Abstract:
O2O (Offline to Online) Management System is a computer-implemented service which manages the operation and interaction among the brick-and-mortar stores, merchants, warehouse and product providers. It also manages the purchase transactions by the customers at online marketplace and the brick-and-mortar stores. Unlike the online shopping services which provide only storefront Web access, the O2O Management System integrates the transaction and operation of online marketplace, brick-and-mortar retail stores, merchants, warehouses and product providers with a network of computer systems, such as internet. The transaction of O2O Management System occurs in the combination of physical retail facility (retail store) and internet.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Applications Ser. No. 62/295,263 filed 15 Feb. 2016. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is directed to an Offline to Online (O2O) Management System using a computer-implemented system that unites physical spaces which are intended retail purposes and merchants with their product provider, in a management system of drop-ship business model to bring a product from his manufacturer to consumer. O2O (Offline to Online) retail transaction occurs in the combination of physical retail space and internet. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0003]    U.S. Patent 2006/0149640 A1 revealed a business method providing a dedicated electronic shopping network having a database and wireless receiving device to independent retailers for lease. The method is limited by rigid processes that manages retail space renting, product viewing, product distribution and monetary transaction. One of the limitations is in the localization, where the network is a closed or private computer network is still confined to near the premises of the retail facility. Database information of the products has to be supplied by the retail entities (Merchant) and management of the retail sites are done locally. Most of the time, the merchant who rent the retail space is the party who actually also in the retail operation (i.e. manage the store) hence they may have to live within the region or hire a local management company to carry out daily retail operation. 
         [0004]    O2O Management System utilizes web platform and computer databases to link up all available physical retail spaces, trading post, kiosk, sales booth, brick-and-mortar stores, and retail entities such as merchants, product provider globally to facilitate the retail transaction. It provides a dynamic management system that includes intelligence for decision making to match the merchants, product suppliers and retail sites; it provides design guide and setting up of showcase at the physical spaces which are intended retail purposes; manages the sample shipping and replacement services; product drop ship services and business transaction and payment services to the parties. 
         [0005]    Unlike the typical online shopping services which provide only storefront Web access, O2O Management System in not limited to the a typical independent retailer or merchant who is required to present its own product upfront in or to participate in the business method. The system is able to aide merchants in obtaining products to be sold by providing a selection of products listed by product providers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    O2O Management System is an independent business management system which utilizes the web platform and computer databases to link up the all available physical spaces, brick-and-mortar stores, merchants, product provider globally to facilitate the retail transaction. The system allows product providers to expose their products in a broader marketplace, online and offline. One of the major benefits of O2O Management System is the opportunity to include any individual as a merchant without having to present any product upfront. By the unique linking of merchants and product providers in a global fashion, O2O Management allows a broader visibility and versatility of products being in the online and offline marketplace. The system helps merchants to setup a marketplace without having a huge startup capital by providing showcase template to ease work of setting up product showcases. O2O Management can further construct, build, ship and set up the physical showcase for merchant at designated retail facility. The system also helps merchants manage their business by managing monetary transactions, shipments of display sample and products to customer. 
         [0007]    In addition offering the product showcase template to its members based on information received. The purpose of using O2O Management System showcase templates is to ensure the conformity of retail spots showcase design and appearance for a specific product. For example, based on the trends, a baby product is preferred to be displayed at showcase with white background, whilst, electronic products may be displayed on a richer color background and decorated with spot lights. Alternatively, the O2O Management System also accepts personalized showcase templates from its members. The O2O Management estimates and compares the information submitted by the members and generates a list of matching showcase design templates for the members to select. The O2O Management System may come with build-in artificial intelligent software to generate showcase templates for members to select. The design templates can be in the form of electronic document such as Computer-aided design (CAD) graphic files which can be printed by the member and later to have the local contractor to custom build. In addition, it also handles the product sample shipping process by either notifying the member to ship the product to a particular showcase address, or shipping the product sample directly from his own warehouse. It also manages the purchase transactions by the customers at the physical retail sites or brick-and mortar stores. Another service of O2O Management System provides is the ability to handle the purchased item shipping process by either notifying the member to ship the purchased item to the customer&#39;s designated address, or shipping the purchased item directly from its own warehouse. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a flowchart that illustrates the principal components of the preferred embodiment of O2O Management System. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart that illustrates the purchase transaction of a customer at a brick-and-mortar retail store utilizing O2O Management System. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart that illustrates the process of submitting the retail spot to O2O Management System by the retail provider. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart that illustrates the merchant selling third party product using O2O Management System at selected retail spot. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart that illustrates the merchant selling his own product using O2O Management System at its selected retail spot. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart that illustrates the merchant setup the retail spot at the retail facility via O2O Management System. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart that illustrates the sample shipping service offered and handled by O2O Management System. 
