Walmart Apollo, LLC

Wal-mart Stores, Inc.

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Matthew Allen Jones

Nicholaus Adam Jones

Robert J Taylor

Aaron James Vasgaard

Daniel R Shields

Greg A Bryan

Cristy Crane Brooks

Benjamin D Enssle

David Blair Brightwell

Marc Ashley Fletter

Jesse Lee Eaton, Jr

Donald R High

Todd Davenport Mattingly

Bruce Walter Wilkinson

Roger Snelgrove

Joseph Courtland Halbrook

David C Winkle

Steven Lewis

ChandraShekar Natarajan

Rahul Tripathi

David L Vann

Robert James Taylor

Michael D Atchley

Brian G McHale

Ameesh Paleja

Sunbir Gill

Jason Todd

Tim Webb

Jeffrey Kerbs

Yael Peled

Jadran Sirotkovic

Britto Michaelsamy

Alexander L Rouse

Jody P Cook

Rahul S Kala

Kumar Chandan

Peter M Terlecky

Tirui Wu

Mirko A Arnold

Maxwell A Yardley

Asim S Alvi

Christopher R Jescheling

Kshitiz Gupta

Sung H Kim

Clifford Wayne Bolinger

Matthew Marc Lowrie

Thomas Lane Mckenzie

Mekka C Okereke

A technique for monitoring objects in a cart is disclosed. A cart is configured to receive an object and includes a plurality of sensors configured to detect a location of the cart and a characteristic of an object in the cart. The cart also includes a docking station that can receive an electronic device and operatively and electrically couple the sensors to the electronic device. A computing system is in communication with the electronic device and configured to access a database containing a stored list generated by the user. The computing can identify the object in the cart based, at least in part, on data received from the plurality of sensors and the location of the cart. The computing system can also determine whether the object in the cart is included on the stored list.

System, method, and machine-readable media for monitoring objects in a cart using sensors

An analysis of the scans is performed to determine whether the selected item was moved from the back room to the shelf, then returned from the shelf to the back room. The analysis also determines a re-bin time when the selected product was returned to the back room. An adjustment to the PI is blocked when last PI adjustment time is later than the re-bin time. An adjustment to the PI is also blocked when an audit indicator is received at the interface indicating that the retail store is under an audit. An adjusted PI value is determined when the analysis indicates that the selected item was moved from the back room to the shelf, then returned from the shelf, the adjusted PI value being at least one more than the shelf capacity value.

System and method for perpetual inventory management

A perpetual inventory (PI) value associated with the selected product and a last PI adjustment time that indicates when the retail store last adjusted the PI value are received. The PI value of the selected product is compared to the back room quantity value of the selected product, and a time when the back room quantity value becomes greater than the PI value for the selected product is determined. An adjustment to the PI of the selected product is blocked when the PI adjustment time is after the time. When the back room quantity value is greater than the PI value and the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the PI value is adjusted to be the back room quantity value.

Methods and systems for managing inventory at a retail facility include an image capture device having a field of view that includes a product display shelf of the retail facility, an electronic database that stores a planogram of product display shelves at the retail facility and a computing device. The computing device obtains an image of a product display shelf, detects the individual packages of each of the different products captured in the image, defines different product display areas for the different products on the product display shelf captured in the image, and generates virtual boundary lines that surround each of the defined product display areas. The computing device also determines an identity of a product contained located in each defined product display area, and associates the virtual boundary lines surrounding each defined product display area with an identifier unique to the product contained in the defined product display area.

Systems and methods of defining and identifying product display areas on product display shelves

An electronic indication of a nil pick is received. Item information associated with the desired product, sales data concerning the desired product, supply chain information associated with the desired product, and a perpetual inventory (PI) value of the desired product are stored. An adjustment to the PI of the desired product is blocked when a predetermined event occurs at the retail store, or when information that contradicts the validity of the nil pick is received from the retail store. When the adjustment to the PI of the desired product is not blocked, an amount of the adjustment is determined based upon one or more of: the item information associated with the product, the sales data concerning the product, and the supply chain information associated with the desired product.

System and method for management of perpetual inventory values associated with nil picks

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.

Methods and systems for tracking carts and retail products in a shopping space

A data structure programmatically links the first product to a second product. The second product is historically purchased by the customer whenever the customer has also purchased the first product. A determination is made as to whether the customer purchased the second product together with the first product based upon the sales data. When the customer has failed to purchase the second product with the first product, instructions are transmitted to the retail store over the network to perform a verification that the second product is out-of-stock. An outcome of the verification from the retail store is received via the network. A determination is made as to a level of certainty that the second product is actually out-of-stock based upon an analysis of the sales data and the outcome of the verification. When the level of certainty exceeds a predetermined threshold, the PI value is adjusted to zero.

System and method for management of perpetual inventory values based upon customer product purchases

In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided to monitor and adjust perpetual inventory (PI). Some embodiments comprise multiple point of sale (POS) systems; an inventory system and a perpetual inventory (PI) engine control circuit that receives inventory information and is configured to identify the occurrence of a plurality of different events each associated with a different product at a shopping facility and corresponding to a potential inconsistency in a determined inventory count; and for each of the events: identify a first set of inventory evaluation rules; apply the first set of inventory evaluation rules to determine a type of inventory count error; determine an inventory adjustment action to be implemented based on the first product and the determined error type; and cause the inventory adjustment action to be implemented in substantially real-time to adjust the determined inventory count of the first product at the first shopping facility.

Systems and methods of managing perpetual inventory

Scans of a selected product on shelves of a retail store are obtained and the scans are transmitted over a network via a transceiver circuit. A perpetual inventory (PI) value is stored for a selected product in a database. A data structure includes a first category and first actions programmatically linked to the first category. When the selected product is out-of-stock and when the PI value is greater than a predetermined threshold, one or more of the first actions associated with the first category are performed.

System and method for determination and management of root cause for inventory problems

Methods and apparatuses are provided to automatically identify overstated perpetual inventory (PI) conditions regarding an inventory level of an item in a retail space. For example, in some embodiments, a method performed by a control circuit comprises determining () that, a plurality of times, an item for sale at a retail store sells within a defined tolerance of a non-zero inventory quantity value and then stops selling for a period of time; and making () a determination that an overstated PI condition exists with respect to an inventory level of the item at the retail store. In some embodiments, the overstated PI condition is automatically quantified and may be automatically corrected.

Apparatus and method of identifying an overstated perpetual inventory in a retail space

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to enable delivery to a delegate of a user. A calendar function of the user can be utilized to determine whether a delivery can be successfully completed. In several embodiments, a system as described herein can access wireless smart devices of the user and one or more delegates thereof to schedule a delivery of one or more products. The system analyzes locations and times of scheduled events to determine whether the user has a conflict for a delivery time and, if so, whether any of the delegates are authorized and available to receive the delivery. The system can send out notifications and/or invites based on priorities determined by the user.

Delegate item delivery

Growing community of inventors

Bentonville, AR, United States of America

Matthew Allen Jones