US 2013 O297464A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2013/0297464 A1 Jaquez et al. (43) Pub. Date: Nov. 7, 2013 (54) SYSTEM, METHOD, AND Publication Classification COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM FOR DENTIFYING A PRODUCT (51) Int. Cl. G06Q 10/08 (2012.01) (71) Applicant: SHOPSAVVY INC., Dallas, TX (US) (52) U.S. Cl. USPC ............................................................ 705/28 (72) Inventors: Abiel Jaquez, Plano, TX (US); Rylan Barnes, Plano, TX (US); Jason Alexander, Rockwall, TX (US); Brian (57) ABSTRACT Griffey, Dallas, TX (US); David Mitchell, San Francisco, CA (US); A system, method, and computer-readable storage medium Kevin Clark, Denton, TX (US); for enabling the accurate identification of a product identified Alexander Muse, Dallas, TX (US); by a multiple product identifiers and offered by one or more John Boyd, Denton, TX (US) merchants by using a product-data-identification mechanism via a computing device. The mechanism may enable accurate (73) Assignee: SHOPSAVVY INC., Dallas, TX (US) product-data identification by receiving a product identifier from a computing device, using the received product identi (21) Appl. No.: 13/633,489 fier to obtain one or more forms of data associated with the product identifier from one or more data sources, thereby (22) Filed: Oct. 2, 2012 enabling the mechanism to evaluate data from multiple Sources to identify the most accurate product data associated Related U.S. Application Data with the product identifier. Data sources accessed by the (60) Provisional application No. 61/640,906, filed on May mechanism may be scored according to the accuracy of their 1, 2012, provisional application No. 61/670,827, filed data, and a data system's score may affect how its data is on Jul. 12, 2012. evaluated by the mechanism. 100 N PRODUCT-DATA ONLINE-MERCHANT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM SYSTEM 10A 104 ONLNE-MERCHAN CENT SYSTEM SYSTEM 110B 106 PRODUCT-RESEARCH NETWORK APP 102 08 BRICKS-AND-MORTAR MERCHANT SYSTEM 112A DATA-AGGREGATOR SYSTEM BRICKS-AND-MORTAR 4B MERCHAN.SYSTEM 112B DATAAGGREGATOR SYSTEM 114A Patent Application Publication Nov. 7, 2013 Sheet 3 of 4 US 2013/0297464 A1 302 RECEIVE ENTERED PRODUCTIDENTIFIER AND USER-LOCATION DATA 304 306 CORRESPONDING / NO / STORED CONTACT RODUCT DATA2 PRODUCT-DATA YES / SOURCE(S) ACCESS PRODUCT DATA ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRODUCT-IDENTIPER AND SOURCE DATA 30 DENTRY AGREEMENTS IDSAGREEMENTS WITHIN TITLE DATA w 312 IDENTIFY AGREEMENTS IDSAGREEMENTS WITHN MAGE DATA 314 DENTIFY AGREEMENTS DSAGREEMENTS WITHINATTRIBUTE DATA 316 IDENTIFY AGREEMENTS IDSAGREEMENTS WITHIN PRODUCT-IDENT FER DATA 318 ADJUST AGREEMENTSI DISAGREEMENTS PER TRUST SCORES 320 ADJUST AGREEMENTS DSAGREEMENTS PER i.USER-LOCATION DATA AND MERCHANT DATA FIG 3A Patent Application Publication Nov. 7, 2013 Sheet 4 of 4 US 2013/0297464 A1 322 GENERATE DENTIFICATION SCORES FOR THE PRODUCT DATA COMMUNICATE PRODUCT DATA 324 FOR DENTIFIED PRODUCT TO PRODUCT-RESEARCH APP 326 INSTRUCT PRODUCTRESEARCH APPTO REQUEST FEEDBACK RE-EVALUATE FEEDBACK PRODUCT DATA RECEIVED2 DENTIFICATION STORE NEW NACCCURATE 2 PRODUCT DATA US 2013/0297464 A1 Nov. 7, 2013 SYSTEM, METHOD, AND merchants and manufacturers do not have difficulty tracking COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE their products. For example, a merchant may simply use SKU MEDIUM FOR DENTIFYING A PRODUCT codes and ignore any other product codes. 0006. However, because merchants and manufacturers CROSS-REFERENCE operate independently, there is not a standard, universal prod 0001. This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional uct-identification system or methodology. As such, it can be Patent Application No. 61/640,906, entitled: “System, difficult for a third-party service provider to correctly identify Method, and Computer-Readable Storage Medium for Pay products. Product codes are designed to be unique, but in ment of Online Purchases via a Portable Computing Device.” practice many products are inadvertently assigned the same filed May 1, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application code. For example, it is not uncommon for several products to be identified by the same ASIN or ISBN. Because of the No. 61/670,827, entitled: “System, Method, and Computer duplication of codes, it is difficult (if not at times impossible) Readable Storage Medium for Identifying a Product, filed to determine which entity has the right to use the product code Jul. 12, 2012, the contents of both of which are incorporated for its product. This redundancy may not affect an entity by reference in their entireties. within whose own system (e.g., merchant inventory system) a FIELD product code may be unique. For example, a product code may identify a shirt offered at Target.com, but may also iden 0002 Example embodiments of the present invention gen tify a perfume offered at Amazon.com, neither of whom may erally pertain to the electronic identification of products. be affected by the redundancy. However, third-party services More particularly, example embodiments of the present providers that provide consumers with information regarding invention pertain to identifying a product through the elec products offered by multiple entities may have difficulty pro tronic analysis of aspects of the product by accessing one or viding accurate information due to such redundancies and more product data resources via an electronic network. discrepancies. 