Method and system for detection of presence in predefined location and delivery thereto

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10463095-B2
Application number	US-201916256334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Aug 17, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems of detection of presence in and delivery to location are provided. A method detects a presence of a mobile device within a perimeter of a geographic region. The method searches a database to determine whether the first mobile device is associated with any existing account. Responsive to determining that the mobile device is associated with a first account, the method searches the database to determine whether there is any pending task associated with the first account. Responsive to determining that there is a pending task associated with the first account, the method transmits a first message indicating the detection of presence of the mobile device associated with the first account. The method determines that the mobile device is at least approximately at a first location of a plurality of predefined locations within the perimeter. The method transmits information associated with the first location to the computing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing a plurality of wireless detection devices arranged to form a wireless detection system around a geographic region where a retail store is located by forming a virtual perimeter around the geographic region where the retail store is located;
detecting, by the wireless detection devices of the wireless detection system, a presence of a first mobile device of a customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;
providing an electronic database, the electronic database storing data representing all existing accounts of customers of the retail store and including an identification of one or more mobile devices associated with one or more of the existing accounts of the customers, the electronic database further storing data representing all pending tasks associated with orders placed by the customers of the existing accounts;
searching, by a processing device communicatively coupled to the wireless detection system, the data stored in the electronic database to determine whether the first mobile device detected by the wireless detection system is stored in the electronic database in association with any existing account;
responsive to determining, by the processing device, that the first mobile device is associated with an existing first account, the processing device searching the electronic database to determine whether there is data stored in the electronic database indicative of any pending task associated with the first account;
responsive to determining, by the processing device, based on a search of the data stored in the electronic database, that there is a pending task associated with the first account, the processing device transmitting a first message to one or more computing devices of staff at the retailer store, the first message notifying the staff at the retail store of the detecting of the presence of the first mobile device associated with the first account within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located and signaling the staff at the retail store to start preparation for fulfillment of the order;
determining, by the processing device, that the first mobile device is at least approximately at a first location of a plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located; and
transmitting, by the processing device, information associated with the first location to the one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter comprises receiving, by the processing device, a second message from the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store indicating that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter comprises:
tracking, by the wireless detection system, a movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter;
determining, by the wireless detection system, non-movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store at least approximately at the first location for at least a threshold period of time; and transmitting, by the wireless detection system, a result of at least one of the tracking or the determining to the processing device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
triggering, by the processing device, a timer to count down for a predetermined period of time upon determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the triggering the timer comprises transmitting a signal to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store to trigger a timer on the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the wireless detection system, a presence of a second mobile device of a second customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;
searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to determine that the second mobile device of the second customer of the retail store is associated with a second account;
searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to determine that there is no pending task associated with the second account; and
transmitting, by the processing device, a third message to the one or more computing devices to indicate that there is no pending task associated with the second account.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to identify one or more other existing accounts; and
storing, by the processing device, in the electronic database an indication that the one or more other existing accounts are associated to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the one or more other existing accounts shares at least one common attribute with the first account.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to identify one or more other mobile devices of other customers of the retail store; and
storing, by the processing device, in the electronic database an indication that the one or more other mobile devices are associated to the first account.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the one or more other mobile devices of the other customers of the retail store shares at least one common attribute with the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
dynamically defining, by the processing device, the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located on a periodic basis or in response to receiving an operator input such that a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a first time is different from a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a second time.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the presence of the first mobile device within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located comprises detecting the presence of the first mobile device using global positioning system (GPS) information received from the first mobile device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal received from the first mobile device, or a combination thereof.

13. A system, comprising:
a plurality of wireless detection devices arranged to form a wireless detection system around a geographic region where a retail store is located by forming a virtual perimeter around the geographic region where the retail store is located, the wireless detection system configured to wirelessly detect a presence of a first mobile device of a customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;
an electronic database configured to store data representing all existing accounts of customers of

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Shaffer Jason D
• Ulman Rachael
• Carr David J
• Ramsden Richard
• Burleson Timothy J
• Valentine Mark J
• Peach Corey L
• Gebisa Kuleni

Classifications

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title

• A41D19/015

  Protective gloves {(A41D19/0055 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W4/021 Primary

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• G06Q10/08 Primary

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title