Project Based Tracking System and Method

Abstract

Novel computer implemented methods, systems, and architectures assist the consumer in categorizing the consumer's product purchase data and enabling marketers access to that categorization for us in targeting communications to the consumer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing concepts are embodied in the detailed description with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a network CS;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a general purpose CS:

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a RS;

FIG. 4. is a schematic of a POS or checkout of the RS;

FIG. 5 is a schematic of a RS CS, including data structures;

FIG. 6 is a schematic of a central CS, including data structures;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of once side of a card storing an MRID;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a purchase transaction receipt including a XID code;

FIG. 9 is a frontal view of a log screes in a web browser for a web site; and

FIG. 10 is a data screen in a web browser for a web site after log.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a network including central CS 10, network, such as the Internet, 20, RS1 CS 30 for a first retail store, RS2 CS for a second retail store. Ellipses “ . . . ” indicate the existence of more RS CSs for more retail stores included in network 1. Lines 10′, 20′, 30′, and 40′ indicate network communication links between elements. Each of the CSs disclosed herein may include the elements of a general purpose CS, and additional hardware and software specific for designated tasks.

FIG. 2 shows elements of a general purpose CS including at least a CPU, RAM memory, disk memory, I/O, and a power supply. Conceivably, only one form of memory is required, but both RAM and disk are conventional.

FIG. 3 shows a store configuration having departments located at D1, D2, D3, and D4, in addition to a RS CS and checkouts Checkout1 and Checkout2. In addition, FIG. 3 shows locations of MRID card stands, D1 stand in departments D1, D2 stand in department D2, D3 stand in D3, and D4 stand in D4. In addition, FIG. 3 shows MRID card stands C1 stand near Checkout1, and C2 stand near Checkout2. FIG. 3 shows a door (unnumbered) connected to the store wall adjacent Checkout2. In operation, consumers may pick up cards at the various stands in departments in the store. Cards in each department stand may have their MRID stored in a database in association with a project or category related to that department. Cards in the checkout stands, may have their MRID associated in a database with no category or project.

FIG. 4 shows a POS, such as Checkout1 or Checkout2, including elements forming a smart terminal, such as a CPU, keyboard, monitor, bar code scanner, and printer. FIG. 4 shows printer1 and printer2 because in many implementations a second printer performs printing for marketing, and the first printer performs printing for transaction logs, also referred to as register receipts. However, both printing functions may be performed by a single printer.

FIG. 5 shows the computer system for a first retail store, RS1 CS. RS1 CS includes a CPU and I/O, and also a database. The database includes tables storing transaction data, rewards data, IDs data, and Recipes data. The database stores other information not relevant here, including stock and other business records.

Transaction table 510 is shown in design view. Table 510 shows that it stores in association with one another the following data fields:

• RSID—Retail Store ID (this field is optional)
• TID—Transaction ID (typically assigned by RS1 ID as a transaction is logged)
• CID—Consumer ID (typically read from data on a card presented by the consumer at checkout)
• MRID—(typically read from data on a card presented by the consumer at checkout)
• XID—Code uniquely corresponding to the CID or MRID.
• Date—Date and preferably time of data determined by RS1 ID for the transaction.
• (PID, Q, P, Cat)—The Product ID, PID, the quantity of product items, Q, the price of each product item in the consumer's purchase transaction, P, and the Category, Cat. The ellipses “ . . . ” indicate that the (PID, Q, P, Cat) field in a data view repeats so each different PID in a consumer's transaction is stored in association with a Q, a P, and optionally a Cat.

The transaction table is updated each time a consumer completes a transaction at one of the checkouts of the RS1 CS. Each such checkout communicates the transaction data so that it is stored in Transaction table 510. Typically, each such checkout transmits the data to the IP address for RS1 CS and the CPU or CPUs of that CS then store the new record in Transaction Table 510. The transaction table may also be updated at times to backfill ID data fields, such as XID.

