WO2023139614A1

WO2023139614A1 - Systems and method for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization

Info

Publication number: WO2023139614A1
Application number: PCT/IN2023/050075
Authority: WO
Inventors: Soumya CHATTERJEE; Tejas KADAKIA; Awaneesh PANDEY
Original assignee: Easyrewardz Software Services Private Limited
Priority date: 2022-01-24
Filing date: 2023-01-23
Publication date: 2023-07-27

Abstract

A system for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization, comprising: a server-side application (SA) with: a first tagger (T1) to tag products (P) with first identifier parameters (PR1); a brand identifiers' database (BDB) with brand to be used as brand pointers; a product identifiers' database (PDB) to be used as product pointers; a defining module (DM) to define a plurality of parameters in terms of a master-slave configuration comprising: master parameters; slave parameters; a second tagger (T2) to tag shops, with second identifier parameters (PR2); a client-side application (CA) with: a passive polling mechanism (PPLM) to poll user parameters; an active polling mechanism (APLM) to poll interaction-based parameters; an output engine (OE) to receive data from interaction of said client-side application (CA) with said server-side application (SA); in order to serve a client-specific digital store (OP) comprising brand identifier(s) and / or product identifier(s) relevant to said user.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR PARAMETER-BASED DYNAMIC

VIRTUAL STORE DIGITIZATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

This invention relates to the field of computer engineering.

Particularly, this invention relates to systems and method for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

In the physical realm of commerce, retail, and wholesale, service is provided to customers by in-store personnel in a brick-and-mortar fashion with physical interactions. This requires a customer to, physically visit, and interact in, a store so as to experience its service.

If a brand has to reach out to a customer, irrespective of such physical stores, the only way is via their own e-commerce portals or mobile applications. However, there are limitations, in that, in the virtual world, there is no customer service dished out to a customer as a geo locally placed store does.

Furthermore, it is well known that the virtual world provides a passive shopping experience. The Ecommerce sphere provides a passive shopping experience where a customer views and traverses through an entire brand product catalog irrespective of what brand retail might be selling locally in a customer’s geo-region; this often leads to disappointment when a customer places orders. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method which orients users in a geoparameterized manner.

Furthermore, with each brand having their own app or ecommerce site, it is difficult for users to remember and / or acquaint and / or go through the same.

Therefore, there is a need for a system and method which, even though seems to be a single portal, both server-side (brand-side) and client-side (customer-side), provides a multifarious, geo-parameterized, version on client-side based on one or more parameters.

Prior arts also taught about bots; however, the bots are, again, mostly perfunctory unilateral communication with no brand-side customization, no client-side customization, and / or no geo-parameter-based customization.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:

An object of the invention is to provide a system and method which orients users in a geo-parameterized manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system and method which, even though seems to be a single portal, both server-side (brand-side) and client-side (customer- side), provides a multifarious, geo-parameterized, version on client-side based on one or more parameters.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system and method which provides brand-side customization, no client-side customization, and / or no geoparameter-based customization. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

According to this invention, there is provided systems and method for parameterbased dynamic virtual store digitization.

According to this invention, there is provided a system for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization, said system comprising:

- a server-side application configured with: o a first tagger configured to tag one or more products with one or more first identifier parameters; o a brand identifiers’ database populated with one or more brand identities (brand identifier parameters) configured to be used, by said system, as brand pointers; o a product identifiers’ database populated with one or more product identities (product identifier parameters), per brand identity, configured to be used, by said system, as product pointers; o a defining module configured to define a plurality of parameters in terms of a master-slave configuration comprising:

■ at least one or more master parameters selected from a group consisting of server-side master parameters and client-side master parameters;

■ at least one or more slave parameters selected from a group consisting of client-side slave parameters and client-side slave parameters; o a second tagger configured to tag one or more shops, housing said products, with one or more second identifier parameters;

- a client-side application configured with: o a passive polling mechanism to poll one or more of a user’s one or more user parameters; o an active polling mechanism to poll one or more of a user’s interaction-based parameters;

- an output engine configured to receive data from interaction of said client-side application with said server-side application; in order to serve, as an output, a client- specific digital store comprising brand identifier(s) and / or product identifier(s) relevant to said user using said client-side application.

In at least an embodiment, said more first identifier parameters being selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and their combinations.

