U.S. patent application number 16/536905 was filed with the patent office on 2019-11-28 for merchandise pickup system, method, and media for allied merchants.
The applicant listed for this patent is Transform SR Brands LLC. Invention is credited to Varun Reddy Agasti, Leena Munjal.
Application Number | 20190362307 16/536905 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54556336 |
Filed Date | 2019-11-28 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190362307 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Agasti; Varun Reddy ; et
al. |
November 28, 2019 |
MERCHANDISE PICKUP SYSTEM, METHOD, AND MEDIA FOR ALLIED
MERCHANTS
Abstract
Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that provide a
pickup process for items purchased from stores of allied merchants.
In some embodiments, a customer may place an order via an
e-commerce storefront that includes products from multiple
merchants in a geographic region. In response to receiving the
order, a merchandise pickup system may assign associates to collect
the ordered products from the allied merchants and return the
collected products to a pickup location. The merchandise pickup
system may send a pickup notification to the customer indicating
the products are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
Inventors: |
Agasti; Varun Reddy;
(Schaumburg, IL) ; Munjal; Leena; (Algonquin,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Transform SR Brands LLC |
Hoffman Estates |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54556336 |
Appl. No.: |
16/536905 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14286270 |
May 23, 2014 |
10380537 |
|
|
16536905 |
|
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|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/0836 20130101;
G06Q 30/0635 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08; G06Q 30/06 20060101 G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: receiving, from a customer, an order
comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a
predetermined geographic region; assigning one or more associates
to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants and
return the collected products to a pickup location; and sending a
pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of
the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises
receiving the order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce
system.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said assigning comprises
assigning products from multiple orders to an associate for
collection from an allied merchant.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said assigning comprises
assigning a single associate to collect the products from the
multiple allied merchants.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether
the order is ready for pickup based upon received updates from the
one or more associates.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending a pickup
notification occurs after determining that the order is ready for
pickup from the pickup location.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an amount to
be collected based on products purchased in lieu of unavailable
products of the order.
8. A computer readable media, comprising a plurality of
instructions, that in response to being executed, result in a
computing device: receiving, from a customer, an order comprising
products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined
geographic region; assigning one or more associates to collect the
products from the multiple allied merchants and return the
collected products to a pickup location; and sending a pickup
notification to the customer that indicates the products of the
order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
9. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality of
instructions further result in the computing device receiving the
order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce system.
10. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of instructions further result in the computing device assigning
products from multiple orders to an associate for collection from
an allied merchant.
11. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of instructions further result in the computing device assigning a
single associate to collect the products from the multiple allied
merchants.
12. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of instructions further result in the computing device determining
whether the order is ready for pickup based upon received updates
from the one or more associates.
13. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of instructions further result in the computing device sending the
pickup notification after determining that the order is ready for
pickup from the pickup location.
14. The computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the plurality
of instructions further result in the computing device adjusting an
amount to be collected based on products purchased in lieu of
unavailable products of the order.
15. A merchandise pickup system, comprising: an e-commerce system
configured to provide one or more storefronts for a plurality of
allied merchants and receive, from a customer, an order that
comprise products from multiple allied merchants of the plurality
of allied merchants; and a local pickup system configured to
receive the order from the e-commerce system, assign one or more
associates to collect the products from the multiple allied
merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location,
and send a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the
products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup
location.
16. The merchandise pickup system of claim 15, wherein said local
pickup system is further configured to assign products from
multiple orders to an associate for collection from an allied
merchant.
17. The merchandise pickup system of claim 15, wherein said local
pickup system is further configured to assign a single associate to
collect the products from the multiple allied merchants.
18. The merchandise pickup system of claim 15, wherein said local
pickup system is further configured to determine whether the order
is ready for pickup based upon received updates from the one or
more associates.
19. The merchandise pickup system of claim 15, wherein said local
pickup system is further configured to send a pickup notification
after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the
pickup location.
20. The merchandise pickup system of claim 15, wherein said local
pickup system is further configured to adjust an amount to be
collected based on products purchased in lieu of unavailable
products of the order.
