Augmented Reality Device for Hands-Free Retail Purchasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face challenges in accessing comprehensive product information during physical retail purchases without diverting attention from the product, and existing technologies do not facilitate seamless transactions at retail locations.
Innovation Solution
Augmented reality (AR) devices that capture item information, monitor user movements, and enable wireless communication with a remote server to facilitate purchases without queuing or interacting with sales associates, offering alternative products and price comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If consumers use smartphones to access product information at retail locations, then information accessibility is improved, but consumer attention is diverted from the product and small displays limit information reference capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional smartphone displays to three-dimensional augmented reality overlays that float in the consumer's field of view. Product information, pricing, and comparisons are projected as virtual elements in spatial dimension, allowing consumers to access comprehensive data without diverting attention from physical products.
Solution Approach 2:
The augmented reality device acts as an intermediary between the consumer and product information. Instead of directly viewing products through smartphone screens or relying on retail staff, the AR device mediates by projecting informational overlays that bridge the physical product and digital data layers.
2Productivity
If consumers queue at check-out counters or interact with sales associates to complete purchases, then transaction processing is performed, but time is lost and convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service purchasing where consumers independently complete transactions using AR devices. The AR interface allows consumers to scan items, view pricing, compare alternatives, and initiate payments without requiring sales associate assistance or traditional checkout counter interaction, making the purchasing process autonomous and time-efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-scanning items as consumers pick them up and pre-calculating totals, taxes, and available discounts before the consumer reaches the checkout area. This advance processing eliminates the need for time-consuming queueing and on-the-spot calculation at traditional checkout counters.
3Reliability
If traditional retail purchasing processes are used, then transactions are completed through established channels, but consumer convenience and efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The AR device serves multiple functions within a single interface: product information display, price comparison, alternative product recommendation, cart management, and payment processing. This multi-functional integration consolidates what traditionally required multiple separate actions (asking staff, checking manuals, comparing prices manually, queuing, and cashing out) into a unified convenient workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an augmented reality (AR) system that provides information about purchasing alternatives to a user who is about to purchase an item or product (e.g., a target product) in a physical retail location. In some variations, offers to purchase the product and/or an alternative product are provided by the merchant and/or competitors via the AR system. An offer negotiation server (ONS) aggregates offer data provided various external parties (EPs) and displays these offers to the user as the user is considering the purchase of a target product. In some variations, an AR system may be configured to facilitate the process of purchasing items at a retail location.