Rewards Table 510 is shown in a design view. Table 510 shows that it includes associated fields for reward, product identifier PID, and consumer identifiers CID, MRID, XID, Provided, and Redeemed. The Provided and Redeemed fields indicate if the corresponding Reward was provided to the consumer or redeemed by the consumer. CID indicates a pre existing consumer identification, such as a number assigned by a retail store on a consumer frequent shopper card, or a portion (for example 11 of the conventional 16 digits) of an identifier on a credit or debit card.

An MRID indicates an identifier on a project based card of the type of card described herein as being distributed consumers in a retail store, or a number associated with a project/category identifier in a database. An MRID on a project based card is not initially associated with any particular consumer or purchase history. However, it may subsequently be linked to a CID when a CID and the MRID both appear in the same transaction record. An MRID may be associated by a computer system, such as central CS 10, when a customer defines for the customer's purchase transaction data a new category. The XID is a code be associated with a CID or an MRID. The XID code and a URL may be provided to the consumer associated with the CID or MRID so that the consumer may log on to the URL using the code in order to view and categorize the consumers purchases. The Provided and Redeemed fields preferably are boolean fields indicating yes or no.

ID table 530 is shown in design view. Table 530 shows that it includes fields for Retail Store ID, RSID, Consumer Identification, CID, Machine Readable Identification, MRID, Code ID, XID, and Category, Cat.

Recipe Table 540 is shown in design view. Table 540 includes fields for category, Cat, recipe, Recipe, compliance rules, Compliance Rules, and PIDs. The recipe in each record corresponds to the name for a set of PIDs required to complete a particular type of project, within a Category. The compliance rules specify project related rules, such as building code requirements for products employed in the corresponding project. The “PID1, . . . PIDn” field indicates storage of product identifications of products required to complete that type of project. Alternatively, this field may be populated with product categories, since several brands of the same category of product may be suitable for any particular recipe. In that case, separate tables could link the PIDs to categories.

The fields of the same field name in the various tables provide links relating the data in Tables 510, 520, and 530 to one another.

In operation, RS1 CS logs transaction data in Transaction table 510 upon receipt of transaction information from the POS terminals or checkouts. It also checks ID table 530 for IDs related to the CID, MRID, received with the transaction to update each transaction record with the related IDs, including missing CID, MRID, and also XID. RS1 CS preferably receives the CID, MRID, PID, and Reward data in Rewards table 520 from central CS 10, and it reports back to central CS 10 rewards provided and redeemed. Alternatively, RS1 Cs can run algorithms for determining from its transaction logs in table 510 and stored targeting rules what Rewards to associate with either a CID or MRID, or combination of CID or MRID and a PID. When RS1 CS notes a match from a purchase transaction at for example Checkout2 with a record in the Rewards table, it updates that record in that table. For example, if transaction data from Checkout2 meets a CID and PID criteria in a record in table 520, and the record indicates that the Reward was not provided, then table 520 instructs Checkout2 to print the Reward, such as a coupon for cents off a subsequent purchase of the product having the PID. If table 520 shows that the reward was provided, then RS1 CS instructs Checkout2 to include the amount of the redemption specified in the Reward to the concurrent purchase transaction so that the consumer obtains the discount on the purchase of the item specified in the coupon the consumer is redeeming. Preferably, central CS 10 transmits to RS1 CS the XID associated with each record in ID table 530. That is, central CS 10 may transmit to RS1 CS an XID in association with at least one other of the CID and MRID, and RS1 CS updates its table 530 accordingly. In addition, concurrent with a transaction specifying a category (or project), RS1 CS may compare the products being purchased with the recipe or recipes for that category in table 540 and compliance rules to determine if the products being purchased satisfy the compliance rules. RS1 CS may generate a notification of compliance or non compliance for product/category and or product/recipe, and instruct the corresponding Checkout to print or otherwise notify the purchaser of the compliance or non compliance of the product being purchased for corresponding recipes. RS1 CS provides to a consumer, preferably during a transaction at a checkout, an XID. RS1 CS indicates that the provided XID allows the consumer to online access for example via a specified URL the consumer's purchase data for purchases from that retail store.