Description
FIELD
[0001] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to
commercial services and, in particular, to merchandise pickup
services.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Customers commonly visit multiple stores in order to acquire
products they wish to purchase. Visiting multiple stores, however,
is generally more time consuming than visiting a single store that
stocks all products that the customer wishes to purchase. Some
companies offer delivery of products in certain limited product
categories, such as certain food products that may be selected and
paid for online and delivered by vehicles dedicated to delivering
products purchased from that particular merchant (e.g., groceries
from Peapod). In such instances, the customer has access only to
the inventory carried by that particular merchant, and must still
shop elsewhere for missing products. Furthermore, delivery from
such merchants generally takes a day or longer. As a result, if a
customer desires immediate or near immediate possession of several
products, the customer may be forced to visit one or more local
merchants in order to find the desired products.
[0003] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Systems, methods, and computer readable media are directed
to filling customer orders that include products supplied by
different merchants and providing such ordered products to the
customer from a pickup location. Such systems, methods, and
computer readable media are substantially shown in and/or described
in connection with at least one of the figures, and are set forth
more completely in the claims
[0005] Advantages, aspects, and novel features of the present
disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment
thereof, will be more fully understood from the following
description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a geographic region or service region that
includes allied and non-allied merchants.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows an example merchandise pickup system for use
with the allied merchants of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 shows an example computing device suitable for
implementing one or more aspects of the merchandise pickup system
shown in FIG. 2.
[0009] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example merchandise pickup
process that may be implemented by the merchandise pickup system of
FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to
systems, methods, and computer readable media that support the
fulfilling a customer order having products supplied by multiple
merchants. More specifically, certain embodiments of the present
disclosure relate to a system, method, or computer readable medium
that receive a customer order, gather products for the customer
order from multiple merchants, and provide such products for pickup
at a pickup location.
[0011] As utilized herein, the terms "exemplary" or "example" means
serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As
utilized herein, the term "e.g." introduces a list of one or more
non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a geographic region 10 having several allied
merchant (AM) 20 and non-allied merchants (NAM) 22 within
relatively close proximity of a pickup location (PUL) 30. As shown,
the several merchants 20, 22 may be part of a shopping mall 40 that
includes one or more buildings 42 which house shops or stores of
the several merchants 20, 22. The shopping mall 40 may further
provide walkways 46 that enable customers to walk between stores of
the various merchants 20, 22. Satellite buildings 50 may also be in
close proximity to the shopping mall 40 and may likewise provide
stores for one or more merchants 20, 22.
[0013] In some embodiments, merchants may sign-up, subscribe, or
otherwise become allied with a service provider 24 which provides a
merchandise pickup service for allied merchants 20 in the
geographic region 10. For one reason or another, one or more
merchants 22 may not be allied with the service provider 24. As
such, the geographic region 10 may include both allied merchants 20
and non-allied merchants 22. Furthermore, while service provider 24
is depicted as a part of one of the allied merchants 20, the
service provider 24 may be an entity that is separate from any of
the merchants 20, 22.
[0014] The service provider 24 may utilize a merchandise pickup
(MP) system 26 that aids in providing the merchandise pickup
service to the allied merchants 20. In particular, the MP system 26
may receive customer orders for products provided by allied
merchants 20 in the geographic region 10. In some embodiments, the
MP system 26 may cause the ordered products to be collected from
the allied merchants 20 shortly after placement of the order (e.g.,
within an hour) to permit customers to pickup their ordered
products from the pickup location 30 the same day they placed the
order. In this manner, the MP system 26 may enable a customer to
purchase products from multiple allied merchants 20 without
requiring the customer to physically visit stores for each allied
merchant 20.
[0015] In one embodiment, the geographic or service region 10 is
predetermined or specified in a manner that permits same day
collection and pickup from pickup location 30. In particular, the
service provider 24 and MP system 26 may use associates to collect
the products from the allied merchants 20 in the predetermined
region 10. As such, the predetermined region 10 is defined in a
manner that reasonably permits the associate or a team of
associates to travel to the various allied merchants 20 to collect
products and return such collected products to the pickup location
30. The associates may use various forms of travel (e.g., bicycles,
scooters, cars, trucks, buses, subways, etc) to travel between
allied merchants 20 and pickup location 30. However, in one
embodiment, the associates merely walk between the allied merchants
20 and pickup location 30 in order to collect the ordered products.
