US20060036485A1 - Methods and apparatus for presenting personalized information to consumers in a retail environment - Google Patents
Methods and apparatus for presenting personalized information to consumers in a retail environment Download PDFInfo
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- US20060036485A1 US20060036485A1 US10/917,967 US91796704A US2006036485A1 US 20060036485 A1 US20060036485 A1 US 20060036485A1 US 91796704 A US91796704 A US 91796704A US 2006036485 A1 US2006036485 A1 US 2006036485A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0207—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q30/0224—Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates based on user history
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0241—Advertisements
- G06Q30/0251—Targeted advertisements
- G06Q30/0255—Targeted advertisements based on user history
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0241—Advertisements
- G06Q30/0251—Targeted advertisements
- G06Q30/0269—Targeted advertisements based on user profile or attribute
- G06Q30/0271—Personalized advertisement
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0241—Advertisements
- G06Q30/0273—Determination of fees for advertising
Definitions
- the present invention relates to techniques for presenting information, such as marketing information, to individuals and, more particularly, relates to techniques for presenting personalized information, such as personalized pricing, messages and safety warnings, to consumers in a retail environment.
- a personalized price is determined for at least one product that is in physical proximity to the customer.
- the physical proximity may be determined, for example, by evaluating identifiers, such as RFID tags, associated with each customer and product.
- a physical location of a customer may be determined based on biometric information.
- a personalized message is determined to present to a customer regarding at least one product that is in physical proximity to the customer.
- the personalized message can provide, for example, dietary or safety information relevant to the customer and at least one product in the proximity of the customer.
- the personalized information provided by the present invention may be determined, for example, based on one or more personalized message rules.
- the personalized message rules may include one or more trigger conditions and a corresponding personalized message.
- the personalized message may be based on one or more attributes of the customer or product (or both).
- FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a network environment in which the present invention can operate
- FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the personalized product information server of FIG. 1 in further detail;
- FIG. 3 is a sample table from an exemplary customer database of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a sample table from an exemplary product database of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 5 is a sample table from an exemplary personalization rulebase of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized message process incorporating features of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized pricing process incorporating features of the present invention.
- the present invention provides personalized information to one or more customers 140 - 1 through ' 40 -N ( 140 -N)(hereinafter, collectively referred to as customers 140 ) regarding one or more products 110 - 1 through 110 -N (hereinafter, collectively referred to as products 110 ) that are within the physical proximity of the customer 140 .
- the term “physical proximity” may be defined, for example, in terms of physical contact, a specified distance threshold, within the field of the same RFID reader 160 , or as a sector, section or aisle of a retail location, such that customers and products in the same sector are said to be within physical proximity of each other.
- each customer 140 may be determined, for example, using a device carried by the customer 140 , such as an RFID tag 145 - 1 through 145 -N associated with each customer 140 , or through biometric means, such as computer vision techniques to recognize customers 140 .
- the RFID tag 145 - 1 through 145 -N may be embodied, for example, as a smart chip embedded in a loyalty program card or credit card.
- Each RFID tag 145 is configured to return a unique identification (ID) number when the RFID tag 145 is interrogated by one or more base station readers 160 .
- the reader 160 is in turn connected to a personalized product information server 200 , discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 2 , which may process the information that is returned by the RFID tag 145 .
- the identification device 160 may be an RFID reader, a bar code scanner or a camera which is used to recognize the customers or product labels.
- each product 110 may be determined, for example, using an RFID tag 115 - 1 through 115 -N associated with each product 110 , or a bar code associated with each product.
- a unique RFID tag 115 may be affixed to each unit of a given product, or a single RFID tag 115 can be provided for multiple units of a given product, for example, by mounting an RFID tag 115 on the shelf or pallet where the product is stored.
- a hierarchy could also be defined to accommodate multiple-level packaging. For example, RFID tags 115 could be affixed to individual pairs of socks as well as to the package of three pairs of socks, so that pricing and inventory may be applied at any level.
- the location of each product 110 may be determined based on a mapping of the floor space of the retail environment, such that if the location of a customer 140 within the retail environment is known, the products 110 in the vicinity of the customer 140 can be identified.