       
    
    
     DEFINITIONS 
       [0015]    The term “drop shipping” is used herein to denote the retail transaction by transferring a customer&#39;s order to manufacturer (or other third party, e.g., vendor, supplier, wholesaler, distributor, retailer, etc.), which then ships the ordered item directly to customer. Drop shipping, may, in some cases, allow the merchant to avoid cost associated with stocking items in its own inventory. 
         [0016]    The term “merchant” is used herein to denote an individual, a company or legal entity that sells product in a retail facility. The sales transaction is completed only when the customer receives the purchase item at his/her designated address. 
         [0017]    The term “retail facility” is used herein to denote a physical site, building or an open space such as patio, sidewalk that is usable by retail provider in drop-ship business. An item may be sold at the retail facility but the store itself may not necessary carry the stock inventory. 
         [0018]    The term “retail provider” is used herein to designate an individual, a company or other legal entity that possesses the authority to rent or lease a space of an architectural facility for business operation purposes. An architectural facility may be a retail facility or a non-commercial private property. 
         [0019]    The term “retail spot” denotes a space usable for product showcase to display sample products in a retail facility. A retail spot may be divided into segments. Each segment represents a product showcase with specific dimension. These showcases can be subleased to third parties via O2O Management System. The retail spot may consist of a structure within a retail facility such as trading post, kiosk, sales booth, wall, platform or store fixtures such as shelves, table tops, and counters with specific dimension tagged with retail spot identification. 
         [0020]    The term “retail spot identification” or “RID” denotes the unique identification system for a particular retail spot. 
         [0021]    The term “showcase template” denotes a distinct layout design of a retail spot. 
         [0022]    The term “open space retail spot” denotes an unfurnished retail spot which can be custom designed by the member of O2O Management System. 
         [0023]    The term “product provider” is used herein to denote a product supplier or other legal entities who warehousing the products and engaging in drop-ship business. 
         [0024]    The term “product identification” or “PIN” denotes the identification system for a particular product. 
         [0025]    The term “customer” can be of any entity or individual who purchases products at the retail facility. 
         [0026]    The term “member” is used herein to denote any member who signs up with the O2O Management System such as retail provider, merchant or product provider. 
         [0027]    The term “member ID” denotes the identification system for the member who signs up O2O Management System such as retail provider, merchant or product provider. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates the principal components of the preferred embodiment of O2O Management System  116  which is implemented using highly scalable and reliable web application servers  112  and plurality of databases  120 . The merchant  104 , product provider  102 , warehouse  108 , and retail provider  106  can access the O2O Management System  116  via the web browser or mobile app running on the computer or smart device (tablet, phone, etc.). These parties communicate to O2O Management System&#39;s website  114  through a secured internet network  110  which is preferably the https protocol. A merchant  104 , retail provider  106 , warehouse  108  or product provider  102  using the computer, interacts with the O2O Management System  116  that is serviced by server(s) and database(s). 
         [0029]    En the context of the present disclosure, actions indicated as being taken by the merchant  104 , retail provider  106 , warehouse  108 , or product provider  102  are preferably performed by or through, as applicable, the web browser and/or mobile web apps on the computer and smart device. Actions indicated as being taken by the O2O Management System  116  are preferably performed by or through, as applicable, O2O Management System  116  servers and his associated software components. The computers and servers referenced herein are preferably of general purpose computers, although application-specific hardware could be used to perform certain tasks. 
