# US 8,788,347 B2 · Reminder calendaring based on receipt data

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- Number: US 8,788,347 B2
- Document ID: US8788347B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/688,111
- Filed: 2012-11-28
- Published: 2014-05-29
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-28
- Assignees: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- Applicants: Stuart Argue; Anthony Emile Marcar
- Inventors: Stuart Argue; Anthony Emile Marcar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788347B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G06Q 20/047: {using payment protocols involving electronic receipts}
- G06Q 20/209: {Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output}
- G06Q 20/322: {Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]}
- G06Q 20/3276: {using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device}
- G06Q 30/0255: {based on user history}
- G06Q 30/0268: {at point-of-sale [POS]}
- 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

A computer-implemented method is disclosed for calendaring reminders. Within the method, one or more point-of-sale transactions may be conducted. The transactions may involve a computer system and a customer possessing a mobile computing device. The computer system may store receipt data documenting the transactions. The computer system may also search the receipt data in an effort to locate one or more products having predictable purchase periodicity. When such products are identified, one or more appropriate reminders for subsequent purchases of the one or more products may be scheduled.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method for calendaring a reminder, the method comprising:
storing, by a computer system, one or more records identifying one or more products;
storing, by the computer system, within the one or more records, a time period for each product of the one or more products, the time period identifying for a corresponding product of the one or more products an expected length of time between purchases of the corresponding product by a customer;
conducting, by a point-of-sale system forming part of the computer system, a point-of-sale transaction comprising a sale of one or more goods or services to the customer, the sale occurring on a first date;
searching, by the computer system, data documenting the sale to determine whether any product of the one or more products was purchased as part of the sale;
determining, by the computer system based on the searching, that a first good or service purchased in the sale is a first product of the one or more products; and
scheduling, by the computer system, a reminder for the customer to make another purchase of the first product on a second date, the temporal spacing between the second date and the first date being equal to the time period stored in the one or more records for the first product.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale system is contained within a brick-and-mortar store corresponding to a retailer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the conducting comprises receiving the customer within the brick-and-mortar store.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the customer possesses a computing device and the conducting further comprises delivering receipt data to a first application installed on the computing device in the form of an electronic receipt.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling comprises scheduling the reminder as a push notification to be sent to the computing device on the second date.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising sending, by the computer system, the push notification on the second date.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling comprises scheduling the reminder within the first application as a local notification to be issued on the second date.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising issuing, by the first application, the reminder on the second date.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling comprises passing the reminder to a second application installed on the computing device, the second application providing a software-based calendar.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the second application corresponds to an entity independent of the retailer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising issuing, by the second application, the reminder.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile telephone.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each product of the one or more products comprises a good or a service.

### Claim 14

A computer-implemented method for calendaring a reminder, the method comprising:
storing, by a computer system, one or more records identifying one or more goods or services;
storing, by the computer system, within the one or more records, a time period for each of the one or more goods or services, the time period identifying for a corresponding good or service an expected length of time between purchases thereof by a customer;
conducting, by a point-of-sale system forming part of the computer system, a point-of-sale transaction comprising a sale of one or more products to the customer, the sale occurring on a first date;
determining, by the computer system, that a first product purchased in the sale is a first good or service of the one or more goods or services;
scheduling, by the computer system, a reminder for the customer to make another purchase of the first good or service on a second date, the temporal spacing between the second date and the first date being equal to the time period stored in the one or more records for the first good or service; and
sending, by the computer system on the second date, the reminder to purchase the first good or service to a mobile computing device of the customer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the point-of-sale system is contained within a brick-and-mortar store corresponding to a retailer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the conducting comprises receiving the customer within the brick-and-mortar store.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the computer system comprises a first application installed on the mobile computing device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the conducting further comprises delivering receipt data documenting the sale to the first application.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the scheduling comprises scheduling the reminder within the first application as a local notification to be issued on the second date.

### Claim 20

A computer system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more memory devices operably connected to the one or more processors; and
the one or more memory devices collectively storing
a receipt module programmed to deliver receipt data documenting one or more point-of-sale transactions to one or more computing devices of corresponding customers,
a data store storing one or more records identifying one or more goods or services,
the data store further storing within the one or more records, a time period for each good or service of the one or more goods or services, the time period identifying for the each good or service an expected length of time between purchases thereof by a customer,
a search module programmed to search data documenting the one or more point-of-sale transactions to determine whether any good or service of the one or more goods or services was purchased therewithin, and
an output module programmed to schedule, when a good or service of the one or more goods or services is purchased within a transaction of the one or more transactions, a reminder for a corresponding customer to make another purchase of the good or service after the passage of the time period stored in the one or more records for the good or service.