- the product RFID tags 115 - 1 through 115 -N may optionally include a display for presenting pricing and additional information to a customer 140 .
- the product RFID tags 115 - 1 through 115 -N may be embodied as the RFID display tags commercially available from Telepanel, Inc.
- the displays can normally present default pricing, as discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 3 .
- when a customer 140 is determined to be in proximity to a given product 110 an association would be made between the particular customer 140 and the product 110 .
- the present invention would then determine whether any personalized message or pricing is applicable for the particular customer 140 and product 110 . If applicable, a personalized message and/or price would be sent to the product 110 using the RFID network 150 and the correct personalized price would be presented to the customer 140 .
- the network 150 may be embodied as any combination of wired or wireless technologies.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary personalized product information server 200 .
- the personalized product information server 200 is a computer system that interacts with media 250 .
- the personalized product information server 200 comprises a processor 220 , a network interface 225 , a memory 230 , a media interface 235 and an optional display 240 .
- Network interface 225 allows computer system 210 to connect to a network
- media interface 235 allows computer system 210 to interact with media 250 , such as a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) or a hard drive.
- DVD Digital Versatile Disk
- the memory 230 stores a customer database 300 , a product database 400 and a personalization rulebase 500 .
- the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon.
- the computer-readable program code means is operable, in conjunction with a computer system such as the personalized product information server 200 , to carry out all or some of the steps to perform one or more of the methods or create the apparatus discussed herein.
- the computer-readable code is configured to implement a personalized message process 600 and a personalized pricing process 700 .
- the computer-readable medium may be a recordable medium (e.g., floppy disks, hard drive, optical disks such as a DVD, or memory cards) or may be a transmission medium (e.g., a network comprising fiber-optics, the world-wide web, cables, or a wireless channel using time-division multiple access, code-division multiple access, or other radio-frequency channel). Any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used.
- the computer-readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data, such as magnetic variations on a magnetic medium or height variations on the surface of a compact disk.
- Memory 230 configures the processor 220 to implement the methods, steps, and functions disclosed herein.
- the memory 230 could be distributed or local and the processor 220 could be distributed or singular.
- the memory 230 could be implemented as an electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices.
- the term “memory” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by processor 220 . With this definition, information on a network, accessible through network interface 225 , is still within memory 230 because the processor 220 can retrieve the information from the network. It should be noted that each distributed processor that makes up processor 220 generally contains its own addressable memory space. It should also be noted that some or all of computer system 210 can be incorporated into an application-specific or general-use integrated circuit.
- Optional video display 240 is any type of video display suitable for interacting with a human user of apparatus 200 .
- video display 240 is a computer monitor or other similar video display.
- FIG. 3 is a sample table from an exemplary customer database 300 of FIG. 2 .
- the customer database 300 records information for each customer.
- the customer database 300 is comprised of a plurality of records 301 - 310 , each associated with a different customer.
- the customer database 300 provides the customer name, purchase history, credit rating, and preferences in fields 360 , 370 , 380 and 390 , respectively.
- the purchase history indicated in field 370 may be stored as a vector containing a binary value indicating whether a customer has ever purchased each potential item, or a counter indicating a number of times a customer has purchased each potential item or item category.
- the preferences indicated in field 390 may store certain preferences, such as special dietary needs or limitations, that are used to trigger various personalization rules 500 , as discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 5 .
- the dietary needs or limitations may be based, for example, on religious or philosophical food requirements, such as a vegetarian.
- the preferences stored in field 390 may store other preferences, such as sizes or color preferences for clothing.
- the preferences stored in field 390 may also include travel preferences, such room preferences for a hotel, or seat or meal preferences for an airline flight.
- sub-accounts may optionally be created in the customer database 300 .
- sub-accounts can optionally be established for each family member to differentiate the preferences of each person.
- the user preference information stored in the customer database 300 can optionally be automatically adjusted based on a status change.
- the clothing size or food recommendations for a child may vary with age.
- food restrictions may vary by date, for example, during a religious holiday, such that certain food restriction are only active during certain periods (such as “no meat” for a Roman Catholic customer during Lent).
- FIG. 4 is a sample table from an exemplary product database 400 of FIG. 2 .
- the product database 400 records information for each product sold by a retailer.
- the product database 400 is comprised of a plurality of records 401 - 410 , each associated with a different product.
- the product database 400 provides a default price and cautionary information in fields 460 and 480 , respectively.
- the default price indicated in field 460 may be presented to the customer 140 unless a personalized price is applicable, based on one or more personalization rules 500 ( FIG. 5 ).
- the cautionary information recorded in field 480 may store certain product information, such as dietary warnings, that are used to trigger various personalization rules 500 , as discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 5 .
- the product database 400 can optionally accommodate any type of discount, including a percentage discount, a monetary discount (dollars off), or other discounts, such as “buy one get one free,” buy one product and get a discount on a second product.
- a percentage discount e.g., a percentage discount (dollars off)
- a monetary discount e.g., $500,000 off
- other discounts e.g., “buy one get one free,” buy one product and get a discount on a second product.
- Many of these discount and pricing mechanisms are available in today's retail store computer systems and are well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
- the display can optionally show the default price as well as any applicable personalized pricing, such as “was $1.99 now $1.25,” “your savings are xx,” “compare at” or other promotional messages.
- FIG. 5 is a sample table from an exemplary personalization rulebase 500 of FIG. 2 .
- the personalization rulebase 500 stores one or more personalization rules that are used to provide personalized messages or prices to customers 140 that are in physical proximity to certain products 110 .
- the content and format of the personalization rules 500 can take any suitable form, as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill.
- the rule-based implementation of the exemplary embodiment is merely meant to illustrate the scope and spirit of the present invention.
- the exemplary personalization rulebase 500 stores a number of illustrative personalization rules in fields 501 through 510 .
- the personalization rulebase 500 contains a set 520 of personalized pricing rules and a set 530 of personalized message rules.
- the personalization rulebase 500 stores the trigger conditions in field 550 and the corresponding action in field 560 that should be taken when the rule is satisfied.
- the personalized price rule stored in record 502 requires that a customer 140 purchases three products, A, B and C, in order to qualify for a discount. As the customer 140 shops and individually collects the three products, the default pricing may be displayed until the customer 140 has collected all three products. Once the customer 140 has placed the necessary products in his or her shopping cart to satisfy the rule, the personalized pricing can be displayed on each product with the applicable discount. In this manner, the product prices can continuously be updated based on other purchases to allow discounts to be given as certain combinations of products are selected.
- personalized message rules 530 can be defined to ensure that customers 140 do not inadvertently purchase products that are inappropriate for the customer, such as the wrong size or inconsistent with dietary needs of the customer.
- personalized message rules 530 can be defined to check a consumer profile, e.g., allergy to a specific medicine or food type, against the products in the proximity of the customer.
- Further personalized message rules 530 can be defined to issue reminders based on past purchases, such as a message indicating to a customer that he or she purchased a 30 day supply of a given vitamin last month and it may be time to purchase additional vitamins, or a message indicating that a previously rented or borrowed item is overdue.
- the present invention automatically checks the products 110 against the customer's preferences as well as any registered needs and allergies. If there is a mismatch or the customer is selecting an inappropriate item, an alert can be given to the customer. The customer can then do a detailed lookup to find out the details of the mismatch on some personal device, such as a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA). In this manner, information for each customer and item that are in physical proximity can be compared and appropriate personalized product messages, such as personalized pricing, marketing messages or safety messages, can be presented to the customer.
- PDA personal digital assistant
- a pharmacy can deploy the present invention to verify the safety of drugs and other products that are in the physical proximity of a customer.
- the pharmacy can ensure that a new product does not cause adverse reactions or conflicts with other drugs or products being used by the customer.
- the application can compile drug profiles and customer profiles and compare them to determine if the current products cause adverse reactions.
- the present invention optionally incorporates privacy protection features for the identification and preference information.