FIG. 6 shows central CS 10 including at least one CPU and I/O allowing users to interact with central CS 10. Central CS 10 may consist of one or more general or specialized CSs communicating with one another.

FIG. 6 shows central CS 10 includes master tables for records from many stores corresponding to the tables 510-540 in RS1 CS, in addition to other tables. The master tables include Master Transaction Table 610, Master Rewards Table 620, Master ID table 630, and Master Recipe table 640. In addition, central CS 10 stores Consumer Centric table 650 and Consumer Category Definition table 660.

Master tables 610 to 640 store the same data as tables 510-540, but store that data from many stores and therefore where needed also store RSID to distinguish the retail store in which the transaction data for each record originated.

Table 640 may include another field “RSID1, . . . RSIDn” indicating the retail stores to which each recipe record is applicable; some recipes may be inapplicable at a retail store. Each store may be given the option of opting out of a particular category or recipe in which case that store's RSID is not included in the corresponding record in table 640. Similarly, table 620 may include another field “RSID1, . . . RSIDn” indicating the retail stores to which each reward is applicable; some rewards may be inapplicable at a retail store. Each store may be given the option of opting out of a particular reward in which case that store's RSID is not included in the corresponding record in table 620.

Consumer Centric table 650 rearranges the data from the transaction table 610 so that all purchase data for a XID from a specified (by RSID) retail store is stored in one record. This record includes both XID and XXID identifiers. The XID is the code provided by the retail store to the consumer allowing the consumer to log on to a web site where the consumer can access the data in the corresponding record in table 650 (either with or without transmission of other information, such as a username, to a computer system running the web site). Preferably, central CS 10 generates that code for each CID and provides it to the RS. Alternatively, central CS 10 generates a code indicating the RS and instruct RS1 CS to include that code and an XID, so that central CS 10 can determine and distinguish between consumers obtaining codes from different RSs. The reason for table 650 is to provide efficient data retrieval so that a consumer can promptly access their transaction records via a web site interacting with central CS's database of transaction records. The ellipses “ . . . ” in table 650 indicate additional sets of “(RSID, PID, Q, P, Date, Cat)” that are each the transaction data for a transaction in the retail store associated with that RSID.

Consumer Category Definition table 660 contains ID of consumer via XID or XXID, and also fields for Category and Category Definition. These field definitions may be defined by the consumer as part of interactive functionality of a web site at which the consumer can access the consumer's data stored in table 650.

FIG. 7 shows one side of a MRID card 700 including a magnetic strip or bar code 710, and MRID code 720, and printed labels for fields for the consumer to write in project name and consumer name, 730. Magnetic strip or bar code 710 can store in machine readable form the MRID.

FIG. 8 shows a register tape 800 for a transaction, including print specifying XID 810, and print specifying a URL 820. URL 820 is the URL at which the consumer can use the XID code to log on to a web site that can display the consumer's purchase transaction data.

FIG. 9 shows a log on for ane exemplary web site, www.CentralCS.com.

FIG. 10 shows an example of one view of what the exemplary web sight might show after logging on. FIG. 10 shows purchased products organized by category or project, lists a total for each, and includes fields for notes by the consumer and notes about compliance for specified recipes. Not shown are functionality allowing for naming by the consumer of categories or projects, and reassignment by the consumer of product purchases between categories/projects. Also not shown, are views enabling the consumer to associate multiple XIDs with one another; the XIDs for the same consumer obtained from different retail organizations.

System Operation

In operation, all of the data and functions of central CS 10 may be performed by any CS, such as RS1 CS. In that case, RS1 CS stores the additional data structures and code described for central CS 10.

