IP Library Granted Patent US 11,010,820
Granted Patent B2
US 11,010,820 · App. 15/147,537 · Granted May 18, 2021

Request fulfillment system, method, and media

Inventors: Edward Lampert (Greenwich, CT); Eui Chung (Huntley, IL); Bharath Sridharan (Glendale Heights, IL)
Assignee: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
G06Q30/0641G06Q10/0833G06Q30/0601G06Q30/0623G06Q30/0635
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,010,820
App. No.
15/147,537
Granted
May 18, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for generating and processing natural language requests. A request processing system processes a received natural language request to identify an intent of the natural language request and a confidence level of the identified intent. In response to the confidence level of the identified intent not satisfying a threshold level, the request processing system sends the natural language request to the fulfillment computing device for further processing by a person associated with the fulfillment computing device. In response to the confidence level satisfying the threshold level, the request processing system proceeds with fulfilling the request per the identified intent.

Claims (76)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a request processing system from a client computing device, a natural language request of a customer and device identifying data that uniquely identifies the client computing device, wherein the natural language request of the customer comprises a digitized spoken request of the customer;

identifying, with the request processing system, based on the device identifying data received from the client computing device, a member profile for the customer that is bound to the client computing device;

generating, with the request processing system, a transcription of the digitized spoken request that includes text representative of the digitized spoken request;

determining, with the request processing system based on the text representative of the digitized spoken request, that an intent of the natural language request is to purchase one or more goods;

determining, with the request processing system based on the text representative of the digitized spoken request, a confidence level of the determined intent;

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent not satisfying a threshold level,

sending the natural language request to a fulfillment computing device of the request processing system;

presenting, via the fulfillment computing device, the natural language request to a person associated with the fulfillment computing device;

augmenting the natural language request based on input received from the person via the fulfillment computing device to obtain an augmented request; and

generating a purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the augmented request and the member profile for the customer; and

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent satisfying the threshold level, generating the purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the determined intent and the member profile for the customer; and

sending the purchase order to a fulfillment system that completes the purchase of the one or more goods.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a response indicative of fulfillment per the determined intent; and

sending the response to the customer via the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the purchase order per the member profile for the customer comprises selecting the one or more goods based on preferences of the customer that are stored in the member profile for the customer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the purchase order per the member profile for the customer comprises selecting the one or more goods based on goods that the member profile for the customer indicates were previously purchased by the customer.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sending the digitized spoken request to the fulfillment computing device in response to a transcription confidence level for the generated transcription not satisfying a transcription threshold level;

presenting, via the fulfillment computing device, the text of the generated transcription to the person associated with the fulfillment computing device; and

augmenting the text of the generated transcription based on input received from the person via the fulfillment computing device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said augmenting the text of the generated transcription includes adding words, removing words, replacing words, or otherwise altering the text of the generated transcription to clarify the digitized spoken request.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the purchase order per the member profile for the customer comprises selecting the one or more goods based on size information stored in a profile for the customer.

8. A system, comprising:

a plurality of fulfillment devices; and

one or more computing systems configured to:

receive, from a fulfillment device of the plurality of fulfillment devices, a natural language request of a customer and device identifying data that uniquely identifies the fulfillment device, wherein the natural language request of the customer comprises a digitized spoken request of the customer;

identify, based on the device identifying data received from the fulfillment device, a member profile for the customer that is bound to the fulfillment device;

generate a transcription of the digitized spoken request that includes text representative of the digitized spoken request;

determine, based on the text, that an intent of the natural language request is to purchase one or more goods and a confidence level of the determined intent;

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent not satisfying a threshold level,

receive an augmented request; and

generate a purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the augmented request and the member profile for the customer;

