Systems and methods for determining products that were mis-shipped and/or improperly invoiced or uninvoiced to a retail store

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10936995-B2
Application number	US-201815884010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2018
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems for analyzing an inventory database and an accounting database of a retail store in order to detect products that were mis-shipped to the retail store, improperly invoiced to the retail store, and/or erroneously not invoiced to the retail store.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for detecting products at a retail store that were mis-shipped to the retail store or not invoiced to the retail store, the system comprising:
a stationary electronic scanning device mounted to a support proximate a product shelf in a stock room of the retail store or proximate a product shelf on a sales floor of the retail store and configured, at one or more predetermined intervals of time following delivery of a shipment of at least one product to the retail store, to scan the at least one product stocked on the product shelf in the stock room of the retail store or displayed on the product shelf on the sales floor of the retail store, the electronic scanning device including at least one sensor configured to detect a product identifier of the at least one product during the scan;
an electronic inventory management device including a processor-based control circuit and configured to receive, from the electronic scanning device and at the one or more predetermined intervals of time following delivery of the shipment of the at least one product to the retail store, electronic data identifying the at least one product scanned by the electronic scanning device,
an electronic inventory database configured to store electronic data representing inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received;
an electronic accounting database configured to store electronic data representing invoice information associated with the at least one product for which the identifying electronic data was received;
wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured, in response to receipt, from the electronic scanning device and at the one or more predetermined intervals of time following delivery of the shipment of the at least one product to the retail store, of the electronic data identifying the at least one product scanned by the electronic scanning device, to:
obtain, from the electronic inventory database, the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received;
obtain, from the electronic accounting database, the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received;
compare the electronic data obtained from the electronic inventory database to the electronic data obtained from the electronic accounting database;
determine whether the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received is consistent with the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received; and
generate an alert, in response to a determination, by the electronic inventory management device, that a discrepancy exists between the electronic data representing inventory information associated with the at least one product for which the identifying electronic data was received and the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which the identifying electronic data was received.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to obtain, from the electronic inventory database, electronic data indicating: an initial inventory of the at least one product at the retail store at a start of a selected predetermined interval of time; a total number of units of the at least one product shipped to the retail store from the start of the selected predetermined interval of time to a present time; a total number of units of the at least one product sold at the retail store from the start of the selected predetermined interval of time to the present time; and a total number of units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store at the present time.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to:
add the initial inventory of the at least one product at the retail store at a start of a selected predetermined interval of time to the total number of units of the at least one product shipped to the retail store from the start of the selected predetermined interval of time to a present time to obtain a first sum;
add the total number of units of the at least one product sold at the retail store from the start of the selected predetermined interval of time to the present time to the total number of units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store at the present time to obtain a second sum; and
compare the first sum to the second sum.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to:
determine that the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received is not consistent with the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received when the second sum is greater than the first sum; and
determine that the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received is consistent with the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received when the second sum is less than the first sum.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to:
obtain electronic data indicating: a total number of units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store at the present time and a cost to the retail store associated with each of the units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store;
obtain electronic data indicating a total book inventory amount associated with the units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store; and
subtract a product of the total number of units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store at the present time and the cost to the retail store associated with each of the units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store from the total book inventory amount associated with the units of the at least one product in stock at the retail store.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to:
determine that the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received is not consistent with the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received when the subtracting step results in a number less than zero; and
determine that the electronic data representing the inventory information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received is consistent with the electronic data representing the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received when the subtracting step results in zero.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is configured to:
analyze the invoice information associated with the at least one product for which identifying electronic data was received;
detect, in the invoice information, an indication that the invoice information is invalid with respect to the retail store where the at least one product was scanned by the ele

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Bryan Greg A
• Brooks Cristy C
• Enssle Benjamin D
• Brightwell David B

Classifications

• G06K7/1417

  2D bar codes · CPC title

• G06Q10/0875 Primary

  Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials · CPC title

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title