The preferred embodiment is with respect to central CS 10 performing data analysis and communicating with plural RS CSs in order to provide the RS CSs with data for the Rewards tables, and for data loaded into Recipe table 640 to be downloaded to Recipe tables 540. Central CS 10 also runs web sewer software providing the web site where consumers can use their XIDs and retail store names or addresses to log in and examine and organize their transactions data. For example, central CS 10 may run code determining a correlation of a consumer's product purchase history based upon Category, Recipe, and to recency of purchase (defined as the difference from current date to date of purchase) by product category or by PIDs associated with that category and recipe. Central CS does so using the data for Category, Recipe, and PIDs or corresponding product category identifications for a record in table 640. For correlations above a predetermined threshold, central CS 10 may associate a reward with associated XID or XXID for purchase of a product or some product in a product category for the corresponding recipe that the consumer has not recently purchased. An example of a recency correlation is a value of 1 if purchased in the last month and a value of zero if not purchased in the last month. The correlation for example may be based upon a function that has a value of the sum of the number of products for the recipe purchased in the last month divided by the total number of products in a corresponding recipe. A predetermined value is for example 0.5 so that if more than one half of the products associated with a recipe have been purchased within the last month, central CS 10 generates a reward record in table 620 including the RSID, CID, and MRID for the consumer, and a reward for purchase by the consumer of at least one product not purchased within the last month and associated with the recipe.

For a specific example, central CS 10 may depend a reward upon the customer purchasing and associating with a category or project, 2 of the 3 product items specified in a recipe for completing the specified project, or a project in the specified category. Central CS 10 would then generate a record in rewards table 620 for the corresponding CID or MRID for a reward on purchase of, for example, a specified brand for the as yet not purchased third product. For example, central CS 10 may generate a purchase incentive for “Jones brand” roofing fasteners (nails or screws of the like), if a consumer purchased shingles, and tar, along with many other products unrelated to roofing, and the consumer had specified as a category or project for that purchase, roofing, specified either online via the web site or via use of an MRID card indicating roofing category or project. In table 6520, central CS 10 initializes the values for Reward and Provided to “no”. The reward may be a discount on purchase of the specified product, or it may be a redeemable voucher that may be redeemed on yet subsequent purchase. In addition, Central CS 10 may determine whether the consumer's products associated with the purchase, by size, description, and relative quantities, meet compliance rules specified in table 640 associated with a corresponding project. Central CS 10 may act on that determination by saving in the Rewards table 520, for example in the Rewards field, information for presentation to the consumer about compliance.

Once central CS 10 processes transaction data, it uploads the data for each RS based upon RSID to the corresponding RS CS, such as RS1 CS for retail store 1. It also preferably uploads to the corresponding RS CSs data for that RSID from Recipe table 540. It may also generate and upload new XIDs for each CID in its transaction data table for which no XID exists.

RS1 CS receives the Rewards and Recipes table data and loads it into its Rewards table 520 and Recipe table 540. It may also receive a new XID in association with a MRID or CID, and updates its ID table 530 with the new XIDs.

A consumer enters Retail Store 1 and acquires product items and optionally an MRID card from some department. At a checkout, the consumer provides either the MRID card or some other form of machine readable identification (credit card, shopping card, etc, having a readable identification code), and the acquired product items. The checkout reads the consumer and product IDs and optional MRID. The checkout transmits that data to the RS1 CS's memory. RS1 CS determines if the transaction data matches any record in its Rewards table 520. If yes, it transmits the Rewards data to the checkout. If the rewards data is a current discount, then the total for the transaction is discounted. If the reward data is a purchase offer incentive, the checkout prints the purchase offer incentive (coupon) so the consumer can take that with them. If the Rewards data is information about compliance or other information, the checkout prints that so that the consumer can take that printed information with them.

RS1 CS also determines if there is an XID associated with the MRID or CID and if so it has the checkout print that XID during the transaction so that the consumer can take that information with them. Preferably, the checkout also prints the URL for a web site where the XID may be used by the consumer to obtain access to the consumer's transaction data. Alternatively, RS1 CS may advise the consumer to use the consumer's CID to access the web site.

In one embodiment, RS1 CS transmits the consumer's transaction data to central CS 10 during the consumer's transaction at the checkout, central CS 10 determines suitable rewards based upon that data, and transmits the rewards back to RS1 CS during the consumer's transaction, and the checkout then responds accordingly as indicated above to provide the reward.