- the personal identification information is optionally protected from being read by malicious readers.
- the registry information containing personal information can also be protected.
- the personalized information provided in accordance with the present invention can be a service provided to customers for free or with a subscription fee.
- the service can be provided free if the consumer allows the purchase history information to be used by the registry.
- FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized message process 600 incorporating features of the present invention.
- the personalized message process 600 presents applicable personalized messages to customers 140 that are in physical proximity to certain products 110 .
- the personalized message process 600 initially retrieves the personalized message rules 530 from the personalization rulebase 500 ( FIG. 5 ) during step 610 .
- a test is performed during step 620 to determine if a new customer has entered the store. Once it is determined during step 620 that a new customer has entered the store, then all products within the physical proximity of the customer are continuously identified during step 630 (as the customer proceeds through the store).
- step 640 A test is performed during step 640 to determine if there are any personalized message rules 530 that are satisfied. If there are no satisfied personalized message rules 530 , program flow proceeds to step 660 , discussed below.
- step 650 If there are one or more satisfied personalized message rules 530 , the indicated action for all satisfied personalized message rules 530 are implemented during step 650 .
- a further test is performed during step 660 to determine if the customer is still in the store. If the customer is still in the store, program control returns to step 630 . If the customer is no longer in the store, program control terminates.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized pricing process 700 incorporating features of the present invention.
- the personalized price process 700 presents applicable personalized pricing to customers 140 that are in physical proximity to certain products 110 .
- the personalized pricing process 700 initially retrieves the personalized price rules 520 from the personalization rulebase 500 ( FIG. 5 ) during step 710 .
- a test is performed during step 720 to determine if a new customer has entered the store. Once it is determined during step 720 that a new customer has entered the store, then all products within the physical proximity of the customer are continuously identified during step 730 (as the customer proceeds through the store).
- step 740 A test is performed during step 740 to determine if there are any personalized price rules 520 that are satisfied. If there are no satisfied personalized price rules 520 , program flow proceeds to step 770 , discussed below.
- step 750 If there are one or more satisfied personalized price rules 520 , the indicated action for all satisfied personalized price rules 520 are implemented during step 750 .
- a further test is performed during step 770 to determine if the customer is still in the store. If the customer is still in the store, program control returns to step 730 . If the customer is no longer in the store, program control terminates.
- the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon.
- the computer-readable program code means is operable, in conjunction with a computer system to carry out all or some of the steps to perform one or more of the methods or create the apparatus discussed herein.
- the computer-readable medium may be a recordable medium (e.g., floppy disks, hard drive, optical disks such as a DVD, or memory cards) or may be a transmission medium (e.g., a network comprising fiber-optics, the world-wide web, cables, or a wireless channel using time-division multiple access, code-division multiple access, or other radio-frequency channel). Any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used.
- the computer-readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data, such as magnetic variations on a magnetic medium or height variations on the surface of a compact disk.
- the functions and processes stored in the memory configure the processor to implement the methods, steps, and functions disclosed herein.
- the memory could be distributed or local and the processor could be distributed or singular.
- the memory could be implemented as an electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices.
- the term “memory” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by the processor. With this definition, information on a network, accessible through a network interface, is still within memory because the processor can retrieve the information from the network. It should be noted that each distributed processor that makes up processor generally contains its own addressable memory space. It should also be noted that some or all of a computer system can be incorporated into an application-specific or general-use integrated circuit.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to techniques for presenting information, such as marketing information, to individuals and, more particularly, relates to techniques for presenting personalized information, such as personalized pricing, messages and safety warnings, to consumers in a retail environment.
- Marketers constantly attempt to reach consumers with current, personalized marketing information. In an online retailing environment, for example, it is often possible for a web site to identify a returning customer using well-known “cookies” that were previously stored on the customer's computer. Once identified, it is possible to greet the customer by name and present the returning customer with personalized marketing information. For example, the web site can present marketing information that is based on the customer's prior purchases or stated interests.
