Intelligently managing store inventory

• US 10,176,514 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Jim C., Konik, Rafal P., Rossiter, Ryan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brockington, III, Williams S
• Application Number:
  US15/904,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20190012725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A computer detects a user computing device when the user enters the store and receives the user'"'"'s purchase history and preference information from a database. The computer receives a list and/or recipe that the user inputs into the application. This list and/or recipe is a list of items that the user plans to purchase. The computer identifies an item on the list, determines whether the item is in stock, and generates a route through the store so the user will reach each item on his list. The computer transmits the route to the user'"'"'s computing device to be displayed.

Claims

1. A method for intelligently managing a store inventory stock, the method comprising:

detecting, by a computer, a user computing device when the user computing device enters a store;

receiving, by the computer, a user preference information from a user preference database, wherein the received user preference includes dietary restrictions;

receiving, by the computer, a list and/or a recipe inputted into an application by a user, the list and/or the recipe including a plurality of items that the user plans to purchase;

identifying using sensors, by the computer, each of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe that the user plans to purchase, wherein the sensors are registering movement of the plurality of items off a shelf in the store inventory stock and connected to the computer;

based on determining, by the computer, at least one item of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe that conflicts with the dietary restrictions from the received user preference;

notifying the user, by the computer, that the at least one item of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe conflicts with the dietary restrictions from the received user preference;

generating, by the computer, at least one substitution item for the at least one item of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe that conflicts with the dietary restrictions from the received user preference; and

replacing, by the computer, the at least one item of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe that conflicts with the dietary restrictions from the received user preference with the generated at least one substitution item;

receiving, by the computer, the store inventory stock for each of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe from an item database;

generating, by the computer, a route through the store based on a store layout map, an item placement map, and the generated at least one substitution item of the plurality of items included within the list and/or the recipe, wherein the item placement map is updated based on data from the sensors; and

transmitting, by the computer, the route to the user computing device to be displayed by a graphical user interface.