This disclosure relates to sales of products and/or services, and more particularly to the use of an application on a mobile device for sales in an in-store (e.g., “brick-and-mortar”) environment.
Consumers who are interested in products and/or services are known sometimes to engage in what is known as “showrooming.” Showrooming is the practice of examining and selecting items in an in-store environment, but then purchasing the desired items elsewhere (e.g., via the Internet). This presents the problem of lost sales for the brick-and-mortar establishment.
Showrooming may be attractive to consumers for a variety of reasons. After evaluating products and/or services in-person, consumers may be able to realize lower prices by purchasing online, typically due to the lower overhead costs of establishments that need not maintain a physical storefront presence. Further, the Internet provides access to a variety of product reviews and comparisons that may help consumers make purchasing decisions.
According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a method is provided including a sales associate, in a physical store of an entity, using a software application running on a mobile device to assist a consumer in shopping for products or services offered via the physical store. According to this embodiment, the software application is executable to retrieve user-generated content (UGC) items regarding the products or services, and to display at least a portion of the retrieved UGC items on the mobile device, the software application is executable to cause storage of a browsing history indicative of one or more products and services for which the consumer viewed information via the software application, and the software application is executable to initiate an electronic message to the consumer that is usable to view the browsing history.
According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided that has instructions coded thereon which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to carry out operations including retrieving user-generated content (UGC) items regarding products or services offered for purchase by the entity via the physical store, displaying at least a portion of the retrieved UGC items to a consumer, causing storage of a browsing history indicative of one or more products and services for which the consumer viewed information via the mobile device at the physical store, and initiating generation of an electronic message to the consumer that is usable to view the browsing history and to effectuate an online purchase of one or more products or services included in the browsing history.
According to a third embodiment of this disclosure, a mobile device is provided that includes at least one processor and a storage medium having instructions coded thereon which, when executed by the mobile device, cause the mobile device to carry out operations including storing, via a software application executing on the mobile device, a browsing record of products or services viewed by a consumer using the software application at a physical store of an entity, initiating sending an electronic message to the consumer, wherein the electronic message is usable to view the browsing record, and receiving from the consumer, at a computer system associated with the entity, a request to purchase one or more of the products or services indicated in the browsing record, wherein the request is received via a link included in the browsing record, and storing an indication that the request to purchase is attributable to the physical store.
This specification includes references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment.” The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure.
The following paragraphs provide definitions and/or context for terms found in this disclosure (including the appended claims):
“Comprising.” This term is open-ended. As used herein, this term does not foreclose additional structure or steps. Consider a claim that recites: “a system comprising a processor and a memory . . . .” Such a claim does not foreclose the system from including additional components such as interface circuitry, a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc.
“Configured To.” Various units, circuits, or other components may be described or claimed as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is used to connote structure by indicating that the units/circuits/components include structure (e.g., circuitry) that performs those task or tasks during operation. As such, the unit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to perform the task even when the specified unit/circuit/component is not currently operational (e.g., is not on). The units/circuits/components used with the “configured to” language include hardware—for example, circuits, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation(s), etc. Reciting that a unit/circuit/component is “configured to” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, for that unit/circuit/component. Additionally, “configured to” can include generic structure (e.g., generic circuitry) that is manipulated by software and/or firmware (e.g., an FPGA or a general-purpose processor executing software) to operate in manner that is capable of performing the task(s) at issue.
“First,” “Second,” etc. As used herein, these terms are used as labels for nouns that they precede unless otherwise noted, and do not imply any type of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.). For example, a “first” computing system and a “second” computing system can be used to refer to any two computing systems. In other words, “first” and “second” are descriptors.
“Based On” or “Based Upon.” As used herein, these terms are used to describe one or more factors that affect a determination. These terms do not foreclose additional factors that may affect a determination. That is, a determination may be solely based on the factor(s) stated or may be based on one or more factors in addition to the factor(s) stated. Consider the phrase “determining A based on B.” While B may be a factor that affects the determination of A, such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of A from also being based on C. In other instances, however, A may be determined based solely on B.
“Provider.” As used herein, this term includes its ordinary meaning and may refer, in various embodiments, to a manufacturer, offeror or provider of services, restaurant, reseller, retailer, wholesaler, and/or distributor.