In at least an embodiment, said brand pointer, in said brand identifiers’ database, being meta-tagged with at least a brand qualitative parameter and at least a brand quantitative parameter.

In at least an embodiment, said product pointer, in said product identifiers’ database, being meta-tagged with at least a product qualitative parameter and at least a product quantitative parameter.

In at least an embodiment, said one or more master parameters, per brand identifier and / or product identifier being defined, through said defining module. In at least an embodiment, said one or more slave parameters, per master parameter, being defined per brand identifier and / or product identifier through said defining module.

In at least an embodiment, said master parameters being selected from server- side master parameters, or client-side master parameters.

In at least an embodiment, said slave parameters being selected from server- side slave parameters, or client-side slave parameters.

In at least an embodiment, said more second identifier parameters being selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and their combinations.

In at least an embodiment, said system comprises a client-side parameter configurator configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from said product identifiers’ database and / or parameters per brand pointer from said brand identifiers’ database.

In at least an embodiment, said system comprises a server-side parameter configurator configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from said product identifiers’ database and / or per brand pointer from said brand identifiers’ database.

In at least an embodiment, said one or more user parameters being client-side parameters which are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server- side parameters. In at least an embodiment, said one or more interaction-based parameters being client’ s interaction-based parameters which are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server-side parameters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS:

The invention will now be described in relation to accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates an architecture block drawing of the system of this invention; FIGURE 2 illustrates a rendition of a server-side application (SA) interacting with one or more client-side applications (CA);

FIGURE 3 illustrates a flowchart of the working of this system; and

FIGURE 4 illustrates a schematic block diagram for the system of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS:

According to this invention, there is provided systems and method for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization.

For the purposes of this invention, the term, "parameter" refers to any data item or metadata item associated with a brand or a product of the brand. These data items and metadata items can be populated, by an administrator, through associated fields. The term “parameter” is configured to assign weights, according to predefined rules, relating to “context”, to data and / or metadata so that an aggregated weighted parameter is formed based on the context. Each brand is a node of a server-side, each product is a node of a server-side. Each user is a node of a clientside. For the purposes of this invention, the term, "context" refers to parameters of a particular environment which envelopes a user-brand interaction and / or a userproduct interaction.

The “parameter/s” and “context” determine behaviour, in terms of weighted constraints, of server-side nodes in correlation with client-side nodes in order to serve an interaction- specific dynamic virtual store digitization.

The term, "node', relates to a networked environment. In a communications network, a ‘node’ or a ‘network node’ is a connection point that can receive, create, store, or send data along distributed network routes. Each network node has either a programmed or engineered capability to recognize, process, and forward transmissions to other network nodes. Each network node, also, has either a programmed or engineered capability to form connections with other nodes so as to form a new network based on pre-defined parameters such as a ‘context’. Illustrative embodiments preferably are implemented on a conventional computer network. Among other things, a network includes at least two nodes and at least one link between the nodes. Nodes can include computing devices and routers. Nodes can also include link establishment mechanisms and protocols. Nodes can also include encoders and decoders. Nodes can also include switches. Nodes can also include transmitters, receivers, and transceivers. Nodes can be implemented in software in combination with hardware or as a virtual machine, or using network function virtualization. Nodes communicate via networks according to protocols, such as the well-known Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the like. The term, ‘network’ , is an interconnected group of nodes. Interconnections may be wired or wireless. Therefore, these networks can be physical or virtual. More importantly, these networks are not fixed in their topography or their interconnections. How, the nodes align or connect or communicably couple with each other to form a new network, in order to obtain an output is a function of the system and method of this invention.

FIGURE 1 illustrates an architecture block drawing of the system of this invention.

This architecture can be envisaged as a server-side application (SA) communicably coupled with one or more client-side applications (CA). The client-side applications (CA) are configured to be used by one or more corresponding users, intending to engage with the system and method, of this invention, in order to transact in relation to products (P).

In at least an embodiment, a first tagger (Tl) is configured to tag one or more products (P) with one or more first identifier parameters (PR1). Typically, the one or more parameters are selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and the like identifier parameters.