- In a traditional “bricks and mortar” retailing environment, however, it is often more difficult to present customers with personalized marketing information. In a small retailing environment, it may be possible for store employees to greet a frequent customer by name. Even for a recognized customer, however, it is not practical for store employees to follow the customer through the store to present personalized marketing information. Thus, there is currently no effective mechanism for automatically presenting personalized information to a customer in a traditional retail environment.
- Another challenge for traditional retailers is the pricing of products and the display of pricing information. If a retailer has a loyalty card program or other special promotions that create multiple price levels for the same product, the retailer must display the different applicable prices. To further complicate matters, in the case of a discount that applies only if the customer buys a combination of selected products, final product pricing cannot be determined until the customer has finished their purchases. Therefore, the customer won't know the actual price of each item until the cashier processes the transaction. Furthermore, even though most retailers have extensive information about individual customers, they cannot effectively change their prices on an individual basis at the point of purchase. The ability of online retailers to personalize pricing and marketing information provides a competitive advantage.
- A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus for presenting personalized information, such as personalized messages or safety warnings, to a customer in a traditional retail environment. A further need exists for a method and apparatus for presenting personalized prices to a customer in a traditional retail environment.
- Generally, methods and apparatus are provided for presenting personalized information to consumers in a retail environment. According to one aspect of the invention, a personalized price is determined for at least one product that is in physical proximity to the customer. The physical proximity may be determined, for example, by evaluating identifiers, such as RFID tags, associated with each customer and product. In a further variation, a physical location of a customer may be determined based on biometric information.
- According to another aspect of the invention, a personalized message is determined to present to a customer regarding at least one product that is in physical proximity to the customer. The personalized message can provide, for example, dietary or safety information relevant to the customer and at least one product in the proximity of the customer.
- The personalized information provided by the present invention may be determined, for example, based on one or more personalized message rules. The personalized message rules may include one or more trigger conditions and a corresponding personalized message. The personalized message may be based on one or more attributes of the customer or product (or both).
- A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the present invention, will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a network environment in which the present invention can operate; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the personalized product information server ofFIG. 1 in further detail; -
FIG. 3 is a sample table from an exemplary customer database ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a sample table from an exemplary product database ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is a sample table from an exemplary personalization rulebase ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized message process incorporating features of the present invention; and -
FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of a personalized pricing process incorporating features of the present invention. - The present invention provides personalized information to one or more customers 140-1 through '40-N (140-N)(hereinafter, collectively referred to as customers 140) regarding one or more products 110-1 through 110-N (hereinafter, collectively referred to as products 110) that are within the physical proximity of the
customer 140. As used herein, the term “physical proximity” may be defined, for example, in terms of physical contact, a specified distance threshold, within the field of thesame RFID reader 160, or as a sector, section or aisle of a retail location, such that customers and products in the same sector are said to be within physical proximity of each other. - The location of each
customer 140 may be determined, for example, using a device carried by thecustomer 140, such as an RFID tag 145-1 through 145-N associated with eachcustomer 140, or through biometric means, such as computer vision techniques to recognizecustomers 140. The RFID tag 145-1 through 145-N may be embodied, for example, as a smart chip embedded in a loyalty program card or credit card. EachRFID tag 145 is configured to return a unique identification (ID) number when theRFID tag 145 is interrogated by one or morebase station readers 160. As discussed hereinafter, thereader 160 is in turn connected to a personalizedproduct information server 200, discussed further below in conjunction withFIG. 2 , which may process the information that is returned by theRFID tag 145. Theidentification device 160 may be an RFID reader, a bar code scanner or a camera which is used to recognize the customers or product labels. - The location of each
product 110 may be determined, for example, using an RFID tag 115-1 through 115-N associated with eachproduct 110, or a bar code associated with each product. Aunique RFID tag 115 may be affixed to each unit of a given product, or asingle RFID tag 115 can be provided for multiple units of a given product, for example, by mounting anRFID tag 115 on the shelf or pallet where the product is stored. A hierarchy could also be defined to accommodate multiple-level packaging. For example,RFID tags 115 could be affixed to individual pairs of socks as well as to the package of three pairs of socks, so that pricing and inventory may be applied at any level. In a further variation, the location of eachproduct 110 may be determined based on a mapping of the floor space of the retail environment, such that if the location of acustomer 140 within the retail environment is known, theproducts 110 in the vicinity of thecustomer 140 can be identified. - The product RFID tags 115-1 through 115-N may optionally include a display for presenting pricing and additional information to a
customer 140. The product RFID tags 115-1 through 115-N may be embodied as the RFID display tags commercially available from Telepanel, Inc. The displays can normally present default pricing, as discussed further below in conjunction withFIG. 3 . In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, when acustomer 140 is determined to be in proximity to a givenproduct 110, an association would be made between theparticular customer 140 and theproduct 110. The present invention would then determine whether any personalized message or pricing is applicable for theparticular customer 140 andproduct 110. If applicable, a personalized message and/or price would be sent to theproduct 110 using theRFID network 150 and the correct personalized price would be presented to thecustomer 140. Thenetwork 150 may be embodied as any combination of wired or wireless technologies. -
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary personalizedproduct information server 200. The personalizedproduct information server 200 is a computer system that interacts withmedia 250. The personalizedproduct information server 200 comprises aprocessor 220, anetwork interface 225, amemory 230, amedia interface 235 and anoptional display 240.Network interface 225 allows computer system 210 to connect to a network, whilemedia interface 235 allows computer system 210 to interact withmedia 250, such as a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) or a hard drive. - As shown in
FIG. 2 and discussed further below in conjunction withFIGS. 3 through 5 , thememory 230 stores acustomer database 300, aproduct database 400 and apersonalization rulebase 500. As is known in the art, the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon. The computer-readable program code means is operable, in conjunction with a computer system such as the personalizedproduct information server 200, to carry out all or some of the steps to perform one or more of the methods or create the apparatus discussed herein. For example, as discussed further below in conjunction withFIGS. 6 and 7 , the computer-readable code is configured to implement apersonalized message process 600 and apersonalized pricing process 700. - The computer-readable medium may be a recordable medium (e.g., floppy disks, hard drive, optical disks such as a DVD, or memory cards) or may be a transmission medium (e.g., a network comprising fiber-optics, the world-wide web, cables, or a wireless channel using time-division multiple access, code-division multiple access, or other radio-frequency channel). Any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used. The computer-readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data, such as magnetic variations on a magnetic medium or height variations on the surface of a compact disk.
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Memory 230 configures theprocessor 220 to implement the methods, steps, and functions disclosed herein. Thememory 230 could be distributed or local and theprocessor 220 could be distributed or singular. Thememory 230 could be implemented as an electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices. Moreover, the term “memory” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed byprocessor 220. With this definition, information on a network, accessible throughnetwork interface 225, is still withinmemory 230 because theprocessor 220 can retrieve the information from the network. It should be noted that each distributed processor that makes upprocessor 220 generally contains its own addressable memory space. It should also be noted that some or all of computer system 210 can be incorporated into an application-specific or general-use integrated circuit. -
Optional video display 240 is any type of video display suitable for interacting with a human user ofapparatus 200. Generally,video display 240 is a computer monitor or other similar video display. -
FIG. 3 is a sample table from anexemplary customer database 300 ofFIG. 2 . Thecustomer database 300 records information for each customer. As shown inFIG. 3 , thecustomer database 300 is comprised of a plurality of records 301-310, each associated with a different customer. In one illustrative embodiment, for each customer identified infield 350, thecustomer database 300 provides the customer name, purchase history, credit rating, and preferences infields - For example, the purchase history indicated in
field 370 may be stored as a vector containing a binary value indicating whether a customer has ever purchased each potential item, or a counter indicating a number of times a customer has purchased each potential item or item category. The preferences indicated infield 390 may store certain preferences, such as special dietary needs or limitations, that are used to triggervarious personalization rules 500, as discussed further below in conjunction withFIG. 5 . The dietary needs or limitations may be based, for example, on religious or philosophical food requirements, such as a vegetarian. In addition, the preferences stored infield 390 may store other preferences, such as sizes or color preferences for clothing. The preferences stored infield 390 may also include travel preferences, such room preferences for a hotel, or seat or meal preferences for an airline flight. - In a further variation, sub-accounts may optionally be created in the
