System and method for perpetual inventory management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11797929-B2
Application number	US-202117341549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2021
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

A perpetual inventory (PI) value associated with the selected product and a last PI adjustment time that indicates when the retail store last adjusted the PI value are received. The PI value of the selected product is compared to the back room quantity value of the selected product, and a time when the back room quantity value becomes greater than the PI value for the selected product is determined. An adjustment to the PI of the selected product is blocked when the PI adjustment time is after the time. When the back room quantity value is greater than the PI value and the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the PI value is adjusted to be the back room quantity value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system that is configured to manage perpetual inventory (PI) values of products in a back room or other area of a retail store, the system comprising:
one or more sensors disposed at the back room of a first retail store, the sensors being configured to obtain scans of products in the back room of the first retail store;
a network coupled to the one or more sensors;
a database configured to store a perpetual inventory (PI) value for the selected product, the scans, and a last PI adjustment time, the PI value being the amount of selected product in the first retail store;
wherein the PI value changes as products are sold and physically removed by customers from shelving at the first retail store and as products physically arrive in a shipment at the first retail store, wherein the last PI adjustment time is measured from any time when the products were sold and removed from the first retail store and when the shipment arrived;
a control circuit and coupled to the network and the database, the control circuit including a processing device and being configured to execute computer instructions on the processing device, the computer instructions being effective to:
obtain the PI value and the last PI adjustment time from the database;
obtain the scans and analyze the scans to determine a back room quantity value for a selected product in the back room, wherein the back room quantity value indicates the amount of the selected product in the back room;
compare the PI value of the selected product to the back room quantity value of the selected product, and determine a time when the back room quantity value becomes greater than the PI value for the selected product;
block the adjustment to the PI value of the selected product when the last PI adjustment time is after the time;
when the back room quantity value is greater than the PI value and the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, adjust the PI value to be the back room quantity value, and transmit the adjusted PI value to the first retail store via the network;

wherein the PI value is utilized to order products for the first retail store and the products are shipped to the first retail store.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer instructions are effective to, when a PI adjustment for the selected product has been blocked in a second retail store because of an audit, block the PI adjustment for the selected product in the first retail store.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the control circuit sends a message to send at least some of the selected product to a distribution center or another retail store.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the control circuit sends an alert message to a store employee.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first retail store sends a plurality of data records including PI values and back room quantity value of products.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit only processes the records after a predetermined number of records is received.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the number changes over time.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the number is fixed.

9. A method for managing perpetual inventory (PI) values of products in a back room or other area of a retail store, the back room not being accessible to the general public, the method comprising:
obtaining product scans of products by one or more sensors at a first retail store, the products being disposed at a back room of the first retail store;
transmitting the scans from the first retail store to a database via a network;
storing in the database a perpetual inventory (PI) value for a selected product, the scans, and a last PI adjustment time, the PI value being the amount of selected product in the first retail store;
wherein the PI value changes as products are sold and physically removed by customers from shelving at the first retail store and as products physically arrive in a shipment at the first retail store, wherein the last PI adjustment time is measured from any time when the products were sold and removed from the first retail store and when the shipment arrived;
at a control circuit, the control circuit including a processing device and being configured to execute computer instructions on the processing device, the computer instructions:
obtaining the PI value and the last PI adjustment time from the database,
obtaining the scans and analyzing the scans to determine a back room quantity value for a selected product in the back room;
comparing the PI value of the selected product to the back room quantity value of the selected product, and determining a time when the back room quantity value becomes greater than the PI value for the selected product, wherein the back room quantity indicates the amount of the selected product in the back room;
blocking the adjustment to the PI value of the selected product when the last PI adjustment time is after the time;
when the back room quantity value is greater than the PI value and the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, adjusting the PI value to be the back room quantity value, and transmitting the adjusted PI value to the first retail store via the network;

wherein the PI value is utilized to order products for the first retail store and the products are shipped to the first retail store.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, when a PI adjustment for the selected product has been blocked in a second retail store because of an audit, the control circuit blocks the PI adjustment for the selected product in the first retail store.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein when the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the control circuit sends a message to send at least some of the selected product to a distribution center or another retail store.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein when the adjustment to the PI value is unblocked, the control circuit sends an alert message to a store employee.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first retail store sends a plurality of data records including PI values and back room quantity value of products.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control circuit only processes the records after a predetermined number of records is received.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the number changes over time.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the number is fixed.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Bryan Greg A
• Brooks Cristy C
• Brightwell David Blair
• Enssle Benjamin D
• Jones Matthew A
• Eaton Jesse L

Classifications

• G06Q10/0875 Primary

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

• G06F16/2358

  Change logging, detection, and notification (replication G06F16/27) · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title