The consumer then logs on to specified web site 900, preferably by entering an identification (CID or XID or MRID) and the name of the retail store. Thereafter web site 900 displays to the consumer purchase data associated with the identification presented by the consumer.

Web site 900 may also present to the consumer another screen prompting the consumer to enter the CID or XID or MRID from another retail store, and the other retail store name. If the consumer provides that information, it links otherwise unrelated purchase transaction data to a single individual or household. If the consumer provides that information, central CS 10 links that information for example by changing one of the two corresponding XXIDs to be the same as the other XXID in ID table 630. Central CS 10 may also revise each of the two records in table 630 by adding an additional field that stores both the RSID and XID for the consumer's record for the other store. Thereafter, central CS 10 may associate data from both retail stores purchased by the same consumer and display to that consumer the combined data set when the consumer logs on to web site 900. The same concept may be extended to any number of retail stores for the same consumer for which central CS 10 stores data.

The web site is preferably configured to allow the consumer to define categories and recipes or select from a list of categories and recipes. Once the consumer finishes a session, that is, logs off, or the session variable associated with the web page transmitted to the consumer expires, or the consumer transmits an update request, central CS 10 updates its data record for that consumer to indicated the changes to category and recipe and association of data to category and recipe specified by the consumer. Central CS 10 thereafter runs code to determine new rewards to provide to the consumer based upon the revised consumer category and recipe data, and updates its Rewards table 620 accordingly.

In addition, central CS 10 may be configured to display or provide the rewards to the consumer interactively via the consumer's CS with web site 900. If the reward is a coupon, it may be displayed so that the consumer can print it to paper, save it to a portable electronic device (cell phone or PDA or laptop computer).

Central CS 10 may incorporate the records for which the consumer has associated XIPs, CIDs, and MRIDs with one another, when determining whether the consumer's transaction history, including product purchase history, meets targeting criteria indicating associating a reward with the consumer. If so, central CS 10 may store and then transmit a reward record to one or more of computer system's having RSIDs (that is, different retail stores) associated with the consumer's XXIP, XIPs, CIDs, and MRIDs.

In one alternative, central CS 10 sends the same rewards records to all of the RS CSs having RSIDs associated with the consumer's linked records.

In another alternative, central CS 10 selects only one or a subst of RSIDs to which to transmit any particular reward record. In this alternative, central CS 10 may select the one or subset of RSIDs based upon stored criteria, such as a ranking of RSIDs, or the consumers selection of a preferred store from which to receive rewards. In this regard, the foregoing web site may be configures to prompt the consumer for a retail store identification from which the consumer prefers to receive rewards, such as coupons and the like.

Claims

1. A computer network for enabling a consumer to categorize products in the consumer's transaction data and to determine communications for said consumer based at least upon the consumer's categorizations, comprising; a first RS CS, said first RS CS including at least one CPU for processing data, at least one checkout station for processing purchase transactions by consumers, and memory for storing data for said purchase transactions by said consumers, wherein said data for said purchase transactions includes, in association with one another for each purchase transaction, PIDs for items purchased, price of each item, quantity of each product item purchased, date, and at least one of CID and MRID;an interface wherein a consumer can use said interlace to log in, using an XID code associated in a database with at least one of said CID and said MRID, to thereby access data for only those purchase transactions by said consumer, and wherein said consumer can use said interface to assign and reassign at least one of a category and a recipe to PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer, and said interface is programmed to store the consumer's assignments to a database; anda targeting algorithm implemented in code on a CS for determining communications for presentation to said consumer, wherein said targeting algorithm depends targeting at least in part upon the consumer's assignments to at least one of category and recipe, of PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein said interface enables a consumer to associate with one another, a CID or MRID associated with the consumer's product purchases in said first retail store with a CID or MRID associated with the consumer's product purchases in a second retail store, and said interface stores the association in said database; and wherein said targeting algorithm depends targeting at least in part upon the consumer's assignments to at least one of category and recipe, of PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer in said first retail store and said second retail store.

