Systems and methods for monitoring featured product inventory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017193438-A1
Application number	US-201715397918-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems of monitoring featured product displays at retail sales facilities are described. For one or more products received at a retail sales facility and designated as a product for a featured product display at the retail sales facility, a predetermined time interval is set from a delivery time of the one or more products to the retail sales facility to a time for generating an indication that the one or more products has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility. Then after the expiration of the predetermined time interval, electronic data is generated indicating that the one or more products delivered to the retail sales facility has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of monitoring featured product displays at retail sales facilities, the method comprising:
receiving at least one product at a retail sales facility, the at least one product being designated as a product for a featured product displays at the retail sales facility; setting, using an electronic inventory management device, a predetermined time interval from a time the at least one product was received at the retail sales facility to a time for generating an indication that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility; and generating, using the electronic inventory management device and after an expiration of the predetermined time interval, electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the electronic inventory management device, electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been received at the retail sales facility.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving, at the electronic inventory management device, electronic data from the retail sales location indicating one of:
that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been placed into a stock room bin at the retail sales facility; and that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been picked from the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating the electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility in response to the electronic inventory management device not receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been placed into the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating the electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility in response to the electronic inventory management device receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been picked from the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating, at the electronic inventory management device, an electronic non-compliance alert in response to receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility for the featured product display has been placed into the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising transmitting, from the electronic inventory management device and in response to the generation of the electronic non-compliance alert, an electronic notification of non-compliance to an electronic device at the retail sales facility.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is at a location remote to the retail sales location and is configured to receive electronic data regarding the at least one product received at the retail sales facility for the featured product display in response to a worker at the retail facility scanning the at least one product at the retail sales facility using an electronic hand-held device.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the designating step includes providing unique identifying indicia on the at least one product, the unique identifying indicia indicating that that at least one product is to be set on the featured product display.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the unique identifying indicia of the at least one product includes at least one of a label visible to a worker at the retail sales facility, barcode data, image recognition data, and radio frequency identification (RFID) data.

11 . A system for monitoring featured product displays at retail sales facilities, the system comprising:
an electronic inventory management device including a processor-based control unit, the control unit configured to:
record receipt of at least one product at a retail sales facility, the at least one product being designated as a product for a featured product display;
set a predetermined time interval from a time of receipt of the at least one product at the retail sales facility to a time for generating an indication that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility; and
generate, after an expiration of the predetermined time interval, electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the control unit is further configured to receive electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been received at the retail sales facility.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the control unit is further configured to receive electronic data from the retail sales location indicating one of:
that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been placed into a stock room bin at the retail sales facility; and that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been picked from the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the control unit is further configured to generate the electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility in response to the electronic inventory management device not receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been placed into the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the control unit is further configured to generate the electronic data indicating that the at least one product has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility in response to the electronic inventory management device receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility has been picked from the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the control unit is further configured to generate an electronic non-compliance alert in response to receiving, during the predetermined time interval, the electronic data indicating that the at least one product received at the retail sales facility for the featured product display has been placed into the stock room bin at the retail sales facility.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the control unit is further configured to transmit, in response to the generation of the electronic non-compliance alert, an electronic notification of non-compliance to an electronic device at the retail sales facility.

18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the electronic inventory management device is at a location remote to the retail sales location and is configured to receive electronic data

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Jones Matthew A
• Jones Nicholaus A
• Taylor Robert J
• Vasgaard Aaron J

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• G06K7/10366

  the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications · CPC title

• G06Q30/0251

  Targeted advertisements · CPC title

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title

• G06K17/0022

  arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device ("transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L) · CPC title