In such an embodiment, the predetermined geographic region 10 may
be quite small and may include only those merchants 20, 22 in the
immediate vicinity of the pickup location 30 (e.g., only merchants
in a particular shopping mall 40). While other forms of
transportation may enable the service provider 24 to increase the
size of the geographic or service region 10, the service provider
24 may need to weigh the cost and liability associated with the use
of such modes of transportation to determine whether the increased
service area is worth the additional expense.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary MP system 26 is depicted.
As shown, the MP system 26 may include a mobile computing device
110 connected to an e-commerce system 120 and a local pickup (LP)
system 130 via one or more networks 140. The networks 140 may
include a number of private and/or public networks such as, for
example, wireless and/or wired LAN networks, cellular networks, and
the Internet that collectively provide a communication path and/or
paths between the mobile computing devices 110, the e-commerce
system 120, and the LP system 130.
[0017] The mobile computing devices 110 may include tablets, smart
phones, mobile phones, personal data assistants, hand-held gaming
consoles, and/or other forms of mobile computing devices which
enable a user to communicate with the e-commerce system 120 and/or
MP system 130 via the network 140. As shown, the mobile computing
device 110 may include a merchandise pickup (MP) application 114.
The application 114 may comprise instructions that, in response to
being executed by the mobile computing device 110, cause the mobile
computing device 110 to perform various tasks associated with the
merchandise pickup process described below. In some example
embodiments, the mobile computing device 110 may download the
application 114 from various online application stores. Moreover,
while depicted in FIG. 2 as a separate application, the merchandise
pickup functionality of application 114 may be incorporated into a
larger application with additional functionality.
[0018] The e-commerce system 120 may include one or more web
servers, database servers, routers, load balancers, and/or other
computing and/or networking devices. The e-commerce system 120 may
maintain customer profiles 122 and order histories 123 for various
customers that utilize the pickup services provided by the MP
system 26. The order histories 123 may include details regarding
each order 125 placed by the customer. Moreover, the e-commerce
system 120 may maintain a merchandise catalog 124 that includes
information regarding products 153 for sale by each allied merchant
20.
[0019] Furthermore, the e-commerce system 120 may provide one or
more online storefronts 126 that permit customers to purchase
products 153 using a computing device. In some embodiments, one or
more of the storefronts 126 are publicly accessible via a public
network such as the Internet thus permitting customers to purchase
products 153 from such storefronts 126 from the comfort of their
homes or from other locations. In some embodiments, one of more of
the storefronts 126 are not publicly accessible but limited to
computing devices such as kiosk 156 within the store 44.
[0020] As shown, the store 44 may include point-of-sale (POS)
terminals 151 and the MP system 130. The MP system 130 may include
one or more web servers, database servers, routers, load balancers,
and/or other computing and/or networking devices. As explained in
greater detail below with respect to the merchandise pickup process
of FIG. 4, the LP system 130 may facilitate the pickup of purchased
merchandise, and may, in particular, permit customers to pickup
merchandise from a designated pickup location 30.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the pickup location 30 may be a curbside
location adjacent or near the store 44. In other embodiments, the
pickup location 30 may not be proximate the store 44 or curbside.
For example, the pickup location 30 may correspond to a designated
area of a parking lot which is distant from the store 44 or may
correspond to a particular customer service counter, kiosk, or
other location within the store 44.
[0022] The store 44 may further include numerous merchandise
products 153, which are on display for purchase by customers of the
store 44. For example, the store 44 may include shelves, clothing
racks, tables, and/or other assemblies upon which merchandise
products 153 may be placed in a customer accessible manner so that
the customer may physically interact with the products 153. More
specifically, the store 44 may display the products 153 in a manner
which permits a customer to pickup the products 153 they want to
purchase and place them in a shopping basket or wheeled shopping
cart. The customer may then carry the selected products 153 to a
POS terminal 151 where a store associate may scan codes 154 of the
selected products 153, determine a total purchase price for the
selected products 153, and receive payment from the customer for
the selected products 153. The POS terminal 151 may further provide
details regarding the purchased products to the e-commerce system
120 so that the e-commerce system 120 may update the customer's
order history 123. Besides supporting sales via POS terminals 151,
the store 44 may further permit the sale of products 153 via mobile
computing device 110, kiosks 156, and/or one or more online
storefronts 126 provided by the e-commerce system 120.
[0023] FIG. 2 depicts an example embodiment of the MP system 26.