         [0030]    As depicted,  FIG. 2  illustrates the purchase transaction of a customer at a brick-and-mortar retail store utilizing O2O Management System  116 . At the store location, the customer studies and tests out the sample(s) displayed on the retail spots (step  254 ). Each retail spot is tagged or labeled with unique Retail Identification (RID). Each product is also tagged or labeled with unique Product Identification (PIN) and/or UPC code. The onsite purchase transaction can be done by the customer presenting the merchandise to the point-of-sale system either by scanning or by manually keying in the PIN and/or UPC codes. At Point-of-Sale (POS) (step  256 ), the transaction information such as payment method, delivery method (i.e. FedEx or UPS) as well customer&#39;s personal details can be entered on the POS system, self-serviced or with the help of the store assistants (step  260 ). The point-of-sale system can also be a self-service kiosk, online shopping site or apps on mobile device connected to the O2O Management System  116  through a secured internet communication. The information will be submitted to O2O Management System  116  via internet. The customer may select a product supplier from the list of product providers offered by the marketplace of O2O Management System  116  and proceed to complete the transaction by paying on the spot or via internet payment service (step  262 ). Alternatively, the O2O Management System  116  can automatically assign a product provider  102  for the transaction without having customer making any selection. Once purchase transaction has completed, the selected product provider  102  will be notified by the O2O Management System  116  to ship the merchandise to customer&#39;s designated shipping address. The monetary transaction will be managed by the O2O Management System  116 , where the transaction will be deposit to the bank account designated by O2O Management System. After deducting the cost, O2O Management System  116  will issue the payment accordingly to his members. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  illustrates the process of submitting the retail spot to O2O Management System  116  by the retail provider  106 . A retail provider  106  registers (step  302 ) its information to the O2O Management System marketplace website  114 . A retail provider may submit a furnished or an unfurnished retail spot such as a corner of a building, wall, patio or any physical sites. An unfurnished retail spot can then be assigned as open-space in the attribute. 
         [0032]    Upon registering, the retail provider  106  receives a member ID (step  306 ) and proceeds to submit its retail spot information to O2O Management System  116  (step  308 ). The retail spot information of a retail facility are provided by retail provider; such as store address, product category, the number of showcases or retail spots available, showcase dimension (Length×Width×Height), the maximum product weight allowance for each retail spot fixtures, terms &amp; conditions, preferred patterns, colors, open-space (Yes or No) and other attributes. Based on the information received, O2O Management System  116  will generate a list of relevant showcase layout templates (step  310 ) for the retail provider  106  to select and build on spot (step  312 ). 
         [0033]    If the retail spot has been assigned as open-space in the attribute, the O2O Management System  116  may accept a personalized showcase design setting from its members, for example NIKE®, Inc. may prefer its unique brand characteristic in-sync with the shoe retail spot at a retail facility. Once O2O Management System  116  verifies the retail spot information and its member is in compliance to the setup guideline (step  316 ), a RID will be issued (step  320 ) and the notice of confirmation (step  328 ) will be sent to retail provider  106 . 
         [0034]    Once the retail spot has been listed, it will become searchable on O2O Management System marketplace website  114  (step  330 ), being made available to merchants for rental. It is to be noted that a retail spot may be utilized by O2O Management System or product providers as an outlet or storefront for their products. 
