# US 10,319,198 B2 · Expedited checkout system through portable checkout units

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- Number: US 10,319,198 B2
- Document ID: US10319198B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/583,713
- Filed: 2017-05-01
- Published: 2017-11-02
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-02
- Assignees: Focal Systems, Inc.
- Applicants: Focal Systems, Inc.
- Inventors: Francois Chaubard; Adriano Quiroga Garafulic
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319198B2

## CPC

- G07G 1/0045: {with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader}
- G06Q 20/202: {Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR}
- G06Q 20/208: {Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing}
- G06Q 20/3223: {Realising banking transactions through M-devices}
- G06Q 30/0633: {Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087)}
- G07G 1/0081: {the reader being a portable scanner or data reader (G07G1/009 takes precedence)}
- G07G: REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An expedited checkout system allows a customer to generate a virtual shopping list on a client application operating on the customer's mobile device, and expedite checkout from a store using the client application. While shopping within a store, a customer can temporarily secure a mobile device to a portable checkout unit that is attached to a shopping cart. The portable checkout unit can receive item identifiers from an item scanner and transmits item identifiers to the customer's mobile device. The customer's mobile device generates a virtual shopping list of the items collected by the customer and, when the customer is ready to check out of the store, the customer can select a checkout option presented on the mobile device. In response to receiving the checkout selection, the mobile device initiates a checkout transaction to check out the customer from the store.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, at a portable checkout unit, an item identifier identifying an item sold by a store;
transmitting, from the portable checkout unit, the item identifier to a mobile device belonging to a customer of the store, the mobile device including a client application associated with the store that facilitates communication between the portable checkout unit and the mobile device, the client application on the mobile device being configured to:
store, at the mobile device, an item element for the item received from the portable checkout unit within a virtual shopping list of items to be purchased by the customer, the item element comprising the item identifier and a count of items associated with an item type of the item;
receive, at the mobile device, a selection from the customer to checkout from the store; and
responsive to receiving the selection from the customer, initiate a checkout transaction between the customer and the store via the client application to purchase the items in the virtual shopping list from the mobile device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the checkout transaction between the customer and the store comprises:
receiving the list identifier at a point-of-sale system within the store; and
transmitting the virtual shopping list from the store system to the point-of-sale system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein initiating the checkout transaction further comprises: receiving payment information from the customer at the point-of-sale system for items collected by the customer, the items corresponding to list elements stored within the virtual shopping list.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising: presenting a list identifier for the virtual shopping list via the mobile device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the item scanner is one of a one-dimensional barcode scanner, a two-dimensional barcode scanner, a camera-based image processing scanner, and a radio-frequency identification scanner.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the checkout transaction comprises:
receiving payment information from the customer via the mobile device; and
executing the checkout transaction using the received payment information.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the portable checkout unit comprises an item scanner, and wherein the item identifier is received via the item scanner.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the item identifier is transmitted to the mobile device via a wired connection between the portable checkout unit and the mobile device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the item identifier is transmitted to the mobile device via a wireless connection between the portable checkout unit and the mobile device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the portable checkout unit includes a holster for the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device is temporarily secured to the portable checkout unit via the holster.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising: responsive to the list element already existing within the virtual shopping list, incrementing the count associated with the list element.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising: responsive to the list element not already existing within the virtual shopping list, adding the list element to the virtual shopping list.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual shopping list comprises a plurality of list elements, each list element associated with an item collected by the customer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein storing the list element in the virtual shopping list comprises: determining whether a list element associated with the received item identifier already exists within the virtual shopping list.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive, at a portable checkout unit, an item identifier identifying an item sold by a store;
transmit, from the portable checkout unit, the item identifier to a mobile device belonging to a customer of the store, the mobile device including a client application associated with the store that facilitates communication between the portable checkout unit and the mobile device, the client application on the mobile device being configured to:
store, at the mobile device, an item element for the item received from the portable checkout unit within a virtual shopping list of items to be purchased by the customer, the item element comprising the item identifier and a count of items associated with an item type of the item;
receive, at the mobile device, a selection from the customer to checkout from the store; and
responsive to receiving the selection from the customer, initiate a checkout transaction between the customer and the store via the client application to purchase the items in the virtual shopping list from the mobile device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for initiating the checkout transaction between the customer and the store comprise instructions that cause the processor to:
receive the list identifier at a point-of-sale system within the store; and
transmit the virtual shopping list from the store system to the point-of-sale system.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for initiating the checkout transaction further comprise instructions that cause the processor to: receive payment information from the customer at the point-of-sale system for items collected by the customer, the items being corresponding to list elements stored within the virtual shopping list.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to: present a list identifier for the virtual shopping list via the mobile device.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for initiating the checkout transaction comprise instructions that cause the processor to:
receive payment information from the customer via the mobile device; and
execute the checkout transaction using the received payment information.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the portable checkout unit comprises an item scanner, and wherein the item identifier is received via the item scanner.