“User generated content” (UGC). As used herein, this term refers to text, audio, video, or another information carrying medium that is generated by a user who may be a consumer of something (e.g., of goods, a product, a website, a service), a purchaser of that something, or may otherwise have an interest in that something. User generated content includes, in various embodiments, user reviews, user stories, ratings, comments, problems, issues, questions, answers, opinions, or other types of content.
“Electronic message.” As used herein, this term refers to any communication that can be conveyed electronically. Non-limiting examples include email, text message, SMS, MMS, instant message, and fax.
“Coupon.” As used herein, this term refers broadly to any financial incentive for purchasing an item. It should be interpreted to include a price discount on a particular item, a price discount on items from a particular manufacturer, bundling incentives, and other financial incentives for purchasing an item. Coupons may be implemented in any suitable way, including physical paper, electronic messages, scannable barcodes, and various other possibilities.
Turning now to
Computing devices 102 may be mobile devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones, palmtops, or other mobile devices), laptops, desktops, or other types of computing systems. In various embodiments, user computing device 102 may correspond to one or more aspects of computer system 2200 (described below relative to
Entity system 110 may be any computer system associated with an entity that sells goods and/or services in various embodiments. For example, entity system 110 may be owned or operated by a particular retail store, a chain of retail stores, a chain of service providers, etc. In other embodiments, it may be owned or operated by another party (e.g., a third party having a relationship with the entity).
Provider system 120 may be any computer system associated with a provider of goods and/or services in various embodiments. Thus, provider system 120 is owned or operated by a provider in some embodiments, while in other embodiments, it may be owned or operated by another party (e.g., a third party having a relationship with the provider).
In various embodiments, a sales associate in a physical store of an entity may use a software application running on a mobile device (e.g., a tablet or smartphone device) to assist a consumer in shopping for products or services. In some embodiments, this disclosure may also be used in the context of a showroom, a convention, and/or other suitable venues in which products or services may be purchased and/or browsed, rather than (or in addition to) in a traditional retail store.
For example, the software application may be used by the associate to retrieve and display UGC items related to the products or services (e.g. reviews, ratings, comments, questions, etc.). The software application may also store a “browsing history” (e.g., a record indicating the particular products or services that a consumer viewed in the physical store, a record alternately or additionally indicating items that the consumer may have compared to the particular products or services) for the user, and the sales associate may then transmit the browsing history to the consumer (e.g., via email or other electronic message). In some embodiments, rather than transmitting the browsing history itself, the sales associate may transmit a link that allows the consumer to access the browsing history.
If the consumer receives such an electronic message with his browsing history, he may in some embodiments use that message to complete the purchase of the item. In this way, the consumer may receive relevant information related to the products he has already viewed in-store and an option to purchase the products from the same entity. This may simplify the process of consummating a purchase from that entity, relative to the prospect of the consumer performing his own additional online research at home (e.g., unrelated to the in-store browsing), and then buying a product from some other online retailer. This aspect of the present disclosure may mitigate the showrooming problem mentioned above, in which a consumer handles products in-store, but then performs research and makes purchases elsewhere. According to this aspect, a sales associate may help a consumer conduct online research in-store, and the results of such research may be provided to the consumer at home.
In various aspects, the electronic message to the consumer may include code or links that are configured to attribute any eventual sale resulting from the electronic message to the particular sales associate who assisted the consumer in-store. For example, the browsing history itself may include an indication of the sales associate to be credited, such that any sale originating from that browsing history is tied to the associate. In other embodiments, the electronic message may include links that have embedded therein an indication of the sales associate. In yet other embodiments, the electronic message may include links that take the consumer to web pages that use cookies to provide an indication that the sales associate should be credited. There are of course various ways of indicating that a sale should be attributed to the sales associate, and this aspect may be particularly useful in commission-based sales environments.
