Automated secure check-out and drop-off return of products using mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9911107-B2
Application number	US-201213996363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2012
Priority date	Feb 27, 2012
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

Generally, this disclosure describes a method and system for automated check-out and drop-off return of products using a mobile device. A method may include purchasing at least one product of a plurality of products wherein each product is located at a respective associated product location in a store that sells the plurality of products and a point of sale of each purchased product corresponds to the respective associated product location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving wirelessly, via a customer mobile device having wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry, a unique identifier that corresponds to a product of a plurality of products, each product of the plurality of products comprising:
a security device to prevent removal of a respective product from a respective product location in a store that sells the plurality of products,
tag circuitry to maintain a purchase state of the respective product, and
near field wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry for communicating with a mobile device and to receive a command therefrom to adjust the purchase state from not-purchased to purchased;

sending, using the customer mobile device, a signal to a store server to purchase the product and to cause the security device attached to the product to release while the customer mobile device is within near field communication (NFC) range of the product;
receiving, by the customer mobile device, a code indicating the purchase of the product was completed by the store server; and
in response to receiving the code, sending by the customer mobile device, a command based on the received code to the tag circuitry of the product to cause the purchase state of the product to change from not-purchased to purchased.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each product of the plurality of products is associated with a product identifier tag, the product identifier tag being a same value for a given plurality of products of a same type.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the customer mobile device, an electronic receipt in response to the product being purchased.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, via the customer mobile device, an electronic credit receipt in response to one purchased product being returned to a product return facility configured to receive returned products if the purchased product is in a returnable condition, wherein the returning is performed without interaction with a customer service representative.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein each product of the plurality of products is associated with an individual product tag comprising unique product identifier, the unique product identifier uniquely identifying a given product and being different than an associated product identifier tag.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the purchase state of each product of the plurality of products is configured to trigger an alarm when a user attempts to remove an associated security device from a product having a not-purchased purchase state or remove the product having the not-purchased purchase state from a respective product location.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the customer mobile device, the product based on an individual product tag associated with the product.

8. A system, comprising:
a plurality of products, each product of the plurality of products comprising:
a security device to prevent removal of a respective product from a respective product location in a store that sells the plurality of products,
tag circuitry to maintain a purchase state of the respective product, and
near field wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry for communicating with a mobile device and to receive a command therefrom to adjust the purchase state from not-purchased to purchased; and

a customer mobile device having a processor, memory, and wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry, the customer mobile device configured to:
receive, via the wireless Tx/Rx circuitry of the customer mobile device, a unique identifier that corresponds to a product of a plurality of products;
in response to receiving the unique identifier, sending via the wireless Tx/Rx circuitry of the customer mobile device a signal to a store server to purchase the product identified by the unique identifier and to cause the security device attached to the product to release while the customer mobile device is within near field (NFC) range of the product;
receiving a code indicating the purchase of the product was completed by the store server; and
in response to receiving the code, sending via the Tx/Rx circuitry a command based on the received code to the tag circuitry of the product to cause the purchase state of the product to change from not-purchased to purchased.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein each product of the plurality of products is associated with a product identifier tag, the product identifier tag being a same value for a given plurality of products of a same type.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the customer mobile device is further configured to receive an electronic credit receipt in response to one purchased product being returned to a product return facility configured to receive returned products if the purchased product is in a returnable condition, wherein the returning is performed using a product return device, without interaction with a customer service representative.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein each product of the plurality of products is associated with an individual product tag comprising unique product identifier, the unique product identifier uniquely identifying a given product and being different than an associated product identifier tag.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the purchase state of each product of the plurality of products is configured to trigger an alarm when a user attempts to remove an associated security device from a product having a not-purchased purchase state or remove the product having the not-purchased purchase state from a respective product location.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the customer mobile device is further configured to receive an electronic purchase receipt to display to a user to indicate completion of a purchase transaction.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the customer mobile device is further configured to receive an electronic return receipt in response to a product being successfully returned.

15. A system comprising one or more non-transitory storage mediums having stored thereon, individually or in combination, instructions that when executed by one or more processors result in operations comprising:
receiving, via wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry of a customer mobile device, a unique identifier that corresponds to a product of a plurality of products, each product of the plurality of products comprising:
a security device to prevent removal of a respective product from a respective product location in a store that sells the plurality of products,
tag circuitry to maintain a purchase state of the respective product, and
near field wireless transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) circuitry for communicating with a mobile device and receiving a command therefrom to adjust the purchase state from not-purchased to purchased;

sending, via the wireless Tx/Rx circuitry of the customer mobile device, a signal to a store server to purchase the product and to cause the security device attached to the product to release while the customer mobile device is within near field communication (NFC) range of the product;
receiving, via the wireless Tx/Rx circuitry of the customer mobile device, a code indicating the purchase of the product was completed by the store server; and
in response to receiving the code, sending via the wireless Tx/Rx circuitry of the customer mobile device, a command based on the received code to the tag circuitry of the product to cause the purchase state of the product to change from not-purchased to purchased.

16. The system of claim 15 , where

Assignees

• Li Hong
• Balthasar Eddie
• Kgil Taeho
• Rajan Anand
• Price Mark H
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Hong
• Balthasar Eddie
• Kgil Taeho
• Rajan Anand
• Price Mark H

Classifications

• G06Q30/06 Primary

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G07F17/10

  for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property · CPC title

• G06Q20/203

  Inventory monitoring · CPC title

• G06Q30/0281

  Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting · CPC title

• G07G1/14

  Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit · CPC title