Systems and methods for determining stocking locations of products having more than one stocking location on a sales floor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10535039-B2
Application number	US-201715678450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2017
Priority date	Aug 19, 2016
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems for determining stocking locations of products having more than one stocking location on a sales floor of a retail facility include an electronic inventory management database that stores product identification data indicating an identify of one or more products at the retail facility and product location data indicating a stocking location of the products on the sales floor of the retail facility. An electronic inventory management device including a processor-based control circuit is configured to correlate the product identification data and the product location data stored in the electronic inventory management database, determine that one or more products are stocked in first and second stocking locations on the sales floor of the retail facility, track worker task events associated with the products, and determine whether the product is to be stocked or was stocked at the first or second stocking location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for determining stocking locations of products having more than one stocking location on a sales floor of a retail facility, the system comprising:
a plurality of product identifiers, each of the product identifiers being attached to or coupled to a respective one of the products on the sales floor of a retail facility;
a plurality of stocking location identifiers, each of the stocking location identifiers being coupled to a respective one of the stocking location on the sales floor of the retail facility;
an electronic inventory management database configured to store product identification data indicating an identity of at least one product at the retail facility and product location data indicating a stocking location of the at least one product on the sales floor of the retail facility;
an electronic scanning device including at least one sensor configured to scan the product identifiers of the products and the stocking location identifiers coupled to the stocking locations, the electronic scanning device being configured to:
generate product identification data based on a scan of a product identifier via the at least one sensor, and transmit the generated product identification data to the electronic inventory management database for storage;
generate product location data based on a scan of the stocking location identifier via the at least one sensor, and transmit the generated product location data to the electronic inventory management database for storage; and

an electronic inventory management device including a processor-based control circuit, the control circuit being configured to:
correlate the product identification data and the product location data stored in the electronic inventory management database;
determine, based on the correlating step, that the at least one product is stored at least in a first stocking location and a second stocking location on the sales floor of the retail facility;
track, based on the determining step, at least one worker task event associated with the at least one product;
detect, based on the tracking step, that the at least one worker task event is not consistent with the at least one product being stocked or having been stocked at the first stocking location;
determine, based on the detecting step, that the at least one product is to be stocked or was stocked in the second stocking location; and
output, based on a determination that the at least one product is to be stocked or was stocked in the second stocking location, a visual or audible indication of the determination that that the at least one product is to be stocked or was stocked in the second stocking location.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to output, based on a determination that the at least one product is to be stocked or was stocked in the second stocking location, a visual or audible indication of the determination that the at least one product is to be stocked or was stocked in the second stocking location.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management database is configured to receive the product identification data via a worker at the retail facility scanning a product identifier using an electronic scanning device and to receive the product location data via the worker at the retail facility scanning a stocking location identifier on the sales floor of the retail facility using the electronic scanning device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management database is configured to store shelf capacity data indicating a maximum shelf capacity for the at least one product at each one of the first and second stocking locations.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one worker task event is a scan of the at least one product during at least one sale of the at least product to at least one consumer at the retail facility, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to detect that a total number of units of the at least one product scanned during the at least one sale of the at least one product to the at least one consumer exceeds the maximum shelf capacity for the at least one product at the first stocking location.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine that the total number of units of the at least one product scanned during the at least one sale of the at least one product to the at least one consumer does not exceed the maximum shelf capacity for the at least one product at the second stocking location, and to determine that the units of the at least one product scanned during the at least one sale of the at least one product to the at least one consumer were picked by the at least one consumer from the second stocking location.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to generate a restocking request for the at least one product at the second stocking locations, and to cause the electronic inventory management device to transmit the restocking request from the electronic inventory management device to an electronic scanning device of a worker at the retail facility.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one worker task event is a scan of the at least one product during a stocking of the at least product onto at least one shelf in at least one of the at least two stocking locations, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to detect that a total number of units of the at least one product scanned for stocking onto the at least one shelf in the first stocking location is inconsistent with the maximum shelf capacity of the at least one shelf at the first stocking location.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine that the total number of units of the at least one product scanned for stocking onto the at least one shelf at the second stocking location is consistent with the maximum shelf capacity of at least one shelf at the second stocking location.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to generate a restocking request for the at least one product at the second stocking location, and to cause the electronic inventory management device to transmit the restocking request to an electronic scanning device of a worker at the retail facility.

11. A method of determining stocking locations of products having more than one stocking location on a sales floor of a retail facility, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of product identifiers, each of the product identifiers being attached to or coupled to a respective one of the products on the sales floor of a retail facility;
providing a plurality of stocking location identifiers, each of the stocking location identifiers being coupled to a respective one of the stocking location on the sales floor of the retail facility;
storing, in an electronic inventory management database, product identification data indicating an identity of at least one product at the retail facility and product location data indicating a stocking location of the at least one product on the sales floor of the retail facility;
providing an electronic scanning device including at least one sensor configured to scan the product identifiers of the products and the stocking location identifiers coupled to the stocking locations;
generating, via the electronic scanning device, product identification data based on a scan of a product identifier via the at least one sensor;
transmitting, via the electronic scanning device, the generated product identification data to the electronic inventory management database for storag

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Jones Nicholaus A
• Taylor Robert J
• Jones Matthew A
• Vasgaard Aaron J

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title