According to another aspect, the electronic message to the consumer may further include a machine-readable image, such as a barcode. In some embodiments, a two-dimensional barcode (e.g., a QR code or a QR-type code) may be used. By supplying this barcode upon a subsequent visit to the store, the consumer may gain access to his previous search and browsing history instead of having to try to recreate it. For example, the consumer may display the barcode on a smartphone, and a sales associate may use a mobile device to scan the screen of the consumer's smartphone. This aspect may be particularly useful when, during the subsequent visit, the consumer is being helped by a different sales associate who is not familiar with the details of the previous visit. This aspect may further be advantageously employed across different physical stores of a particular entity. According to some embodiments, a reference number may be used in place of a barcode for this purpose, but the use of a barcode or other computer-scannable pattern may provide quicker access to a consumer's browsing history.
A software application according to this disclosure may also in some embodiments be used to store notes entered by the sales associate or the consumer. For example, a sales associate might annotate a particular product with a comment that the consumer was interested, but that the store did not have the consumer's preferred color in stock. Another example of such a note may include information about what product a consumer ultimately chooses (particularly when, for example, two or more products are under consideration). Such messages may be helpful to future sales associates during a consumer's subsequent visits, as well as for purposes of collecting data about consumer preferences in the aggregate.
A mobile application according to this disclosure may also in some embodiments be used for internal messaging for various purposes. For example, a particular sales associate may send a note to other associates (e.g., in the same store location and/or in other affiliated store locations) that may be capable of providing an immediate response to a consumer's question that the particular associate cannot answer. In other embodiments, the application may also be used to store information about a product that may be of general relevance to other consumers in the future who are interested in the product.
For example, if a particular question frequently arises concerning a product, and a sales associate does research to answer that question, it may be advantageous to annotate that product's information with the answer. As another example, if it is known that a particular product has an issue (e.g., a washing machine has excessive vibration issues), that product might be annotated with an appropriate suggestion to other sales associates (e.g., to suggest an anti-vibration stand to purchasers of the washing machine). Such annotations may in various embodiments be sharable within a particular store location, across stores of an entity within a geographical region, across all stores of an entity, with other entities, and/or with the manufacturer/provider of the product. For example, it may be advantageous to be able to ask a question to a provider of a product (e.g., a retailer may forward a question to a manufacturer), and then optionally annotate the product with the received response.
According to another aspect of this disclosure, coupons may be provided to the consumer. Such coupons may in some embodiments be provided according to rules established by providers (e.g., manufacturers, brands). Rules may also in other embodiments by established by various other parties; for example, a retail store, a chain of retail stores, or a provider of the software application itself could all establish rules for couponing purposes. For example, consider a situation in which a consumer is comparing products from two providers, and historical data suggests that under similar circumstances, consumers usually select the first provider. In this case, a rule according to the second provider might offer the consumer a discount on the second provider's product. The amount of the coupon may be a fixed amount, or it may be adjusted by the rule in order to bring the providers into (or beyond) parity. Such a rule may be based on a provider generally, on the particular product in question, and/or on any other relevant information or metrics. In various embodiments, such coupons may be dynamically provided to the consumer. What is meant by “dynamically” in this context is that the coupons are based at least in part on the interaction with an in-store application (e.g., a consumer's comparing products of two particular providers) according to this disclosure.
Turning now to
One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the various features and elements shown in these screenshots are exemplary only. Any particular embodiment according to the present disclosure may include some, all, or none of the features shown in the following screenshots.
The above-described techniques and methods may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on any suitable computer-readable storage medium, such as medium 2100 in
Computer-readable storage media can be used, in various embodiments, to store executable instructions and/or data. In some embodiments, particular functionality may be implemented by one or more software “modules”. A software module may include one or more executable files, web applications, and/or other files, and in some embodiments, and may make use of PHP, JAVASCIPT, HTML, Objective-C, JAVA, or any other suitable technology. In various embodiments, software functionality may be split across one or more modules and/or may be implemented using parallel computing techniques, while in other embodiments various software functionality may be combined in single modules. Software functionality may be implemented and/or stored on two or more computer systems (e.g., a server farm, or a front-end server and a back-end server and/or other computing systems and/or devices) in various embodiments.
Turning now to
Turning now to
Processor subsystem 2250 may include one or more processors or processing units. In various embodiments of computer system 2200, multiple instances of the processor subsystem may be coupled to interconnect 2220. In various embodiments, processor subsystem 2250 (or each processor unit within the subsystem) may contain a cache or other form of on-board memory. In one embodiment, processor subsystem 2250 may include one or more processors.
System memory 2210 is usable by processor subsystem 2250. System memory 2210 may be implemented using different physical memory media, such as hard disk storage, floppy disk storage, removable disk storage, flash memory, random access memory (RAM-SRAM, EDO RAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, RDRAM, etc.), read only memory (PROM, EEPROM, etc.), and so on. Memory in computer system 2200 is not limited to primary storage. Rather, computer system 2200 may also include other forms of storage such as cache memory in processor subsystem 2250 and secondary storage on the I/O Devices 2240 (e.g., a hard drive, storage array, etc.). In some embodiments, these other forms of storage may also store program instructions executable by processor subsystem 2250.
I/O interfaces 2230 may be any of various types of interfaces configured to couple to and communicate with other devices, according to various embodiments. In one embodiment, I/O interface 2230 is a bridge chip (e.g., Southbridge) from a front-side to one or more back-side buses. I/O interfaces 2230 may be coupled to one or more I/O devices 2240 via one or more corresponding buses or other interfaces. Examples of I/O devices 2240 include storage devices (hard drive, optical drive, removable flash drive, storage array, SAN, or their associated controller), network interface devices (e.g., to a local or wide-area network), or other devices (e.g., graphics, user interface devices, etc.).
In one embodiment, computer system 2200 is coupled to a network via a network interface device. The network interface device may be a wireless interface in various embodiments. In other embodiments, computer system 2200 is part of a cloud-based computing service. In general, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular type of computer architecture.
Various features have been disclosed. For example, a non-exhaustive list of some features according to this disclosure includes the following:
This disclosure contemplates software that incorporates any and all combinations of the disclosed features, regardless of whether a particular combination is discussed or claimed explicitly.
A non-limiting list of embodiments of the present disclosure include the following:
1. A method, comprising:
a sales associate, in a physical store of an entity, using a software application running on a mobile device to assist a consumer in shopping for products or services offered via the physical store;
wherein the software application is executable to retrieve user-generated content (UGC) items regarding the products or services, and to display at least a portion of the retrieved UGC items on the mobile device;
wherein the software application is executable to cause storage of a browsing history indicative of one or more products and services for which the consumer viewed information via the software application; and
wherein the software application is executable to initiate an electronic message to the consumer that is usable to view the browsing history.
2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the software application is executable to retrieve UGC items only for products or services offered by the entity.
3. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the electronic message includes the browsing history.
4. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the electronic message includes a link to the browsing history.
5. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the electronic message includes one or more links selectable by the consumer to effectuate a purchase of one or more of the products or services indicated in the browsing history.
6. The method of embodiment 5, wherein selection of one of the one or more links in the electronic message is usable to attribute the purchase to the physical store.
7. The method of embodiment 5, wherein selection of one of the one or more links in the electronic message is usable to attribute the purchase to the sales associate.
8. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the browsing history includes notes entered by the sales associate using the software application while the consumer was in the physical store.
9. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the electronic message includes a barcode, and wherein the method further comprises:
an instance of the software application reading the barcode, wherein the instance of the software application is running on a different mobile device of the entity; and
the instance of the software application retrieving, based on the barcode, the browsing history.
10. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the browsing history indicates products or services that the consumer compared using the software application.
11. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the software application is executable to display a side-by-side comparison of two products or services on the mobile device.
12. The method of embodiment 11, wherein the software application is executable, in response to the display of the side-by-side comparison, to issue an electronic coupon to the consumer for one of the two products or services displayed on the mobile device.
13. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the software application is executable, in response to displaying information relating to a first product or service to the consumer, to suggest one or more other products or services to compare to the first product or service.
14. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the software application is executable to communicate notes entered by the sales associate regarding the products or services offered via the physical store to a central server, and wherein the software application is executable to retrieve, from the central server, notes entered by other sales associates regarding the products or services offered via the physical store or other physical stores of the entity.
15. A method, comprising:
retrieving user-generated content (UGC) items regarding products or services offered for purchase by the entity via the physical store;
displaying at least a portion of the retrieved UGC items to a consumer;
causing storage of a browsing history indicative of one or more products and services for which the consumer viewed information via the mobile device at the physical store; and
initiating generation of an electronic message to the consumer that is usable to view the browsing history and to effectuate an online purchase of one or more products or services included in the browsing history.
