Systems and methods for auditing retail inventory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026099814-A1
Application number	US-202519349354-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2025
Priority date	Oct 3, 2024
Publication date	Apr 9, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to audit retail inventory. In some embodiments, a system includes an application executing on an electronic user device that displays an image showing a plurality of cases positioned at a storage location of a storage area. The system augments the image with a first indicator case overlay positioned over a portion of each case that is not associated with the storage location in an inventory database, receive a user selection of at least one case that has been augmented with the first indicator case overlay, output signaling to cause the inventory database to associate the at least one case with the storage location, and augment the image to replace the first indicator case overlay with a second indicator case overlay positioned over the portion of the at least one case having been selected.

First claim

1 . A system for auditing retail inventory, the system comprising:
an application configured to be stored in a memory of an electronic user device and be executed by a control circuit of the electronic user device, wherein when executed, the application provides a user interface on the electronic user device, the application configured to:
display an image of a storage area on a display screen of the electronic user device, wherein the image includes a storage location and a plurality of cases positioned at the storage location, wherein the plurality of cases have machine detectable identifiers;
augment the image with a first indicator case overlay positioned over a portion of each of the plurality of cases that are not associated with the storage location in an inventory database;
receive a user selection of at least one case that has been augmented with the first indicator case overlay;
output signaling to cause the inventory database to associate the at least one case with the storage location; and
augment the image to replace the first indicator case overlay with a second indicator case overlay positioned over the portion of the at least one case having been selected, the second indicator case overlay indicating to a user that the at least one case is associated with the storage location in the inventory database.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the application is further configured to augment the image with the second indicator case overlay positioned over a portion of each of the plurality of cases that are associated with the storage location in the inventory database.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a visual look of the first indicator case overlay is different from a visual look of the second indicator case overlay by at least one of: color, shape, and associated symbol.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the image depicts a second storage area, and wherein the application is further configured to:
receive a second user selection of at least one case that has been augmented with the second indicator case overlay; output a second signaling to cause the inventory database to reassociate the at least one case that has been augmented with the second indicator case overlay from the storage area to the second storage area.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the application is further configured to augment the image with a storage location overlay positioned over a portion of the storage location.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the application is further configured to:
overlay the storage location overlay over a location label of the storage area depicted on the image, the location label indicating an identifiable information of the storage area; and overlay the first indicator case overlay over a machine detectable identifier of a corresponding case of the plurality of cases.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the application is further configured to receive a user selection of the storage location overlay to cause the application to augment the image with the first indicator case overlay positioned over the portion of each of the plurality of cases that are not associated with the storage location in the inventory database.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a machine detectable identifier comprises a machine-readable code comprising Universal Product Code (UPC).

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the storage area comprises one of a shelf, a rack, and a pallet.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the image comprises one of:
a static image of the storage area captured by an image capture device, and once captured, the static image is independent of a view of the image capture device; and a live image of the storage area captured by the image capture device, the live image changing in response to the view of the image capture device.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the application is further configured to display a selection feature that enables a user to simultaneously select all cases that have been augmented with the first indicator case overlay.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the application is further configured to display the image having a first portion and a second portion, wherein cases that have been augmented with the first indicator case overlay and enclosed within the first portion of the image are available to be selected by a user.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first portion of the image is resizable to dynamically change a range of cases enclosed within the first portion of the image and augmented with the first indicator case overlay.

14 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a remote control circuit communicatively coupled to the inventory database, the remote control circuit configured to update the inventory database to associate the at least one case with the storage location upon a receipt of the signaling from the application.

15 . A method for auditing retail inventory, the method comprising:
displaying, by an application stored in a memory of an electronic user device and when executed by a control circuit of the electronic user device, an image of a storage area on a display screen of the electronic user device, wherein the image includes a storage location and a plurality of cases positioned at the storage location, wherein the plurality of cases have machine detectable identifiers; augmenting, by the application, the image with a first indicator case overlay positioned over a portion of each of the plurality of cases that are not associated with the storage location in an inventory database; receiving, by the application, a user selection of at least one case that has been augmented with the first indicator case overlay; outputting, by the application, signaling to cause the inventory database to associate the at least one case with the storage location; and augmenting, by the application, the image to replace the first indicator case overlay with a second indicator case overlay positioned over the portion of the at least one case having been selected, the second indicator case overlay indicating to a user that the at least one case is associated with the storage location in the inventory database.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the image depicts a second storage area, and further comprising:
receiving, by the application, a second user selection of at least one case that has been augmented with the second indicator case overlay; outputting, by application, a second signaling to cause the inventory database to reassociate the at least one case that has been augmented with the second indicator case overlay from the storage area to the second storage area.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising augmenting, by the application, the image with a storage location overlay positioned over a portion of the storage location.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving, by the application, a user selection of the storage location overlay to cause the application to augment the image with the first indicator case overlay positioned over the portion of each of the plurality of cases that are not associated with the storage location in the inventory database.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the image comprises one of:
a static image of the storage area captured by an image capture device, and once captured, the static image is independent of a view of the image capture device; and a live image of the storage area captured by the image capture device, the live image changing in response to the vie

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Sannes Morgan J
• Bajoria Arpan
• Raghuram Thanmaya B
• RAMASWAMY SRINIVASA Ramanujam
• Chinnappa Prerana
• Kumar Manish
• Kumar Sindiri S
• Kaushik Naman
• Saini Kushagra
• Sharma Rohit
• AGGARWAL Pranav

Classifications

• G06Q10/08772 Primary

  Inventory counting methods · CPC title