IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,296,962

Granted Patent B2

US 10,296,962 · App. 13/372,493 · Granted May 21, 2019

Collaborative shopping across multiple shopping channels using shared virtual shopping carts

Inventors: Subil M. Abraham (Plano, TX); Rajaraman Hariharan (Bangalore, IN); Ramakrishnan Kannan (Bangalore, IN); Mathews Thomas (Flower Mound, TX)

Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION

G06Q30/0633 G06Q30/06 G06Q30/0641

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 10,296,962
App. No.: 13/372,493
Granted: May 21, 2019
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A system for collaborative shopping comprising shopping devices interconnected by a network and respectively used by shoppers in a collaborative shopping session, and virtual shopping carts respectively associated with the shopping devices for sharing information on items of interest among the shoppers and enabling the shoppers to collaborate on the shopping.

Claims (77)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

establishing, by a first computer hardware system, first and second virtual shopping carts respectively associated with first and second shopping devices that are networked together;

establishing a joint virtual shopping cart using the first and second virtual shopping carts;

updating, by the first computer hardware system, based upon a change in a content of one of the first and second virtual shopping carts, the joint virtual shopping cart; and

updating, by the first computer hardware system, based upon the update to the joint virtual shopping cart, the first and second shopping devices, wherein

the first shopping device is a second computer hardware system,

the first virtual shopping cart is associated with an online shopping session using the second computer hardware system, and

the second virtual shopping cart is associated with a physical shopping cart.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein

the second shopping device is a personal shopping assistant.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein

the personal shopping assistant is configured to identify contents of the physical shopping cart.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein

the personal shopping assistant is configured to include first and second views,

the first view indicates contents of the physical shopping cart, and

the second view indicates contents of the joint virtual shopping cart.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein

each of the first and second shopping devices are configured to store shopper preferences respectively associated with users of the first and second shopping devices.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein

the shopper preferences include at least one of:

shopping channel preference for purchasing a particular item,

permission requirement for sharing shopping data, and

shopping channel preference for price comparison.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein

the first and second shopping devices are configured to collaborate to determine a manner by which items in the joint virtual shopping cart are purchased.

8. A collaborative shopping hardware system, comprising:

a hardware processor configured to initiate the following executable operations:

establishing first and second virtual shopping carts respectively associated with first and second shopping devices that are networked together;

establishing a joint virtual shopping cart using the first and second virtual shopping carts;

updating, based upon a change in a content of one of the first and second virtual shopping carts, the joint virtual shopping cart, and

updating, based upon the update to the joint virtual shopping cart, the first and second shopping devices, wherein

the first shopping device is a first computer hardware system,

the first virtual shopping cart is associated with an online shopping session using the first computer hardware system, and

the second virtual shopping cart is associated with a physical shopping cart.

9. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 8 , wherein

the second shopping device is a personal shopping assistant.

10. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 9 , wherein

the personal shopping assistant is configured to identify contents of the physical shopping cart.

11. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 9 , wherein

the personal shopping assistant is configured to include first and second views,

the first view indicates contents of the physical shopping cart, and

the second view indicates contents of the joint virtual shopping cart.

12. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 8 , wherein

each of the first and second shopping devices are configured to store shopper preferences respectively associated with users of the first and second shopping devices.

13. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 12 , wherein

the shopper preferences include at least one of:

shopping channel preference for purchasing a particular item,

permission requirement for sharing shopping data, and

shopping channel preference for price comparison.

14. The collaborative shopping hardware system of claim 12 , wherein

the first and second shopping devices are configured to collaborate to determine a manner by which items in the joint virtual shopping cart are purchased.

15. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer hardware storage device having stored therein computer readable program code,

the computer readable program code, which when executed by a collaborative shopping hardware system, causes the collaborative shopping hardware system to perform: