Communications devices such as cellular telephones, mobile communication devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, and the like are becoming more prevalent as technology advances and makes these devices more powerful and more affordable. These devices are also being constructed with increasing capabilities and can now perform functions that have in the past been performed by dedicated special function communications devices. For instance, a common mobile communications device today may have computing capabilities that allow the device to process multimedia content, the ability to communicate with data networks such as the Internet, a display than can render high quality still images and video, audio capabilities that allow the device to play music and video soundtracks, as well as the ability to place and receive traditional mobile telephone calls and text messages.
The expanding capabilities of mobile communications devices have allowed the improvement and enhancement of more traditional technologies. For example, voicemail has traditionally been an audio-only feature that requires a telephone connection to a voicemail server. Traditionally, a user would receive a message waiting notification that a voicemail is available, and the user would then have to dial into a voicemail server to listen to the message. Thanks to technological advances, visual voicemail is available on many mobile communications devices. Visual voicemail presents a visual interface to a user's voicemail box and allows the user to view attributes of voicemail and manipulate voicemail in various ways that were previously not possible. A user may delete or save voicemail through the visual interface without having to place a telephone call to a voicemail server. A user may also be able to see who the voicemail is from, when it was sent or received, and other characteristic of the voicemail without actually placing a telephone call to a voicemail server. A user may also respond to a visual voicemail message with a reply visual voicemail, thus enabling two way communication through a visual voicemail system. Visual voicemail systems may also provide a means for a sender to include multimedia content to accompany a voice message or to be provided instead of a voice message.
While more and more shopping is done online, physical store locations retain the bulk of the retail market and will remain an important tool for retailer for many reasons. Potential buyers are often shopping for physical objects and may want to see or handle products prior to purchase. Potential buyers may also want to interact with actual store personnel during while shopping and purchasing goods and services. However, often the best resources to service a particular shopper may not be available in a physical store, but may instead be more readily available online or from personnel or devices that are remote to a physical store. Therefore, what is needed in the art are systems, devices, and methods for leveraging remote and online resources during a shopping experience in a physical retail location.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds