Walmart Apollo, LLC

Austin Lee Smith

Vidyanand Krishnan

Michael Gilbert Ebener

Arnon Katz

Pratosh Deepak Rajkhowa

Deepak R Deshpande

Prakash Seetharaman

Rohit Jain

Ameya Ajay Shendre

Shekhar Gupta

Jason D Shaffer

Pavan Kumar Raichur Rajoli

Sandip Mahanta

Ridhima Kaur Arora

Vineet Wason

Yiren Ye

Nitish Sarin

Navkaran Singh Chadha

Avaneesh Tiwari

Zekariyas Kassa Gebru

Arpan Y Nanavati

Puneet Srivastava

Surnaik Prakash Srivastava

Mihir Vijay Bendale

Mihir Vijay Bondale

A method being implemented via execution of computing instructions configured to run at one or more processors. The method can include determining a primary store and one or more secondary stores for pickup of an order of a user, which can include: performing a first lookup call to a first cache of one or more proximate access points based on the primary store; and when a list of the one or more proximate access points is not retrieved in the first lookup call: performing a second lookup call to a second cache of active access points; determining the one or more proximate access points from among the active access points; and storing the one or more proximate access points in the first cache to update the first cache. The method also can include transmitting, for display to the user, a list of available time slots based on availability of time slots at the primary store and the one or more secondary stores. Other embodiments are described.

Automatically merging pickup and delivery time slots from nearby stores

A system comprising one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: initiating a return request for one or more items; display on the first electronic device one or more windows of time for a driver to arrive at an address; receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more windows of time for the driver; assigning the driver to pick up the one or more items from the address; causing a second electronic device of the driver to display the address; and receiving one or more acceptance scans for the one or more items from the second electronic device of the driver. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Systems and methods for electronically processing pickup of return items from a customer

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory storage media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: receiving an order list for delivery at a delivery address; determining an estimated order collection time; continuously monitoring, in real-time, a respective location of each delivery driver of one or more delivery drivers of at least one delivery service by receiving the respective location of each delivery driver of the one or more delivery drivers from a respective delivery driver electronic device of each delivery driver; and instructing a first delivery driver of the one or more delivery drivers to pick up one or more items in the order list and deliver the one or more items to the delivery address. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Systems and methods for automatically invoking a delivery request for an in- progress order

A method including receiving driver tracking information from a platform of a delivery driver network of multiple delivery driver networks. The method further can include determining a platform-dependent format of the driver tracking information; and when the platform-dependent format is different from a standard format, converting the driver tracking information from the platform-dependent format into uniform tracking information in the standard forma. Moreover, the method can include determining an estimated time of arrival; and verifying a reliability of an estimated delivery time of the driver tracking information. The method further can include when the reliability of the estimated delivery time is verified, incorporating the estimated delivery time into the uniform tracking information; and when the reliability of the estimated delivery time is not verified, incorporating the estimated time of arrival into the uniform tracking information as the estimated delivery time. The method further can include providing the uniform tracking information to be rendered on a user interface of a user device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

System and method for providing uniform tracking information with a reliable estimated time of arrival

A system comprising one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: determining, using a predictive analysis, an estimated collection time to collect one or more items of an order; receiving a mobile check-in from an electronic device indicating that a pickup is en-route to pick-up the order from the store; tracking a location of the pickup; periodically determining an estimated travel time for the pickup to travel to the store from the location, as tracked; and transmitting instructions for the one or more employees of the store to begin collecting the one or more items of the order on a store interface Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Systems and methods for determining an order collection start time

A system can comprise one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one more processors and perform a method for dispatching a delivery driver and allowing the user to electronically tip the delivery driver. The method in this embodiment can comprise: receiving a delivery request from a user; and determining whether the order is eligible for delivery. When the order is eligible for delivery, the method in this embodiment can determine a delivery fee for the order; after the payment of the fees, dispatch the delivery driver; and upon a confirmation of the delivery, determine whether the completed delivery is eligible for tipping. When the delivery driver for the completed delivery is eligible for tipping, the method in this embodiment can further provide a tipping request to the user; and upon receipt of a confirmation of a tip, forward the tip to the delivery driver. Other embodiments are disclosed.

System and method for dispatching drivers for delivering grocery orders and facilitating digital tipping

A method being implemented via execution of computing instructions configured to run at one or more processors. The method can include determining a primary store and one or more secondary stores for pickup of an order of a user, based at least in part on a pickup type of the order. The method also can include determining real-time availabilities of first time slots at the primary store and real-time availabilities of second time slots at the one or more secondary stores. The method additionally can include generating a list of available time slots comprising at least a portion of the first time slots at the primary store and at least a portion of the second time slots at the one or more secondary stores, based at least in part on the real-time availabilities of the first time slots at the primary store and the real-time availabilities of the second time slots at the one or more secondary stores. The method further can include facilitating displaying to the user a user interface comprising at least a portion of the list of available time slots. Other embodiments are described.

