Patent Application
20090076863
None.
The present invention relates to a user enabled, or frequent user retailing system in which a designated, registered or repeat customer can arrange to have regular products and services repeatedly delivered to him or her, or alternatively or in combination, arrange for disparate products and services from a readily available menu of offerings to be delivered along with the regular order or as a supplement to the standard order configuration. The present invention enables a repeat or registered customer to easily arrange for repeat services or products through the use of cell phones or other traceable mechanisms such as bar coded labels, magnetic stripe encoded membership cards or the like.
There are a myriad of retail and private club offerings available today for consumers for all sorts of products and services. Yet with so many options, the opportunities to improve on retail services and meet the demands of today's “on the go” consumer are almost limitless. In addition, many of these offerings while suggesting they can be tailored to meet the individual needs of a subscriber simply are unavailable in certain areas of the country or to particular demographics of a population and have commonly only been offered in the largest metropolitan areas.
The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.
The present invention is a convenience based retailing and loyalty system that allows registered users to arrange for the delivery of regularly occurring products or services without the necessity of having to repeatedly enter order sequences for such products or services. In addition, the system of the present invention permits the registered users to supplement a regular order with additional products and services from a broader range of offerings. This convenience based system employs readily accessible technology platforms, such as cellular phone units, to capture the identity of the user, such as through a phone or account number as well as to potentially track the location of the user, via global positioning satellites (“GPS”), or triangulation of the cell phone signal to determine the position of the user so that the order can be prepared and delivered in a timely basis, such as when the user arrives at a fulfillment location or the like. Alternatively, the user can prearrange to have the products and services delivered to the home residence or temporary living accommodations.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a user enabled retailing system is described and includes in part a user registration data base. The user registration data base has a user identification number and at least a first user remuneration account number and a selection of predetermined products or services associated with the user identification number. In this manner, when a user signs in, the user can easily have products and services that he or she normally uses prepared for fulfillment without the need for re-entry of the same products and services.
The presently described embodiment also includes a first product menu with the first product menu having a group of consumer product offerings that may be selected from a generic group or from other specific demographically arranged product offerings.
A first service menu is provided with the first service menu having a group of consumer service offerings that again may be chosen from a generic listing of service offerings or a specific group of offerings that may appeal to a particular demographic group of individuals.
Continuing with a discussion of the presently described embodiment, a user interface mechanism is included with the system, the user interface mechanism allows the user, after he or she has been identified or submitted to other verification clearance, to select at least one item from each of the product menu and the service menu. The presently described embodiment further includes a fulfillment means so as to be able to deliver the products and/or services to the registered user. The fulfillment means provides the user with the predetermined products or services and at least one item from each of the product menu and the service menu.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, user enabled product fulfillment and retailing system is described and includes a user identification and tracking device, such as a cell phone, magnetic stripe encoded membership card or the like.
The system of this embodiment includes a first data set that contains regularly ordered items for each of a plurality of registered users, the data set contains selected groups of information that are specific to each of the plurality of registered users. A fulfillment center that has at least an inventory of available products provides as a reservations agent to establish service commitments for available service offerings. The system embodiment presently described includes a distribution location for distributing the regularly ordered items to each of the plurality of registered users.
In order to ascertain the success of the particular system and the offerings provided to the users, a second data set is provided for collecting information on each of the plurality of registered user purchasing habits.
In a still further exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, a user enabled system for providing products and services to registered users is described and includes a first database that contains a group of products with at least one of the group of products including consumer food products.
A second database is provided in connection with the presently described embodiment and the second database contains a group of services with at least one of the group of services including personalized printing services. Each of the first and second databases are used to create a first user set of regular products and services for each of a series of registered users.
A third database is available and contains supplemental products and services that are distinct from the products and services which are contained in the first and second databases with at least one of the supplemental products and services including air travel services.
The presently described embodiment of the system includes an enabling device specific for each of the series of registered users. Such an enabling device may include a cell phone which can be used to identify each of the users as well as to aid in locating the position of the user. A fulfillment center is provided such that each of the products and services selected by each of the series of registered users can be made available and delivered to the user.
Product offerings that may be provided in connection with the presently described invention are selected from a group including consumer product offerings, sundries and related type consumer products.
Service offerings that may be provided in connection with the presently described invention are normally consumer oriented in their focus and provide services that are regularly requested by private individuals and otherwise as defined herein.
The presently described invention may also make use of concierge type services in which an individual can arrange various appointments, service upgrades, adjust scheduling conflicts and cancellations and generally provide of the individual needs of the registered user group.
These and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.
These, as well as other objects and advantages of this invention, will be more completely understood and appreciated by referring to the following more detailed description of the presently preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
The present invention is now illustrated in greater detail by way of the following detailed description which represents the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention. However, it should be understood that this description is not to be used to limit the present invention, but rather, is provided for the purpose of illustrating the general features of the invention.