In at least an embodiment, a brand identifiers’ database (BDB) is populated with one or more brand identities (brand identifier parameters) which are, later, used, by this system and method, as brand pointers. Each brand pointer, in the brand identifiers’ database (BDB), may be meta-tagged with at least a brand qualitative parameter and at least a brand quantitative parameter. In at least an embodiment, a product identifiers’ database (PDB) is populated with one or more product identities (product identifier parameters), per brand identity, which are, later, used, by this system and method, as product pointers. Each product pointer, in the product identifiers’ database (PDB), may be metatagged with at least a product qualitative parameter and at least a product quantitative parameter.

In at least an embodiment, a defining module (DM) is configured to define the plurality of parameters in terms of a master-slave configuration. Thus, one or more master parameters, per brand identifier and / or product identifier can be defined, through this defining module (DM), and a one or more slave parameters, per master parameter, can be defined per brand identifier and / or product identifier. Furthermore, the master parameters can be of two types:

- server- side master parameters; and

- client-side master parameters; o As also the slave parameters can be of two types:

■ server- side slave parameters; and

■ client-side slave parameters.

In at least an embodiment, a second tagger (T2) is configured to tag one or more shops housing said products (P) with one or more second identifier parameters (PR2). Typically, the one or more parameters are selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and the like identifier parameters. In at least an embodiment, a client-side parameter configurator (CPC) is configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from the product identifiers’ database (PDB) and / or parameters per brand pointer from the brand identifiers’ database (BDB).

In at least an embodiment, a server-side parameter configurator (SPC) is configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from the product identifiers’ database (PDB) and / or per brand pointer from the brand identifiers’ database (BDB).

According to non-limiting exemplary embodiments, the server-side master parameters per product identifier and / or brand identifier can be brand geolocation and / or product geo-location while its corresponding server-side slave parameters can be temperature ranges, weather ranges, cultural ranges, and the like.

According to non-limiting exemplary embodiments, the client-side master parameters per product identifier and / or brand identifier can be catalogue geolocation while its corresponding client-side slave parameters can be temperature ranges, weather ranges, cultural ranges, and the like.

According to non-limiting exemplary embodiments, the client-side master parameters per product identifier and / or brand identifier can be inventory geolocation while its corresponding client-side slave parameters can be temperature ranges, weather ranges, cultural ranges, and the like.

According to non-limiting exemplary embodiments, the client-side master parameters per product identifier and / or brand identifier can be payment geo- location while its corresponding client-side slave parameters can be one or more payment options.

In at least an embodiment, a passive polling mechanism (PPLM) is configured, on a client-side application (CA) to poll one or more of a user’s parameters selected from a user’s / client’s geo-location parameter, profile, parameter and or the like parameters. Based on this passive-polled client-side application, client-side parameters are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server-side parameters.

In at least an embodiment, an active polling mechanism (APLM) is configured, on a client-side application (CA) to poll one or more of a user’s / client’s interaction-based parameters. Based on this active-polled client-side application, client-side parameters are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server-side parameters.

In at least an embodiment, an output engine (OE) is configured to receive data from the passive polling mechanism (PPLM), the active polling mechanism (APLM), the brand identifiers’ database (BDB), the product identifiers’ database (PDB), the defining module (DM); in order to serve, as an output (O/P) a client-specific digital store (OP) comprising brand inventory and / or product inventory relevant to the user whose data is polled.

According to a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the output engine (OE), based on polled information, based on weighted parameters, and based on pre-defined rules, fetches and serves client-specific / user-specific catalogues, fetches and serves client- specific / user-specific inventory, fetches and serves client-specific / user-specific payment options, fetches and serves client- specific / user-specific promotions, and the like. Thus, based on or more parameters such as geo-location, preferences, history, profile, master parameters and / or slave parameters are activated / deactivated / customised (within a pre-defined range) so that a dynamically customised digital store comprising brand identifiers and / or product identifiers are served to a user. This output, essentially, is an aggregated cluster of nodes weighted in terms of parameters; the weight being assigned specific to a user.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a rendition of a server-side application (SA) interacting with one or more client-side applications (CA).

FIGURE 3 illustrates a flowchart of the working of this system.

