Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A HAND HELD DEVICE FOR RECEIVING
PROMOTIONS AND PRODUCT INFORMATION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS
This application is related to application serial number 09/373,625, filed
August 13,
1999; PCT/LTS99/24746, filed October 25, 1999; application serial number
09/323,538, filed
June l, 1999; PCT/LTS99/26002, filed November 16, 1999, and U.S. application
entitled
"METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A HAND HELD DEVICE FOR MANAGEMENT
OF PROMOTIONS" having attorney doclcet number 7701-0116-25, filed July 1 l,
2000, the
entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for using
electronic
hand held devices, and more specifically to a method and system for using an
electronic hand
held device for receiving promotions and retail product information. As used
herein, the term
"promotion" refers to any offer, advertisement, incentive, coupon, commercial,
or
communication for promoting one or more goods and/or services.
Discussion of the Back round
As every grocery shopper knows, many manufacturers typically distribute
promotions
for their products either through the mail, by printing them in newspapers or
magazines, by
enclosing them in similar or related product packages, or by printing them
from a point of
sale terminal at a checkout counter in, for example, a grocery store. For many
shoppers, time
between shopping events is spent collecting these promotions. The collection
of promotions
are then brought to the retail store where the shopper matches each product
purchased with a
promotion in the collection to determine if the product is worth buying in
view of the
promotion. Due to the time consuming nature of this process however, many
shoppers axe
unable or unwilling to collect and use promotions making the manufacturer's
efforts to
reward or expose the customer to new products ineffective. In addition, those
shoppers who
do collect promotions may not have access to all sources where promotions can
be found and
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therefore may not obtain a promotion for a product that the customer would be
willing to buy.
Moreover, these shoppers have an unnecessarily long shopping event due to the
process of
matching up each promotion in the collection with a product purchased.
The ubiquitous nature of the cellular phone is evidence of consumers' call for
the
convenience of wireless communications. Moreover, as technological
improvements increase
the bandwidth of wireless data connections, wireless networks promise to
provide the
ultimate connection to the Internet by letting users communicate anywhere,
anytime. With
such convenience, remote hand held data communications devices are likely to
become as
common as the cellular telephone and consumers are likely to use such hand
held devices for
a variety of tasks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a method and system
for
receiving promotions in an easy and efficient manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for
receiving promotions and retail information to a hand held device based on
proximity to a
retail store.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system
for
receiving product information and promotions based on a signal initiated by
the user of a
hand held device.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a novel method, system, and
computer program product for using a hand held device for receiving promotions
and product
information.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method, retail store system, and
computer
program product for delivering promotions and product information to a hand
held device is
provided. The method on which the retail store system and computer program
product are
based includes establishing a wireless communications link with the a hand
held device
located within a predetermined proximity of a retail store, generating a
promotion relating to
retail products offered by the retail store, and delivering the promotion to
the hand held
device via the wireless communications link. The wireless communications link
can be
established either automatically or based on a signal initiated by a user of
the hand held
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device. The retail store system may also receive a customer identifier and/or
a product
identifier from the hand held device and generate and transmit promotions
based on the
customer identifier and/or product identifier.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method, hand held device, and
computer program product for receiving promotions and product information from
a retail
store system is provided. The method on which the hand held device and
computer program
product are based includes establishing a wireless communications link with a
retail store
system related to a retail store when within a predetermined proximity of the
retail store, and
receiving a promotion relating to retail products offered by the retail via
the wireless
communications link. The wireless communications link can be established
either
automatically or based on a signal initiated by a user of the hand held
device. The hand held
device may also transmit a customer identifier and/or a product identifier to
the retail store
system and receive promotions generated based on the customer identifier
and/or product
identifier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant
advantages
thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by
reference to the
following detailed description when considered in connection with the
accompanying
drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a system for using a hand held device for receiving promotions and
product information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a block diagram of a hand held device used in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3A is a standard promotions table for associating standard promotions
of a
retail store with a date of distribution in accordance with an embodiment of
the present
invention;
Figure 3B is a predetermined promotion table for associating a predetermined
promotion with a CID in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 3C is a trigger item table for associating trigger items with targeted
promotions
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in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3D is a store table for associating customer identifiers (CIDs) of a
particular
customer with a retail store in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
Figures 4A through 4C are exemplary promotions that may be displayed on the
hand
held device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a flow chart describing the process for using a hand held device
for
receiving promotions in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
Figures 6A and 6B are flow charts describing the process for automatically
establishing a wireless communications link between a retail store system and
a hand held
device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6C is a flow chart describing the process for establishing a wireless
communications link between a retail store system and a hand held device based
on a user
initiated signal;
Figures 7 is a flow chart describing a process for determining promotions in
the retail
store system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a computer system programmed to
perform one
or more of the special purpose functions of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate
identical or
corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to
Figure 1 thereof,
there is shown a computerized system for using a hand held device for
receiving promotions
and product information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The system of
Figure 1 includes a retail store system including host computer 101, a global
purchase
database 103, one or more retail stores 105, a purchase data computer 107, a
local purchase
database 109, a store controller 111, a store database 113, and one or more
points of sale 115,
each including a printer 117, a terminal 119, and a scanner 121.
The host computer 101 is any suitable workstation, server, or other device for
communicating with the purchase data computer 107 and for storing information
in and
retrieving information from the global purchase database 103. The host
computer 101 also
determines promotions to be sent to customers in the retail store 105 in
accordance with one
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embodiment of the invention. The host computer 101 communicates with the
purchase data
computer 107 using any suitable protocol and may be implemented using the
computer
system 801 of Figure 8, for example.