         [0035]    The O2O Management System  116  will conduct retail spot design layout checking from time to time. The layout verification process includes but not limited to the images submission by the members, or manually inspected by authorized personnel to the retail facility. Once committed to O2O Management, the retail provider  106  may have to fulfill the following retail services on daily basis until the contract expired; by referring the PIN, display the product sample(s) according to the RID assigned, keep the samples in order and tidy, report O2O Management System  116  if there are samples missing or damaged, request sample replacements, send sales report to O2O Management System, manage the sales transaction by providing point-of sale system such as store assistants, self-service kiosk, online shopping site or apps on mobile to facilitate the customer purchase transaction and other activities related to retail store operation (i.e. holiday closure days, store operating hours) and submit the store report to O2O Management  116  on regular basis. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  illustrates the merchant  104  selling third party product using O2O Management System  116  at a selected retail spot. The merchant  104  registers (step  402 ) its information to the O2O Management System marketplace website  114 . Upon registered the merchant  104  receives the member ID (step  404 ) from the O2O Management System  116  and the merchant  104  will proceed to access the database which lists the retail spots available globally. The merchant  104  searches and selects the relevant retail spot (step  406 ) information such as retail sector, product category, store location, retail spot dimension (Length×Depth×Height), maximum weight of each showcase fixture, lease terms &amp; conditions and other attributes. If the retail spot is an open-space, the merchant  104  has the option to either select and accept the standardized showcase layout offered by O2O Management System  116  or submit his own design setting layout to O2O Management System. Once the O2O Management System  116  verifies and approves the customized setting of a particular retail spot, the merchant&#39;s information will be added to the selected RID (step  408 ). The matching algorithm proceeds to retrieve a list of products which matched the retail spot attributes in database (step  410 ). The list of products is tagged with a PIN. The O2O Management System  116  matching procedure compares the attributes of RID with PIN, for example a retail spot in Austin, Tex., baby product category, showcase dimension of 2′33 2′, etc. Next, the merchant  104  will proceed to select the desired product from the list of products provided by O2O Management System  116 . When the merchant  104  select a product from the list (step  412 ), In this case, the PIN will be paired to the merchant&#39;s selected RID (step  413 ). It is to be noted that the sequence of retail spot and product selection may not necessary be in order. A merchant  104  may select a product first and retail spot later. 
         [0037]    Once the paring is completed, the merchant  104  will decide the showcase layout options. If the selected showcase has never been setup at retail facility (i.e. open-space retail spot), the merchant  104  can either submit his own retail spot design setting to O2O Management System  116  (not shown in  FIG. 4  flow chart) or the merchant  104  has the option to accept the said one of the standardized showcase templates offered by O2O Management System  116  (step  414 A). Based on the information received, O2O Management System  116  will generate a list of relevant showcase layout templates (step  414 B) for the merchant  104  to select and build at retail facility. When the showcase layout has been selected and finalized by the merchant (step  415 ), O2O Management System  116  will verify and proceed to approve the selection (step  416 ) and generates an agreement for the merchant. Once the merchant  104  accepts the agreement (step  417 ) and makes the payment to O2O, the O2O Management System  116  will inform the product provider  102  (step  418 ) to ship the sample to the selected retail spot address (step  420 ). When the retail facility received the sample, it will be displayed at the retail spot (step  422 ). Alternatively, the merchant  104  will contact the product provider  102  and request the sample to be shipped to selected retail spot. Alternatively, the O2O Management System  116  may handle the sample shipping process on behalf of merchant. In this case, the samples are stored at O2O Management System  116  designated warehouse  108  and shipped out by O2O Management System. A product can be assigned and linked to unlimited number of retail spots. When there are more than one merchant compete for a single retail spot, the allocation of retail spot can be done either by arbitrary process or auction system by the O2O Management System  116 . When a customer purchases an item (step  424 ), the purchase information and payment will be submitted by retail provider  106  (step  426 ) to O2O Management System  116 . Upon receiving the payment (step  428 ), the merchant  104  will receive notification (step  430 ) from O2O Management System  116  and the merchant  104  will inform the product provider  102  to ship purchased merchandise to customer. The merchant  104  will receive notification stating the number of items sold via email and in his user account. The product provider  102  receives the shipping notice (step  432 ), and ship out the products to designated address (step  434 ). When the customer receives the product (step  436 ), the sales transaction is completed (step  438 ). The monetary transaction is managed by the O2O management system. The O2O management will issue the payment to merchant, product provider  102  and retail provider  106  at the end of billing cycle (step  440 ). 