System, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for allowing a customer to place orders remotely and to pick-up the order at a store

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9633389-B2
Application number	US-201414549266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for allowing customer to order goods on-line or remotely and to pick-up the goods at a desired location or store are disclosed. The techniques include receiving a customer order. The location for delivery of the item with a customer order. The customer order includes at least one good and an associated customer identification number, e.g., a customer motor vehicle license plate number. The techniques further includes capturing images of the license plates of motor vehicles as the motor vehicles enter an order pick-up area located at the store, and if the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number matches one of the received motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit, delivering the customer order to the motor vehicle associated with the customer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a database storing a list of stores available for customer pickup of orders, the list of stores including a first subset of stores that include an optical sensor for capturing images of license plates of motor vehicles and a second subset of stores that do not include an optical sensor for capturing images of license plates of motor vehicles;
a first server coupled to the database and being associated with the list of stores, the first server being configured to:
present the list of stores to a customer for selection of a store for pickup of an order;
receive a selection by the customer of a store from the list of stores;
determine whether the store selected by the customer is one of the first subset of stores;
display a dialogue box to the customer upon a determination that the store selected by the customer is one of the first subset of stores, wherein the dialogue box enables the customer to select a license plate number from a list of at least one previously stored license plate number or to enter a new license plate number;
receive a customer order associated with the customer, the customer order including at least one good and having an associated customer motor vehicle license plate number selected from the dialogue box, the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number being associated with a motor vehicle associated with the customer, the first server being further configured to store the customer order in the database;
a second server coupled to the first server and to the database and being located at the store, the second server being configured to receive the customer order placed by the customer and to assist in assembling the customer order for the customer;
an optical sensor located in a predetermined location within an order pick-up area associated with the store, the predetermined location being established to allow the optical sensor to capture images of license plates of motor vehicles as the motor vehicles enter the order pick-up area;
an optical character recognition unit coupled between the second server and the optical sensor, the optical character recognition unit being configured to receive the captured images from the optical sensor, to establish an associated motor vehicle license plate number for each captured image, and to send the associated motor vehicle license plate numbers to the second server; and,
a visual indicator coupled to the optical character recognition unit and being positioned relative to the optical sensor to provide an indication to the customer that a suitable image has been captured by the optical sensor, the second server further being configured to receive the motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit, to compare the motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit with the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number, and, if the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number matches one of the received motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit, to arrange the customer order to be delivered to the motor vehicle associated with the customer.

2. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first server is further configured to allow the customer to place the customer order through a customer device coupled to the first server.

3. The system, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the first server is configured to present to the customer the first subset and the second subset of stores and to allow the customer to select the store from the first subset or the second subset of stores.

4. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the database is configured to store data, associated with each store in the list of stores, indicating if each store has an associated optical sensor and optical character recognition unit.

5. A system, comprising:
a database storing a list of stores available for customer pickup of orders, the list of stores including a first subset of stores that include an optical sensor for capturing images of license plates of motor vehicles and a second subset of stores that do not include an optical sensor for capturing images of license plates of motor vehicles;
a first server coupled to the database and being associated with the list of stores, the first server being configured to:
present the list of stores to a customer for selection of a store for pickup of an order;
receive a selection by the customer of a store from the list of stores;
determine whether the store selected by the customer is one of the first subset of stores;
display a dialogue box to the customer upon a determination that the store selected by the customer is one of the first subset of stores;
receive a customer order associated with the customer, the customer order including at least one good and having an associated customer motor vehicle license plate number selected from the dialogue box, the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number being associated with a motor vehicle associated with the customer, the first server being further configured to store the customer order in the database;
a second server coupled to the first server and to the database and being located at the store, the second server being configured to receive the customer order placed by the customer and to assist in assembling the customer order for the customer;
an optical sensor located in a predetermined location within an order pick-up area associated with the store, the predetermined location being established to allow the optical sensor to capture images of license plates of motor vehicles as the motor vehicles enter the order pick-up area; and,
an optical character recognition unit coupled between the second server and the optical sensor, the optical character recognition unit being configured to receive the captured images from the optical sensor, to establish an associated motor vehicle license plate number for each captured image, and to send the associated motor vehicle license plate numbers to the second server, the second server further being configured to receive the motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit, to compare the motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit with the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number, and, if the associated customer motor vehicle license plate number matches one of the received motor vehicle license plate numbers from the optical character recognition unit, to arrange the customer order to be delivered to the motor vehicle associated with the customer, wherein the first server is configured to look up the selected store in the database and, if the selected store is one of the first subset of stores, perform one of the following:
(a) request, via the dialogue box, a motor vehicle license plate number from the customer that will be used;
(b) confirm, via the dialogue box, the motor vehicle license plate number if a customer motor vehicle license plate number is associated with the customer in the database; or,
(c) pick, via the dialogue box, a motor vehicle license plate number for a list of motor vehicle license plate numbers associated with the customer in the database.

6. The system, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the first server is configured to allow the customer to enter a desired pick-up time.

7. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , further including a display unit coupled to the second server and being located relative to the order pick-up area at the store such that the display unit is visible to customers in the order pick-up area, the second server being further configured to display information related to the custome

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Carr David Jon
• Ramsden Richard Mark

Classifications

• G06Q30/0633 Primary

  Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087) · CPC title

• G06Q30/0635

  replenishment orders; recurring orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/0836

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title