Overstock inventory management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307149-A1
Application number	US-201615096731-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems of managing overstock products at a retail sales facility include scanning a product at a stock room location of the retail sales facility using a hand-held electronic device including a processor. At least two of three functions are performed based on the scanning. First, the product may be audited by comparing data obtained by scanning the product to data contained in an inventory management database. Second, a determination of whether the scanned item is on a pick list may be made, which may include determining a demand for the scanned product to arrive at a decision whether to store the product in the stock room or place it on a shelf on the sales floor. Third, if the item is to be stored in the stock room, a determination of whether identical items are stored in bins in the stock room may be made.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of managing products at a retail sales facility, the method comprising:
scanning at least one product at a stock room location of the retail sales facility using a hand-held electronic device including a processor; performing at least two of the following functions based at least on the scanning the at least one product:
auditing the at least one product by comparing scanned data to data contained in an inventory management database;
determining if the at least one product is on a pick list; and
determining a bin location to store the at least one product.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning of the at least one product at the stock room location includes one of scanning that at least one product at the stock room location using at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, an optical reader, and a barcode reader.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning of the at least one product at the stock room location further comprises scanning the at least one product in a stocking bin at the stock room location of the retail sales facility and auditing the stocking bin containing the scanned at least one product.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining if the at least one product is on the pick list further comprises determining availability of shelf space on a sales floor at the retail sales facility by calculating a demand for the at least one product from a time of delivery of the at least one product on an immediately preceding day to a time of the scanning.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining if the at least one product is on the pick list further comprises calculating a total number of sales of the at least one product since delivery on an immediately preceding day.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining if the at least one product is on the pick list further comprising causing the hand-held electronic device to produce one of an audible alert and a visual display in response to a determination that shelf space on the sales floor of the retail sales facility is presently available for the scanned product.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising designating the scanned product for removal from being listed as located in a stocking bin at the retail sales facility in response to an acknowledgement of the audible alert or the visual display by a worker at the retail sales facility.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the bin location to store the at least one product further comprises determining whether at least one product identical to the scanned product is stored in a storage bin in the stock room location of the retail sales facility.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining whether at least one product identical to the scanned product is stored in the storage bin of the stock room location of the retail sales facility further comprises indicating a stock room location of the bin including the at least one product identical to the scanned product.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the performing of the functions based at least on the scanning of the at least one product includes analyzing the scanning of the at least one product at one or both of the hand-held device and a server in communication with the hand held device.

11 . An apparatus for managing products at a retail sales facility, the apparatus comprising:
a reader configured to scan at least one product at the retail sales facility; and a control unit including a processor programmed to perform at least two of the following functions based at least on a scan of the at least one product by the reader:
audit the at least one product by comparing scanned data to data contained in an inventory management database;
determine if the at least one product is on a pick list; and
determine a bin location to store the at least one product.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the reader includes at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, an optical reader, and a barcode reader.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processor of the control unit is programmed to audit a stocking bin at the stock room location of the retail sales facility containing the at least one product.

14 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processor of the control unit is programmed to determine availability of shelf space on a sales floor at the retail sales facility by calculating a demand for the at least one product from a time of delivery of the at least one product on an immediately preceding day to a time of the scan.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor of the control unit is programmed to calculate a total number of sales of the at least one product since delivery on an immediately preceding day.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the control unit is adapted to cause generation of one of an audible alert and a visual display in response to a determination that shelf space on the sales floor of the retail sales facility is presently available for the scanned at least one product.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the control unit is configured to designate the scanned at least one product for removal from being listed as being stored in a stocking bin in a stock room location of the retail sales facility in response to an acknowledgement of the audible alert or the visual display by a worker at the retail sales facility.

18 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether at least one product identical to the scanned product is stored in a storage bin in a stock room of the retail sales facility.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the control unit is configured to indicate a stock room location of the storage bin including the at least one product identical to the scanned product.

20 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the control unit implemented at one or both of a hand-held device coupled to the reader and a server in communication with the hand held device coupled to the reader.

21 . An apparatus for managing products at a retail sales facility, the apparatus comprising:
means for scanning at least one product at a stock room location of the retail sales facility; means for performing at least two of the following functions based at least on the scanning the at least one product:
means for auditing the at least one product by comparing scanned data to data contained in an inventory management database;
means for determining if the at least one product is on a pick list; and
means for determining a bin location to store the at least one product.

22 . A method of managing products at a retail sales facility, the method comprising:
scanning at least one product at the retail sales facility using a hand-held electronic device including a processor; determining, based at least on the scanning the at least one product, whether shelf space is available on a sales floor of the retail sales facility for the scanned at least one product by comparing scanned data to data contained in an inventory management database and indicating consumer demand for the at least one product in a predetermined interval of time; and in response to a determination that no shelf space is available for the scanned at least one product on the sales floor of the retail sales facility, determining whether items identical to the at least one scanned product are

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Jones Nicholaus Adam
• Fletter Marc Ashley
• Jones Matthew Allen
• Shields Daniel R
• Taylor Robert James

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/0877 Primary

  by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting · CPC title