The global purchase database 103 is a file that includes records containing
information for providing promotions in accordance with the present invention.
This
information includes information of each purchase made by a customer in the
retail store 1 O5.
Such information may include, but is not limited to the shelf keeping unit
(SKU), brand, size,
weight, price, date and time of purchase, and customer identifier (CID) of the
customer
making the purchase, for example. In one embodiment, portions of this
information are
obtained fiom bar codes on purchase items, which are scanned by the scanner
121 during a
transaction. These bar codes may contain UPC, JAN, and EAN information.
Records in the
global purchase database 103 contain fields together with a set of operations
for searching,
sorting, recombining, and other database functions. The global purchase
database 103 may
be implemented as two or more databases, if desired. One or more of U.S. Pat.
Nos.
5,832,457; 5,649,114; 5,430,644; and 5,592,560 describe techniques for
collecting customer
purchase history information and for storing such inform~.tion in databases
such as the global
purchase database 103 and the store database 113, for example. U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,832,457;
5,649,144; 5,430,644; and 5,592,560 are incorporated herein by reference.
Additionally,
techniques for collecting customer purchase information and for storing such
information in
databases, such as the global purchase database 103 and the store database
113, are described
in other patents owned by Catalina Marlceting and/or Catalina Marlceting
International. Each
patent owned by Catalina Marketing and/or Catalina Marketing International is
incorporated
herein by reference.
The retail store 105 is generically referred to as a retail location and is a
place where
goods are kept for retail sale to customers. As noted above, many retail
stores 105 may be
connected to the host computer 101.
The purchase data computer 107 may be implemented using the computer system
801
of Figure 8, for example, or any other suitable PC, work station, server, or
device for
cormnunicating with the host computer 101, for storing and retrieving
information in the local
purchase database 109, for monitoring data transmitted between the terminal
119 and the
store controller 111 (i.e., transaction data) and for controlling the printer
117 and wireless
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communications unit 123. According to one embodiment, the purchase data
computer 107
determines promotions and product information and delivers them to the hand
held device
201 via the wireless communications unit 123.
The local purchase database 109 is a file that includes records containing
information
for providing promotions and product information in accordance with the
present invention.
The records in the local purchase database 109 contain fields for associating
bar codes with
products in the retail store 105 (e.g., by using UPC, JAN, and/or EAN codes)
and associating
customer identifiers with promotions. The local purchase database 109 also
includes
operations for searching, sorting, recombining, and other database functions.
The local
purchase database 109 may be implemented as two or more databases, if desired.
Periodically, (e.g., daily) sales transaction information stored in the local
purchase database
109 is retrieved by the purchase data computer 107 and sent to the host
computer 101, which
uses the information to update the purchase history information stored in the
global purchase
database 103.
The store controller 111 is any computer or device for communicating with the
terminal 119 and for using information stored in the store database 113 to
carry out
transactions at the point of sale (POS) 115. A description of a store
controller 111 is found in
U.S. Patent No. 5,173,851, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The store database 113 is a file that includes records containing information
for
carrying out transactions at the point of sale 115 by scanning bar codes
printed on purchased
items. The records in the store database 113 contain fields for associating
bar codes with
products and their corresponding prices. The store database 113 also includes
operations for
searching, sorting, recombining, and other database functions, and may be
implemented as
two or more databases, if desired.
The retail store 105 includes one or more points of sale 11 S. Each point of
sale 115
preferably includes a corresponding printer 117, a terminal 119, and a scanner
121. The
terminal 119 may be implemented as a standard cash register and may include a
screen, credit
card reader, and numeric lcey pad, for example. The terminal 119 communicates
with the
store controller 111 and the scanner 121. The scanner 121 may be implemented
as any
conventional scanning device for reading product information such as an item
code (e.g.,
UDC, EAN, or JAN) from bar codes or other indicia on the product. This
information read
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by the scanner 121 is transmitted to the store controller 111 via the terminal
119. The store
controller 11 l, uses the scanned information and the information stored in
the store database
113 to determine information of the transaction including product price,
quantity, and product
description, for example. Purchase receipts and a hard copy of promotions may
be printed on
the printer 117 in response to receiving commands from the purchase data
computer 107, if
desired
If there axe multiple points of sale 115 within the retail store 105, then
each terminal
119 is preferably arranged on a loop with the store controller 111. The
purchase data
computer 107 is located in front of the store controller 111 on the loop so
that information
transmitted from the terminals to the store controller is monitored by the
purchase data
computer 107.
The retail store 105 also includes one or more wireless communications units
123
coupled to the purchase data computer 107. Each wireless communications unit
123
provides a two-way wireless data communication coupling 125 with hand held
device 201.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, wireless communications
unit 123 is
used to exchange data relating to promotions and retail product information
with hand held
device 201. Information is exchanged between the wireless communications unit
123 and
hand held device 201 in response to receiving commands from the purchase data
computer
107 and/or hand held device 201, for example.
Wireless communications unit 123 is a wireless transceiver such as an infrared
transmitter and detector, or a Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP) device.
Wireless
communications unit 123 may also be a device for implementing Bluetooth radio
link
technology or some other IEEE 802 standard wireless protocol. Bluetooth is a
technology
specification for small form factor, low cost, short range radio links between
mobile PCs,
mobile phones, and other portable devices. See e.g., "Specification of the
Blue Tooth
System", V.1. 0B, December l, 1999, core specification - vol. 1, profiles
specification - vol.
2, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Alternatively, the data
transfer unit 123 may be implemented as any combination of suitable devices
for providing
wireless two-way data communication coupling 125 so as to provide
compatibility with a
variety of hand held devices. According to one embodiment, wireless
communications unit
123 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that
carry digital data
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streams representing various types of information related to promotions and
product
information.
Depending on the type of wireless technology used and the size and
configuration of
the retail store 105, there may be multiple wireless communications units 123
within the
retail store 105. Each wireless communications unit 123 is preferably arranged
relative to
other wireless communications units in accordance with the range of
transmission and
reception of the wireless units. Each wireless communications unit 123 is
connected to the
purchase data computer 107 so that any of the databases of Figure 1 can
exchange
information with the hand held device 201. The wireless communications unit
123, the
purchase data computer 107, and all components connected to the purchase data
computer
107 make up a retail store system with which the hand held device 201
communicates with.
It is to be understood that the system in Figure 1 is for exemplary purposes
only, as
many variations of the specific hardware and software used to implement the
present
invention will be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art.
For example, the
,.
functionality of the purchase data computer 107 and the store controller 111
may be
combined in a single device. This and other implementations of retail computer
systems are
described in greater detail in one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,212;
4,910,672; 5,173,851;
5,612,868; and 6,026,370, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
To implement
these variations as well as other variations, a single computer (e.g., the
computer system 801
of Figure 8) may be programmed to perform the special purpose functions of two
or more of
any of the devices numbered 101 through 123 shown in Figure 1. On the other
hand, two or
more programmed computers may be substituted for any one of the devices
numbered 1 O 1
through 123 shown in Figure 1. Principles and advantages of distributed
processing, such as
redundancy and replication, may also be implemented as desired to increase the
robustness
and performance of the system, for example.
Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary hand held device used according to
the
present invention. Figure 2 is intended to represent any one of a variety of
small screen
computers such as the hand held computer sold under the Trademark PalmPilot by
Corporation of Santa Clara, California, the Trademark Palm by Palm, Inc. of
Santa Clara,
California, or the hand held computer disclosed in any one of U.S. Patent
Numbers,
4,545,023, 5,133,076, and 5, 900,875, for example. U.S. Patent Numbers,
4,545,023,
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5,133,076, and 5, 900,875 are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally,
the hand held
device 201 may be a personal data assistant (PDA), cellular phone, or any
other portable hand
held device capable of uploading, downloading, storing, and manipulating
digital
information.
Preferably, hand held device 201 includes a bus 203 or other communication
mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 205 coupled with bus
203 for
processing the information. Hand held device 201 also includes a memory unit
207, such as a
random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device (e.g., dynamic RAM
(DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), flash RAM), coupled to
bus
203 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 205.
In addition,
memory unit 207 may be used for storing temporary variables or other
intermediate
information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 205.
Memory unit
207 may further include a read only memory (ROM) or other static storage
device (e.g.,
programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), and electrically erasable PROM
(EEPROM)) fox storing static information and instructions for processor 205.
The ROM may
be depicted as a separate memory unit. A storage device 21 l, such as a
magnetic dislc, may
also be provided coupled to bus 203 for storing information and instructions.
Hand held device 201 also includes a display unit 2I3, such as a liquid
crystal display
(LCD), coupled to bus 203 for displaying information to a user of hand held
device 201. The
hand held device 201 includes an input device 215, such as an alpha numeric
keypad and/or
cursor control, for communicating information and command selections to
processor 205.
A wireless interface 217 coupled to bus 203 provides a two-way wireless data
communication coupling 125 to wireless communications unit 123. Wireless
interface 217 is
a wireless transceiver such as an infrared transmitter and detector, or a
Wireless Applications
Protocol (WAP) device. Wireless interface 217 may also be a device for
implementing
Bluetooth radio link technology or some other IEEE 802 standard wireless
protocol.
Alternatively, fihe interface may be implemented as any combination of devices
for providing
two-way wireless data communication coupling 125 so as to provide
compatibility with a
variety of wireless communications units. In any such implementation, wireless
interface 217
sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry
digital data streams
representing various types of information.
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The present invention stores information relating to customer identifications,
retail
stores 105, the purchase histories of customers, and trigger items, for
example. This
information is stored in one or more memories such as a hard disk, optical
disk, magneto-
optical disk, and/or RAM, for example. One or more databases, such as the
global purchase
database 103 and the store database 113, may store the information used to
implement the
present invention. The databases are organized using data structures (e.g.,
records, tables,
arrays, fields, graphs, trees, and/or lists) contained in one or more
memories, such as the
memories listed above or any of the storage devices listed below in the
discussion of Figure
8, for example.
Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D depict data structures used for implementing a
system for
receiving promotions and product information in accordance with an embodiment
of the
present invention. The data structures are depicted in a relational format,
using tables,
whereby information stored in one column (i.e., field) of a table is mapped or
linked to
information stored in the same row (i.e., record) across the other columns) of
the table.
These data structures are used by the host computer 101 andlor the purchase
data computer
107 and/or the hand held device 201 to deliver promotions and product
information in
accordance with the present invention. According to one embodiment, the data
structures
shown in Figures 3A through 3C are stored in retail store system databases
such as store
database 113 or local purchase database 109, while the data structure shown in
Figure 3D is
stored in the hand held device 201. However, it is to be understood that any
other suitable
storage devices) or mediums) may be used.