16. The method of embodiment 15, wherein the electronic message facilitates attributing the online purchase to the physical store.
17. The method of embodiment 15, wherein said displaying at least a portion of the retrieved UGC includes displaying a side-by-side comparison of two products or services, and, in response to the display of the side-by-side comparison, issuing an electronic coupon to the consumer for one of the two products or services.
18. A method, comprising:
storing, via a software application executing on a mobile device, a browsing record of products or services viewed by a consumer using the software application at a physical store of an entity;
initiating sending an electronic message to the consumer, wherein the electronic message is usable to view the browsing record; and
receiving from the consumer, at a computer system associated with the entity, a request to purchase one or more of the products or services indicated in the browsing record, wherein the request is received via a link included in the browsing record; and
storing an indication that the request to purchase is attributable to the physical store.
19. The method of embodiment 18, wherein the indication that the request is attributable to the physical store is an indication that the request is attributable to a particular sales associate at the physical store.
20. The method of embodiment 18, wherein the browsing record includes notes regarding the consumer's preferences, wherein the notes were entered by a sales associate of the entity.
21. A method, comprising:
receiving, at a computer system, an indication that a consumer is using a software application to compare information relating to at least two products or services;
determining, at the computer system, to issue a coupon for a particular one of the at least two products or services, wherein the determining is based on the indication; and
causing the coupon to be displayed to the consumer via the software application.
22. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the software application is running on a mobile device in communication with the computer system.
23. The method of embodiment 22, wherein causing the coupon to be displayed includes sending the coupon to the mobile device.
24. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the software application is running on the computer system.
25. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the coupon offers a price discount for the particular one of the at least two products or services.
26. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the at least two products or services are offered by an entity, and wherein the software application is executable to retrieve information only for products or services offered by the entity.
27. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the software application is a browser application.
28. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the determining is based on a rule established by a provider of the particular one of the at least two products or services.
29. A method, comprising:
determining, at a computer system, that a consumer is using a software application to compare information relating to at least two products or services; and
in response to the determining, the computer system causing a coupon for a particular one of the at least two products or services to be displayed to the consumer via the software application.
30. The method of embodiment 29, wherein the computer system is a mobile device on which the software application is executing.
31. The method of embodiment 29, wherein the computer system is in communication with a mobile device on which the software application is executing.
32. The method of embodiment 31, wherein causing the coupon to be displayed to the consumer includes:
determining to issue the coupon; and
sending the coupon to the mobile device.
33. The method of embodiment 32, wherein determining to issue the coupon is performed in response to determining that the particular one of the at least two products or services is being compared to one of a specific set of other products or services.
34. The method of embodiment 32, wherein the particular one of the at least two products or services is offered by a first provider, and wherein determining to issue the coupon is performed in response to determining that the particular one of the at least two products or services is being compared to a product or service offered by a second provider.
35. A method, comprising:
a software application displaying, on a mobile device, side-by-side comparisons of at least two products or services; and
the software application displaying, on the mobile device, a coupon for a particular one of the at least two products or services, wherein the coupon is issued in response to the displayed side-by-side comparison.
36. The method of embodiment 35, further comprising:
the software application communicating, to a remote computer system, an indication that the at least two products or services are being compared; and
the software application receiving the coupon from the remote computer system.
37. The method of embodiment 35, wherein the coupon is issued based on a rule established by a provider of the particular one of the at least two products or services.
38. A method, comprising:
a sales associate in a physical store of an entity using a software application running on a mobile device to assist a consumer in shopping for products or services offered via the physical store;
wherein the software application is executable to display side-by-side comparisons of at least two products or services and to display a dynamically issued coupon for a particular one of the at least two products or services.
39. The method of embodiment 38, wherein the coupon is redeemable at the physical store of the entity.
40. The method of embodiment 38, wherein the coupon is redeemable by the consumer for a future price discount on an item.
