Systems and methods for automated checkout in a retail facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019355049-A1
Application number	US-201916418286-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 21, 2019
Priority date	May 21, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some embodiments, a system for providing automated checkout at a retail facility comprises a plurality of portable RFID devices distributed to customers, a plurality of RFID readers configured to read the portable RFID devices, a plurality of cameras configured to capture images of products, and a control circuit configured to receive an indication of a membership identifier, receive an indication of a number of people in a group, associate the number of portable RFID devices with the membership identifier, wherein each person in the group receives one of the portable RFID devices, determine that an product has been selected, determine that one of the people in the group selected the product, update a virtual shopping cart based on the selection of the product, determine that a trigger condition has occurred, and automatically charge the customer for contents of the virtual shopping cart.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for providing automated checkout at a retail facility, the system comprising:
a plurality of portable radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, wherein each portable RFID device of the plurality of portable RFID devices includes an RFID tag, and wherein the plurality portable RFID devices are distributed to customers as the customers enter the retail facility; a plurality of RFID readers, the plurality of RFID readers located about the retail facility, wherein the plurality of RFID readers is configured to read the RFID tags included with the plurality of portable RFID devices; a plurality of cameras, the plurality of cameras located on product display units in the retail facility, wherein the plurality of cameras is configured to capture images of products on the product display units; and a control circuit, the control circuit communicatively coupled to the plurality of RFID readers and the plurality of cameras, wherein the control circuit is configured to:
receive an indication of a membership identifier associated with a customer;
receive, from the customer, an indication of a number of people in a group associated with the customer;
associate the number of portable RFID devices with the membership identifier associated with the customer, wherein each person in the group associated with the customer receives one of the number of portable RFID devices;
determine, based on input received from at least one of the plurality of cameras, that an product has been selected;
determine, based on input from at least one of the RFID readers, that one of the people in the group associated with the customer selected the product;
update a virtual shopping cart based on the selection of the product, wherein the virtual shopping cart is associated with the group associated with the customer;
determine that a trigger condition has occurred; and
in response to the determination that the trigger condition has occurred, automatically charge the customer for contents of the virtual shopping cart.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of weight sensors, the plurality of weight sensors located on the product display units, wherein the plurality of weight sensors is configured to monitor weight of products on the product display units.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
receive, from at least one of the plurality of weight sensors, a measurement; and determine, based on the measurement, a quantity of the product selected.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
determine, based on second input from at least one of the plurality of cameras, that the product has been returned to a shelf; and update the virtual shopping cart to remove the product from the virtual shopping cart.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the trigger condition is receipt of an indication that the number of portable RFID devices has been returned.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a smart cart, wherein the smart cart includes at least one of cameras and RFID readers, wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
receive, from the smart cart, an indication of the product; and verify that the product has been placed in the smart cart.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
determine a location of the smart cart.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the trigger condition is based on the location of the smart cart.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the membership identifier associated with the customer is received from a device associated with the customer.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the determination that one of the people in the group selected the product is based on one or more of a location of the one of the people in the group and an image captured of the one of the people in the group.

11 . A method for providing automated checkout at a retail facility, the method comprising:
receiving, at a control circuit, an indication of a membership identifier associated with a customer; receiving, at the control circuit, an indication of a number of people in a group associated with the customer; associating, by the control circuit, the number of portable radio frequency identification (RFID) devices with the membership identifier associated with the customer, wherein each person in the group associated with the customer receives one of the number of portable RFID devices, wherein each of the number of portable RFID devices includes an RFID tag; determining, by the control circuit based on input received from a camera, that an product has been selected, wherein the camera is located on a product display unit; determining, by the control circuit based on input received from an RFID reader, that one of the people in the group selected the product, wherein the RFID reader is part of a plurality of RFID readers located about the retail facility; updating, by the control circuit, a virtual shopping cart based on the selection of the product, wherein the virtual shopping cart is associated with the group associated with the customer; determining, by the control circuit, that a trigger condition has occurred; and in response to the determining that the trigger condition has occurred, automatically charging the customer for contents of the virtual shopping cart.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, from a weight sensor, a measurement, wherein the weight sensor is located on the product display unit; and determining, based on the measurement, a quantity of the product selected.

13 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining, based on second input from the camera, that the product has been returned to a product display unit; and updating the virtual shopping cart to remove the product from the virtual shopping cart.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the trigger condition is receipt of an indication that the number of portable RFID devices has been returned.

15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, from a smart cart, an indication of the product; and verifying, by the control circuit, that the product has been placed in the smart cart.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
determining, by the control circuit based on an RFID read, a location of the smart cart.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the trigger condition is based on the location of the smart cart.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the indication of the membership identifier associated with the customer is received from a device associated with the customer.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining that one of the people in the group selected the product is based on one or more of a location of the one of the people in the group and an image captured of the one of the people in the group.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Kulkarni Wadhonkar Mangesh N
• Ravindran Anandh

Classifications

• G07G1/009

  the reader being an RFID reader · CPC title

• G06Q20/208

  Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title

• G06K17/00

  Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations · CPC title

• G06K7/10009

  sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves · CPC title