customer database 300. For example, if a “head of household” purchases for an entire family, sub-accounts can optionally be established for each family member to differentiate the preferences of each person. The user preference information stored in thecustomer database 300 can optionally be automatically adjusted based on a status change. For example, the clothing size or food recommendations for a child may vary with age. In a further variation, food restrictions may vary by date, for example, during a religious holiday, such that certain food restriction are only active during certain periods (such as “no meat” for a Roman Catholic customer during Lent). -
FIG. 4 is a sample table from anexemplary product database 400 ofFIG. 2 . Theproduct database 400 records information for each product sold by a retailer. As shown inFIG. 4 , theproduct database 400 is comprised of a plurality of records 401-410, each associated with a different product. In one illustrative embodiment, for each product identified infield 450, theproduct database 400 provides a default price and cautionary information infields - For example, the default price indicated in
field 460 may be presented to thecustomer 140 unless a personalized price is applicable, based on one or more personalization rules 500 (FIG. 5 ). The cautionary information recorded infield 480 may store certain product information, such as dietary warnings, that are used to triggervarious personalization rules 500, as discussed further below in conjunction withFIG. 5 . - The
product database 400 can optionally accommodate any type of discount, including a percentage discount, a monetary discount (dollars off), or other discounts, such as “buy one get one free,” buy one product and get a discount on a second product. Many of these discount and pricing mechanisms are available in today's retail store computer systems and are well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. - The display can optionally show the default price as well as any applicable personalized pricing, such as “was $1.99 now $1.25,” “your savings are xx,” “compare at” or other promotional messages.
-
FIG. 5 is a sample table from anexemplary personalization rulebase 500 ofFIG. 2 . The personalization rulebase 500 stores one or more personalization rules that are used to provide personalized messages or prices tocustomers 140 that are in physical proximity tocertain products 110. The content and format of the personalization rules 500 can take any suitable form, as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill. In addition, the rule-based implementation of the exemplary embodiment is merely meant to illustrate the scope and spirit of the present invention. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , theexemplary personalization rulebase 500 stores a number of illustrative personalization rules infields 501 through 510. In the exemplary embodiment, thepersonalization rulebase 500 contains aset 520 of personalized pricing rules and aset 530 of personalized message rules. For each personalization rule, thepersonalization rulebase 500 stores the trigger conditions infield 550 and the corresponding action infield 560 that should be taken when the rule is satisfied. - For example, the personalized price rule stored in
record 502 requires that acustomer 140 purchases three products, A, B and C, in order to qualify for a discount. As thecustomer 140 shops and individually collects the three products, the default pricing may be displayed until thecustomer 140 has collected all three products. Once thecustomer 140 has placed the necessary products in his or her shopping cart to satisfy the rule, the personalized pricing can be displayed on each product with the applicable discount. In this manner, the product prices can continuously be updated based on other purchases to allow discounts to be given as certain combinations of products are selected. - Various personalized message rules 530 can be defined to ensure that
customers 140 do not inadvertently purchase products that are inappropriate for the customer, such as the wrong size or inconsistent with dietary needs of the customer. In addition, personalized message rules 530 can be defined to check a consumer profile, e.g., allergy to a specific medicine or food type, against the products in the proximity of the customer. Further personalized message rules 530 can be defined to issue reminders based on past purchases, such as a message indicating to a customer that he or she purchased a 30 day supply of a given vitamin last month and it may be time to purchase additional vitamins, or a message indicating that a previously rented or borrowed item is overdue. - When a
customer 140 is in physical proximity to various products, the present invention automatically checks theproducts 110 against the customer's preferences as well as any registered needs and allergies. If there is a mismatch or the customer is selecting an inappropriate item, an alert can be given to the customer. The customer can then do a detailed lookup to find out the details of the mismatch on some personal device, such as a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA). In this manner, information for each customer and item that are in physical proximity can be compared and appropriate personalized product messages, such as personalized pricing, marketing messages or safety messages, can be presented to the customer. - For example, a pharmacy can deploy the present invention to verify the safety of drugs and other products that are in the physical proximity of a customer. For example, the pharmacy can ensure that a new product does not cause adverse reactions or conflicts with other drugs or products being used by the customer. The application can compile drug profiles and customer profiles and compare them to determine if the current products cause adverse reactions.
