Dynamic customer checkout experience within an automated shopping environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11847689-B2
Application number	US-202117412534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2021
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A system and method for a dynamic customer checkout experience within an automated shopping environment that includes generating a virtual cart for the customer through an automatic checkout system; tracking location of the customer; generating an assessment of the virtual cart; and selecting a processing mode for the customer based in part on the assessment and executing the processing mode within at least one computing device in coordination with the location of the entity.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for processing a checkout transaction for a customer while in an environment comprising:
collecting image data from an automatic checkout monitoring system with a plurality of imaging devices within the environment;
generating, through application of computer vision modeling of item and customer interactions to the image data, a virtual cart for the customer in the environment;
detecting, through processing of the image data, the customer in proximity to a checkout kiosk;
generating an assessment of the virtual cart for checkout processing;
in response to detecting the customer in proximity to the checkout kiosk, automatically transferring at least the assessment of the virtual cart to the checkout kiosk;
selecting a processing mode for the customer from a set of processing modes that includes at least an automatic checkout mode and at least one mode selected from a set comprising a facilitated checkout mode and a manual checkout mode, wherein selecting the processing mode is based in part on the assessment; and
operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode when the customer is in proximity of the checkout kiosk.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatic checkout monitoring system comprises a smart shelving system, and wherein generating the virtual cart comprises, at the smart shelving system detecting changes in inventory state; and updating the virtual cart based in part on changes in inventory state.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating an assessment of the virtual cart comprises generating an assessment based on confidence levels of the virtual cart, wherein the assessment is unqualified for the automated processing mode if any one item of the virtual cart has a confidence level below a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating an assessment of the virtual cart comprises generating an assessment based on a financial impact of issues in a virtual cart, wherein the assessment permits an automated processing mode for the virtual cart when having a potential issue if the financial impact of allowing the automated processing mode is less than a financial threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a second virtual cart for a second customer through the automatic checkout monitoring system;
detecting location of the second customer in proximity to the checkout kiosk with the customer; and
wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode comprises combining the virtual cart and the second virtual cart and performing a grouped transaction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein and wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode comprises, when in the facilitated checkout mode, entering a partial list of items in the virtual cart and highlighting, on a display of the checkout kiosk, a subset of items to check for checkout processing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein when in the manual checkout mode, operating the checkout kiosk comprises receiving manual entry of items for checkout processing.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode comprises, when in the manual checkout mode, updating a display of the checkout kiosk and directing the customer to a second checkout kiosk for manual checkout processing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode further comprises, when in the automatic checkout mode, automatically entering items of the virtual cart into the checkout kiosk for checkout processing and executing a checkout transaction for the virtual cart.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode further comprises, when in the automatic checkout mode, establishing a payment mechanism; and further comprising executing a checkout transaction for the virtual cart with the payment mechanism.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein establishing the payment mechanism comprises, at the checkout kiosk, reading a machine readable code associated with a stored payment mechanism.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing an association between the customer and a payment mechanism as detected by the computer vision modeling; and executing a checkout transaction at the checkout kiosk using the payment mechanism.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein establishing the association between the customer and the payment mechanism comprises detecting a check-in event performed by the customer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein detecting the check-in event comprises detecting entering of a credit card into a second kiosk.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating the checkout kiosk in the selected processing mode comprises, when in an automated checkout mode receiving a credit card and charging the credit card for the virtual cart after the customer leaves the store.

16. A system for checkout processing in an environment comprising:
an automatic checkout monitoring system, the automatic checkout monitoring system comprising a plurality of imaging devices within the environment and at least a first machine with a first computer-readable medium with instructions configured to:
collect image data from the plurality of imaging devices,
generate, through application of computer vision modeling of item and customer interactions to the image data, a virtual cart of a customer in an environment, and
detect, through processing of the image data, a customer in proximity to a checkout kiosk and mapping the customer to the checkout kiosk out of a set of multiple checkout kiosks in the environment;

an evaluation engine comprising a second machine with a second computer-readable medium with instructions configured to generate an assessment of the virtual cart; and
a checkout kiosk positioned within the environment and in communication with the automatic checkout monitoring system that, in response to the detection of the customer in proximity to the checkout kiosk, receives, from the automatic checkout monitoring system, a transfer of at least the assessment and operates in a checkout operating mode based in part on the assessment, and wherein the checkout station comprises at least two selectable checkout operating modes that include an automatic checkout mode and at least one mode selected from a set comprising a facilitated checkout mode and a manual checkout mode.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the automatic checkout monitoring system comprises a computer vision monitoring system with a plurality of imaging devices within the environment.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the automatic checkout monitoring system comprises a smart shelving monitoring system.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the checkout kiosk further comprises instructions configured to automatically enter items from the virtual cart into the checkout kiosk when in the automatic checkout mode.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the checkout kiosk further comprises payment card reader and instructions configured to receive payment card information and, when in an automated checkout mode, execute a checkout transaction for the virtual cart.

Assignees

• Grabango Co

Inventors

• Glaser William
• Van Osdol Brian

Classifications

• G06Q30/0635 Primary

  replenishment orders; recurring orders · CPC title

• G06Q30/0601

  Electronic shopping [e-shopping] · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G06Q40/12

  Accounting · CPC title

• G06Q90/20

  Destination assistance within a business structure or complex · CPC title