Bluetooth Beacon Shopping Route Tracking System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face inconvenience while navigating a physical store to locate items on their shopping lists, as existing systems do not effectively manage shopping routes within the store, leading to time consumption and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with beacons in stores to monitor and map shopping routes by detecting the location of consumers' mobile devices, allowing the tracking of item pickups and storing these routes for future reference, and enabling route sharing among users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If consumers use a shopping list to remind them of merchandise to be purchased, then they can remember what to buy, but they still need to manually find the locations of these merchandises in the store which is time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the consumer and the store environment. The mobile device receives location information from multiple sources (GPS, Wi-Fi positioning, cellular towers) and provides navigation guidance to help consumers efficiently locate merchandise on their shopping lists, thereby reducing the time spent manually searching for items while maintaining the shopping list reminder function
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service navigation by allowing consumers to independently use their mobile devices to receive real-time location guidance within the store. The mobile device automatically processes location data from various sources and provides turn-by-turn directions to merchandise locations without requiring store staff assistance, thus reducing time loss while maintaining the shopping list functionality
2Ease of operation
If consumers manually navigate to find merchandise locations in the store, then they can locate items, but the process is inefficient and causes consumer inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the mobile device continuously receives location information from GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular sources, compares the consumer's current position with the target merchandise location, and provides real-time navigation guidance. This feedback loop enables consumers to easily navigate to the correct locations by following directional instructions displayed on their mobile devices, thereby improving both ease of operation and shopping productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical navigation (physically wandering through the store to find items) with an automated electronic navigation system. The mobile device uses software algorithms to process location data from multiple sensors and provides intelligent routing guidance, substituting the mechanical trial-and-error approach with an automated electronic guidance system that improves both ease of operation and shopping efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enhances shopping efficiency by providing optimized shopping routes, allowing users to share lists and routes, reducing time spent navigating the store and improving shopping experiences through real-time monitoring and suggestions.
Implementation Method 1
A location and movement of the consumer in a merchant's store may be monitored by detecting a location of the consumer's mobile device via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication using a network of BLE devices, such as beacons, positioned throughout the merchant's store.
Data Source
AI summary
A system or method is provided to monitor a consumer's shopping routes associated with shopping lists. A location and movements of the consumer in a merchant's store may be monitored using a network of Bluetooth beacons installed throughout the merchant's store. When the consumer picks up a product from a store shelve and crosses out an item from a digital shopping list, the system may mark the location where the merchandise is picked up. Thus, a shopping route of the consumer may be detected as the consumer picks ups and crosses out various products listed on the shopping list during the shopping trip in the store. The consumer may share the shopping route with another consumer. The shopping route may be shared in real time, such that another consumer may make suggestions or comments or approve various items picked up by the consumer in real time.