US 12,248,977 B1
System and method for contemporaneous and combined in-store shopping among multiple individuals
Christopher D. Norris, Cincinnati, OH (US); Jeffrey E. Griffith, West Chester, OH (US); and Stephen N. Zachmann, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Assigned to SUNRISE R&D HOLDINGS, LLC, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed by Sunrise R&D Holdings, LLC, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed on Aug. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/405,354.
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01); G06K 7/10 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06Q 20/20 (2012.01)
CPC G06Q 30/0635 (2013.01) [G06K 7/10386 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); G06Q 20/202 (2013.01); G06Q 20/208 (2013.01); G06K 2007/10504 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for contemporaneous in-store shopping among multiple individuals, the system comprising:
a central server;
a database in communication with the central server, the database for storing information associated with products within a physical store; and
a plurality of mobile devices located within the physical store and in communication with the central server, where each mobile device (i) is associated with one of the multiple individuals, (ii) is configured to scan products located within the physical store, and (iii) selectively communicates with the central server via a software application installed on the mobile device;
wherein the central server, after receiving a communication from one of the plurality of mobile devices to initialize a combined shopping session in which two or more mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices located within the physical store are used to scan products located within the physical store, associates a plurality of individual shopping transactions with a combined transaction identifier corresponding to the combined shopping session;
wherein the central server associates each mobile device of the two or more mobile devices with one of the individual shopping transactions of the plurality of individual shopping transactions associated with the combined transaction identifier;
wherein, each one of the two or more mobile devices, subsequent to scanning a selected product of the products within the physical store, communicates scan data corresponding to the selected product to the central server;
wherein the central server retrieves information associated with each selected product from the database using the scan data and executes instructions which cause the retrieved information associated with each selected product to be added to a select one of the plurality of individual shopping transactions that is associated with the mobile device of the two or more mobile devices that initially scanned the selected product;
wherein the central server, in response to receiving a communication from each of the two or more mobile devices to end the combined shopping session, executes instructions which cause information within each of the individual shopping transactions of the plurality of individual shopping transactions associated with the combined transaction identifier to be added to a combined shopping transaction;
wherein the combined shopping transaction includes information associated with at least one selected product scanned by a first mobile device of the two or more mobile devices and another selected product scanned by a second mobile device of the two or more mobile devices;
wherein the software application installed on each mobile device of the two or more mobile devices provides an interface configured to be engaged by the individual associated with the mobile device to cancel the combined shopping session;
wherein the plurality of individual shopping transactions are maintained by at least one of the central server and a point of sale system, such that, when the combined shopping session is canceled in response to the central server receiving a communication from one of the two or more mobile devices to cancel the combined shopping session, each product added to the individual shopping transaction associated with the one of the two or more mobile devices having communicated the communication to cancel the combined shopping session does not need to be re-scanned to populate the product within the individual shopping transaction associated with the one of the two or more mobile devices having communicated the communication to cancel the combined shopping session; and
wherein the software application installed on each mobile device of the two or more mobile devices provides an interface configured to be engaged by an individual associated with the mobile device to transmit a communication from the mobile device to the central server to remove a selected product from the individual shopping transaction associated with the mobile device.