Swyft Inc.

Imaging Technologies Pty Ltd.

Gower Smith

Lincoln Smith

Alan Ernest Jenkins

Siegmund Grondman

Gerry Mussett

Mark Grondman

Magnus Cameron

Diego Vazquez

Brian Cooke

Tony Bruck

An automated store includes a modular shelving structure and an autonomous robotic apparatus that operates to transfer items to and from the shelving structure.

Automated store

This application describes an automated inventory detection, retrieval and delivery system for traditional brick and mortar retail locations. The automated inventory detection, retrieval and delivery system may be retrofitted to existing brick and mortar retail locations to enable contactless ordering and retrieval of items.

Automated delivery system for brick and mortar retail locations

Methods and apparatuses provide a vending machine with a dispenser the moves product from a shelf to a conveyor bucket. The dispenser includes an elongate divider with a drive gear at its bucket end. A drive gear from the bucket engages the dispenser drive gear causing a linear positioner to move a carriage along the elongate divider and toward the bucket. The movement causes product on the shelf, and between the carriage and the bucket, to be forced into the bucket.

Dispenser of shelved products

Apparatuses and methods provide an automated store with a number of product locations and a fetch and delivery bucket that conveys product from a shelf location to a delivery location. Cameras and sensors within the automated store acquire data that may be stored in a remote database and analyzed to improve the reliability of the delivery process. Camera images may also be used to re-position the fetch and delivery bucket in real time, to provide images of actual, available product to consumers via a remote interface, to determine inventory, and to monitor the activities of replenishers and service personnel, and to generally operate the automated store remotely.

Automated store technologies

A dispensing mechanism is provided for flat faced products. The products are supported in a storage chute between a first upright wall and a second upright wall, stacked one on top of another. The products are supported in the chute by a support surface and a first tongue. Products are dispensed by retracting the first tongue allowing a lowermost product to fall onto a second tongue. The first tongue is advanced to be under the next highermost product in the chute. The second tongue is then retracted allowing the lowermost product to fall onto the support surface and pass through a discharge opening. In a further embodiment, flat faced products are stacked vertically side-by-side on a slightly inclined floor. The products move horizontally to one side to be dispensed. A tongue and a moveable stop are mounted at that side. The spacing between the tongue and the stop is generally equal the thickness of the product. The product can be dispensed by retracting the tongue allowing all of the products to move to that side and making the mechanism ready to dispense the next product. The mechanism includes a sensor to detect when a dispensed product is removed from a delivery bin, and a process to credit a customer's account for a product not removed from the delivery bin.

Product vending

A dedicated electronic catalogue device (,) and a dedicated system for providing goods/services ordered by the electronic catalogue device (,) from a remote location stores in memory (,) a catalogue database which can be accessed by a user by actuation of an appropriate input interface (,) for the user to select a particular product or service to be provided by a provider. A host device (,) at the location of the provider communicates with the electronic catalogue device (,) and obtains transaction information relating to the user's order. The provider then fills the order and provides the appropriate product or service. The dedicated electronic catalogue devices (,) can be provided at any convenient location such as a public location, for example. Any product or service is available which can be supplied by the provider. The catalogue can be updated remotely from the host (,) to update product or service information.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Gower Smith