Consumer demand-based inventory management system

• US 10,176,455 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2018
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus A., Fletter, Marc A., Jones, Matthew A., Shields, Daniel R., Taylor, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/970,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• Field of Search: 235380, 235375, 235487, 235385, 23547201, 23546245
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems of managing products at a retail sales facility include scanning a product in a stocking cart at the retail sales facility using a hand-held electronic device including a processor. At least two of the following three functions may be performed based on the scanning of the product. First, the stocking cart may be audited by comparing scanned data to data contained in an inventory management database. Second, a determination of whether the 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.

Claims

1. An apparatus for evaluating whether products are to be binned into stock room bins at a retail facility or displayed on a sales floor of the 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 and configured to;

receive data from a scan of the at least one product by a worker in at least one of a stock room and a product unloading area at the retail sales facility using the reader to facilitate a determination by the control unit of whether the at least one product is to be binned into a stock room storage bin or displayed on the sales floor;

obtain a demand for the at least one product from a time products identical to the scanned at least one product were delivered to the retail facility;

estimate whether the demand for the at least one product supports displaying the at least one product on the sales floor of the retail sales facility or binning the at least one product in a stock room storage bin;

output, when the demand supports moving the at least one product from the at least one of a stock room and a product unloading area where the at least one product was scanned by the worker and displaying the at least one product on the sales floor;

an indication to the worker that there is available sales floor space for the at least one product; and

an indication of a number of units of the at least one product to be brought out from the at least one of a stock room and a product unloading area where the at least one product was scanned by the worker onto the sales floor to fill the available sales floor space for the at least one product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a signal to an inventory management database to indicate whether the at least one product is tasked to be binned in the stock room storage bin or tasked to be displayed in the available space on the sales floor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to mark, in the inventory management database, the at least one scanned product as being one of binned in the stock room storage bin and displayed on the sales floor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to estimate the demand by obtaining at least one of:

a quantity of products identical to the at least one scanned product delivered to the retail sales facility at a last delivery, a quantity of the products identical to the at least one scanned product binned in the stock room storage bin after the last delivery, a quantity of the products identical to the at least one scanned product being marked for binning in the stock room storage bin after placement of the products identical to the at least one scanned product on the sales floor of the retail sales facility, a quantity of the products identical to the scanned product sold at the retail sales facility since the last delivery, and a quantity of the products identical to the at least one scanned product removed from the stock room storage bin since the last delivery.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a display and a speaker, wherein the control unit is configured to generate at least one of an audible alert via the speaker and a visually displayed message via the display in response to a determination by the control unit that space is presently available for the at least one scanned product on a product shelf located on the sales floor of the retail sales facility.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to generate an automatic pick, from the stock room storage bin, for the number of units of the at least one product to be brought out onto the sales floor to fill the available sales floor space for the at least one product.