POS System Blockchain NFT Virtual Object Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current POS systems lack the capability to enable consumers to obtain, access, transfer, sell, or trade virtual representations of purchased retail items in virtual or augmented reality environments, particularly for unique, limited, or luxury products, and do not effectively manage ownership and authenticity through digital means.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a blockchain-based system within POS systems to create and manage non-fungible tokens (NFTs) associated with physical objects, allowing for the transfer of ownership and virtual representation of these objects in virtual or augmented reality environments, using sensors and network nodes to capture and display virtual objects based on physical object identifiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If POS systems integrate blockchain-based NFT creation and management capabilities, then consumers can obtain, access, transfer, sell, or trade virtual representations of purchased items in virtual or augmented reality environments, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a blockchain network as an intermediary layer between the POS system and the virtual/augmented reality environments. The blockchain stores and manages NFTs that represent virtual objects, acting as a trusted mediator that enables ownership transfer and authentication without requiring the POS system to directly manage complex virtual environment interactions. This resolves the contradiction by offloading complexity to a specialized intermediary system while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments functionality into distinct modules: the POS terminal handles physical item scanning and identification, the blockchain network manages NFT creation and ownership records, and external virtual/augmented reality environments provide the user interface for interacting with virtual objects. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, reducing overall system complexity while enabling comprehensive functionality.
2Reliability
If POS systems integrate sensors and blockchain network nodes to capture and display virtual objects based on physical object identifiers, then ownership and authenticity can be effectively managed through digital means, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the POS system multi-functional by integrating it with blockchain technology to simultaneously handle traditional point-of-sale transactions and digital ownership management. The same POS terminal that scans physical items also captures object identifiers, queries the blockchain for NFT information, and enables virtual object display. This universality allows reliable ownership and authenticity management without adding separate dedicated systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system creates and manages NFTs associated with physical objects at point of sale, then virtual representations can be transferred and traded in virtual environments, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating and registering NFTs on the blockchain at the moment of physical item purchase, before the consumer needs to interact with virtual representations. The NFT is pre-associated with the physical object's identifier and stored on the blockchain, so when the consumer later wants to view or transfer the virtual object, the data is already prepared and readily accessible. This eliminates delays that would occur if NFTs needed to be created on-demand, thus reducing processing time while maintaining full versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of obtaining a virtual representation of a physical object at point of sale are presented. In one exemplary embodiment, a POS system includes a first sensor device operable to sense an identifier unique to a physical object and a second sensor device operable to capture a digital image of the physical object during checkout by the POS system. Further, the POS system is communicatively coupled to a blockchain network that includes network nodes that are collectively configured to operate a blockchain. The unique physical object identifier is associated with a cryptographic digital asset stored on the blockchain as a code that represents the unique physical object identifier and a code that represents a reference to a virtual object obtained based on a digital image of the physical object captured by the second sensor during the checkout by the POS system.