System and method for indicating queue characteristics of electronic terminals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10402870-B2
Application number	US-201314072097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2013
Priority date	Nov 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to electronically computing and indicating queue characteristics for electronic terminals (e.g., POS terminals) in a specified environment, such as a store. In exemplary embodiments, queue-related information from one or more sources is received, code is executed to process the queue-related information. One or more queue characteristics are identified and/or generated for active electronic terminals in a store based on the queue-related information. Indicators are programmatically associated with the active electronic terminals to indicate the queue characteristics to one or more users to assist the one or more user in selecting one of the active electronic terminals at which to enter a transaction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of indicating queue characteristics for electronic terminals, the method comprising:
monitoring, via an entryway sensor disposed at an entryway of a facility, a customer entering the facility through the entryway based on a wireless transmission from a first mobile electronic device associated with the customer;
monitoring, via a first sensor, a presence of a first quantity of users in a first set at a first location in the facility, the first sensor disposed at a conveyor belt associated with a terminal in the facility;
monitoring, via a video camera, a presence of a second quantity of users in a second set at a second location in the facility, the video camera disposed to capture video of an area including at least one of a plurality of active terminals disposed at the second location and the second quantity of users;
estimating, via a computing device operatively coupled to the video camera through a communications network, a length of a queue in the second location of the facility based on detection of the second quantity of users in the second set at the second location using video received from the video camera;
obtaining, via the computing device operatively coupled to the first sensor and the video camera through the communications network, contemporaneous employee information associated with a performance of each cashier operating an active terminal based on at least one of a quantity of items processed per customer, a physical size of items being handled by each cashier, or a type of item entry being utilized by each cashier;
generating, by the computing device, queue characteristics for the plurality of active terminals in the facility based on the first quantity of users in the first set at the first location monitored based on the first sensor, the length of the queue at the second location, and the contemporaneous employee information;
generating indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals, wherein the indicators are light sources disposed proximate to the plurality of active terminals;
controlling the light sources to energize or de-energize the light sources according to the queue characteristics;
receiving at least one preference from the first mobile electronic device or a second electronic device operated by the customer, wherein the at least one preference includes at least one of a preferred terminal type, a preferred cashier operating an active terminal, or a preferred queue length;
processing, via the computing device, the customer specified at least one preference to compare the at least one preference to the queue characteristics;
obtaining, via the computing device, a location of the first mobile electronic device using a positioning system;
determining, via the computing device, a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the entryway that has a most favorable queue characteristic based on the customer specified at least one preference and the location of the first mobile electronic device; and
transmitting, via the computing device, a notification to the first mobile electronic device of the closest active terminal within the predefined distance to the entryway that has the most favorable queue characteristic, wherein the notification appears on a graphical user interface of the first mobile electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device generates the queue characteristics based on queue-related information comprising at least one of contemporaneous electronic terminal information or historical electronic terminal information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device generates the queue characteristics based on queue-related information comprising at least one of contemporaneous cashier information or historical cashier information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the queue characteristics comprise an estimated queue wait time for each of the active terminals.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light sources output a green light to indicate a favorable queue characteristic, a yellow light to indicate a neutral queue characteristic, or a red light to indicate a unfavorable queue characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprises:
displaying the indicators via at least one display unit in the store.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting the queue characteristics to an employee scheduling system.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the queue characteristics for display on the first mobile electronic device in communication with the computing device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by a processing device causes the processing device to implement a process of indicating queue characteristics comprising:
monitoring, via an entryway sensor disposed at an entryway of a facility, a customer entering the facility through the entryway based on a wireless transmission from a first mobile electronic device associated with the customer;
monitoring, via a first sensor, a presence of a first quantity of users in a first set at a first location in the facility, the first sensor disposed at a conveyor belt associated with a terminal in the facility;
monitoring, via a video camera, a presence of a second quantity of users in a second set at a second location in the facility, the video camera disposed to capture video of an area including at least one of a plurality of active terminals disposed at the second location and the second quantity of users;
estimating, via a computing device operatively coupled to the video camera through a communications network, a length of a queue in the second location of the facility based on detection of the second quantity of users in the second set at the second location using video received from the video camera;
obtaining, via the computing device operatively coupled to the first sensor and the video camera through the communications network, contemporaneous employee information associated with a performance of each cashier operating an active terminal based on at least one of a quantity of items processed per customer, a physical size of items being handled by each cashier, or a type of item entry being utilized by each cashier;
generating, by the computing device, queue characteristics for the plurality of active terminals in the facility based on the first quantity of users in the first set at the first location monitored based on the first sensor, the length of the queue at the second location, and the contemporaneous employee information;
generating indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals, wherein the indicators are light sources disposed proximate to the plurality of active terminals;
controlling the light sources to energize or de-energize the light sources according to the queue characteristics;
receiving at least one preference via the first mobile electronic device or a second electronic device operated by the customer, wherein the at least one preference includes at least one of a preferred terminal type, a preferred cashier operating an active terminal, or a preferred queue length;
processing, via the computing device, the customer specified at least one preference to compare the at least one preference to the queue characteristics;
obtaining, via the computing device, a location of the first mobile electronic device using a positioning system;
determining, via the computing device, a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the entr

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Hogg William
• Abboud Issa

Classifications

• G06Q10/0631

  Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315 Primary

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title

• G06Q30/0281 Primary

  Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting · CPC title

• G06Q10/063114 Primary

  Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group · CPC title

• G06Q20/202

  Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR · CPC title