Notification system and methods for use in retail environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10853856-B2
Application number	US-201213490279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2012
Priority date	Jun 6, 2011
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments herein include novel ways of alerting store personnel when various activities, events, conditions, etc., occur at the checkout in retail establishments. For example, in accordance with one embodiment, the alerting can take place in substantially real-time, when the event occurs, allowing personnel to take appropriate measures, corrective or otherwise, to deal with the detected event. Examples of such events may include situations such as when a person of interest is detected as shopping at the store, when a cashier has missed scanning an item at the checkout, or to alert store personnel if a non-empty shopping cart has exited the store without payment (a.k.a., a cart push-out). Although the discussion below uses a grocery store as an example retail environment, embodiments herein can be used in any type of retail environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
in a computer system having at least a processor and a memory, monitoring data generated in a retail environment, the monitored data including at least one or more captured video images of a customer during a POS (Point of Sale) transaction occurring in the retail environment;
in the computer system, performing a facial recognition analysis of the one or more video images captured during the POS transaction, to identity the customer and determine whether the identified customer is included in a watch list;
in the computer system, identifying the customer and a store representative as participants involved in the transaction occurring in the retail environment based on the monitored data, the monitored data including at least facial recognition data obtained from the facial recognition analysis of the customer;
in the computer system, analyzing the watch list to identify whether a combination including the customer and the store representative are included in the watch list, the watch list including identities of multiple persons, the identities of the multiple persons included in the watch list based on detection of corresponding suspicious behavior associated with the multiple persons prior to the transaction;
in the computer system, detecting a cart pushout event by identifying video data indicating a cart operated by the customer is leaving or attempting to leave a particular area identified from predetermined areas of the retail environment that are monitored through the at least one or more of the captured images, identified by the video data, and wherein the cart comprises at least one item which was not properly recorded during the POS transaction, and wherein the particular area is identified from the predetermined areas comprising: a bypass path used to exit the retail environment by bypassing the checkout lanes, an ingress pathway used to enter the retail establishment with the customer leaving the retail environment through the ingress pathway, inactive checkout lanes having no transaction logs for any on-going transactions, and a POS checkout lane having a POS transaction log for the POS transaction;
responsive to detecting that a combination including the customer and the store representative is specified in the watch list of the retail environment, in the computer system, and responsive to detecting the cart pushout event, generating a notification to alert retail personnel;
in the computer system, electronically transmitting the notification, the notification indicating presence of the customer in the retail environment;
prior to the customer exiting the retail environment, in the computer system, transmitting the notification to retail personnel,
the notification indicating to the retail personnel that the customer is included on the watch list;
prior to the transaction, in the computer system, producing the watch list to include an identity of the customer based on detecting occurrence of suspicious activity associated with the customer while the customer is in the retail environment; and
wherein the notification is generated in a first stage as a preliminary alert, and in the computer system, processing a second stage prior to transmitting the notification that validates the preliminary alert associated with the notification, wherein during the second stage, real-time data feeds produced in the retail environment are provided as first inputs to the second stage and validation results are provided by human validation as second inputs to the second stage, wherein the second inputs represent a validation feedback.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein, in the computer system, monitoring the data generated in the retail environment includes monitoring point of sale data produced by a checkout terminal in the retail environment, the customer inputting personal information to the checkout terminal; and
wherein identifying the customer includes processing the personal information to determine an identity of the customer.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the data includes point of sale data generated during the transaction.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
in the computer system, transmitting the notification to an alarm system in the retail environment, the notification causing the alarm system to produce an alert to at least the customer in the retail environment.

5. The method as in claim 4 , wherein the alarm system is a pedestal designed to simulate the appearance and operation of an EAS (Electronic Article Security) pedestal.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the data is point of sale data identifying the customer, the identifying based on at least one resource in the group consisting of:
a customer loyalty card assigned to the customer,
a credit card used by the customer, and
an analysis of items purchased by the customer during the transaction.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
in the computer system, transmitting the notification to retail personnel in the retail environment, the retail personnel selected from the group consisting of:
a particular person,
a particular department,
a member of a security personnel in the retail environment, and
a remote video analyst.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the notification is of a type selected from the group consisting of:
an SMS text message,
an e-mail message,
a command activating an alarm system located at an exit of a store alerting exiting customers of a potential security breach associated with the transaction,
a notification indicating to an employee in the retail environment to pay attention to the customer in a self-checkout lane,
a customer service notification indicating to an employee in the retail environment to provide assistance to the customer in a self-checkout lane,
a command to halt the transaction,
an alert message directed to a point of sale system, and
an alert message directed to a self-checkout.

9. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
in the computer system, producing the notification to include a resource type selected from the group consisting of: text, a link to remotely available data, and video data.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the store representative is a self-checkout assistant cashier overseeing a self-checkout lane used by the customer.

11. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the transaction occurs in a self-checkout lane in the retail environment.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the transaction occurs in a manned-checkout lane in the retail environment.

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the transaction occurs using a mobile checkout device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the notification to alert retail personnel further includes:
in the computer system, identifying a grouping of multiple parties including the customer involved in the transaction based on data received from one or more feeds of the monitored data, the grouping including:
the customer; and
the store representative facilitating the transaction; and
in the computer system detecting that the combination or pair including the customer and the store representative are specified in the watch list.

15. A method comprising:
in a computer system having at least a processor and a memory, monitoring data generated in a retail environment, the monitored data including at least one or more captured video images of a customer during a POS (Point of Sale) transaction occurring in the retail environment;
in the computer system, performing a facial recognition analysis of the one or more vide

Assignees

• Kundu Malay
• Migdal Joshua
• Morrin James
• Farrow Matthew
• Ncr Corp

Inventors

• Kundu Malay
• Migdal Joshua
• Morrin James
• Farrow Matthew

Classifications

• G06Q20/208

  Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing · CPC title

• G06Q30/06 Primary

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G07G1/0036

  Checkout procedures · 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