However, the MP system 26 may be implemented in numerous different
manners using a wide range of different computing devices,
platforms, networks, etc. Moreover, aspects of the MP system 26 may
be implemented using a client/server architecture, a peer-to-peer
(P2P) architecture, and/or another networking architecture. Such
embodiments are envisioned and protection for such embodiments is
sought to the extent encompassed by the appended claims.
[0024] In some embodiments, the mobile computing device 110, the
e-commerce system 120, POS terminals 151, kiosks 156, and/or LP
system 130 may be implemented using various types of computing
devices. FIG. 3 provides a simplified depiction of a computing
device 170 suitable for such aspects of the MP system 26. As shown,
the computing device 170 may include a processor 171, a memory 173,
a mass storage device 175, a network interface 177, and various
input/output (I/O) devices 179. The processor 171 may be configured
to execute instructions, manipulate data and generally control
operation of other components of the computing device 170 as a
result of its execution. To this end, the processor 171 may include
a general purpose processor such as an x86 processor or an ARM
processor which are available from various vendors. However, the
processor 171 may also be implemented using an application specific
processor and/or other circuitry.
[0025] The memory 173 may include various types of random access
memory (RAM) devices, read only memory (ROM) devices, flash memory
devices, and/or other types of volatile or non-volatile memory
devices. In particular, such memory devices of the memory 173 may
store instructions and/or data to be executed and/or otherwise
accessed by the processor 171. In some embodiments, the memory 173
may be completely and/or partially integrated with the processor
171.
[0026] In general, the mass storage device 175 may store software
and/or firmware instructions which may be loaded in memory 173 and
executed by processor 171. The mass storage device 175 may further
store various types of data which the processor 171 may access,
modify, and/otherwise manipulate in response to executing
instructions from memory 173. To this end, the mass storage device
175 may comprise one or more redundant array of independent disks
(RAID) devices, traditional hard disk drives (HDD), sold state
device (SSD) drives, flash memory devices, read only memory (ROM)
devices, and/or other types of non-volatile storage devices.
[0027] The network interface 177 may enable the computing device
170 to communicate with other computing devices via network 140. To
this end, the networking interface 177 may include a wired
networking interface such as an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) interface, a
wireless networking interface such as a WiFi (IEEE 802.11)
interface, a radio or mobile interface such as a cellular interface
(GSM, CDMA, LTE, etc) or near field communication (NFC) interface,
and/or some other type of networking interface capable of providing
a communications link between the computing device 170 and network
140 and/or another computing device.
[0028] Finally, the I/O devices 179 may generally provide devices
which enable a user to interact with the computing device 170 by
either receiving information from the computing device 170 and/or
providing information to the computing device 170. For example, the
I/O devices 179 may include display screens, keyboards, mice, touch
screens, microphones, audio speakers, digital cameras, optical
scanners, RF transceivers, etc.
[0029] While the above provides some general aspects of a computing
device 170, those skilled in the art readily appreciate that there
may be significant variation in actual implementations of a
computing device. For example, a smart phone implementation of a
computing device generally uses different components and may have a
different architecture than a database server implementation of a
computing device. However, despite such differences, computing
devices generally include processors that execute software and/or
firmware instructions in order to implement various functionality.
As such, the above described aspects of the computing device 170
are not presented from a limiting standpoint but from a generally
illustrative standpoint. The present application envisions that
aspects of the present application may find utility across a vast
array of different computing devices and the intention is not to
limit the scope of the present application to a specific computing
device and/or computing platform beyond any such limits that may be
found in the appended claims.
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flowchart illustrates aspects of
an example merchandise pickup process 200 that may be implemented
by the MP system 26. In general, the MP system 26 per the method
200 may fulfill one or more received customer orders for products
provided by one or more allied merchants 20. In particular, the MP
system 26 may cause ordered products to be acquired from one or
more allied merchants 20 and delivered to the pickup location 30.
Per the method 200, customers may then pickup the acquired products
from the pickup location 30 regardless of the allied merchants 20
from which products were acquired. Thus, the MP system 26 may
permit a customer to purchase products from multiple allied
merchants 20 by placing a single order in a manner explained below
and later picking-up such order products from the pickup location
30 without physically visiting each allied merchant 20.
[0031] At 205, the MP system 26 may provide a customer with product
listings for products from one or more allied merchants 20 so that
the customer may order and select such products. To this end, the
customer may use a mobile computing device 110, kiosk 156, or
another computing device to access the e-commerce system 120 and
one or more storefronts 126 provided by the e-commerce system 30.
Via the computing device and the storefronts 126, the customer may
select products 153 from merchandise catalogs 124 of the allied
merchants 20. After selecting products 153, the customer at 210 may
place the order 125 with the e-commerce system 30, thus causing the
e-commerce system 120 to receive the order 125 and forward the
order to the MP system 26 associated with the allied merchants 20.
In one embodiment, the e-commerce system 120 may handle orders 125
for allied merchants 20 of multiple geographic regions 10. As such,
the e-commerce system 120 may permit the customer to select a
pickup location 30 during the process of placing the order at 210.
The e-commerce system 120 may also determine an appropriate pickup
location 30 for the placed order 125 based on the allied merchants
20 from which the customer ordered products 153, based on a profile
122 maintained for the customer, and/or based on some other
mechanism.
[0032] After placing the order 125, the e-commerce system 120
and/or the MP system 26 at 215 may send the customer a confirmation
that the order 125 was received. In particular, the e-commerce
system 120 and/or MP system 26 may send the customer an email
message that includes an itemized listing of the products 125
ordered as well as an explanation of the pickup process. For
example, the email message may provide the customer with an
estimated time by which the order 125 will be ready for pickup and
may inform the customer that a pickup notification will be sent
once the order 125 is ready for pickup at the pickup location 30.
Other embodiments may provide confirmations and pickup
notifications via various forms of communication besides an email
message such as, for example, short message service (SMS) text
messages, extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP) instant
messages, push notifications to the application 24, telephone
calls, etc.
[0033] At 220, the LP system 130 of the MP system 26 may assign one
or more associates to the received order 125. Moreover, the LP
system 130 may notify and request the assigned associates that the
ordered products 153 be collected from the allied merchants 20 and
returned to the pickup location 30. In some embodiments, the
associates tasked with collecting ordered products 153 may each
have an associated mobile computing device 110 such as a tablet.
The LP system 130 may notify an associate of the order 125 via the
associated mobile computing device. While the LP system 130 may
simply assign an order 125 to an available associate as the orders
125 arrive, the LP system 130 may also collect orders 125 in
batches and intelligently assign products 153 for pickup to the
available associates.
[0034] For example, the LP system 130 may receive multiple orders
125 within a short time that all include products 153 from a
particular allied merchant 20. Instead of assigning each order to a
separate associate, thus resulting in multiple associates traveling
to the same allied merchant 20, the LP system 130 may assign to a
single associate the task of collecting products 153 from the
particular allied merchant 20 despite the products 153
corresponding to multiple orders 125 possibly from multiple
customers. By intelligently assigning the task of collecting
products 153 from the allied merchants 20, the LP system 130 may
make more efficient use of the associates tasked with collecting
products 153.
[0035] In a similar vein, the LP system 130 may track associates in
the field and assign products 153 to be picked up from an allied
merchant 20 to an associate who is in the process of traveling to a
store of the allied merchant 20 or who may already be located at a
store of the allied merchant 20. Such tracking of associates in the
field may be accomplished by tracking of a geographic location of a
mobile computing device 110 associated with each associate in the
field, by receiving updates from the associates in the field via
their associated mobile computing device 110, and/or by other
mechanisms. Furthermore, the LP system 130 may inform such
associates in the field of the newly assigned products 153 to be
picked up from the allied merchant 20 by providing the associate an
updated pick list via their associated mobile computing device
110.
[0036] At 225, the associate or associates may travel (e.g., walk)
to a store 44 of a respective allied merchant 20 to purchase
ordered products 153 on behalf of the customer or customers. In one
embodiment, the e-commerce system 120 attempts to maintain
real-time or near real-time availability of products 153 in the
merchandise catalogs 124 of the respective allied merchants.
Regardless of whether real-time availability is maintained, the
associate at 230 may find upon arriving at the store 44 of an
allied merchant 20 that one or more of the ordered product 153 are
not available.
[0037] If the all the ordered products 153 are available, then the
associate at 235 may purchase the ordered products 153 from the
allied merchant 20 on behalf of the customer. After purchasing the
products 153 from the allied merchant, the associate at 240 may
determine whether the associate has been tasked with collecting
products 153 from other allied merchants 20. If so, the associate
at 225 may travel to another allied merchant 20 in order to
purchase further products 153 on behalf the customer or customers.