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent satisfying the threshold level, generate the purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the determined intent and the member profile for the customer; and

complete the purchase of the one or more goods of the purchase order; and

a computing device is configured to, in response to the confidence level of the determined intent not satisfying the threshold level:

receive the natural language request from the one or more computing systems;

present the natural language request to a person associated with the fulfillment computing device;

augment the natural language request based on input received from the person to obtain the augmented request; and

send the augmented request to the one or more computing systems.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computing systems are further configured to:

generate a response indicative of fulfillment per the determined intent; and

send the response to the customer via the fulfillment device.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computing systems are further configured to generate the purchase order per the member profile for the customer by selecting the one or more goods based on preferences of the customer that are stored in the member profile for the customer.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computing systems are further configured to generate the purchase order per the member profile for the customer by selecting the one or more goods based on goods that the member profile for the customer indicates were previously purchased by the customer.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the one or more computing systems are further configured to send the digitized spoken request to the fulfillment computing device in response to a transcription confidence level for the generated transcription not satisfying a transcription threshold level; and

the computing device is further configured to:

present the text of the generated transcription to the person associated with the computing device; and

augment the text of the generated transcription based on input received from the person associated with the computing device.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the computing device is further configured to augment the text of the generated transcription by adding words, removing words, replacing words, or otherwise altering the text of the generated transcription to clarify the digitized spoken request.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computing systems are further configured to generate the purchase order per the member profiled for the customer by selecting the one or more goods based on brand preference information stored in the member profile for the customer.

15. A system for use with one or more fulfillment devices, the system comprising:

a database system storing member profiles for customers;

a computing system configured to:

receive, from a fulfillment device, a natural language request of a customer, wherein the natural language request of the customer comprises a digitized spoken request of the customer;

obtain a member profile for the customer from the database system;

generate a transcription of the digitized spoken request that includes text representative of the digitized spoken request;

determine, based on the text, that an intent of the natural language request is to purchase one or more goods;

determine, based on the text, a confidence level of the determined intent;

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent not satisfying a threshold level,

receive an augmented request; and

generate a purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the augmented request and the member profile for the customer;

in response to the confidence level of the determined intent satisfying the threshold level, generate the purchase order for the one or more goods of the natural language request per the determined intent and the member profile for the customer; and

complete the purchase of the one or more goods of the purchase order; and

a computing device configured to, in response to the confidence level of the determined intent not satisfying the threshold level:

receive the natural language request from the computing system;

present the natural language request to a person associated with the computing device;

augment the natural language request based on input received from the person to obtain the augmented request; and

send the augmented request to the computing system.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is further configured to:

generate a response indicative of fulfillment per the determined intent; and

send the response to the customer via the fulfillment device.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is further configured to generate the purchase order per the member profile for the customer by selecting the one or more goods based on preferences of the customer that are stored in the member profile for the customer.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the computing system is further configured to generate the purchase order per the member profile for the customer by selecting the one or more goods based on goods that the member profile for the customer indicates were previously purchased by the customer.

Assignments (14)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2021
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES
Reel/Frame 056179/0863 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2020
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: JPP, LLC
Reel/Frame 053467/0062 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 18, 2020
From: CITIBANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
Reel/Frame 052188/0176 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2020
From: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES
To: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
Reel/Frame 052184/0782 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2020
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
Reel/Frame 052183/0879 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2019
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES
Reel/Frame 050451/0309 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2019
From: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES, AS AGENT
To: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
Reel/Frame 049284/0149 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 27, 2019
From: SEARS BRANDS, L.L.C.
To: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
Reel/Frame 048710/0182 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2019
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 048433/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2019
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 048424/0291 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2019
From: JPP, LLC
To: SEARS BRANDS, L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 048352/0708 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 12, 2019
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 048308/0275 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2018
From: SEARS BRANDS, L.L.C.
To: JPP, LLC
Reel/Frame 045013/0355 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 6, 2016
From: LAMPERT, EDWARD; CHUNG, EUI; SRIDHARAN, BHARATH
To: SEARS BRANDS, L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 038489/0930 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170323371A1 · Nov 9, 2017