Patent Publication Number: US-2011066504-A1

Title: System for providing promotion information

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     In-store promotions are typically highly manual, and involve the printing of point of purchase (POP) print elements (e.g., shelf tag promotions) and coordinating online and print circular specials (e.g., newspaper coupons). Such promotional techniques do not enable retailers and brand owners to have closed-loop promotional capabilities such as knowing which products and related promotions were viewed, and which promotions were acted upon for specific products in specific locations, by specific users. Conventional in-store promotional techniques do not enable brand owners and retailers to collect information (e.g., clickstream type profiling information) on the consumer and the consumer&#39;s interest in the product, and do not enable the consumer to receive more information on the product, related products (e.g., co-promoted products), and community or peer recommendations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing product or service promotion information according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a mobile electronic device for use with the system shown in  FIG. 1  according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing product or service promotion information according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., may be used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a system  100  for providing product or service promotion information according to one embodiment. System  100  according to one embodiment provides a multi-user, web-based service that enables new forms of mobile promotions which can be tracked by brand owners and retailers when consumers interact with digital tags on product packaging elements using mobile devices. In one embodiment, system  100  provides closed-loop tracking of product specific promotions. In the following description, system  100  will primarily be discussed in the context of providing promotion information for products being offered for sale. However, it will be understood that system  100  may be used to provide promotion information for any type of commercial offering. A “commercial offering” as used herein refers to a product or service that is being offered for sale. 
     System  100  includes a mobile electronic device  106 , a product promotion system  112 , and brand owner devices  120 ( 1 ) and  120 ( 2 ) (collectively referred to as brand owner devices  120 ). Mobile electronic device  106  includes a display  108 . In one embodiment, mobile electronic device  106  is a cellular telephone. In another embodiment, mobile electronic device  106  is another type of portable device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable scanner, or other device. Product promotion system  112  includes a memory  114  that stores product promotion information  116  and user information  118 . In one embodiment, product promotion system  112  and brand owner devices  120  are each a computer system or computing device (e.g., a desktop computer system, or a laptop computer or other portable computing device). Mobile electronic device  106  is communicatively coupled to product promotion system  112  via communication link  111 . In one embodiment, communication link is a wireless communication link. Product promotion system  112  is coupled to brand owner devices  120  via communication links  119 ( 1 ) and  119 ( 2 ) (collectively referred to as communication links  119 ). In one embodiment, communication links  119  are wired or wireless communication links. 
     The mobile electronic device  106  according to one embodiment is configured to scan printed tags  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ) (collectively referred to as tags  104 ) on respective products  102 ( 1 ) and  102 ( 2 ) (collectively referred to as products  102 ) being offered for sale, and wirelessly transmit corresponding tag information to product promotion system  112  via communication link  111 . The product promotion system  112  according to one embodiment is configured to receive the transmitted tag information, identify product promotion information  116  associated with the scanned products  102  based on the received tag information, and wirelessly transmit the identified product promotion information to the mobile electronic device  106  via communication link  111 . The mobile electronic device  106  displays the received product promotion information (e.g., promotions  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ) (collectively referred to as promotions  110 )) on display  108 . The promotions  110  according to one embodiment can include text, images, video clips, as well as other types of promotional information. The tags  104  printed on the products  102  enable consumers to receive and view targeted, user-specific promotions after capturing the tags  104  using a mobile device  106 . System  100  according to one embodiment also enables brand owners to dynamically create or update their campaign as the tags  104  send the user to the online world for viewing the latest updates on the campaign. 
     In one embodiment, each of the tags  104  includes a code. The codes may be implemented with 1D or 2D barcodes, either visible or invisible to the human eye, and either black and white or color. In one embodiment, the mobile electronic device  106  is configured to generate an image of each of the tags  104  and analyze each image to extract the associated code. In one form of this embodiment, the mobile electronic device  106  then includes the extracted codes in the tag information transmitted to product promotion system  112 . In another embodiment, the transmitted tag information includes the image of the tag captured by the mobile electronic device  106 , and the product promotion system  112  is configured to analyze the image to extract the code. In one embodiment, each product  102  has an associated code, and each code is associated with a set of promotion information  116 . Thus, given a code associated with a product  102  that has just been scanned by a user using device  106 , production promotion system  112  is able to identify a set of promotion information  116  associated with that code, and correspondingly with that product  102 . 
