Virtual redeemable offers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10467642-B2
Application number	US-28792108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2008
Priority date	Oct 15, 2008
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with tracking in store consumer behavior are described. One example method includes receiving a product tag data (PTD) and a personal data (PD) from a portable digital device (PDD). The PTD is associated with a scan of a product tag of a product. The example method may also include storing the PTD and the PD in a database. The example method may also include creating a virtual redeemable offer (VRO) based, at least in part, on an analysis of the PD, the PTD associated with the scan, and a product information (PI) associated with the product tag. The PI may be stored in the database and describes the product. The example method may also include providing the CRVC to the PDD.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a data store to store personal information of a user of the apparatus;
a tag scanner to read a plurality of times a same product tag is used to acquire product tag information;
a privacy logic to provide control of selectively sending the personal information to a database;
a database interface logic:
to send the personal information in accordance with the control provided by the privacy logic to the database, and to send the product tag information regarding the same product tag acquired by the tag scanner to the database the plurality of times;
to receive a virtual redeemable offer from the database after having sent the personal information and the product tag information regarding the same product tag to the database the plurality of times without the user having purchased a product associated with the same product tag, where the virtual redeemable offer is based on the product tag information acquired by the tag scanner and based on the same product tag having been scanned multiple times without the user having purchased the product; and
to transfer the virtual redeemable offer to a second apparatus for a user of the second apparatus to redeem the virtual redeemable offer, the user of the second apparatus redeeming the virtual redeemable offer instead of the user of the apparatus redeeming the virtual redeemable offer; and

a display to display a barcode that is scannable by a barcode scanner associated with a point of sale system, the barcode being associated with the virtual redeemable offer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , where the product tag is located at a first store, and where the virtual redeemable offer is redeemable at a second store.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , where the tag scanner is operable to read one or more of, a radio frequency identification product tag, and a near field communication product tag.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , where the personal information includes one or more of, a customer identification number, a customer name, an apparatus identification number, and a product scan data.

5. A method, performable by a first portable digital device of a user, comprising:
scanning a same product tag a plurality of times to obtain product tag information associated with the product tag;
transmitting to a product and customer database personal data and product tag data from the scanned product tag information regarding the same product tag the plurality of times;
receiving a redeemable virtual offer that is based on the product tag data, the personal data, and product information stored in the product and customer database, and that is based on the same product tag having been scanned multiple times without the user having purchased a product associated with the same product tag, after having sent the personal data and the product tag data regarding the same product tag the plurality of times;
creating a representation of the redeemable virtual offer; and
transferring the representation of the redeemable virtual offer to a second portable digital device, a user of the second portable digital device to provide the representation of the redeemable virtual offer to a point of sale system during a store checkout instead of a user of the first portable digital device redeeming the virtual redeemable offer.

6. The method of claim 5 , where the redeemable virtual offer is also based, at least in part, on a product tag data associated with one or more past scans of a product tag that is stored in the database.

7. The method of claim 5 , where providing the redeemable virtual offer to the point of sale system is performed by displaying a barcode associated with the redeemable virtual offer on a display of the second portable digital device, and where the barcode is readable by a barcode reader of the point of sale system.

8. The method of claim 5 , where the product tag is located at a first store, and where the redeemable virtual offer is redeemable at a second store.

9. The method of claim 5 , including the following performed by a server:
receiving the product tag data and the personal data from the first portable digital device;
storing the product tag data and the personal data in the product and customer database;
creating the redeemable virtual offer based, at least in part, on an analysis of the personal data, the product tag data, and product information associated with the product tag, where the product information is stored in the product and customer database and describes the product; and
providing the redeemable virtual offer to the portable digital device.

10. The method of claim 9 , including receiving from the point of sale system information associated with the redeemable virtual offer that was scanned and redeemed at the point of sale system, and where the product and customer database stores the information associated with the redeemable virtual offer in the database.

11. The method of claim 9 , where receiving the product tag data from the portable digital device includes receiving a product tag from a mobile phone that performs the scan by using a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, and where the method includes determining a customer preference based on analyzing of one or more of, the personal data, the product tag data, and the product information.

12. A system, comprising:
a first mobile device of a user including:
a product tag reader to scan a same product tag of a product a plurality of times and to retrieve, based on the read product tag, a product identifier associated with the product the plurality of times;
a data store to store customer information and the product identifier;
a database interface to send the customer information and the product identifier to a server the plurality of times; and
a display screen to display a barcode;

a product and customer information server:
to receive the customer information and the product identifier regarding the same product tag from the database interface the plurality of times;
to provide, after receiving the customer information and the product identifier the plurality of times, to the database interface a virtual coupon based on the customer information, and a product information associated with the product identifier, and based on the same product tag having been scanned multiple times without the user having purchased a product associated with the same product tag and where the virtual coupon includes information to create the barcode; and

a point of sale system comprising a barcode scanner to read the barcode associated with the virtual coupon displayed on the display screen,
wherein the first mobile device is to transfer the virtual coupon to a second mobile device, a user of which to redeem the coupon at the point of sale system in lieu of a user of the first mobile device.

13. The system of claim 12 , the product and customer information server comprising:
a receive logic to receive a product tag information and a customer information from the first mobile device, where the product tag information is associated with a scan of a product tag;
a product and customer database:
to store the product tag information and the customer information; and
to create a customized marketing information based, at least in part, on the product tag information and the customer information, where the customized marketing information includes a product information associated with the product tag information and retrieved from the product and customer database; and

a transmit logic to transmit the customized marketing information to the first mobile device, where the customized marketi

Assignees

• Ghosh Riddhiman
• Jain Jhilmil
• Micro Focus Llc

Inventors

• Ghosh Riddhiman
• Jain Jhilmil

Classifications

• G06Q30/0207 Primary

  Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates · CPC title

• G06Q30/00

  Commerce · CPC title

• G06Q30/0238

  at point-of-sale [POS] · CPC title

• G06Q30/0236

  Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user · CPC title