System and method for indicating queue characteristics of electronic terminals

• US 10,402,870 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Hogg, William, Abboud, Issa
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassim, Hafiz A
• Application Number:
  US14/072,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 705 715
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to electronically computing and indicating queue characteristics for electronic terminals (e.g., POS terminals) in a specified environment, such as a store. In exemplary embodiments, queue-related information from one or more sources is received, code is executed to process the queue-related information. One or more queue characteristics are identified and/or generated for active electronic terminals in a store based on the queue-related information. Indicators are programmatically associated with the active electronic terminals to indicate the queue characteristics to one or more users to assist the one or more user in selecting one of the active electronic terminals at which to enter a transaction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of indicating queue characteristics for electronic terminals, the method comprising:

monitoring, via an entryway sensor disposed at an entryway of a facility, a customer entering the facility through the entryway based on a wireless transmission from a first mobile electronic device associated with the customer;

monitoring, via a first sensor, a presence of a first quantity of users in a first set at a first location in the facility, the first sensor disposed at a conveyor belt associated with a terminal in the facility;

monitoring, via a video camera, a presence of a second quantity of users in a second set at a second location in the facility, the video camera disposed to capture video of an area including at least one of a plurality of active terminals disposed at the second location and the second quantity of users;

estimating, via a computing device operatively coupled to the video camera through a communications network, a length of a queue in the second location of the facility based on detection of the second quantity of users in the second set at the second location using video received from the video camera;

obtaining, via the computing device operatively coupled to the first sensor and the video camera through the communications network, contemporaneous employee information associated with a performance of each cashier operating an active terminal based on at least one of a quantity of items processed per customer, a physical size of items being handled by each cashier, or a type of item entry being utilized by each cashier;

generating, by the computing device, queue characteristics for the plurality of active terminals in the facility based on the first quantity of users in the first set at the first location monitored based on the first sensor, the length of the queue at the second location, and the contemporaneous employee information;

generating indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals, wherein the indicators are light sources disposed proximate to the plurality of active terminals;

controlling the light sources to energize or de-energize the light sources according to the queue characteristics;

receiving at least one preference from the first mobile electronic device or a second electronic device operated by the customer, wherein the at least one preference includes at least one of a preferred terminal type, a preferred cashier operating an active terminal, or a preferred queue length;

processing, via the computing device, the customer specified at least one preference to compare the at least one preference to the queue characteristics;

obtaining, via the computing device, a location of the first mobile electronic device using a positioning system;

determining, via the computing device, a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the entryway that has a most favorable queue characteristic based on the customer specified at least one preference and the location of the first mobile electronic device; and

transmitting, via the computing device, a notification to the first mobile electronic device of the closest active terminal within the predefined distance to the entryway that has the most favorable queue characteristic, wherein the notification appears on a graphical user interface of the first mobile electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device generates the queue characteristics based on queue-related information comprising at least one of contemporaneous electronic terminal information or historical electronic terminal information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device generates the queue characteristics based on queue-related information comprising at least one of contemporaneous cashier information or historical cashier information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the queue characteristics comprise an estimated queue wait time for each of the active terminals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the light sources output a green light to indicate a favorable queue characteristic, a yellow light to indicate a neutral queue characteristic, or a red light to indicate a unfavorable queue characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprises:

displaying the indicators via at least one display unit in the store.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the queue characteristics to an employee scheduling system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the queue characteristics for display on the first mobile electronic device in communication with the computing device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by a processing device causes the processing device to implement a process of indicating queue characteristics comprising:

monitoring, via an entryway sensor disposed at an entryway of a facility, a customer entering the facility through the entryway based on a wireless transmission from a first mobile electronic device associated with the customer;

monitoring, via a first sensor, a presence of a first quantity of users in a first set at a first location in the facility, the first sensor disposed at a conveyor belt associated with a terminal in the facility;

monitoring, via a video camera, a presence of a second quantity of users in a second set at a second location in the facility, the video camera disposed to capture video of an area including at least one of a plurality of active terminals disposed at the second location and the second quantity of users;

estimating, via a computing device operatively coupled to the video camera through a communications network, a length of a queue in the second location of the facility based on detection of the second quantity of users in the second set at the second location using video received from the video camera;

obtaining, via the computing device operatively coupled to the first sensor and the video camera through the communications network, contemporaneous employee information associated with a performance of each cashier operating an active terminal based on at least one of a quantity of items processed per customer, a physical size of items being handled by each cashier, or a type of item entry being utilized by each cashier;

