Walmart Apollo, LLC

Matthew Biermann

Steven Lewis

Nicholaus Adam Jones

Suman Pattnaik

Kevin Matthew Charles

Feng Yang

Systems and methods for controlling electronic shelf labels are disclosed. Product data identifying at least one product and a price of the at least one product and layout data of a physical environment including locations of one or more shelves, a respective shelf location of the at least one product, and coordinates of a plurality of electronic shelf labels is received. Coordinates for a first electronic shelf label associated with the respective shelf location is determined. A first emitter of a plurality of emitters that is capable of communicating with the first electronic shelf label is determined and positioned to direct a signal to the coordinates of the first electronic shelf label to establish a link with only the first electronic shelf label. A portion of the product data is transmitted via the signal, which causes the first electronic shelf label to display the portion of the product data.

System and method for remote controlling of electronic shelf labels

Systems, methods, and processor-readable storage media for remote controlling of electronic shelf labels. An example method includes receiving, at a computing device, store layout data of a retail store and product data. The product data identifies at least one product and a price of the product. The method causes an optical emitter to emit an optical signal to at least one electronic shelf label based at least in part on the store layout data, the product data, and a predetermined rule. The optical signal bears the product data and is configured to cause the electronic shelf label to change displayable information to reflect new product data. The electronic shelf label can also send feedback to the optical emitter to inform that the optical signal was successfully received.

Systems and methods are provided to determine an internal property of a food product. The system includes one or more analyzing devices, a camera and a central unit in communication with the camera and analyzing device. The analyzing device is configured to analyze an interior region of the food product. The camera is configured to analyze an external property of the food product. The central unit is configured to determine the internal property of the food product based on feedback provided by the analyzing device and the camera.

Methods and systems for determining an internal property of a food product

A system for keeping track of an employee's attendance is described that allows the employee to be creative which also helps morale. An employee sets up an employee account and provides identification. A full body image is taken of the employee that is analyzed. Facial features may also be analyzed and stored. The employee then can create his/her own unique gesture which is captured and stored as a unique clock in gesture. He/she may also set up passwords and/or security questions if the gesture is not recognized. The employee then performs the unique clock in gesture to notify the system when he/she is beginning or leaving work. During clock in, the system checks human resource rules, accumulated work hours and characteristics of the employee's employment and clocks in the employee if it determines that the employee meets the rules and is allowed to clock in and work additional hours.

Camera gesture clock in

A landing pad receptacle receives and stores a package delivered by an unmanned vehicle, comprising: a housing; a storage compartment in the housing; and a validation device that detects a presence of a package delivered by a unmanned vehicle in the storage compartment and authenticates a package for return by a unmanned vehicle.

Landing pad receptacle for package delivery and receipt

A system for identifying and displaying one or more optimal locations within a lot for a garden in which to plant and grow suggested plant varieties is discussed. The system includes a robotic device positioned and configured to scan the lot and to generate at least one lot parameter. The system also includes a soil sensor positionable in soil in the lot and configured to generate at least one soil parameter. The system further includes a computing system configured to execute a location optimization module that determines varieties of suggested plants based on the soil parameter and the lot parameter. Based on a user selection from the varieties of suggested plants, the computing system identifies optimal locations for a garden within the lot for the one or more selected plants. The computing system transmits the optimal locations for the garden to a user computing device for display.

Systems and methods for identifying and displaying optimal locations for a garden

A credibility weight for each of a plurality of users is stored and is associated with a reliability of the user in accurately indicating whether the products have become spoiled. Images of a plurality of products at a retail store are received and electronically arranged in an organized pattern. The organized pattern is rendered onto selected ones of a plurality of display devices. Electronic choices from selected ones of the plurality of the users are received. Each of the electronic choices indicates for a selected one of the plurality of products whether the selected user believes the selected product has spoiled or has become unusable. A spoilage score for each product of the products is determined. A control signal is transmitted to a receiver circuit at the retail store instructing a human or robot to perform an investigation when the spoilage score exceeds a predetermined threshold.

System and method for determination of unusable products

A technique for detecting spills is disclosed. A number of electrodes within a portion of a surface are connected to a resistance meter. The resistance meter detects a spill by measuring a change in resistance between two or more electrodes when a fluid is spilled over the two or more of the electrodes. The location of the spill can also be determined based on a known location for each of the electrodes. The size of the spill can further be determined based on a number of electrodes which measured a change in resistance due to the spilled fluid.

Systems, devices, and methods for detecting spills

A sterilization mechanism for a shopping cart is described. The shopping cart includes a frame, a basket portion mounted to the frame, and a handle portion mounted to the frame and including a top and bottom section. The shopping cart includes a cleanliness sensor configured to detect a cleanliness level of the handle portion. The shopping cart includes a sterilization mechanism for killing microorganisms on the handle portion detachably mounted to the handle portion. The sterilization mechanism includes an ultraviolet light source disposed within the body of the sterilization mechanism and configured to be actuated into a light-emitting position when the cleanliness level is detected to be equal to or above a predetermined cleanliness threshold. In the light-emitting position, the ultraviolet light source is configured to emit ultraviolet light onto the handle portion to sterilize both the top and bottom sections of the handle portion from a mounted position.

Shopping cart with sterilization mechanism

Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for containing fluid from an overflowing toilet. An annular fluid containment basin is located near the base of a toilet and is configured to encircle the base of the toilet and collect fluid flowing down the exterior surface of the toilet. A moisture sensor is located within the annular fluid containment basin and configured to sense a spill. A drain is also located within the annular fluid containment basin to direct fluid to bypass an S-bend or trap connected to the toilet.

Toilet overflow containment system

A technique for detecting spills is described. A number of audio sensors detect a sound potentially associated with an object spilling on a surface and the audio data from the sensors is analyzed in order to generate an acoustical analysis of the sound. The analysis of the sound detected by the audio sensors is compared against a database of known sounds corresponding to a number of types of spill incidents. Based on a match detected between the analysis of the sound and a type of spill incident in the database of known sounds, the identity of the object spilled can be determined. The location of the spilled object can also be calculated by triangulating the sensor data from the audio sensors.

Systems, devices, and methods for detecting spills using audio sensors

Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

Systems and methods for monitoring shopping cart wheels

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing an 'always on' offline transaction collection. When networks go down, mobile devices can be used to generate a mesh network, where each device has a list of scheduled, future events which are planned to occur. When the events are performed, the mesh network verifies and/or records the event, so that duplication of the event does not take place. In this manner planned transactions can continue despite a network connection being down.

System and method for 'always on' offline transaction collection

A system and method are provided for automated checkout using metal detection to determine a location of a universal product code (UPC) or another physical item identifier (PID) associated with a given item. A set of sensors detects a location of a physical identifier (PID) associated with at least one item. A set of signal components outputs an indication of the detected PID location on the given item. The output PID location indication directs a movement or change in position of the given item to place the PID in a readable proximity of a scanner component. The PID location indication may include an audible indication, a visual indication, and/or a haptic indication to a user. The PID location indication may include instructions to an orientation component for automatically repositioning the item within the readable proximity of the scanner component.

System for automated checkout using metal detection

Embodiments relate to systems in which one or more infrared cameras or sensors are used to measure heat related to the wheels of carts, such as shopping carts. Wheels with bad bearings, that wobble, or that have other issues preventing normal operation tend to generate more heat than wheels that are in good working order, such that an infrared camera or sensor directed at wheel height (e.g., about 2-3 inches off the floor) can detect wheel issues by detecting heat emitted by the wheels.

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Fayetteville, AR, United States of America

Matthew Biermann