Figure 3A is a standard promotions table 301 that includes a date field 303
for storing
dates and a field 305 for storing standard promotions to be delivered to the
hand held device
201 of a customer in accordance with the present invention. The standard
promotions table is
preferably stored in the local purchase database 109 on a regular basis, for
example weekly,
and associates standard promotions offered to all customers with a date on
which the
promotions are offered. According to one embodiment of the present invention,
the
information in field 305 is transmitted to any hand held device 201 that
establishes a
communications link with the wireless communications device 123 on the date in
corresponding field 303 as will be described. The information in field 305 may
be
promotional information or any other information that is not specific to a
particular product
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or customer and is desired to be transmitted to every customer that is located
within a
predetermined proximity of the retail store 105 associated with the wireless
communications
unit 123. For example, the first entry of the standard promotions table 301
indicates the date
July 4, 2000 in the date field 303 and the corresponding promotion of
obtaining a gallon of
mills for 5 cents if $25 is spent, and the general information that July 4th
items are available at
the bakery section. ~ The promotions stored in the standard promotions table
301 may change
on a daily basis as seen by the second exemplary entry of Figure 3A wherein
the promotion
of July 4t'' bakery items at half price is offered to all customers on July
St".
Figure 3B is a predetermined promotion table 307 that includes a field 309 for
storing
CIDs and a field 311 for storing predetermined promotions associated with the
CID. The
predetermined promotion table 307 stores CIDs of many different customers and
promotions
associated with each CID. Thus, as seen in the exemplary entries of Figure 3B,
the first entry
in table 307 associates predetermined promotions with the customer having the
CID 8765,
while the second entry of table 307 associates predetermined promotions with a
different
customer having CID MMM765. The predetermined promotions in field 311 may be
determined based on purchase history of the customer obtained by analysis of,
for example,
purchase data such as the location of the purchase, a description of the items
purchased, the
price of each item purchased, date and time of the transaction, and any other
desired
information of customers' transactions. The predeterminzd promotions table is
preferably
stored in the local purchase database 109.
Figure 3C is a trigger item table 313 including a field 315 for storing
trigger items and
a field 317 for storing promotions. The trigger items in field 315 may be bar
codes or other
information which, when sent from the hand held device 201 to the purchase
data computer
107 and cause the purchase data computer 107 to deliver the corresponding
promotions) in
the field 317 to the hand held device 201 via the wireless communications unit
123. Thus,
the trigger item table 313 associates trigger items with promotions to be
delivered to a
customer whose scans or otherwise inputs into the handheld device 201 and
transmits to the
wireless communications unit 123 one or more of the trigger items in the field
315. As
shown by the phantom field 325 of Figure 3C, the promotion field 317 may
contain a subfield
325 for providing product information relating to the corresponding trigger
item in field 315.
This product information may include nutritional information or any other
information
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specific to the product associated with the trigger item in field 315.
In a preferred embodiment, the retail products relating to the promotions
stored in
field 317 are complements of, in competition with, or in some way related to
the trigger items
stored in field 315. The first entry of Figure 3C illustrates an example of a
promotion for a
product in competition with a trigger product. In this example, "brand A cola"
in field 315 is
a purchase item that provides a trigger for a promotion of "50 cents off brand
B cola" in field
317, brand B cola being in competition with brand A cola. Similarly, trigger
item "brand T
tea" in field 315 triggers a promotion for a "50 cents off 5 1b bag of sugar"
in field 317, sugar
being ordinarily used with tea and therefore a complement item of tea. Thus,
if a customer
scans both brand A cola and brand T tea using the hand held device 201 and
transmits these
items to the wireless communications unit 123, the purchase data computer will
generate
promotions for 50 cents off brand B cola and 50 cents off a Slb bag of sugar
which will be
transmitted baclc to the hand held device 201 via wireless communications link
125. How the
promotions in field 317 are provided in response to a trigger item in field
315 will be further
described below.
Figure 3D is a retail store table 331 that includes a field 333 fox storing
customer
identifiers (CIDs) and a field 335 for storing a particular retail store
associated with the CID
in the field 333. A CID is any identifier that is scanned, read, or otherwise
entered into a
computer system at checkout to identify a customer. Each customer may have
multiple CIDs
and each retail store may use any one of the CIDs to track purchases of, and
provide
promotions to, the customer. Thus, different retail stores may have a
different CID for a
particular customer. Examples of possible CIDs are credit card numbers, debit
card numbers,
social security card numbers, driver's license numbers, checking account
numbers, street
addresses, names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, frequent customer card
numbers,
shopper card identifications (SCIDs), or shopper loyalty card numbers issued
by the retail
store 105, although any other suitable form of identification may be used.
To illustrate the use of retail store table 331, Figure 3D includes three
exemplary
entries for a hypothetical customer having three customer loyalty accounts
stored in hand
held device 201. The first entry of Figure 3D shows that field 333 may contain
the number
"12345" as a CID associated with the hypothetical customer, and in the same
record, field
335 may contain the entry "ABC grocery" as a corresponding retail store. The
retail store
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table 331 also includes the CID "8765" of the customer in field 333 and the
corresponding
entry (i.e. the entry in the same record) "XYZ market" in field 335 as shown
by the second
entry of Figure 3D. Alternatively, instead of the store name, the field 335
stores codes or
identifying data of retail stores as shown in the third entry of Figure 3D.
Thus, the retail store
table 331 associates each of a number of CIDs assigned to the hypothetical
customer with a
corresponding retail store 105 thereby allowing the customer to use many
different loyalty
accounts with hand held device 201 in accordance with the present invention.