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  illustrates the merchant  104  selling his own product using O2O Management System  116  at its selected retail spot. In this case, the merchant  104  is also a product provider  102 . A merchant  104  registers (step  502 ) his information to the O2O Management System marketplace website  114 . Upon registered, a member ID will be issued (step  504 ) and the merchant  104  will proceed to add new product to O2O Management System  116  (step  506 ). The product information include but not limited to product images, description, model number, universal product code (UPC), size, weight, cost, manufacturer name, suggested retail price (MSRP), shipping cost and other related attributes. The O2O Management System  116  assigns a PIN for each product listed on the marketplace website (step  508 ). The O2O Management System  116  will match the PIN with list of relevant RID in the database. The process is carried out by comparing both attributes of retail spot and merchant&#39;s product carried out by O2O Management System  116  computer software algorithm (step  510 ). For example, a product has following attributes; category: plush toy, dimension (length×width×height): 8″×5″×6″, weight: 1 lbs, preferred sales region: Texas is suitable for several retail spots in Dallas, Tex. which shown the following retail spot attribute; baby toys, showcase dimension (length×width×height): 9″×9″×9″, maximum weight 3 lbs, least term of six months, etc. Next, the merchant  104  will proceed to access the database which listed the retail spots available globally. After the merchant  104  selects a desired retail spot (step  511 A), the O2O Management System  116  will review and validate merchant&#39;s request and assign the selected retail spot to merchant&#39;s selected product by paring the RID with merchant&#39;s PIN (step  511 B). One product may be assigned and linked to unlimited number of retail spots. Once the paring is completed, the merchant  104  will decide the showcase layout options. If the selected showcase has never been setup at retail facility (i.e. open-space retail spot), the merchant  104  can either submit his own retail spot design setting to O2O Management System  116  (not shown in  FIG. 5  flow chart) or the merchant  104  has the option to accept the said one of the standardized showcase templates offered by O2O Management System  116  (step  512 ). Based on the information received, O2O Management System  116  will generate a list of relevant showcase layout templates (step  513 ) for the retail provider  106  to select and build at retail facility. When the showcase layout has been selected and finalized by the merchant  104  (step  514 ), O2O Management System  116  will approve the selection (step  515 ) and generates an agreement for the merchant. 
         [0039]    Once the merchant  104  accepts the agreement (step  516 ) and makes the payment to O2O, the paired RID and merchant&#39;s PIN will be listed in O2O Management System  116  marketplace website. The O2O Management System  116  will conduct retail spot design layout checking from time to time. The layout verification process includes but not limited to the images submission by the members, or manually inspected by authorized personnel to the retail facility. Once the showcase is ready, the merchant  104  will ship sample to the location of retail spot (step  518 ) and the sample will be displayed at the showcase (step  520 ). Alternatively, the O2O Management System  116  may handle the sample shipping process on behalf of merchant. In this case, the samples are stored at O2O Management System  116  designated warehouse  108  and shipped out by O2O Management System. When there is more than one merchant  104  competing for a single retail spot, the allocation of retail spot can be done either by arbitrary process or auction system by the O2O Management System. When a customer purchases an item (step  522 ), the purchase information and payment will be submitted by retail provider  106  (step  524 ) to O2O Management System. Upon receiving the purchase information (step  526 ), the O2O Management System  116  will inform the merchant  104  (step  528 ) and the merchant  104  ships out the products to designated address (step  530 ). The merchant  104  will also receive notification stating the number of items sold via email and in his business account. When the customer receives the product (step  532 ), the sales transaction is completed (step  534 ). The monetary transaction will be managed by the O2O management system. The O2O management will issue the payment to merchant  104  and retail provider  106  at the end of billing cycle (step  536 ). 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  illustrates the merchant  104  setup the retail spot at the retail facility via O2O Management System  116  at selected retail spot. In this case, the merchant  104  is also a retail provider  106 . A merchant  104  registers (step  602 ) his information to the O2O Management System marketplace website  114 . Upon registered the merchant  104  receives the member ID (step  604 ) and proceed to submit the said retail spot information to O2O Management System  116  (step  606 ). Based on the information received, O2O Management System  116  will generate a list of relevant showcase layout templates (step  608 ) for the merchant  104  to select and build at retail facility (step  610 ). If the retail spot has been assigned as an open-space in the attribute, the merchant  104  will have the option to submit its own showcase design setting to O2O Management System. It is to be noted that the O2O Management can further construct, build, ship and set up the physical showcase for merchant at designated retail facility. Once O2O Management System  116  verifies the retail spot information is in compliance with the setup guidelines (step  612 ), a RID will be issued (step  614 ) and the notice of confirmation will be sent to the merchant. It is to be noted that the sequence of issuing RID and showcase setup may not necessary in order. Once the retail spot has been listed, it will become searchable on the O2O Management System marketplace website  114 . Next, the merchant  104  will proceed to select the desired product at O2O Management System website  114  (step  616 ). The list of products is tagged with a Product Identification Number (PIN). The O2O Management System  116  matching procedure compares the said attributes of RID with said attributes of PIN. The matching algorithm proceeds to retrieve a list of products that matches the retail spot attributes, and locates product providers who are willing to drop-ship the product to merchant&#39;s customers. 
