Distributed personal automation and shopping method, apparatus, and process

Abstract

A business method utilizing a system comprising one or more distributed computers, application software, off-the-shelf peripheral components including a data entry (KDE) device without a keyboard or a mouse, business processes, human and KDE device readable data, related information on removable data storage media or available from external databases, and existing communications systems for speeding and improving: 1) personal or business automation, efficiency and productivity, goal attainment; 2) improving, speeding and automating the person-computer interface; 3) selection, acquisition, and tracking usage of items acquired from an existing supply chain; 4) marketing items and retaining customers buying the products, controlling their usage, and disseminating information about the products.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The following application is a Divisional Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 315,905 based on Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 339,166 filed on Dec. 8, 2001STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not Applicable.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention is a personal automation and shopping system which relates to methods and information systems (including hardware, software, communications and peripherals) for automating or improving personal or business productivity, efficiency and goal attainment, and buying and selling of goods and services. The present invention integrates, simplifies and democratizes methods, apparatus, and processes from a variety of other related and independent fields, including, but not limited to: barcodes and other machine readable symbologies or identifying means, barcode scanners and other KDED's (a keyless, mouseless data entry device); inventory contr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0039]The present invention comprises of a computerized buying and supply chain management system which uses existing computer, peripheral, software, and communications technology along with new software, processes, and methods to create a modular, “incrementally adoptable” system. The present invention speeds and improves dissemination of product information, product selection, shopping list compilation and maintenance, product acquisition and delivery, inventory control and usage. The present invention can be used in a variety of markets, including but not limited to: consumable markets with wide selection of items and their periodic consumption and replacement and service industries providing a variety of selectable services which are requested on a periodic basis.

[0040]The present invention discloses a personal automation and shopping system which creates improvements for the transactions between the consumer or buyer, the retailer or service provider, and the manufacturer. All three user segments (consumer / buyer, retailer / vendor, and manufacturer) can incrementally adopt or add the various modules to their usage of the present invention. This incremental usage reduces the typical obstacles (i.e. cost, complexity, difficulty of use, change in habits, etc.) to adoption of new technology or systems. Unlike prior art, a core aspect of the present invention is that it enhances the way each user segment interfaces with the supply chain. For example, household consumers often create a handwritten list of groceries to be replaced as they are consumed; keeping the list on the refrigerator until shopping day. The present invention requires the consumer to make only a small, incremental change in this habit. The consumer is able to scan the product's Universal Product Code (“UPC”) barcode with a portable scanner, to add the product to their shopping list. The consumer then prints out the list before going to the store. The scanning process of the present invention is faster and more accurate than writing a generalized term for a specific product on the paper list (e.g. writing “cheese” on the list when what the consumer really wants is “Kraft, Cracker Barrel, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 12 oz package”). Prior art consists of a method wherein the consumer must to go to another room, start the computer, log onto the internet, surf to a website, and then laboriously search for each item they want, wait while the text and graphics slowly download, and then finally add the product to their shopping cart. The prior art requires consumers to coordinate a specific time for home delivery, wait one or more days for the items to arrive, and pay for them by credit card. The present invention allows the consumer to shop as they always have without the constraints of a narrow delivery time.

[0041]The present invention has similar advantages for the retailer. Retailers can chose their level of participation from providing a file of the UPCs for the items they stock, to a complete, electronic receipt of orders and home delivery. This allows all user segments to use the present invention with little initial change in their existing habits or procedures and little expenditure of capital. As the user becomes familiar with the present invention they may use other features and capabilities of the present invention.

Problems solved by technology

Prior art was limited to industry and retail inventory control and ordering systems operating on point-of-sale systems, larger computerized systems, and a very limited number of portable barcode scanners.

Keyless data entry was limited to optical character recognition and barcodes.

Barcode printing was very limited capabilities were limited and required specialized knowledge and hardware.

Automation and distributed processing was limited to low power personal computers and office automation applications.

Intercomputer communications were limited to dedicated or leased phone lines or analog modems dialing into the public switched telephone network (PTSN) or plain old telephone service (POTS).

During the building and testing of dPASS, I observed that various required supporting systems and incorporated subcomponents were unavailable, technically inadequate, and unreliable and hence didn't satisfactorily solve myriad and complex problem of dPASS.

The prior art was not flexible, adaptable, user acceptability, and easy to use.

The prior art which was technically satisfactory for some applications, was too expensive for a stand alone product, distributed solution, or networked solution.

None of the prior art solved the underlying problems.

The prior art is not commercially acceptable to users.

While this method enables a customer to shop from home, its use is limited as it requires a high bandwidth connection to the Internet and the use of a computer or web based equipment.

Additionally, Kenney requires a person to be located near a computer or area where they have access to the Internet and doesn't allow for the ease of spontaneous, task driven ordering one might expect in a kitchen, which is often far away from the computer and display device.

Kenney doesn't enable a user to create or add to their shopping list electronically without a real-time connection to a PC or the internet.

Talbott doesn't allow users to create a shopping list at home, and is controlled by the retailer rather than the consumer.

Additionally, the hardware costs are substantial and limit the product to commercial not home use.

Like other inventions, Ogasawara ties users to specific retailers and doesn't allow creation of a shopping list at home, independent of the retailer's involvement.

However, Kunihiko is internet based and is therefore limited in its functions as listed in the previous internet based home shopping systems.

Kunihiko is also limited in its usefulness and convenience as Kunihiko is dependent on an active Internet connection

Although Allard handles large inventories well, it is limited in its use.

Allard is also limited in that it requires a tremendous amount of manual inputting on the part of the user.

The shortcomings in the prior art may result from the inventors' failure to fully and accurately identify all the shopping problems to be solved.

The prior art lacks the ability to be used in a variety of ways.

The prior art inventions require a revolutionary or dramatic change method as opposed to the preferred evolutionary change in the way a users currently accomplishes the task, and the prior art doesn't enable users to identify, select and shop for consumables in whatever fashion is most natural or effective at any given time.

The prior art is deficient because it lacks the ability to progressively provide more capabilities, personal productivity, and shopping automation at incremental expenditures of time and money.

The prior art is deficient in reducing resistance to buying and using their systems.

Selection at Point Of Consumption: While some prior art permits selection at the point of consumption, they fail to address the preceding problems.

The prior art is limited in that they do not provide selection without a wired or wireless connection to some other device, computer system or network.

None of the prior art adequately solves these problems.

The prior art fails to solve all these problems; some lack the speed, others the independence, some the rich input or output being limited by their small form factors, bandwidth or capabilities (e.g. a PDA, browser, web-enabled cellular phone, etc,)

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