0007 Additionally, more than 80% of all e-commerce BACKGROUND Web sites do not use barcoded product codes with the prod 0003 Merchants and manufacturers use product codes to ucts they sell. As such, a third-party service provider cannot identify their products. Computerized systems use a prod identify these merchants’ products by way of barcoded prod uct’s code as a reference so that it may be conveniently uct codes. That is, ifa user employs a Smartphone app to Scan tracked and identified. Product codes are also often encoded a products barcode in order to obtain product information, in barcodes printed on products (or their packaging) so that the third-party service provider cannot use this code to iden the products may be quickly identified through use of barcode tify the product. Identifying products by other data, Such as by readers. For example, merchant point-of-sale systems use product titles, may be highly inaccurate due to similarities in barcode readers to identify products at check out, thereby the titles of diverse products. For example, a title may apply to allowing sales clerks to quickly tally purchases. a movie, book, toy, or more. 0004. With the development of barcode readers on Smart 0008 What is needed is a mechanism by which a product phones, these barcoded product codes have become a tool for may be accurately identified by a product code regardless of consumers as well. A Smartphone's barcode reader may be the product being associated with multiple, possibly redun used for several purposes, but one of the most popular uses is dant, product codes. What is also needed is a convenient to employ the reader with mobile Software applications (i.e., mechanism that enables a service provider to provide accu “apps') that can use the barcoded product codes to locate rate information associated with a product to users, whereby product information. For example, an individual may use his the service provider may be assured that the information Smartphone to scan a product’s barcode, and an app may provided is for the desired product and not a product with a access a service provider to obtain pricing information, similar product code. reviews, descriptive data, and more associated with the bar code. Although using a Smartphone's barcode reader is typi SUMMARY cally the most convenient way of entering a product code, a 0009 Example embodiments of the present invention per user may be able to input a product code in other ways (e.g., tain to a system, method, and computer-readable storage via a keyboard, speech recognition, etc.). Smartphone apps medium for accurately identifying a product offered by one or are popular because they allow consumers to compare prices, more merchants and having multiple product identifiers. Fur read reviews, etc. from anywhere, including while in a mer thermore, example embodiments of the present invention per chant's store. For example, a consumer may use an app to tain to accurately identifying product data by receiving and ensure a store has a product for the lowest price. using a product identifier to obtain one or more associated 0005 Accurately identifying a product can be a difficult forms of data from which the most accurate, associated prod task for service providers offering Such apps. Products are uct data may be identified. The forms of data associated with referenced in numerous ways and, thus, a product may be the product identifier may be received from one or more data referenced by more than one product code. For example, a Sources that may be scored according to the accuracy of their product may be referenced by a Universal Product Code data, and whose score may affect how its data is evaluated. (UPC), a European Article Number (EAN), an Amazon Stan dard Identification Number (ASIN), an International Stan BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS dard Book Number (ISBN), and more. Merchants may use one or more manufacturer-specified codes, or their own mer 0010. In order to describe the manner in which the above chant-specified codes Such as stock-keeping unit (SKU) recited and other advantages and features of example embodi codes, to identify their products. Because merchants and ments of the present invention may be obtained, a more par manufacturers employ their own systems and methodologies, ticular description of example embodiments of the present US 2013/0297464 A1 Nov. 7, 2013 invention briefly described above will be rendered by refer depicted and described herein as separate, this is not to be ence to specific example embodiments thereof that are illus construed as limiting, and components may be combined per trated in the appended drawings.