Wireless Beacon Shopping Lists With Real-Time In-Store Offers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to efficiently provide location-based product information and shopping assistance to users within physical stores using wireless communication, especially for offline devices with poor cellular reception.
Innovation Solution
Implementing wireless beacons in store sections to directly communicate with user devices via mid-range to short-range radio signals, enabling offline devices to receive product information and manage shopping lists, navigate, and offer real-time promotions without requiring pairing or user authorization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless beacons use direct radio signal communication without pairing or user authorization, then communication efficiency and user convenience are improved, but security and control over data access deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a serving system as an intermediary that manages security and authorization. The serving system receives requests from user devices, determines whether to grant access based on pre-configured rules, and returns authorization decisions. This mediator layer enables automatic communication while maintaining security control without requiring user pairing actions.
2Loss of information
If wireless beacons are deployed throughout store sections, then location-based product information delivery is improved, but system complexity and infrastructure cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the store into multiple sections, each with its own wireless beacon transmitting section-specific identifiers. This segmentation allows the system to provide targeted product information for specific store sections without requiring a single complex centralized system, reducing overall infrastructure complexity while improving information delivery efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
User devices automatically detect and process beacon signals without requiring manual intervention. The device's user application autonomously determines its location based on received beacon identifiers, retrieves relevant product information from the serving system, and presents it to the user. This self-service approach reduces the need for complex centralized control mechanisms.
3Productivity
If user applications automatically process beacon signals without user input, then shopping assistance efficiency is improved, but user control and privacy management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the user application continuously monitors beacon signals, processes location information, and presents options to the user. The system provides feedback about detected beacons and allows users to review and control which information is displayed. This feedback loop maintains user control while enabling automatic processing 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
Enables offline devices to receive location-specific product information, manage shopping lists, and provide navigation and real-time offers, enhancing the shopping experience by leveraging direct radio signal communication with wireless beacons.
Implementation Method 1
Each wireless beacon can be installed in a particular section of a store. A user device can receive signals emitted by the wireless beacon
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to method that includes detecting, by a server, presence of a user device at a facility, the user device having a software application executing thereon to facilitate selection of one or more items from a list of items for purchase at the facility, tracking, by the server, a location of the user device within the facility relative to each item on the list, the tracking being facilitated by one or more electronic location determining components that are at least one of installed at the facility or on the user device, generating, in real-time and based on the location of the user device within the facility, one or more offers associated with one or more of the items, and dynamically updating, by the server, the portion of the list of items displayed on the user interface with the one or more offers.