System and method for tracking

• US 10,268,855 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2018
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: High, Donald R., McHale, Brian Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US16/003,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20180293417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10762 Relative movement
• 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: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for tracking people in a retail store. The system uses the retail store'"'"'s digital map, video cameras, unique identifiers, video analytics, geo location technology and a customer'"'"'s mobile device. The unique identifiers may be labels on hats using, for example, invisible ink or magnetic ink. The digital map of the retail store is used to track people. The user of the tracking system is able to track their party throughout the store even if the other people in the party do not have a mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for a customer in a retail store of tracking at least one additional person comprising:

a tracking application for a mobile computing device of the customer;

a unique code for each of the at least one additional person, wherein the unique code is activated on the mobile computing device of the customer by first scanning the unique code and associating the unique code with the tracking application; and

video location technology for tracking by the customer of the at least one additional person on the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique code is on a garment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique code is on a self stick label.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique code is anonymous.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique code is in invisible ink or magnetic ink.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the video location technology includes the retail store'"'"'s video surveillance cameras, a central computer system, video analytics, and digital store mapping.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the unique code is identified by the retail store'"'"'s video surveillance cameras.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the digital store mapping is of the retail store.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer is outside the retail store when tracking the at least one additional person.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique code works only in the retail store.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer is also provided a unique code visible with video recognition.