Figures 4A, 4B and 4C are examples of promotions that may be delivered to the
hand
held device 201 in accordance with the present invention. As shown in these
figures, each
purchase incentive includes a reward to be received by the customer, and may
or may not
include a loyalty condition to be satisfied by the customer in order to
receive the reward. The
loyalty condition indicates what a person must do to receive the reward. The
reward may be a
check, coupon, discount, certificate, redeemable medium, and/or other positive
benefit to a
person who meets the condition. For example, purchase incentive 401 of Figure
4A includes
reward 403 (50ø off brand B cola) which has no loyalty condition associated
with it. A
customer that makes a purchase of brand B cola at a retail store 105 that
accepts the purchase
incentive will receive a 50ø discount without any further action. Figure 4B
shows a purchase
incentive 405 having a reward 407 and a loyalty condition 409. The reward of
"one gallon of
mills for 5 cents" is given to the customer only if the condition of spending
$25 is satisfied.
The purchase incentives 401 is preferably a remarkable offer designed to cause
a
customer to switch to a particular brand of product or to promote brand
loyalty for a product.
In the case of causing a customer to switch brands, the purchase incentive is
preferably
triggered by the purchase of a competitor brand as discussed with respect to
Figure 3 C above.
Purchase incentive 405 is a remarkable offer designed to keep customers coming
back to the
store 105. According to an embodiment of the invention, the rewards relating
to store loyalty
are for staple items such as milk, eggs, bread, etc. to encourage customers to
do all of their
grocery shopping at the store 105 rather than shop for specific items only.
However, it is to
be understood that each purchase incentive may be tailored to suit different
purposes, as
desired.
Figure 4C is an exemplary advertisement 411 that may be delivered to the hand
held
device 201 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The
advertisement includes
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a message 413 designated to promote a particular brand and product. Thus, as
seen in Figure
4C, brand X sweetener is promoted to the consumer as being just one calorie.
The rewards, conditions, and advertisements shown in Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C
may
involve subject matter other than groceries and retail stores. Moreover, the
promotions may
include other information not shown in Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C and the other
information
may include information related or unrelated to the customer's purchases.
Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the process of receiving promotions
relating to
retail products using a hand held device 201 in accordance with the present
invention. The
description of this figure is made by referring only to the purchase data
computer 107 with
the understanding that the host computer 101 may be used in combination with
or as a
substitute for the purchase data computer 107. In step 501, wireless
communications lint 125
is established between the retail store system including the purchase data
computer 107 and
wireless communications unit 123, and the hand held device 201. The wireless
communications link 125 is 'established either automatically or in response to
a user initiated
command as will be discussed with respect to Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C. To
establish the
wireless communications link 125, the hand held device must be within a
predetermined
proximity of the wireless communications unit 123. The predetermined proximity
is
determined based on either the output power of the wireless communications
unit 123 and
hand held device 201, signal strength detection, or any other ranging
technology known to
one of ordinary skill in the art.
After the wireless communications link 125 is established, the purchase data
computer
107 of the retail store system generates promotions to be delivered to the
hand held device
201 in step 505. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the
purchase data
computer 107 generates standard promotions automatically when a hand held
device 201
establishes a wireless communications link 125 with the retail store system.
In generating the
standard promotions, the purchase data computer 107 first determines the
current date on
which the wireless communications link 125 is established by reference to a
system clock.
The purchase data computer then accesses the standard promotions table 301 in
the local
purchase database 109 and retrieves the standard promotions in field 305 of
table 301
corresponding to the date determined. According to another embodiment, the
promotions
generated in step 505 are determined based on a product identifier or CID
transmitted from
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the hand held device 201 to the wireless communications unit 123 of the retail
store system as
will be discussed in Figure 7.
Once the promotions are generated, the retail store system sends the
promotions to the
wireless communications unit 123 where the promotions are transmitted to the
hand held
device 201 via the wireless communications link 125 as seen in step 507. The
promotions are
then received and stored within the memory unit 207 or storage device 211 of
the hand held
device 201 where the customer may view the promotions on the display 213. The
promotions
may be viewed on display 213 individually as seen in Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C,
for example,
or viewed in tabular format allowing a user of the hand held device 201 to
view several
promotions at one time. Input device 215 allows a user of the hand held device
to
communicate command selections to the processor 205 via the bus 203, for
selecting,
deleting, grouping and otherwise organizing the promotions stored in memory of
hand held
device 201 as seen in step 509. For example, a customer using hand held device
201 may
view all promotions, group the promotions to be retained, and delete the
remaining
promotions. With the retained promotions stored in hand held device 201, the
customer
shops for the retail items associated with the promotions retained in step 503
and or
references and/or redeems the promotions with the retail store as also shown
in Figure 509.
The redeemable promotions may be redeemed by the customer by printing a hard
copy of the
promotion and presenting the hard copy to the retailer at checkout.
Alternatively, the
promotions may be electronically redeemed to the POS 115 at the checkout
counter.
Techniques for redeeming promotions using hand held device are described in
Attorney
docket number 7791-0116-25, titled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A HAND
HELD DEVICE TO MANAGE PROMOTIONS" assigned to CATAL1NA MARKETING
INTERNATIONAL, INC. and filed on July 11, 2000, the entire contents of which
is
incorporated herein by reference.
Figures 6A and 6B describe alternative processes for automatically
establishing
wireless communications link 125 between the hand held device 201 and retail
store system.