As used herein consumer product offerings include food products intended for human and animal consumption.
As used herein sundries includes products that are regularly used in everyday activities such as detergent, personal care products (e.g. shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, sanitary products and the like) camping and vacation supplies (e.g. matches, charcoal, firewood, repellants and the like).
As used herein consumer service offerings include air taxi services, personalized printed products, dry cleaning services, delivery services (expedited courier services, parcel post, personal delivery and the like), vacation services, concierge services (e.g. shopping and dining assistance, reservations, travel planning, directions and the like).
As used herein predetermined product or service offerings includes at least one of each of consumer product offerings and consumer service offerings.
As used herein remuneration means includes at least one of credit card accounts, banking accounts (e.g. savings, checking), brokerage accounts, pre-paid accounts, gift cards and certificates, fleet accounts and the like.
As used herein fulfillment means generally refers to delivering or providing products or services to the user requesting the products and/or services. The fulfillment means includes personal delivery services, express courier, parcel post, expedited courier services such as overnight carriers and the like.
The present invention is a system by which a registered user can obtain a variety of products and services as well as arrange for regularly ordered products and services to be provided directly to the user on a regular basis without the necessity of having to reorder or re-enter the request for such product and services. The system utilizes a readily available technology platform, such as a cell phone in order to quickly identify the user of the service and to potentially allow for the user to be tracked such as through triangulation of the device by locating the signal emitter.
Turning now to
The information related to each user may include general information such as name, address, age as well as ordering preferences, account numbers, payment preferences and the like. The information contained in database 100 may also include delivery preferences for the particular goods or services that are to be ordered or delivered to the user.
The user connects to the system through use of a device such as a cell phone 110. The user first logs into the system and would be prompted to select “yes” or “no” in order to receive the regularly recurring products and services that the user receives at normal intervals, such as weekly or monthly. If the user does not log into the system, then the system will not arrange for the delivery of products or services.
Continuing with a discussion of
Once the data is entered by the user by the user interface 110, such as by touching the number keys on the cell phone in response to the selections offered via voice commands from the system, then the order is collected, packaged for delivery at the fulfillment center 140 and then sent out for delivery. Delivery of the products can be accomplished by any conventional means, courier, postal service, personal delivery and the like. The fulfillment center 140 may also serve as the delivery location or can arrange for third party fulfillment through another company or the like.
Attention is now directed to
If the system reacts and validates the user at 204 it will then prompt the user as to whether he or she is interested in receiving the regularly ordered products and services at 206. The user will respond, again by using the cell phone or other user enabled device either “yes” 208 or “no” 210. The response of “yes” or “no” can be input via the cell phone such as by touching the number “1” and “2” key respectively.
If the user responds “no” at 210, then the system queries whether a new order is to be placed at 212. Again the user needs to respond as “yes” or “no” at 214 and 216, respectively. If “no” is the response entered at 214, the session will end 215.
If the user has responded “yes” at 216 then the user is provided with various product and/or service selections by the product and service database 218.
Reverting to an earlier sequence in
When the user selects “yes” at 224, then the user is prompted by the product and/or service database 218. After each selection from the product/service database 218, the user will be asked whether the order is complete at 226. Each time if the user selects “no” at 228 the user is then prompted again to enter another selection from the product/service database 218. If the user enters “yes” at 230, then the order is prepared and shipped from the fulfillment center at 232 and the session ends at 234.
There are of course many permutations as to how a transaction my flow when a user logs on to the system and those variations would of course be dependent on the type of product or service that has been selected. A further exemplary embodiment is shown for example by the flow chart provided in
If a user selects supplemental services 300 for example, a transaction illustrated in
If the commercial airline reservation option is selected, then the user is walked through several additional prompts and requested to input information again through the key pad on the cell phone for each prompt 316—departure and arrival city, 318—dates and times and 320 payment. During certain times, the system may recognize numeric entries and other letter entries, such as when entering departure and arrival destinations, passengers names and the like.
Should the air taxi service be selected at 314, the user may enter the city of service 322, time and passenger information 324 and payment details 326. Again the system would allow toggling between alpha and numeric keys to allow entry of the pertinent information. Alternatively, the user may opt for voice between the system and user, at which time the system would connect the user with a customer service representative.
The user may have pre-programmed payment information, multiple credit cards or accounts, and can easily select from the options provided to provide for payment. This would be applicable not only to the supplemental service example provided in
It will thus be seen according to the present invention a highly advantageous personalized consumer product and service offering has been provided. While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, and that many modifications and equivalent arrangements may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products.
The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of their invention as it pertains to any apparatus, system, method or article not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.
