Display case door with interior facing camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12303045-B1
Application number	US-202318354064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 18, 2023
Priority date	Oct 3, 2018
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

One broad aspect of the invention features a display case door. The display case door includes a transparent panel assembly, hinges, a camera, and a sensor. The hinges are coupled at a first peripheral edge of the transparent panel assembly. The camera is coupled to the transparent panel proximate to a second peripheral edge of the transparent panel assembly opposite the first peripheral edge. The camera is arranged to capture images of the interior of a display case with the display case door mounted to the display case. The sensor is coupled to the transparent panel assembly, and is in electronic communication with the camera. The sensor is configured to generate a signal that indicates that the display case door is in an open position. The camera is configured to capture an image of the interior of the display case based on the signal generated by the sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a display case door configured to be mounted to a display case;
a camera mounted inside a cavity on the display case door and arranged to capture images of an interior of the display case, the camera oriented at an oblique angle relative to a surface of the display case door such that, when mounted to the display case, a field of view of the camera is aimed at the interior of the display case when the display case door is pivoted open by a distance that corresponds with the oblique angle;
a sensor coupled to the display case door and in electronic communication with the camera, the sensor configured to signal the camera to capture one or more images of the interior the display case in response to detecting movement of the display case door; and
an inventory management system communicably coupled to the camera, wherein the one or more images captured by the camera are processed by the inventory management system to determine one or more out-of stock items or a low stock items in the display case.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inventory management system is configured to transmit an electronic notification to a remote computing device in response to determining one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items in the display case.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the electronic notification comprises information related to at least one of an identity of the out-of-stock items or low stock item, a quantity of the out-of-stock items or low stock item, or a location of the out-of-stock items or low stock item.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to trigger electronic advertising in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating movement of the display case door.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inventory management system is configured to process the one or more images captured by the camera using one or more object recognition algorithms.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is arranged to capture images of the interior of the display case through a transparent panel mounted to the display case door.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured to signal the camera to capture one or more images of the interior of the display case upon detecting that the display case door is open by a threshold amount.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein signaling the camera to capture one or more images of the interior of the display case upon detecting that the display case door is open by a threshold amount ensures that at least a majority of the interior of the display case is within a field of view of the camera when the image is captured.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein signaling the camera to capture an image of the interior the display case comprises signaling the camera to capture multiple images.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured such that it does not generate signals used to control operations of the camera when the display case door is in a closed position.

12. A computer-implemented door camera control method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:
obtaining, from a sensor mounted on a display case door, a signal indicating movement of the display case door;
in response to receiving the signal, initiating a camera coupled to the display case door and triggering the camera to capture one or more images of an interior of a display case to which the display case door is mounted, wherein the camera is oriented at an oblique angle relative to a surface of the display case door such that a field of view of the camera is aimed at an interior of the display case when the display case door is pivoted by a distance that corresponds with the oblique angle; and
processing the one or more images captured by the camera are to determine one or more out-of stock items or low stock items in the display case,
wherein the camera arranged within a cavity on the display case door, and
wherein the sensor is configured such that it does not generate signals used to control operations of the camera when the display case door is in a closed position.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, in response to determining one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items in the display case, transmitting an electronic notification to a remote computing device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electronic notification comprises information related to at least one of an identity of the one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items, a quantity of the one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items, or a location of the one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising triggering electronic advertising in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating movement of the display case door.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein processing the one or more images captured by the camera comprises processing the one or more images using one or more object recognition algorithms.

17. A display case door camera control system comprising:
a display case door configured to be mounted to a display case;
a means for capturing image data, the means mounted inside a cavity on the display case door and arranged to capture image data of an interior of the display case through a transparent panel mounted to the display case door, the means being oriented at an oblique angle relative to a surface of the display case door such that, when mounted to the display case, a field of view of the means is aimed at the interior of the display case when the display case door is pivoted open by a distance that corresponds with the oblique angle; and
a sensor coupled to the display case door and in electronic communication with the means for capturing image data, the sensor configured to signal the means to capture one or more images of the interior of the display case in response to detecting movement of the display case door.

18. The display case door camera control system of claim 17 , further comprising an inventory management system that is configured to transmit an electronic notification to a remote computing device in response to determining one or more out-of-stock items or low stock items in the display case.

19. The display case door camera control system of claim 17 , wherein the display case door camera control system is configured to trigger electronic advertising in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating movement of the door.

20. The display case door camera control system of claim 17 , further comprising an inventory management system that is configured to process the one or more images captured by the camera using one or more object recognition algorithms.

Assignees

• Anthony Inc

Inventors

• Rolek Matthew

Classifications

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• E06B3/6612

  Evacuated glazing units · CPC title

• H04N7/188

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• G01P13/00

  Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement (electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00) · CPC title

• E06B3/36

  with a single vertical axis of rotation at one side of the opening, or swinging through the opening (wings requiring lifting before opening E06B3/52) · CPC title