Methods and systems for managing stock room bin audits at retail sales facilities

• US 10,289,976 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus A., Taylor, Robert J., Jones, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Nathan A
• Application Number:
  US15/342,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20170132560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems of managing bins audits in a stock room of a retail sales facility include generating at least one bin audit management factor for the bins at the retail sales facility. The bin audit management factor can include an amount of time a total number of products stored in the bin does not change; a number of times a one product is binned or picked from the bin, a number of products stored in the bin; and an accuracy percentage of a worker at the retail sales facility during a preceding audit of the bin. Based on whether the value of one or more of the bin audit management factors meets a predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of a bin, an indication to a worker at the retail sales facility is generated as to whether that bin is to be audited or not.

Claims

1. A method of managing a number of audits of bins storing products at a stock room location of a retail sales facility, the method comprising:

providing a mobile electronic device of a worker, the mobile electronic device including at least one of a display, a speaker, and a scanner configured to scan identifying indicia of the products at the stock room location of the retail sales facility;

generating, using an electronic inventory management device including a processor, at least one bin audit management factor for at least one bin at the retail sales facility, wherein the at least one bin audit management factor comprises at least one of;

an amount of time a total number of products stored in the at least one bin does not change;

a number of times at least one product is binned or picked from the at least one bin, a number of products stored in the at least one bin; and

an accuracy percentage of the worker at the retail sales facility during a preceding audit of the at least one bin;

storing the at least one bin audit management factor generated by the electronic inventory management device in an electronic inventory management database the electronic inventory management database being stored on a server in communication with the electronic inventory management device and the mobile electronic device of the worker at the retail sales facility;

obtaining, using the electronic inventory management device, the at least one bin audit management factor for the at least one bin from the electronic inventory management database, and determining, via the processor of the electronic inventory management device, whether at least one threshold value for the at least one bin audit management factor obtained from the electronic inventory management database meets a predetermined threshold value, stored in the electronic inventory management database, that supports auditing the at least one bin;

setting the predetermined threshold value for the number of products stored in the at least one bin based on a determination, by the processor of the electronic inventory management device, of whether the products stored in the at least one bin are stored as pallets, cases, or eaches;

generating, using the processor of the electronic inventory management device, an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility whether the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin; and

when the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin, transmitting, from the electronic inventory management device, a signal to the electronic mobile device of the worker at the retail sales facility, the signal causing the electronic mobile device of the worker to notify the worker to audit the at least one bin by generating one of a visual indication on the display and an audible indication via the speaker;

when the determining step does not support the auditing of the at least one bin, transmitting, from the electronic inventory management device, a signal to the electronic mobile device of the worker at the retail sales facility, the signal restricting the worker from auditing the at least one bin by disabling the scanner of the electronic mobile device of the worker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further includes generating an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that at least two threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further includes generating an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that at least three threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further includes generating an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that all threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further includes, when the determining step supports the auditing of the at least one bin, outputting an indication to the worker that the at least one bin is to be audited, and when the determining step does not support the auditing of the at least one bin, an indication to the worker that the at least one bin is not to be audited.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting a number of products stored in the at least one bin when the determining step does not support the auditing of the at least one bin.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the predetermined threshold value for the at least one bin audit management factors based on at least one previous auditing of the at least one bin.

8. A system for managing a number of audits of bins storing products at a stock room location of a retail sales facility, the system comprising:

a mobile electronic device of a worker, the mobile electronic device including at least one of a display, a speaker, and a scanner configured to scan identifying indicia of the products at the stock room location of the retail sales facility;

an electronic inventory management database stored on a server and being in communication with the mobile electronic device of the worker and being configured to store at least one bin audit management factor for at least one bin at the retail sales facility; and

an electronic inventory management device including a control unit having a processor, the electronic inventory management device being in communication with the electronic inventory management database and the electronic mobile device of the worker, wherein the processor of the electronic inventory management device is programmed to;

generate at least one bin audit management factor for at least one bin at the retail sales facility, wherein the at least one bin audit management factor comprises at least one of;

an amount of time a total number of products stored in the at least one bin does not change;

a number of times at least one product is binned or picked from the at least one bin, a number of products stored in the at least one bin; and

an accuracy percentage of the worker at the retail sales facility during a preceding audit of the at least one bin;

obtain, the at least one bin audit management factor for the at least one bin from the electronic inventory management database, and determine whether at least one threshold value for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meets a predetermined threshold value stored in the electronic inventory management database that supports auditing the at least one bin

set the predetermined threshold value for the number of products stored in the at least one bin based on a determination, by the processor, of whether the products stored in the at least one bin are stored as pallets, cases, or eaches;

generate an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility whether the determination supports the auditing of the at least one bin;

when the determination by the processor of the electronic inventory management device supports the auditing of the at least one bin, transmit a signal to the electronic mobile device of the worker, the signal configured to cause the mobile electronic device of the worker to generate one of a visual indication on the display and an audible indication via the speaker and thereby notify the worker to audit the at least one bin; and

when the determination of the processor of the electronic inventory management device does not support the auditing of the at least one bin, transmit a signal to the electronic mobile device of the worker at the retail sales facility, the signal configured to disable the scanner of the electronic mobile device of the worker and thereby restrict the worker from performing an audit of the at least one bin.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to generate an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determination supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that at least two threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to generate an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determination supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that at least three threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to generate an indication to the worker at the retail sales facility that the determination supports the auditing of the at least one bin in response to a determination that all threshold values for the obtained at least one bin audit management factor meet the predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of the at least one bin.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to, when the determination supports the auditing of the at least one bin, output an indication to the worker that the at least one bin is to be audited, and when the determination does not support the auditing of the at least one bin, an indication to the worker that the at least one bin is not to be audited.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to count a number of products stored in the at least one bin when the determination does not support the auditing of the at least one bin.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to adjust the predetermined threshold value for the at least one bin audit management factors based on at least one previous audit of the at least one bin.