         [0041]    Once the RID has been paired with PIN (step  618 ), the O2O Management System  116  will inform the product provider  102  (step  620 ) to ship the sample to the address of the retail spot (step  622 ). When the sample arrives at retail facility, it will be displayed by the merchant  104  at assigned retail spot (step  624 ). Alternatively, the merchant  104  can contact the product provider  102  and request a sample to be shipped to selected retail spot. The O2O Management System  116  can also handle the sample shipping process on behalf of the merchant. In this case, the samples are stored at O2O Management System designated warehouse  108  and shipped out by O2O Management System  116 . Once committed to O2O Management, the merchant  104  must fulfill the said retail services on daily basis until the contract expired. When a customer purchases an item (step  630 ), the purchase information and payment will be submitted by merchant  104  (step  632 ) to O2O Management System  116 . Upon receiving the purchase information (step  634 ), the O2O Management System  116  will send shipping notice to the product provider  102  (step  638 ) and the product provider  102  proceeds to ship out the products to designated address (step  640 ). When the customer receives the product (step  642 ), the sales transaction is completed (step  644 ). The monetary transaction will be managed by the O2O management system. The O2O management will issue the payment to merchant  104  and product provider  102  at the end of billing cycle (step  646 ). 
         [0042]    One of the features of the O2O Management System  116  is the autonomous sample shipping process. From time to time, the retail spot&#39;s sample may experience wear and tear, damage or lost. When a showcase sample needs to be replaced or refilled, the O2O Management System  116  will ship out sample to the retail facility. This process can be done either manually request or automatic process. When it&#39;s automatic, the sample will be shipped out periodically under a specific time frame set by the member (i.e. 30 days) at the O2O Management user control panel. The sample management will assure the product sample displayed at retail spot is always fresh and attractive to customers. 
         [0043]      FIG. 7  illustrates the sample shipping service offered and handled by O2O Management System. A member login (step  702 ) to the O2O Management System  116  user control panel and select the product (step  704 ). When the PIN has been selected, the member will proceed to select the target retail spot (step  705 ). It is to be noted that more than one retail spots can be selected. Next, the member will configure the time setting such as quantity per shipment, the date for sample to be shipped, delivery method and set the sample mode (i.e. one time or recurring) (step  706 ). Once the setting and configuration has been completed, the O2O Management System  116  sends the warehouse address (step  708 ) to member. Member will proceed to ship the samples (step  710 ) to its designated warehouse. O2O Management System  116  is informed when the warehouse  108  receives the products (step  712 ). At this stage, the sample handling service is ready (step  713 ) and a notification will be sent out to member by O2O Management System  116  (step  714 ). When the pre-set date by member has come (step  750 ), O2O Management will send out notification to warehouse  108  and the warehouse  108  proceeds to ship out sample to the address of retail facility (step  752 ). When the sample arrives at retail facility and will be displayed by retail provider  106  at assigned retail spot (step  754 ). 
         [0044]    While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of examples in the drawings and will herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present inventions as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organization purposes only and not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.