IP Library Granted Patent US 10,185,984
Granted Patent B2
US 10,185,984 · App. 14/828,245 · Granted Jan 22, 2019

Delivery of remotely ordered items to the current location of a user when geographic information indicates that the user is within a predetermined area associated with a physical store

Inventors: Jason D. Shaffer (Rogers, AR); Rachael Ulman (New York, NY); Richard Ramsden (Foster City, CA); David Jon Carr (Mountain View, CA); Mark J. Valentine (Bentonville, AR); Corey L. Peach (Bella Vista, AR); Kevin A. Ruehle (Rogers, AR); David G. Tovey (Rogers, AR); Todd W. Franke (Bentonville, AR); Timothy James Burleson (Bentonville, AR); Danielle McPherson (Springdale, AR); Kuleni Gebisa (Bella Vista, AR)
Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
G06Q30/0633G06F17/3087G06F17/30241G06Q30/0259G06Q30/0261G06Q30/0267G06Q30/04G06Q30/0635G06Q30/0639H04W4/021
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,185,984
App. No.
14/828,245
Granted
Jan 22, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of a computer-implemented method and system pertaining to drive through grocery pickup are described. In one example, a computer-implemented method receives geographic information about a user. The geographic information indicates that the user is within a predetermined area associated with the physical store. The method also determines whether there is a pending remotely placed order for a user account associated with the user in a database associated with the physical store. In response to a determination that there is the pending remotely placed order for the user account associated with the user in the database, the method transmits order information to a computing device of the physical store. The order information includes one or more items in the pending remotely placed order. The method also determines a current location of the user. The method further causes a delivery of the one or more items to the current location.

Claims (72)

1. A method, comprising:

executing at a computer display screen an online order for one or more items at an e-commerce website, comprising:

displaying by the computer display screen an order screen provided by the e-commerce website for selecting the one or more items; and

communicating an order for the one or more items from the computer display screen to an order fulfillment center computer;

the method further comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors of a server associated with a physical store communicating with at least one of a mobile electronic device of a user or the order fulfillment center computer, geographic information about the user, the geographic information indicating that the user is within a predetermined area associated with the physical store;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether there is a pending remotely placed online order for a user account associated with the user in a database associated with the physical store;

in a first response to determining whether there is the pending remotely placed online order from the e-commerce website for the user account associated with the user in the database, automatically transmitting, by the one or more processors, order information to a computing device of the physical store, the order information comprising the one or more items in the pending remotely placed order;

determining, by the one or more processors communicating with the mobile electronic device of the user, a current location of the user; and

causing, by the one or more processors, a delivery of the one or more items to the current location for pickup by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting, by the one or more processors, a message to a user device of the user, the message indicating that the one or more items are delivered to the current location within a predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the geographic information about the user comprises at least one of:

receiving the geographic information based on a user input;

receiving the geographic information by utilizing a Global Positioning System (GPS) on a user device of the user; or

receiving the geographic information from a sensor in the predetermined area.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining an assignment of the pending remotely placed order based on a type or a size of the one or more items, the assignment of the pending remotely placed order including an assignment for pre-picking of the one or more items.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the order information further comprises at least one of the pickup time slot of the pending remotely placed order, a customer order serial number (OSM) of the pending remotely place order, or a user identifier (ID) of the user or the user account.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the order information further includes a user preference of the user, the user preference indicating an acceptable substitution of the one or more items or an unacceptable substitution of the one or more items, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

determining availability of an item of the one or more items; and

determining a substitution of the item based on the user preference.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in a second response to the step of determining whether there is a pending remotely placed order for the user account associated with the user in the database, determining advertisement information of the physical store based on a user online record, a user offline record, or a combination thereof; and

transmitting the advertisement information to a user device of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a message from an additional computing device of the physical store, the message indicating a rejection or return of an item of the one or more items;

in response to receiving the message, recalculating billing information of the pending remotely placed order; and

notifying the user of the recalculated billing information.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

executing at a computer display screen an online order for one or more items at an e-commerce website, comprising:

displaying by the computer display screen an order screen provided by the e-commerce website for selecting the one or more items; and

communicating an order for the one or more items from the computer display screen to an order fulfillment center computer;

receiving geographic information about a user from a user device associated with the user, the geographic information indicating that the user is within a predetermined area associated with a physical store communicating with at least one of a mobile electronic device of a user or the order fulfillment center computer;

determining whether there is a pending remotely placed online order for a user account associated with the user in a database associated with the physical store;

in a first response to determining whether there is the pending remotely placed online order from the e-commerce website for the user account associated with the user in the database:

automatically transmitting, by the one or more processors, order information to a computing device of the physical store, the order information comprising the one or more items in the pending remotely placed order,

determining, by the one or more processors, a current location of the user, and

causing, by the one or more processors communicating with the mobile electronic device of the user, a delivery of the one or more items to the current location; and

in a second response to the step of determining whether there is a pending remotely placed order for the user account associated with the user in the database:

determining advertisement information of the physical store based on a user online record, a user offline record, or a combination thereof, and

transmitting the advertisement information to a user device of the user.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the order information further comprises at least one of a pickup time slot of the pending remotely placed order, a customer order serial number (OSM) of the pending remotely place order, or a user identifier (ID) of the user or the user account.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the order information further includes a user preference of the user, the user preference indicating an acceptable substitution of the one or more items or an unacceptable substitution of the one or more items, or a combination thereof.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining availability of an item of the one or more items; and determining a substitution of the item based on the user preference.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a message from an additional computing device of the physical store, the message indicating a rejection or return of an item of the one or more items;

in response to receiving the message, recalculating billing information of the pending remotely placed order; and

notifying the user of the recalculated billing information.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer display screen that displays an order screen provided by an e-commerce website for selecting one or more items; and

a memory configured to store one or more sets of instructions;

a processor configured to access the memory to execute the one or more sets of instructions to perform operations comprising:

receiving geographic information about a user, the geographic information indicating that the user is within a predetermined area associated with a physical store;

receiving an order communicated by the display screen for the one or more items from the computer display screen to an order fulfillment center computer;

determining whether there is a pending remotely placed order for a user account associated with the user in a database associated with the physical store;

in a first response to determining whether there is the pending remotely placed online order for from the e-commerce website the user account associated with the user in the database, automatically transmitting order information to a computing device of the physical store, the order information comprising the one or more items in the pending remotely placed order;

determining a current location of the user; and

causing a delivery of the one or more items to the current location for pickup by the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:

in a second response to the step of determining whether there is a remotely placed order for the user account associated with the user in the database, determining advertisement information of the physical store based on a user online record, a user offline record, or a combination thereof; and

transmitting the advertisement information to a user device of the user.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a message from an additional computing device of the physical store, the message indicating a rejection or return of an item of the one or more items;

in response to receiving the message, recalculating billing information of the pending remotely placed order; and

notifying the user of the recalculated billing information.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the receiving the geographic information about the user comprises receiving the geographic information by utilizing a GPS in a user device of the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the order information further includes a user preference of the user, the user preference indicating an acceptable substitution of the one or more items or an unacceptable substitution of the one or more items, or a combination thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise:

determining availability of an item of the one or more items; and

determining a substitution of the item based on the user preference.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2018
From: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
To: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
Reel/Frame 045858/0555 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 17, 2015
From: SHAFFER, JASON D.; ULMAN, RACHAEL; RAMSDEN, RICHARD; CARR, DAVID JON; VALENTINE, MARK J.; PEACH, COREY L.; RUEHLE, KEVIN A.; TOVEY, DAVID G.; FRANKE, TODD W.; BURLESON, TIMOTHY JAMES; MCPHERSON, DANIELLE; GEBISA, KULENI
To: WALMART STORES, INC.
Reel/Frame 036342/0321 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62044837 · Sep 2, 2014
Related Publication 20160063604A1 · Mar 3, 2016
Cited By (2)
US 12,367,518 US 12,581,276