Systems and methods including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory storage devices storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: receiving, from one or more electronic devices of one or more users, one or more orders for pickup at a location during a first window of time; at a first time during the first window of time, determining when a designated pickup area at the location exceeds a predetermined level of congestion using: (1) continuously received mobile check-ins at the location; and (2) congestion data of the designated pickup area at the location; and when the designated pickup area at the location does not exceed the predetermined level of congestion during the first window of time, as determined at the first time, causing a pickup electronic device of a pickup to display a pickup request at the location to fulfill at least one order of the one or more orders during the first window of time. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Systems and methods for automatically requesting delivery drivers for online orders

A system includes one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors to perform: receiving, from a customer device, an online order for a customer, wherein the online order comprises a customer identification for the customer; receiving, from the customer device, a selection of a pick-up time for retrieval at a store; receiving an additional order for the customer; linking the additional order to the online order based on the customer identification; sending instructions to an assembler configured to (1) read identifiers of the online order and the additional order, (2) retrieve the plurality of items and the one or more additional items from a facility, and (3) place the plurality of items and the one or more additional items in a designated location. Other embodiments are disclosed.

System and method for adding items to an electronic order

Systems and methods including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory storage devices storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: receiving a request from a user; determining, using a regression analysis, an estimated order collection time for a collection of the one or more items of the order list by at least one collector; continuously monitoring a respective location of each respective delivery driver; continuously determining a respective estimated order pickup time for each respective delivery driver; and instructing the first delivery driver of the one or more delivery drivers to pick up the one or more items and deliver the one or more items to the delivery address. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Systems and methods for automatically invoking a delivery request for an in-progress order

Systems and methods including one or more processing modules and one or more non-transitory storage modules storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processing modules and perform acts of receiving a return request for an item from a customer electronic device of a customer, determining that the return request is available for a pickup return option for (1) pickup, by a driver, of the item at an address associated with the customer and (2) transportation, by the driver, of the item from the address to the store, and, if the customer selects a pickup return option: assigning the driver to pick up the item from the address and transport the item to the store, receiving a return scan for the item from a store electronic device at the store or from a driver electronic device, and initiating a refund to the customer for the item.

Systems and methods including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory storage devices storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform receiving, at the one or more processors, an order from a customer electronic device; determining, using employee device data collected from one or more electronic devices of one or more employees of a store in a predictive analysis, an estimated collection time required for an employee of the one or more employees of the store to collect the one or more items of the order; receiving a check-in from an electronic device indicating that a pickup is en-route to pick-up the order; when the electronic device authorizes location tracking, tracking a location of the pickup after receiving the check-in from the electronic device; periodically determining, at one or more time intervals, an estimated travel time for the pickup to travel to the store from the location, as tracked; and when the estimated collection time is approximately equal in duration to the estimated travel time, coordinating displaying instructions for the employee of the store to begin collecting the one or more items of the order. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

A system can comprise one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one more processors and perform a method for providing uniform tracking information, in a standard format, based on tracking information provided by multiple delivery driver networks, each having different hardware and software platforms. The method in this embodiment can comprise: receiving a user tracking request from a customer; receiving driver tracking information from the platform of the delivery driver network of the driver selected for the grocery delivery; converting the driver tracking information into uniform tracking information in a standard format; and providing the uniform tracking information, with an accurate estimated delivery time, to be rendered on a user interface of a user device of the customer. The method in this embodiment can be configured to generate the uniform tracking information by: incorporating into the uniform tracking information, as the estimated delivery time, either (a) an estimated time of arrival, determined by the method, based on the driver geographic location, the delivery route, and the real-time traffic information of the geographic area; or (b) the estimated delivery time that is verified to be accurate based on the estimated time of arrival. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A number of embodiments can include a system. The system can include one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices storing computing instructions. The computing instructions can be configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: receiving, from a customer electronic device of a customer, a request for an order comprising one or more goods; determining an estimated fulfillment time for the order; promising the one or more goods of the order for receipt by the customer at a receivable clock time based on the estimated fulfillment time; after promising the one or more goods of the order for receipt by the customer at the receivable clock time, detecting a delay condition associated with making ready at least a portion of the one or more goods of the order; in response to detecting the delay condition, waiting a predetermined amount of time comprising a percentage of a previous time for performing a delayed activity associated with the delay condition; and after waiting the predetermined amount of time, communicating a notification of the delay condition to a receiving party. Other embodiments are described herein.

Systems to fulfill a picked sales order and related methods therefor

Systems and methods including one or more processing modules and one or more non-transitory storage modules storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processing modules and perform acts of receiving an order request from a customer, transmitting an order list from the order request to an employee of the store for a collection of products on the order list at the store by the employee, determining an estimated order collection time, continuously monitoring an estimated order pickup time for a delivery driver of a third-party delivery service, and, when the estimated order pickup time for the delivery driver is substantially equal to the estimated order collection time, transmitting a delivery request to the third-party delivery service requesting the delivery driver to pick up the products from the store and deliver the products to the delivery address.

Growing community of inventors

Burlingame, CA, United States of America

Austin Lee Smith