Methods for rendering parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization include the following steps:

1. STEP 301: A user interacts (I/P) with a client-side application (CA); while interaction, the client-side application (CA) engages, typically, with a passive polling mechanism (PPEM) and with an active polling mechanism (APEM) and, correspondingly, collects user parameters and user’s interaction-based parameters;

2. STEP 302: A server-side application (SA) is initialised with brand identifiers and / or product identifiers;

3. STEP 303: The server-side application (SA) is initialised with master parameters selected from a group consisting of server-side master parameters and client-side master parameters; 4. STEP 304: The server-side application (SA) is initialised with slave parameters selected from a group consisting of server-side slave parameters and client-side slave parameters;

5. STEP 305: The server-side application (SA) engages with the client-side application (CA) when a user interacts with it;

6. STEP 306: An output engine (OE) receives, and processes, data from the engagement of the server-side application (SA) with the client-side application (CA) when a user interacts with it; in order to serve, as an output, a client-specific digital store (OP) comprising brand identifier(s) and / or product identifier(s) relevant to said user using said client-side application (CA).

The TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT of the invention lies in providing a system and method which, even though seems to be a single portal, both server- side (brand-side) and client-side (customer-side), provides a multifarious, geoparameterized, version on client-side based on one or more parameters.

It is to be appreciated that combinations of the different implementation environments are contemplated as being within the scope of embodiments of the invention. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize alternative implementations given the illustrative teachings provided herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," as used herein, specify the presence of stated values, features, steps, operations, modules, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of another value, feature, step, operation, module, element, component, and/or group thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to any order by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another; where there are “second” or higher ordinals, there merely must be that many number of elements, without necessarily any difference or other relationship. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments or methods. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The use of “etc.” is defined as “et cetera” and indicates the inclusion of all other elements belonging to the same group of the preceding items, in any “and/or” combinations.

The systems described herein can be made accessible through a portal or an interface which is a part of, or may be connected to, an internal network or an external network, such as the Internet or any similar portal. The portals or interfaces are accessed by one or more of users through an electronic device, whereby the user may send and receive data to the portal or interface which gets stored in at least one memory device or at least one data storage device or at least one server, and utilizes at least one processing unit. The portal or interface in combination with one or more of memory device, data storage device, processing unit and serves, form an embedded computing setup, and may be used by, or used in, one or more of a non-transitory, computer readable medium. In at least one embodiment, the embedded computing setup and optionally one or more of a non- transitory, computer readable medium, in relation with, and in combination with the said portal or interface forms one of the systems of the invention. Typical examples of a portal or interface may be selected from but is not limited to a website, an executable software program or a software application.

The systems and methods may simultaneously involve more than one user or more than one data storage device or more than one host server or more than one network or more than one node or any combination thereof.

A user may provide user input through any suitable input device or input mechanism such as but not limited to a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a touchpad, a virtual keyboard, a virtual data entry user interface, a virtual dial pad, a software or a program, a scanner, a remote device, a microphone, a webcam, a camera, a fingerprint scanner, a cave, pointing stick.

The systems and methods can be practiced using any electronic device which may be connected to one or more of other electronic device with wires or wirelessly which may use technologies such as but not limited to, Bluetooth, WiFi, Wimax. This will also extend to use of the aforesaid technologies to provide an authentication key or access key or electronic device based unique key or any combination thereof.

In at least one embodiment, one or more user can be blocked or denied access to one or more of the aspects of the invention. Encryption can be accomplished using any encryption technology, such as the process of converting digital information into a new form using a key or a code or a program, wherein the new form is unintelligible or indecipherable to a user or a thief or a hacker or a spammer. The term ‘encryption’ includes encoding, compressing, or any other translating of the digital content. The encryption of the digital media content can beperformed in accordance with any technology including utilizing an encryption algorithm. The encryption algorithm utilized is not hardware dependent and may change depending on the digital content. For example, a different algorithm may be utilized for different websites or programs. The term ‘encryption’ further includes one or more aspects of authentication, entitlement, data integrity, access control, confidentiality, segmentation, information control, and combinations thereof.

The described embodiments may be implemented as a system, method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques related to software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The described operations may be implemented as code maintained in a “non- transitory, computer readable medium”, where a processor may read and execute the code from the non-transitory, computer readable medium. A non-transitory, computer readable medium may comprise media such as magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc.), volatile and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), etc. The code implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.). Still further, the code implementing the described operations may be implemented in “transmission signals”, where transmission signals may propagate through space or through a transmission media, such as an optical fibre, copper wire, etc. The transmission signals in which the code or logic is encoded may further comprise a wireless signal, satellite transmission, radio waves, infrared signals, Bluetooth, etc. The transmission signals in which the code or logic is encoded is capable of being transmitted by a transmitting station and received by a receiving station, where the code or logic encoded in the transmission signal may be decoded and stored in hardware or a non-transitory, computer readable medium at the receiving and transmitting stations or devices. An “article of manufacture” comprises non- transitory, computer readable medium or hardware logic, and/or transmission signals in which code may be implemented. A device in which the code implementing the described embodiments of operations is encoded may comprise a non-transitory, computer readable medium or hardware logic. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the present invention, and that the article of manufacture may comprise suitable information bearing medium known in the art.

The term network means a system allowing interaction between two or more electronic devices, and includes any form of inter/intra enterprise environment such as the world wide web, Local Area Network (LAN) , Wide Area Network (WAN) , Storage Area Network (SAN) or any form of Intranet.

The systems and methods can be practiced using any electronic device. An electronic device for the purpose of this invention is selected from any device capable of processing or representing data to a user and providing access to a network or any system similar to the internet, wherein the electronic device may be selected from but not limited to, personal computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, laptop computers, palmtops, portable media players, and personal digital assistants. In an embodiment, the computer readable medium data storage unit or data storage device is selected from a set of but not limited to USB flash dtive (pen drive), memory card, optical data storage discs, hard disk drive, magnetic disk, magnetic tape data storage device, data server and molecular memory.

The process steps, method steps, algorithms or the like may be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods and algorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of processes described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further ‘, some steps may be performed simultaneously, in parallel, or concurrently.

While this detailed description has disclosed certain specific embodiments for illustrative purposes, various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, and it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS,

1. A system for parameter-based dynamic virtual store digitization, said system comprising:

- a server-side application (SA) configured with: o a first tagger (Tl) configured to tag one or more products (P) with one or more first identifier parameters (PR1); o a brand identifiers’ database (BDB) populated with one or more brand identities (brand identifier parameters) configured to be used, by said system, as brand pointers; o a product identifiers’ database (PDB) populated with one or more product identities (product identifier parameters), per brand identity, configured to be used, by said system, as product pointers; o a defining module (DM) configured to define a plurality of parameters in terms of a master-slave configuration comprising:

■ at least one or more master parameters selected from a group consisting of server-side master parameters and clientside master parameters;

■ at least one or more slave parameters selected from a group consisting of client-side slave parameters and client-side slave parameters; o a second tagger (T2) configured to tag one or more shops, housing said products (P), with one or more second identifier parameters (PR2);

- a client-side application (CA) configured with: o a passive polling mechanism (PPLM) to poll one or more of a user’s one or more user parameters; o an active polling mechanism (APLM) to poll one or more of a user’s interaction -based parameters;

- an output engine (OE) configured to receive data from interaction of said client-side application (CA) with said server-side application (SA); in order to serve, as an output, a client-specific digital store (OP) comprising brand identifier(s) and / or product identifier(s) relevant to said user using said client-side application (CA). The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said more first identifier parameters being selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and their combinations. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said brand pointer, in said brand identifiers’ database (BDB), being meta-tagged with at least a brand qualitative parameter and at least a brand quantitative parameter. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said product pointer, in said product identifiers’ database (PDB), being meta-tagged with at least a product qualitative parameter and at least a product quantitative parameter. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said one or more master parameters, per brand identifier and / or product identifier being defined, through said defining module (DM). The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said one or more slave parameters, per master parameter, being defined per brand identifier and / or product identifier through said defining module (DM). The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said master parameters being selected from server-side master parameters, or client-side master parameters. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said slave parameters being selected from server-side slave parameters, or client-side slave parameters. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said more second identifier parameters being selected from a group of identifier parameters consisting of product identifier parameter, brand identifier parameter, and their combinations. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said system comprises a clientside parameter configurator (CPC) configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from said product identifiers’ database (PDB) and / or parameters per brand pointer from said brand identifiers’ database (BDB). The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said system comprises a serverside parameter configurator (SPC) configured to define and configure parameters per product pointer, from said product identifiers’ database (PDB) and / or per brand pointer from said brand identifiers’ database (BDB). The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said one or more user parameters being client-side parameters which are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server-side parameters. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said one or more interactionbased parameters being client’s interaction-based parameters which are weighted and mapped, according to pre-defined rules of engagement, with server-side parameters.