41. A method comprising:
receiving, at a computer system, an indication that a consumer is using a software application to compare information relating to products or services offered by at least two different providers;
determining, at the computer system, to issue a coupon for a particular product or service offered by one of the at least two providers, wherein the determining is based on the indication; and
causing the coupon to be displayed to the consumer via the software application.
42. A method, comprising:
a sales associate, in a physical store of an entity, using a software application running on a mobile device to assist a consumer in shopping for products or services offered via the physical store;
wherein the software application is executable to cause storage of a browsing history indicative of one or more products and services for which the consumer viewed information via the software application; and
wherein the software application is further executable to supply a machine-readable image that is readable by a given instance of the software application, wherein the machine-readable image is usable to subsequently access the browsing history.
43. The method of embodiment 42, further comprising:
a different sales associate using an instance of the software application to access the browsing history during a subsequent time that the consumer is present at the physical store.
44. The method of embodiment 42, further comprising:
a different sales associate using an instance of the software application to access the browsing history during a subsequent time that the consumer is present at a different physical store of the entity.
45. The method of embodiment 42, wherein the machine-readable image is usable, by a different sales associate, to access the browsing history during a subsequent time that the consumer is present at the physical store.
46. The method of embodiment 42, wherein the machine-readable image is usable, by a different sales associate at a different physical store of the entity, to access the browsing history.
47. The method of embodiment 42, wherein the machine-readable image is a two-dimensional barcode.
48. A method, comprising:
a sales associate, in a physical store of an entity, using a software application running on a mobile device to display, to a consumer, information relating to products or services offered via the physical store;
the sales associate inputting content into the software application, wherein the content relates to a particular one of the one or more of the products or services displayed to the consumer; and
storing the content on a central computer system associated with the entity such that the content is accessible to other sales associates using other instances of the software application to access information about the particular product or service.
49. The method of embodiment 48, wherein at least one of the other sales associates is at a different physical store of the entity.
50. The method of embodiment 48, wherein the content is further accessible by a provider of the products or services.
51. A method, comprising:
a sales associate, in a physical store of an entity, using a software application running on a mobile device to display, to a consumer, information relating to products or services offered via the physical store, wherein the displayed information includes user-generated content (UGC) items relating to the products or services;
the sales associate initiating, via the software application, the sending of a message relating to a particular one of the one or more of the products or services displayed to the consumer, wherein the message is communicated to mobile devices of other sales associates of the entity using other instances of the software application; and
the sales associate receiving, via the software application, a response to the message from one of the other sales associates.
52. A method, comprising:
in a physical store of an entity, a software application running on a mobile device displaying, to a consumer, information relating to products or services offered via the physical store, wherein the information includes user-generated content (UGC) items;
the software application receiving a selection of a particular one of the one or more of the products or services displayed to the consumer; and
in response to the selection of the particular product or service, the software application displaying a plurality of suggested other products or services;
the software application receiving a selection of the one of the plurality of suggested other products or services;
in response to the selection of the other product or service, the software application displaying comparison information about the particular product or service and the other product or service side-by-side on the mobile device.
53. The method of embodiment 52, wherein the plurality of suggested other products or services are determined by a remote computer system.
54. The method of embodiment 52, wherein the plurality of suggested other products or services are determined by the mobile device based on one or more rules provided by a remote computer system.
55. The method of embodiment 52, further comprising storing the UGC items on a central computer system associated with the entity such that the UGC items are accessible to other sales associates using other instances of the software application to access information about the particular product or service.
56. A computer system comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory having instructions coded thereon which, when executed by the computer system, using the at least one processor, cause the computer system to perform the method of any of the preceding embodiments.
57. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform the method of any of embodiments 1-55.
Although specific embodiments have been described herein, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. Examples of features provided in the disclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive unless stated otherwise. The above description is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. Additionally, section or heading titles provided above in the detailed description should not be construed as limiting the disclosure.
The scope of the present disclosure includes any feature or combination of features disclosed herein (either explicitly or implicitly), or any generalization thereof, whether or not it mitigates any or all of the problems addressed herein. Accordingly, new claims may be formulated during prosecution of this application (or an application claiming priority thereto) to any such combination of features. In particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in the specific combinations enumerated in the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/771,921, filed Mar. 3, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61771921 | Mar 2013 | US |