18, 802.20, 802.1Q or WiMax network. Further, the network 828 may be a public network, such as the Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to TCP/IP based networking protocols.

In an alternative example, dedicated hardware implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement various parts of the system 800.

Applications that may include the systems can broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. One or more examples described may implement functions using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

The system described may be implemented by software programs executable by a computer system. Further, in a non-limited example, implementations can include distributed processing, component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed to implement various parts of the system. The system is not limited to operation with any particular standards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) may be used. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed are considered equivalents thereof.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method of providing access to one or more items, said method comprising:

receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

scanning said digital code based on the request;

identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code;

rendering one or more contents associated with identified the virtual store;

providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further includes:

assigning a unique digital code to each of said one or more virtual stores;

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further includes rendering one or more contents associated a virtual store when a user enters a physical store.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including ascertaining, whether the scanned digital code corresponds one of the pre-stored digital codes or not.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein on positive ascertaining, identifying and transmitting the virtual store and the associated one or more contents to the user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein on negative ascertaining, the method includes one or more of: a. transmitting an error notification to the user;

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein identifying virtual store corresponding to the scanned digital code includes:

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 further includes one or more of:

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said digital code is in the form of one or more of: a bar code;

a QR code;

printed form;

embedded electronically.

10. The method as claimed in claims 1 further including one or more of:

11. The method as claimed in claims 1 further including one or more of:

tracking the one or more contents/items/merchandise accessed by the user;

notifying administrator of the virtual store when said virtual store and associated one or more contents are rendered;

notifying administrator of the virtual store when said virtual store and associated one or more contents are accessed by the user device;

12. The method as claimed in claims 1 further including one or more of:

updating the virtual store and the associated contents;

updating digital code associated with a virtual store; prompting the user details of other virtual stores, wherein said prompting is based on the similarity of the nature of business associated with the virtual store currently being accessed by the user, location of the user, or past user actions.

13. A system for providing access to one or more items, said method comprising:

a receiver for receiving a request for scanning a digital code, wherein said digital code is being associated with a unique virtual store and said unique virtual store is associated to a unique physical store;

a scanning device for scanning said digital code based on the request;

a controlling unit for providing access to rendered one or more contents associated with the identified the virtual store.