generating, by the computing device, queue characteristics for the plurality of active terminals in the facility based on the first quantity of users in the first set at the first location monitored based on the first sensor, the length of the queue at the second location, and the contemporaneous employee information;

generating indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals, wherein the indicators are light sources disposed proximate to the plurality of active terminals;

controlling the light sources to energize or de-energize the light sources according to the queue characteristics;

receiving at least one preference via the first mobile electronic device or a second electronic device operated by the customer, wherein the at least one preference includes at least one of a preferred terminal type, a preferred cashier operating an active terminal, or a preferred queue length;

processing, via the computing device, the customer specified at least one preference to compare the at least one preference to the queue characteristics;

obtaining, via the computing device, a location of the first mobile electronic device using a positioning system;

determining, via the computing device, a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the entryway that has a most favorable queue characteristic based on the customer specified at least one preference and the location of the first mobile electronic device; and

transmitting, via the computing device, a notification to the first mobile electronic device of the closest active terminal within the predefined distance to the entryway that has the most favorable queue characteristic, wherein the notification appears on a graphical user interface of the first mobile electronic device.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the computing device generates the queue characteristics based on queue-related information comprising at least one of contemporaneous terminal information, historical terminal information, contemporaneous cashier information, or historical cashier information.

11. The medium of claim 9, wherein the queue characteristics comprise an estimated queue wait time for each of the active terminals.

12. The medium of claim 9, wherein the processing device programmatically associates at least one indicator with a first active terminal of the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the first active terminal, wherein the at least one indicator indicates whether the first active terminal has a favorable queue characteristic, a neutral queue characteristic, or an unfavorable queue characteristic.

13. A queue monitoring system for indicating queue characteristics of electronic terminals comprising:

a first sensor disposed at the first location of a facility and configured to monitor a presence of a first quantity of users in a first set at a first location in the facility, wherein the first location is a conveyor belt associated with a terminal in the facility;

an entryway sensor disposed at an entryway of the facility;

a video camera disposed at a second location of the facility and configured to monitor a presence of a second quantity of users in a second set at the second location, wherein at least one of a plurality of active terminals is disposed at the second location and the video camera is disposed with respects to the at least one of the plurality of active terminals to capture a video of the second quantity of users;

a computing device operatively coupled to the first sensor, the entryway sensor, and the video camera through a communications network, is programmed to execute the instructions to;

monitor, via the entryway sensor, a customer entering the facility through the entryway based on a wireless transmission from a first mobile electronic device associated with the customer;

determine a length of a queue in the second location of the facility based on detection of the second quantity of users in the second set at the second location using video received from the video camera;

obtaining contemporaneous employee information associated with a performance of each cashier operating an active terminal based on at least one of a quantity of items processed per customer, a physical size of items being handled by each cashier, or a type of item entry being utilized by each cashier;

generate queue characteristics for the plurality of active terminals in the facility based on the first quantity of users in the first location monitored by the first sensor, the length and a depth of the queue at the second location, and the contemporaneous employee information;

generating indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals, wherein the indicators are light sources disposed proximate to the plurality of active terminals;

controlling the light sources to energize or de-energize the light sources according to the queue characteristics;

programmatically generate indicators for the plurality of active terminals to indicate the queue characteristics of the plurality of active terminals;

transmit the queue characteristics for display on the first mobile electronic device in communication with the computing device;

receive at least one preference via the first mobile electronic device operated by the customer, wherein the at least one preference includes at least one of a preferred terminal type, a preferred cashier operating an active terminal, or a preferred queue length;

process the customer specified at least one preference to compare the at least one preference to the queue characteristics;

obtain a location of the first mobile electronic device using a positioning system;

determine a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the entryway that has a most favorable queue characteristic based on the customer specified at least one preference and the location of the first mobile electronic device; and

transmit a notification to the first mobile electronic device of the closest active terminal within the predefined distance to the entryway that has the most favorable queue characteristic, wherein the notification appears on a graphical user interface of the first mobile electronic device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising at least one indicator device configured to output the indicators based on the association between the indicators and the plurality of active terminals.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one indicator device indicates whether one of the electronic terminals has a favorable queue characteristic, a neutral queue characteristic, or an unfavorable queue characteristic.

16. The system of claim 13, the computing device further configured to:

determine, based on the location information, a closest active terminal within a predefined distance to the electronic device that has a most favorable queue characteristic based on the customer specified at least one preference.