System and method for communicating with customers
OwnerDonald Ray Gillis, Gordon James Smithinventors
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Abstract
The arrival of a customer at a service facility is detected automatically and a communication channel is opened between a computer operated by a service provider and a portable computing device carried by the customer. The computer operated by the service provider retrieves data relating to the customer from a database and transmits to the customer's portable computing device information relevant to a service to be provided to the customer. The present invention may be applied in the context of an airline terminal to help a customer cope with a delayed or canceled flight.
Claims35
A method of communicating with a customer, comprising:
- receiving a signal that indicates arrival of a customer at a service facility;
- in response to the received signal, accessing a database to retrieve first data concerning the customer;
- and
- on the basis of the retrieved first data, transmitting second data to the customer.
A system for providing communication between a customer and a service provider, comprising:
- a portable computing device carried by the customer;
- and
- a computer operated by the service provider and programmed to:
- receive a signal that indicates that the customer has arrived at a service facility;
- in response to the received signal, access a database to retrieve first data concerning the customer;
- and
- on the basis of the retrieved first data, transmit second data to the portable computing device carried by the customer.
A method of communicating with a customer, comprising:
- automatically detecting arrival of a customer at a service facility;
- identifying the customer;
- retrieving information related to the customer from a database;
- and
- transmitting a message to the customer via a computing device carried by the customer.
A method of communicating with a customer at an airline terminal, comprising:
- receiving a signal that indicates arrival of the customer at the airline terminal;
- and
- in response to receipt of the signal, transmitting data via a wireless communication channel to a portable computing device carried by the customer.
A computer program product comprising:
- a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having computer program code adapted to:
- receive a signal that indicates arrival of a customer at a service facility;
- in response to the received signal, access a database to retrieve first data concerning the customer;
- and
- on the basis of the retrieved first data, transmit second data to the customer.
A computer program product comprising:
- a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having computer program code adapted to:
- automatically detect arrival of a customer at a service facility;
- identify the customer;
- retrieve information related to the customer from a database;
- and
- transmit a message to the customer via a computing device carried by the customer.
A computer program product comprising:
- a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having computer program code adapted to:
- receive a signal that indicates arrival of a customer at an airline terminal;
- and
- in response to receipt of the signal, transmit data via a wireless communication channel to a portable computing device carried by the customer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.