Otherwise, the associate may return to the pickup location 30 at
245 and place the products 153 in respective bins or lockers for
safe keeping of the products 153 until the customer or customers
are able to pickup their ordered products 153.
[0038] If the associate at 230, however, determines that the
ordered product 153 is not available, the associate at 250 may
attempt to contact the customer to obtain customer authorization
for an alternative course of action. Such customer contact may be
made via one or more forms of communication such as, for example,
email messages, SMS text messages, XMPP instant messages, push
notifications to the application 24, telephone calls, etc. For
example, the associate at 250 may call the customer and inform the
customer that the ordered product 153 is not available.
[0039] If the associate at 255 is unable to contact the customer
within a reasonable time period (e.g., 10 minutes), then the
associate at 260 may proceed with a default course of action. For
example, the associate may purchase the ordered products 153 that
are available. On the other hand, if the associate is able to
contact the customer, then the associate at 265 may provide the
customer with one or more alternative courses of action and execute
the alternative course of action authorized by the customer. For
example, the associate may suggest (i) the purchase an alternative,
available product 153 in lieu of the unavailable, ordered product
153, (ii) the removal of the unavailable, ordered product 153 from
the order 125, or (iii) backordering the unavailable, ordered
product 153 for pickup at a future date. After executing the
default or alternative course of action, the associate at 240 may
determine whether to return the products 153 to the pickup location
30 or to proceed to additional stores 44 of allied merchants 20 in
order to collect further products 153.
[0040] At 270, the LP system 130 may determine whether a particular
order 125 is ready for pickup. The LP system 130 may make such
determination based on updates received from the associates as they
purchase products 153 from the stores and/or return products 154 to
the pickup location 30. For example, an associate may provide
updates to the LP system 130 via an associated mobile computing
device 110 that indicates which products 153 have been collected
and which products 153 the associate was unable to collect. In
another embodiment, instead of the LP system 130 determining
whether an order 125 is ready for pickup, an associate may inform
the LP system 130 that an order 125 is ready for pickup.
[0041] Regardless of how the determination is made, the LP system
130 at 275 may provide the customer with a pickup notification when
the order 125 is ready for pickup. Again, the LP system 130 may
provide the pickup notification via various forms of communication
such as, for example, an email message, an SMS text message, an
XMPP instant message, a push notifications to the application 24, a
telephone call, etc.
[0042] In response to receiving the pickup notification, the
customer may travel to the pickup location 30 and pickup the
products 153 ordered from the allied merchants. To this end, the
customer and an associate manning the pickup location 30 may
finalize the order at 280. In particular, the associate may confirm
the identity of the customer to ensure the products 153 are
delivered to the appropriate customer. Moreover, the associate may
collect payment from the customer for the ordered products if not
already collected when the order was placed at 210 or if alternate
products purchased at 265 have increased the total purchase price
beyond the previously collected payment. Conversely, the associate
may provide the customer with a refund if the total purchase price
was less than the previously collected payment due to unavailable
products 153 or lower cost, alternate products purchased at
265.
[0043] Although devices, methods, and systems according to the
present disclosure may have been described in connection with a
preferred embodiment, it is not intended to be limited to the
specific form set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended
to cover such alternative, modifications, and equivalents, as can
be reasonably included within the scope of the disclosure. For
example, as noted above, the LP system 130 may be provided by one
of the merchants 20. As such, the associates may not need to travel
to the merchant 20 providing the LP system 130 in order to collect
products 153. Moreover, the associate may not need to purchase
products of such an allied merchant 20 since the allied merchant 20
will receive payment directly from the customer. Similarly, in some
embodiments, the associate may not need to purchase products from
any of the allied merchants 20. Instead, the service provider 24
via the LP system 130 may simply track products 153 collected from
each of the allied merchants 20 and periodically pay the allied
merchants 20 for the products 153 collected from their respective
stores 44.
[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.
Aspects of the present disclosure may be realized in a centralized
fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed
fashion where different elements are spread across several
interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or
other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described
herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software
may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program
that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system
such that it carries out the methods described herein.
[0045] Aspects of the present disclosure may also be embedded in a
computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling
the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0046] While the present disclosure has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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