As seen in the embodiment of Figure 6A, the retail store system transmits a
survey signal
within a predetermined proximity of the retail store 115 in step 601. The
survey signal is a
wireless signal transmitted from the wireless communications unit 123 and may
be a simple
beacon signal or a signal including information to be sent from the purchase
data computer
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107 or some other component of retail store system. As mentioned above, the
predetermined
proximity may be determined based on the output power of the wireless
communications unit
123 or any known ranging technology.
When a customer brings a hand held device 201 within the predetermined
proximity,
the hand held device 201 receives the survey signal in step 603 via the
wireless interface 217.
The wireless interface 217 then sends a notification signal to the processor
205 of hand held
device which then causes the wireless interface to transmit a reply to the
retail store system
indicating that a communications link is established as depicted in step 605.
The reply
transmitted from the hand held device 201 may be a simple reply signal or may
include
information to be used by the retail store system to generate promotions as
will be discussed
in Figure 7. Moreover, it is to be understood that the reply signal is of
sufficient power to be
received by the retail store system.
Figure 6B shows an alternative process for automatically establishing wireless
communications link 125 between the retail store system and the hand held
device 201. In
step 607 of Figure 6B, the hand held device 201 continually transmits a
proximity signal.
The proximity signal may be a simple beacon signal or may include information
to be used
by the retail store system to generate promotions. The continual transmission
of the
proximity signal is preferably initiated by the user turning on power to the
hand held device,
or may be initiated by a command of the user. When the customer carrying the
hand held
device enters within a predetermined proximity of the retail store 115, the
wireless
communications unit 123 receives the proximity signal as seen in step 609. The
wireless
communications unit 123 then transmits a response of sufficient power to the
hand held
device 201 indicating that wireless communications link 125 has been
established as in step
611. It is to be understood that when the proximity signal sent from the hand
held device
includes information to be used by the retail store system in generating
promotions, the
promotions are generated based on such information and are transmitted from
the wireless
communications unit 123 to the hand held device 201 as part of the response
transmitted in
step 611. Moreover, the processes described in Figures 6A and 6B are exemplary
only, and
any other known process for automatically establishing a wireless
communications link 125
between the retail store system and the hand held device may be used.
Figure 6C describes the process by which wireless communications link 125 is
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established based on a user initiated command. In step 613, the hand held
device 201 inputs
a command entered by the user of the hand held device 201. The command may be
entered
by depression of a function key on the hand held device or selection of an
option on a menu
displayed on the display 213 of the hand held device 201, for example. The
command
entered causes the hand held device to transmit a signal to the wireless
communications unit
123 as seen in step 615. If the hand held device is within a predetermined
proximity of the
wireless communications unit 123, the retail store system receives the user
initiated signal in
step 617 and transmits a response indicating that a wireless linlc is
established as shown in
step 619. As with the automatic processes described above, the user initiated
signal may
include information used by the retail store system to determine promotions
and the retail
store systems response may include the promotion.
Figure 7 describes a process by which the retail store system generates
promotions
when the signal transmitted from the hand held device 201 to the retail store
system includes
information such as a CID or product identifier. As seen in step 701, the
wireless
communications unit 123 of the retail store system receives the CID and/or
product identifier
from the hand held device. The customer inputs a customer identifier and/or
product
identifier into the hand held device by scanning a card containing the CID, a
product
containing the product identifier, or manually inputting the CID and/or
product identifier into
the hand held device 201. When the wireless communications linlc is to be
established
automatically as discussed with respect to Figures 6A and 6B, the customer
preferably inputs
the product identifier and/or customer identifier into the hand held device
201 where it is
stored in the memory unit 207 or storage device 211 to be accessed and
transmitted during
the process of automatically establish in a wireless communication link.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, when a wireless
communications link is automatically established between the hand held device
201 and the
wireless communications unit 123 as described in Figures 6A and 6B, the retail
store table
331 containing CID information is transferred from the memory unit 207 through
bus 203
and wireless interface 217 of the hand held device 201, and transmitted. The
wireless
communications unit 123 receives and transfers the retail store table 331 to
the purchase data
computer 107 which obtains a store identifier unique to the retail store 115
or retail chain that
retail store 115 is affiliated with, from the local purchase database 109 or
the store database
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113. Purchase data computer 107 searches field 331 of retail store table 301,
for a store
identifier that matches the identifier obtained from database 109 or 113, and
the
corresponding CID in field 333 of table 301 is determined to be the CID of the
customer for
the particular retail store 115. For example, a customer shopping at ABC
Grocery store and
having table 331 of Figure 3D stored in hand held device 201 would interface
hand held
device 201 with a wireless communications unit 123 located in ABC Grocery
store in order
to transmit table 331 to the purchase data computer 107 located in ABC Grocery
store. The
purchase data computer 107 then obtains the identifier "ABC Grocery" from the
local
purchase database 109, for example, and matches this identifier with field 335
to determine
the CID of the customer for ABC Grocery store.
Alternatively, when the wireless communications linlc 125 is established based
on a
user initiated command as described in Figure 6C above, the product identifier
and/or CID is
input into the hand held device 201 as part of inputting the user initiated
command. For
example, in a preferred embodiment, a customer shopping at retail store 105
uses the hand
held device 201 to scan the product identifier of one of the products on a
shelf of the retail
store. This scanning serves as the user initiated command in step 613 and the
user initiated
signal transmitted in step 615 includes the product identifier. If the hand
held device is
within the predetermined proximity, the wireless communications unit 123
receives the
proximity signal including the product identifier.
