System for adjusting map navigation path in retail store and method of using same

• US 10,102,564 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Pellow, Benjamin, Poplawski, Emily, Aase, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US15/266,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20170004566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 701426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A system and method includes selecting a product to be located in a retail store, obtaining a store map, the store map being indicative of a layout of the retail store, and presenting the store map overlaid with an icon and an initial navigation path on a graphical display of the mobile device, wherein the store map represents the retail store and the icon and the initial navigation path are positioned overlaid on the map to designate a physical location of the product, and suggesting at least one product on-route of the initial navigation path, adjusting the initial navigation path to include the at least one suggested product, and presenting the initial navigation path and the adjusted navigation path positioned overlaid on the store map to the mobile device for display.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer system configured to provide output of a retail store to a graphical user interface on a mobile device of a customer;

the computer system being configured to receive a request for information from the customer, to obtain a store map, the store map being indicative of a layout of the retail store, and to transmit to the graphical user interface on the mobile device a representation of the store map and one or more product records located within the layout of the retail store;

the computer system being configured to provide a list of products to the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer and icons being associated with physical locations of products of the list of products, and to present the store map overlaid with the icons of the products and an initial navigation path to a first designation on the graphical user interface on the mobile device to a first icon of the icons associated with a first product of the products, wherein the store map represents the layout of the retail store, the icons of the products and the initial navigation path to the first designation that are positioned overlaid on the store map to designate a first physical location of the first icon associated with the first product of the products, as selected, for the layout of the retail store; and

the computer system being configured to suggest a second designation including a second icon on-route of the initial navigation path, the second designation being associated with a second physical location in the retail store, the second icon comprising a recommended product located within a pre-determined proximity of the first icon, wherein the computer system changes the graphical user interface to add a second navigation path overlaid on the initial navigation path on the graphical user interface of the mobile device of the customer, and to present the initial navigation path and the second navigation path positioned to be overlaid on the store map in the graphical user interface on the mobile device, wherein the second navigation path comprises a first path from a location of the mobile device to the second designation and from the second designation to the first designation.

2. The system, as set forth in claim 1 wherein the initial navigation path and the second navigation path on the graphical user interface further comprise respective different colored navigation paths corresponding to the first and second physical locations of the first and second icons.

3. The system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the computer system includes a server having a route determination module monitoring a current location of the mobile device of the customer, acquiring the first physical location in the retail store for the first product, and providing the second navigation path from the current location to the second physical location, the second navigation path being configured for display to the customer on the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer.

4. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a server having a route determination module monitoring a current location of the customer, acquiring a physical location in the retail store for the first product, and providing the initial navigation path from the current location to the first physical location, the initial navigation path being configured for display to the customer on the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer.

5. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a map server to generate the store map showing the physical locations of the products on the store map.

6. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a product location database that stores a plurality of product waypoints corresponding to the retail store, including one or more product waypoints, each product waypoint of the plurality of product waypoints is an icon of the icons indicating a specific product in the retail store, wherein the one or more product waypoints are obtained from the product location database.

7. The system, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the computer system includes a route determination module further configured to render an image of the store map having the each product waypoint and the initial navigation path displayed therein, wherein the image, including the initial navigation path, is provided to the graphical user interface of the mobile device for display.

8. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the products, as selected, are searched within the retail store using a mobile application on the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer.

9. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the products in the retail store are provided as a list of search results based on a search query.

10. The system, as set forth in claim 9, wherein a name of a product in the products is provided as part of the search query.

11. The system, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the location of the retail store is provided as part of the search query.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system using one or more processors, a request for information from a customer, to obtain a store map, the store map being indicative of a layout of a retail store, and to transmit to a graphical user interface on a mobile device a representation of the store map and one or more product records located within the layout of the retail store;

providing, by the computer system, a list of products to the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer and icons being associated with physical locations of products of the list of products, and to present the store map overlaid with the icons of the products and an initial navigation path to a first designation on the graphical user interface on the mobile device to a first icon of the icons associated with a first product of the products, wherein the store map represents the layout of the retail store, the icons of the products and the initial navigation path to the first designation that are positioned overlaid on the store map to designate a first physical location of the first icon associated with the first product of the products, as selected, for the layout of the retail store; and

suggesting, with the computer system, a second designation including a second icon on-route of the initial navigation path, the second designation being associated with a second physical location in the retail store, the second icon comprising a recommended product located within a pre-determined proximity of the first icon, wherein the computer system changes the graphical user interface to add a second navigation path overlaid on the initial navigation path on the graphical user interface of the mobile device of the customer, and to, present the initial navigation path and the second navigation path positioned overlaid on the store map to the graphical user interface on the mobile device, wherein the second navigation path comprises a first path from a location of the mobile device to the second designation and from the second designation to the first designation.

13. The method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the initial navigation path and the second navigation path on the graphical user interface further comprise respective different colored navigation paths corresponding to the first and second physical locations of the first and second icons.

14. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

providing, with the computer system, a database containing information on each of the products within the retail store.

15. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

generating, with the computer system, the store map showing the physical locations of the products in the retail store.

16. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring, with the computer system, a current location of the mobile device of the customer, acquiring the physical location in the retail store for the first product, and providing the initial navigation path from the current location to the first physical location, the initial navigation path being configured for display to the customer on the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer.

17. The method, as set forth in claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring, with the computer system, the current location of the mobile device of the customer, acquiring the first physical location in the retail store for the first product, and providing the second navigation path from the current location to the second physical location, the second navigation path being configured for display to the customer on the graphical user interface of the mobile device of the customer.

18. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

rendering, with the computer system, an image of the store map having an icon as a product waypoint and the initial navigation path displayed therein, wherein the image, including the initial navigation path, is provided to the graphical user interface on the mobile device for display.

19. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

selecting, with the computer system, the first product within the retail store using a mobile application on the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer.

20. The method, as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

listing, with the computer system, each of the products in the retail store as search results based on a search query.

21. The method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the name of the first product is provided as part of the search query.

22. The method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the location of the retail store is provided as part of the search query.

23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

receive a request for information from a customer, to obtain a store map, the store map being indicative of a layout of a retail store, and to transmit to a graphical user interface on a mobile device a representation of the store map and one or more product records located within the layout of the retail store;

provide a list of products to the graphical user interface on the mobile device of the customer and icons being associated with physical locations of products of the list of products, and present the store map overlaid with the icons of the products and an initial navigation path to a first designation on the graphical user interface on the mobile device to a first icon of the icons associated with a first product of the products, wherein the store map represents the layout of the retail store, the icons of the products and the initial navigation path to the first designation that are positioned overlaid on the store map to designate a first physical location of the first icon associated with the first product of the products, as selected, for the layout of the retail store; and

suggest a second designation including a second icon on-route of the initial navigation path, the second designation being associated with a second physical location in the retail store, the second icon comprising a recommended product located within a pre-determined proximity of the first icon, wherein a computer system changes the graphical user interface to add a second navigation path overlaid on the initial navigation path on the graphical user interface of the mobile device of the customer, and to present the initial navigation path and the second navigation path positioned to be overlaid on the store map in the graphical user interface on the mobile device, wherein the second navigation path comprises a first path from a location of the mobile device to the second designation and from the second designation to the first designation.