US 6,587,835 · Granted 2003-07-01

The 2003 Patent That Imagined Mobile Shopping Before Smartphones

Imagine using a handheld device in a mall to check store directories, manage a shopping list, see sales on products you want, and even buy things wirelessly—all in one app. That's what this 2003 patent describes: your phone becomes your personal shopping assistant, talking to the stores around you.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a handheld computing device system that combines multiple shopping functions: displaying store directories and product information, managing digital shopping lists, showing location-based promotions, processing wireless purchases, and communicating with retail equipment via local wireless signals. What's protected here is the integration of these services into a single handheld platform that tracks user location and sends context-aware reminders and offers.

Why it matters

Filed in 2000 and granted in 2003, this patent arrived during the early mobile era when smartphones didn't yet exist. It laid out a vision of retail technology that anticipated mobile commerce, location-based services, and in-store digital assistance by years. The patent protects the concept of a unified handheld assistant for shopping, which became foundational as retailers later built apps and in-store wireless systems.

Real-world use

When you scan a product barcode with your phone in a store to check its price, read reviews, or see if it's on sale elsewhere, you're using technology this patent sketched out.

Original USPTO abstract

A system is provided in which a handheld computing device may be used to provide a user with shopping assistance services. A shopping assistance service may allow a user to obtain directory information for a shopping mall. A user may use the handheld computing device to handle shopping lists. The handheld computing device may display promotional material based on the shopping lists. The handheld computing device may be used to obtain information on products being sold in a store. Products may be purchased using wireless financial transactions. Reminders and other messages may be sent to the handheld computing device. The location of the handheld computing device may be monitored. Services may be provided to the user based on the location of the handheld computing device. The handheld computing device may communicate with communications equipment in retail establishments using a local wireless link.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,587,835
Filing date: 2000-02-09
Grant date: 2003-07-01
Assignee: G. Victor Treyz / Susan M. Treyz
Inventor(s): TREYZ G. VICTOR, TREYZ SUSAN M.
CPC class: G07F7/02

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