- The present invention optionally incorporates privacy protection features for the identification and preference information. The personal identification information is optionally protected from being read by malicious readers. In addition, the registry information containing personal information can also be protected.
- The personalized information provided in accordance with the present invention can be a service provided to customers for free or with a subscription fee. For example, the service can be provided free if the consumer allows the purchase history information to be used by the registry.
-
FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of apersonalized message process 600 incorporating features of the present invention. Thepersonalized message process 600 presents applicable personalized messages tocustomers 140 that are in physical proximity tocertain products 110. As shown inFIG. 6 , thepersonalized message process 600 initially retrieves the personalized message rules 530 from the personalization rulebase 500 (FIG. 5 ) duringstep 610. A test is performed duringstep 620 to determine if a new customer has entered the store. Once it is determined duringstep 620 that a new customer has entered the store, then all products within the physical proximity of the customer are continuously identified during step 630 (as the customer proceeds through the store). - A test is performed during
step 640 to determine if there are any personalized message rules 530 that are satisfied. If there are no satisfied personalized message rules 530, program flow proceeds to step 660, discussed below. - If there are one or more satisfied personalized message rules 530, the indicated action for all satisfied personalized message rules 530 are implemented during
step 650. A further test is performed duringstep 660 to determine if the customer is still in the store. If the customer is still in the store, program control returns to step 630. If the customer is no longer in the store, program control terminates. -
FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing an exemplary implementation of apersonalized pricing process 700 incorporating features of the present invention. Thepersonalized price process 700 presents applicable personalized pricing tocustomers 140 that are in physical proximity tocertain products 110. As shown inFIG. 7 , thepersonalized pricing process 700 initially retrieves thepersonalized price rules 520 from the personalization rulebase 500 (FIG. 5 ) duringstep 710. A test is performed duringstep 720 to determine if a new customer has entered the store. Once it is determined duringstep 720 that a new customer has entered the store, then all products within the physical proximity of the customer are continuously identified during step 730 (as the customer proceeds through the store). - A test is performed during
step 740 to determine if there are anypersonalized price rules 520 that are satisfied. If there are no satisfiedpersonalized price rules 520, program flow proceeds to step 770, discussed below. - If there are one or more satisfied
personalized price rules 520, the indicated action for all satisfiedpersonalized price rules 520 are implemented duringstep 750. A further test is performed during step 770 to determine if the customer is still in the store. If the customer is still in the store, program control returns to step 730. If the customer is no longer in the store, program control terminates. - As is known in the art, the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon. The computer-readable program code means is operable, in conjunction with a computer system to carry out all or some of the steps to perform one or more of the methods or create the apparatus discussed herein. The computer-readable medium may be a recordable medium (e.g., floppy disks, hard drive, optical disks such as a DVD, or memory cards) or may be a transmission medium (e.g., a network comprising fiber-optics, the world-wide web, cables, or a wireless channel using time-division multiple access, code-division multiple access, or other radio-frequency channel). Any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used. The computer-readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data, such as magnetic variations on a magnetic medium or height variations on the surface of a compact disk.
- The functions and processes stored in the memory configure the processor to implement the methods, steps, and functions disclosed herein. The memory could be distributed or local and the processor could be distributed or singular. The memory could be implemented as an electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices. Moreover, the term “memory” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by the processor. With this definition, information on a network, accessible through a network interface, is still within memory because the processor can retrieve the information from the network. It should be noted that each distributed processor that makes up processor generally contains its own addressable memory space. It should also be noted that some or all of a computer system can be incorporated into an application-specific or general-use integrated circuit.
- It is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Claims (40)
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