User-Personalized Media Sampling, Recommendation and Purchasing System Using Real-Time Inventory Database

Abstract

A user-personalized product sampling, recommendation and purchasing system uses customer identification numbers and associated customer profile data to tailor specific product recommendations to a customer at a content sampling station of a retail location. The customer also can use her customer profile to receive the same information from an Internet website of the merchant. In-store sampling stations also may have the capability of checking store inventory and central warehouse inventory and providing recommendations to the customer in accordance with product availability, and optionally may provide the customer with the ability to place product orders directly through the sampling station. The recommendation system also can be used to tailor product recommendations in accordance with a rule-based model and real-time inventory data from a POS database.

1 . A media sampling device, comprising:
 a housing;   a processor housed in the housing;   a display screen coupled to the processor and the housing;   a bar code scanner coupled to the processor and the housing;   a headphone coupled to the housing for enabling a user of the device to listen to user selected audio content;   a connector socket, coupled to the processor and the housing, for receiving a plug connected to a cable, wherein   the device is configured to (a) receive all of its electrical power from said cable and (b) use said cable to transmit data to a server, and   the processor is configured to transmit to said server an identification code assigned to the device as part of an initialization process that is initiated as a result of the media sampling device receiving power from said cable.