Whether the CID andlor product identifier are sent to the wireless
communications
unit 123 by an automatic or user initiated link, in step 703 the CID and/or
product identifier
are sent from the wireless communications unit 123 to the purchase data
computer 107. The
purchase data computer then determines promotions based on the CID and/or
product
identifier received as seen in step 705. The promotions determined are then
sent to the
wireless communications unit 123 to be sent to the hand held device 201 via
the wireless
communications link 125 where the promotions can be organized and redeemed as
discussed
with respect to Figure 5.
According to an embodiment, Figure Ts step 703 of determining promotions to be
delivered to the customer's hand held device 201 is accomplished according to
predetermined
promotions obtained based on the customer's purchase history. In this
embodiment, and
referring to Figure l, the host computer 101 polls the purchase data computer
107 in each of
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the retail stores 105 for purchase history information to update the purchase
history
information stored in the global purchase database 103. The host computer 101
generates
behavioral information from the purchase history information stored in the
global purchase
database 103. This behavioral information may be any information that a market
researcher
' (i.e., surveyor) wishes to use to determine whether a targeted promotion
should be delivered
to a customer. Examples of behavioral information are whether a customer has
purchased at
least five pounds of dog food per month for the last year, whether the
customer has purchased
cold medicine in the last week, and whether the customer consistently
purchases lactose-free
mills.
The host computer 101 compares the behavioral information generated to
purchase
criteria stored in global purchase database 103 and associated with a
particular promotion. If
the behavioral information of any customer meets the purchase criteria, then
the customer's
CID is stored in field 309 and the corresponding promotion is stored in the
field 311 of the
predetermined promotion table 307. In this manner, the predetermined promotion
table 307
is populated with CIDs and associated promotions to be delivered to the
corresponding
customers.
The host computer 101 delivers the predetermined promotion table 307 to the
retail
stores 105. If desired, predetermined promotion table 307 is broken up into
separate
predetermined promotion tables for each retail store 105. If desired, only the
CIDs of
customers that frequent the corresponding retail store 105 are provided to
each retail store
105 in order to reduce the effect of storage and transmission constraints. The
predetermined
promotion table 307 is received by the purchase data computer 107 and the
retail store 105
and stored in the local purchase database 109.
When a customer establishes a wireless communications lime 125 between the
hand
held device 201 and the wireless communications unit 123, the customer CID
table is
transmitted through the wireless communications unit 123 to the purchase data
computer 107
which determines the CID as discussed above. Once the CID is determined, the
purchase
data computer 107 uses the CID to determine whether the same CID exists in
field 309 of the
predetermined promotion table 307. If the CID is found in field 309, then the
corresponding
predetermined promotions) in field 311 axe delivered to the wireless
communications unit
123. The predetermined promotions are then transmitted over wireless
communication link
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125 to wireless interface 217 of hand held device 201. The predetermined
promotions are
transferred through bus 203 into memory unit 207 of hand held device 201 where
the
promotions may be reviewed and organized by the customer. In tlus manner, the
promotions
targeted to the customer whose CID was input to the hand held device are
delivered to the
customer's hand held device.
In another embodiment, Figure Ts step 703 of determining promotions to be
delivered
to the customer's hand held device 201 is accomplished according to trigger
items scanned
and transmitted by the customer during the shopping event. In this embodiment,
the purchase
data computer 107 receives trigger items and promotions, which are stored in
the local
purchase database 109. The trigger items and promotions may be downloaded from
the host
computer 101, input by hand, or transferred by any other suitable means to the
purchase data
computer 107 (e.g., by floppy disk or via a connection to another computer).
The trigger
items and promotions are stored in the trigger item table 313 in fields 315
and 317
respectively. The trigger items correspond to information scanned into the
hand held device
201 during the current shopping event. For example, the triggers may be bar
code
information or UPC information associated with corresponding promotions 317.
Thus, each
trigger item may identify one or more products.
As discussed, the purchase data computer 107 monitors information received by
the
wireless communications unit 123. The information transmitted may be generated
upon
scanning a bar code on a product or by any other suitable method for inputting
product
identifier information into the hand held device. The purchase data computer
107 compares
the monitored information with the trigger items stored in the field 315. If
there is a match
between any of the trigger items in the field 315 and the scanned information
(e.g., if a
product identified by the trigger item is scanned by the customer during the
shopping event),
then the purchase data computer 107 electronically transmits the corresponding
promotion in
the field 317 to the hand held device 201 via wireless communications unit
123, over wireless
communication link 125 to interface 217 of hand held device 201. The
promotions are
transferred through bus 203 into memory unit 207 of hand held device 201 where
the
promotions may be reviewed and organized. In this manner, the promotions
corresponding to
trigger items of a current purchase transaction are delivered to the customer
at the point of
sale 115.
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The promotions according to the present invention may be accompanied by
additional
information relating to the product scanned by the customer. For example, the
promotions
electronically transmitted from the wireless communication unit 123 as
discussed above may
be accompanied by product information such as nutritional content, for
example, that a
customer may consider in determining whether to purchase the product
associated with the
promotion. This embodiment may be implemented by storing the additional
information in a
additional associated subfield 325 of the field 317, for example.
Portions of the invention may be conveniently implemented using conventional
general purpose computers or microprocessors programmed according to the
teachings of the
present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the computer art.
Appropriate
software can be readily prepared by programmers of ordinary skill based on the
teachings of
the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the software
ant.
Figure 8 illustrates a computer system 801 upon which an embodiment according
to
the present invention may be implemented. Computer system 801 includes a bus
803 or other
communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 805
coupled
with bus 803 for processing the information. Computer system 801 also includes
a main
memory 807, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage
device (e.g.,
dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), flash
RAM), coupled to bus 803 for storing information and instructions to be
executed by
processor 805. In addition, main memory 807 may be used for storing temporary
variables or
other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed
by processor
805. Computer system 801 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 809 or
other static
storage device (e.g., programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), and
electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM)) coupled to bus 803 for storing static
information
and instructions for processor 805. A storage device 81 l, such as a magnetic
disk or optical
disc, is provided and coupled to bus 803 for storing information and
instructions.
The computer system 801 may also include special purpose logic devices (e.g.,
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurable logic
devices (e.g., generic
array of logic (GAL) or reprogrammable field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs)). Other
removable media devices (e.g., a compact disc, a tape, and a removable magneto-
optical
media) or fixed, high density media drives, may be added to the computer
system 801 using
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an appropriate device bus (e.g., a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus,
an enhanced
integrated device electronics (IDE) bus, or an ultra-direct memory access
(DMA) bus). The
computer system 801 may additionally include a compact disc reader, a compact
disc reader-
writer unit, or a compact disc juke box, each of which may be connected to the
same device
bus or another device bus.
Computer system 801 may be coupled via bus 803 to a display 813, such as a
cathode
ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. The display 813
may be
controlled by a display or graphics card. The computer system includes input
devices, such
as a keyboard 815 and a cursor control 817, for communicating information and
command
selections to processor 805. The cursor control 817, for example, is a mouse,
a trackball, or
cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command
selections to
processor 805 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 813. In
addition, a printer
may provide printed listings of the data structures shown in Figures 3A, 3B,
3C and 3D, or
any other data stored and/or generated by the computer system 801.
The computer system 801 performs a portion or all of the processing steps of
the
invention in response to processor 805 executing one or more sequences of one
or more
instructions contained in a memory, such as the main memory 807. Such
instructions may be
read into the main memory 807 from another computer-readable medium, such as
storage
device 811. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also
be
employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory
807. In
alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in
combination with
software instructions. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific
combination of
hardware circuitry and software.
As stated above, the system 801 includes at least one computer readable medium
or
memory programmed according to the teachings of the invention and for
containing data
structures, tables, records, or other data described herein. Stored on any one
or on a
combination of computer readable media, the present invention includes
software for
controlling the computer system 801, for driving a device or devices for
implementing the
invention, and for enabling the computer system 801 to interact with a human
user, e.g., a
customer. Such software may include, but is not limited to, device drivers,
operating
systems, development tools, and applications software. Such computer readable
media
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further includes the computer program product of the present invention for
performing all or
a portion (if processing is distributed) of the processing performed in
implementing the
invention.
The computer code devices of the present invention may be any interpreted or
executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpreters,
dynamic link
libraries, Java classes, and complete executable programs. Moreover, parts of
the processing
of the present invention may be distributed for better performance,
reliability, and/or cost.
The term "computer readable medium" as used herein refers to any medium that
participates in providing instructions to processor 805 for execution. A
computer readable
medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,
volatile
media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example,
optical, magnetic
disks, and magneto-optical disks, such as storage device 811. Volatile media
includes
dynamic memory, such as main memory 807. Transmission media includes coaxial
cables,
copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 803.
Transmission media
may also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated
during radio wave
and infrared data communications.
Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, hard disks,
floppy
dislcs, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMS (EPROM, EEPROM, Flash EPROM), DRAM,
SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compact disks (e.g., CD-ROM), or
any
other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or other physical medium with
patterns of
holes, a carrier wave (described below), or any other medium from which a
computer can
read.
Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying out one
or
more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 805 for execution. For
example, the
instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer.
The remote
computer can load the instructions for implementing all or a portion of the
present invention
remotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line
using a
modem. A modem local to computer system 801 may receive the data on the
telephone line
and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An
infrared detector
coupled to bus 803 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and
place the data on bus
803. Bus 803 carries the data to main memory 807, from which processor 805
retrieves and
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executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 807 may
optionally be
stored on storage device 811 either before or after execution by processor
805.
Computer system 801 also includes a communication interface 819 coupled to bus
803. Communication interface 819 provides a two-way data communication
coupling to a
'network link 821 that is connected to a local network (e.g., LAN 823). For
example,
cormnunication interface 819 may be a network interface card to attach to any
pacleet
switched local area network (LAN). As another example, communication interface
819 may
be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) card, an integrated services
digital
network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a
corresponding type of telephone line. Wireless links may also be implemented.
In any such
implementation, communication interface 819 sends and receives electrical,
electromagnetic
or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types
of information.
Network link 821 typically provides data communication through one or more
networks to other data devices. For example, network link 821 may provide a
connection
through LAN 823 to a host computer 825 or to data equipment operated by a
service
provider, which provides data communication services through an IP (Internet
Protocol)
network 827. LAN 823 and IP network 827 both use electrical, electromagnetic
or optical
signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various
networks and the
signals on network linlc 821 and through communication interface 819, which
carry the
digital data to and from computer system 801, are exemplary forms of carrier
waves
transporting the information. Computer system 801 can transmit notifications
and receive
data, including program code, through the network(s), network linlc 821 and
communication
interface 819.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are
possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood
that within the scope
of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically
described herein.
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