3. The network of claim 1 further comprising: a central CSa second RS CS;wherein said central CS controls access to said database, implements said targeting algorithm, and transmits to said first RS CS in association with at least one of said CID and said MRID, communications intended for said consumer;and wherein said first RS CS and said second RS CS transmit data for said purchase transactions by consumers to said central CS.

4. The network of claim 3 further comprising a computer operated by said consumer to connect to said interface; and wherein said interface is a web site run by web server software on said central CS.

5. The network of claim 4 wherein said purchase transactions are stored in a transaction table in said memory; and wherein said purchase transactions in addition to purchase transactions from other retail stores are stored in a master transaction table in a database of said central CS.

6. The network of claim 5 wherein said database of said central CS also stores a consumer centric table storing, in association with at least one of a XID, MRID, XID, and XXID indicating a consumer, data for plural purchase transactions by said consumer.

7. The network of claim 6 wherein the same XXID is associated with a first purchase transaction associated with an RSID for said first RS CS, and a second purchase transaction associated with an RSID for a second RS CS, thereby linking purchase transactions by the same consumer in different retail stores to one another.

8. The network of claim 1 further comprising code for determining correlations of purchases of a specified product having a specified PID to PIDs of a template for a project, adding said specified PID to said template when said correlation exceeds a predetermined or relative value, and removing said specified PID from said template when said correlation is below a predetermined or relative value.

9. The network of claim 1 wherein said targeting algorithm excludes data associated by said consumer with a specified project for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer

10. The network of claim 1 wherein said targeting algorithm includes only data associated by said consumer with a specified project for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer.

11. The network of claim 1 wherein said targeting algorithm excludes data associated by said consumer with a specified category for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer

12. The network of claim 1 wherein said targeting algorithm includes only data associated by said consumer with a specified category for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer.

13. A computer network method for enabling a consumer to categorize products in the consumer's transaction data and to determine communications for said consumer based at least upon the consumer's categorizations, comprising: providing a first RS CS, said first RS CS including at least one CPU for processing data, at least one checkout station for processing purchase transactions by consumers, and memory for storing data for said purchase transactions by said consumers, wherein said data for said purchase transactions includes, in association with one another for each purchase transaction, PIDs for items purchased, price of each item, quantity of each product item purchased, date, and at least one of CID and MRID;a consumer using an interface to log in, using an XID code associated in a database with at least one of said CID and said MRID, to thereby access data for only those purchase transactions by said consumer;said consumer using said interlace to assign and reassign at least one of a category and a recipe to PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer;said interface storing the consumer's assignments to a database;determining, using a targeting algorithm implemented in code on a CS, communications for presentation to said consumer; anddepending, using said targeting algorithm, targeting at least in part upon the consumer's assignments to at least one of category and recipe, of PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer.

14. The method of claim of claim 13 wherein said interface enables a consumer to associate with one another, a CID or MRID associated with the consumer's product purchases in said first retail store with a CID or MRID associated with the consumer's product purchases in a second retail store, and said interlace stores the association in said database; and wherein said targeting algorithm depends targeting at least in part upon the consumer's assignments to at least one of category and recipe, of PIDs associated with purchase transactions by said consumer in said first retail store and said second retail store.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising; providing a central CSproviding a second RS CS;using said central CS for controlling access to said database, implementing said targeting algorithm, and transmitting to said first RS CS in association with at least one of said CID and said MRID, communications intended for said consumer;transmitting from said first RS CS and said second RS CS data for said purchase transactions by consumers to said central CS.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising said consumer operating a computer to connect to said interface; and wherein said interface is a web site run by web server software on said central CS.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said targeting algorithm excludes data associated by said consumer with a specified project for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said targeting algorithm includes only data associated by said consumer with a specified project for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein said targeting algorithm excludes data associated by said consumer with a specified category for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer

20. The method of claim 13 wherein said targeting algorithm includes only data associated by said consumer with a specified category for use in determining whether to present a certain communication to said consumer.