     In one embodiment, the product promotion system  112  is configured to store a plurality of sets of user profile information or user information  118 , with each set of user profile information associated with a particular user of the system  100 , and mobile electronic device  106  is configured to transmit user identification information along with the tag information to product promotion system  112 . In one embodiment, when the product promotion system  112  receives tag information for one of the products  102 , product promotion system  112  identifies the set of product promotion information  116  associated with that product  102  based on the received tag information and user identification information, and based on one of the sets of user profile information  118  associated with the user of the mobile electronic device  106 . Each set of the user profile information  118  according to one embodiment includes a history of products scanned and user preferences. By storing user information  118 , product promotion system  112  is able to provide targeted delivery of product promotions to consumers based upon a recommendation engine in system  112  that uses different types of user information  118 , such as consumer profile and preferences, historical purchase records, history of scanned products, history of promotions redeemed, shopping lists input by consumer, and other contextual information such as location and time of day to increase the relevance of product promotions and increase their effectiveness in driving sales. In one embodiment, mobile electronic device  106  is configured to allow a user to set parameters and levels for personalization of promotions. 
     In one embodiment, the mobile electronic device  106  includes global positioning satellite (GPS) capabilities, and is configured to transmit location information along with the tag information, with the location information indicating a current location of the mobile electronic device  106 . In one form of this embodiment, the product promotion system  112  identifies product promotion information  116  associated with a scanned product  102  based on the tag information and based on the transmitted location information. 
     In one embodiment, the product promotion information  116  that is transmitted to mobile electronic device  106  for a first scanned product (e.g., product  102 ( 1 )) provides promotional information for that product as well as a second (non-scanned) product (e.g., product  102 ( 2 )). In one embodiment, the first product and the second product are different types of products. For example, product promotion system  112  may transmit promotions for related and complementary products to any tagged product that is selected by the consumer within the same retail store. System  100  according to one embodiment enables cross-promotions where a wine brand owner, for example, could bundle a purchase with a specific cheese type brand owner, and each brand owner would agree on the level of promotion for the bundle. This is currently something that is typically coordinated by a retailer in an in-store environment using a very manual process to execute. System  100  allows brand owners to coordinate these cross-promotions outside of a retailer environment when products are used outside of stores. System  100  according to one embodiment coordinates these in-store cross-product promotions based on economic rules as defined by the retailers and brand owners. This capability is based on integration of the system  100  with retailer inventory and supply chain systems, including product location data within stores. System  100  according to one embodiment also enables brand owners to develop in-store cross-promotions by coordinating promotions with retailers. Currently, these kinds of in-store cross-promotions are mostly controlled by retailers and again are highly manual in terms of execution. In this embodiment, the product promotions are flexible to change based on time of day (based on statistical buying patterns) or inventory status close to real time. The promotions and cross promotions can also change to create an improved marketing and sales campaign, testing several promotions in a short period of time before deciding which one works best and which promotion optimizes the profit for the retailer and brand owners. 
     The product promotion system  112  according to one embodiment is configured to be accessed by brand owners using brand owner devices  120  to provide the product promotion information  116  to system  112 . System  100  according to one embodiment enables retailers and brand owners to coordinate the delivery of promotions to consumers based upon their mobile device views/clicks of tags  104  on product packaging, either in the retail environment or when used outside of the store. System  100  enables brand owners and retailers to automate product promotions and receive real-time data relating to those promotions (product view and “clicks”). A brand owner can use tags  104  with a unique code for each individual product  102  of that brand owner (e.g., each individual product  102  has a different, unique code) to facilitate tracking of individual products  102 , or the brand owner can use tags  104  with a unique code for groups or types of products  102  (e.g., each individual product  102  within a given group or type has the same code as the other products in that group or type, which is different than the codes used for products  102  in other groups or types). 
     System  100  enables retailers and brand owners to have closed-loop promotional capabilities such as knowing which products  102  and related promotions were viewed, and which promotions were acted upon for specific products in specific locations, by specific users. The web-based service provided by system  100  according to one embodiment enables new classes of data that can be used to improve business intelligence and targeting analytics for retailers and brand owners. Such information includes number and frequency of specific product views and clicks, time spent viewing product promotions and related media content for a specific product, and the number of products directly viewed as a result of an in-store cross-promotion. System  100  according to one embodiment connects the consumer to the brand owner and retailer by capturing a tag  104  on a product  102  with a mobile device  106 , while enabling the brand owner and retailer to both collect information (e.g., clickstream type profiling information) on the consumer and the consumer&#39;s interest in the product, and enabling the consumer to receive more information on the product, related products (co-promoted), and community or peer recommendations. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a mobile electronic device  106  for use with the system  100  ( FIG. 1 ) for providing product or service promotion information according to one embodiment. Device  106  includes light source  202 , image sensor array  204 , analog-to-digital (A/D) converter  206 , memory  210 , at least one controller  214 , display  108 , and input/output (I/O) interface  218 . In one embodiment, controller  214  is configured to control light source  202 , image sensor array  204 , A/D converter  206 , memory  210 , display  108 , and I/O interface  218 , although all of the connections between these elements are not shown to simplify the illustration. In one embodiment, image sensor array  204 , A/D converter  206 , memory  210 , controller  214 , and I/O interface  218  are implemented in a single semiconductor chip. 
     In operation according to one embodiment, light source  202  illuminates a tag  104  with light  220 . The light  220  is reflected by surface  222 , as indicated by reflected light  224 , and the reflected light  224  is received by image sensor array  204 . The reflected light  224  may be directed onto the image sensor array  204  with a lens (not shown) within device  106 . In one embodiment, image sensor array  204  is a two-dimensional CMOS image sensor array with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of image sensor elements. Image sensor array  204  generates image data (e.g., two-dimensional image frames) based on the received light  224 , and outputs the image data to A/D converter  206 . A/D converter  206  converts the received image data into two-dimensional digital images, and outputs the digital images to memory  210 . 
     In one embodiment, controller  214  accesses a digital image of a tag  104  from memory  210  and analyzes the image to extract the associated code. Controller  214  then wirelessly transmits the extracted code to product promotion system  112  ( FIG. 1 ) via I/O interface  218 . In another embodiment, controller  214  transmits the image of the tag  104  to the product promotion system  112  via I/O interface  218 , and the product promotion system  112  is configured to analyze the image to extract the code. The product promotion system  112  identifies product promotion information  116  based on the extracted code, and wirelessly transmits the identified product promotion information to the mobile electronic device  106  via communication link  111  ( FIG. 1 ). Controller  214  receives the wirelessly transmitted product promotion information via I/O interface  218 , and displays the received product promotion information on display  108 . 
     It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that functions performed by system  100  may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The implementation may be via a microprocessor, programmable logic device, or state machine. Components of system  100  may reside in software on one or more computer-readable mediums that store computer-executable instructions for performing a method. The term computer-readable medium as used herein is defined to include any kind of memory, volatile or non-volatile, such as floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, read-only memory, and random access memory. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating a method  300  for providing product or service promotion information according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, system  100  ( FIG. 1 ) is configured to perform method  300 . At  302  in method  300 , a printed tag  104  on a product  102  being offered for sale is scanned using a mobile electronic device  106 . At  304 , tag information corresponding to the scanned printed tag is wirelessly transmitted using the mobile electronic device  106 . At  306 , product promotion information  116  associated with the product  102  is identified based on the transmitted tag information and based on user profile information  118  associated with a user of the mobile electronic device  106 . At  308 , the identified product promotion information  116  is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile electronic device  106 . At  310 , the mobile electronic device  106  receives and displays the wirelessly transmitted product promotion information. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.