Shopping apparatus and methods
AssigneeShopper's Club, LLC
InventorBRYAN EUGENE CRUM
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus related to enabling a shopper to utilize a mobile electronic device to check-in to a physical store while at the store. A shopper may utilize the mobile electronic device to read a check-in code at a location proximal to an entrance of a physical store. A substantially instantaneous pecuniary reward may be provided to the shopper upon reading of the check-in code and the shopper may be notified of such reward via the mobile electronic device.
Claims21
A method of providing retail information on a shopping cart with combinational electronic retail specific information for a consumer, comprising:
- attaching an informational display to a shopping cart of said physical store;
- removably securing at least one retail informational sheet in said informational display, said at least one retail informational sheet including a check-in code having store identification data;
- scanning said check-in code utilizing a mobile electronic device when at said physical store;
- electronically identifying said physical store based on said store identification data contained within said check-in code;
- identifying a shopper based on shopper identification data transmitted by said mobile electronic device;
- providing a link to a pecuniary check-in rewards account of said shopper on said mobile electronic device;
- providing a substantially instantaneous pecuniary check-in reward to said pecuniary check-in rewards account of said shopper upon utilizing said mobile electronic device to read said check-in code;
- and
- substantially instantaneously notifying said shopper of said pecuniary check-in reward via said mobile electronic device.
A method of electronically checking-in to a retail store and earning a reward for checking-in to said retail store, comprising:
- securing at least one removable display to a shopping cart of said retail store, said at least one removable display including a check-in code having store identification data;
- scanning the check-in code utilizing a mobile electronic device to read said check-in code affixed to said shopping cart when at a location proximal to an entrance of said retail store;
- identifying said retail store based on said store identification data contained within said check-in code;
- identifying a shopper based on shopper identification data transmitted by said mobile electronic device;
- providing a substantially instantaneous pecuniary check-in reward to said shopper upon utilizing said mobile electronic device to read said check-in code;
- notifying said shopper of said pecuniary check-in reward via said mobile electronic device;
- and
- providing a substantially instantaneous further pecuniary reward to said shopper after utilizing said mobile electronic device to read said check-in code and after at least one further recordable action within said retail store and prior to engaging in a check-out process within said store.
A method of providing replaceable retail specific information on a shopping cart including electronic information, comprising:
- affixing an informational display on a visible location of a shopping cart;
- incorporating a housing on said informational shopping cart display;
- removably retaining a magazine insert in said housing on said informational shopping cart display, said magazine including retail specific printed information for a particular retail location;
- incorporating on said retail specific printed information at least one scanning code in a visible location on said informational display;
- scanning said at least one scanning code on said magazine insert which is removably retained on said housing of said informational shopping cart display utilizing a mobile electronic device particularized to a specific shopper;
- electronically identifying said particularized shopper and said particular retail location based upon said scanned at least one scanning code on said magazine insert;
- linking to a shopper check-in rewards account for said particularized shopper by said mobile electronic device;
- providing to said mobile electronic device retail specific electronic information for said particular retail location;
- crediting said check-in rewards account for said particularized shopper based upon said particular retail location;
- notifying said particularized shopper of said credited check-in rewards account substantially instantaneously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.