Systems and methods for correction of geographic inconsistency in item properties

• US 10,433,100 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Real, Sean Paul, Stevens, Timothy John, Thangaraj, Mahesh Sundar, Helms, Anthony William, Burge, Brian Dewayne, Baer, Johan Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Henning, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US15/342,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable media are correction of geographic inconsistency in item properties. A system identifies locations of interest based on a location of a mobile device and acquires item-descriptive and item-property data associated with an item at the location of interest. The system connects to a secure network to identify a corresponding item and retrieve corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item from a secure item database server. The system determines a difference between the corresponding item-property data and the item-property data and updates the secure item database server based on the difference.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile device, the mobile device including;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver,

a communication device,

a data reader,

a user interface,

a memory, and

a processor;

a secure network having an authentication server, the secure network in communication with the mobile device via a mobile network; and

a secure item database server in selective communication with the mobile device via the secure network based on authenticating by the authentication server,

wherein the memory of the mobile device includes instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the mobile device to;

determine a current geographic location of the mobile device in response to satellite broadcasts received by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the mobile device;

programmatically transmit, by the communication device, the current geographic location to a location service hosted on a location server in communication with the mobile device via the mobile network;

receive, from the location service, an identification of a plurality of geographic locations of interest, the geographic locations of interest being identified based, at least in part, on a distance between the current geographic location and the geographic locations of interest;

receive, via a first firewall, user-identifying information from the mobile device;

programmatically transmit, via a secure network, the user-identifying information to a threat management server;

in response to a determination that the user-identifying information is not a threat programmatically transmit, via a second firewall, the user-identifying information to an authentication server of the secure network for authentication;

in response to receiving an authentication, transmit a message to the mobile device authorizing relocation;

detect, via the GPS receiver, a relocation of the mobile device from the current geographic location to a selected one of the geographic locations of interest,

acquire, by the data reader, item-descriptive data associated with an item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest,

receive, from the user interface, item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest,

connect the mobile device to the secure network by transmitting, from the communication device and via the mobile network, user-identifying information to the security authentication server of the secure network through the first firewall and the second firewalls,

programmatically transmit, via the secure network and in response to receiving an authentication from the authentication server, the item-descriptive data to the secure item database server through the first firewall and the second firewall, wherein a load balancer transmits the item-descriptive data to at least one of a plurality of geographically distributed servers and the secure item database server,

receive, from the secure item database server in response to the transmission of the item-descriptive data, (i) an identification of a corresponding item located at a different geographic location from the selected one of the geographic locations of interest, and (ii) corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location; and

programmatically determine a difference between the item-property data and the corresponding item-property data, the difference effecting a change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server.

2. The system of claim 1, the memory further including instructions that, when executed by the processor, effect the change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server by causing the mobile device to instruct the secure item database server to update the corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location to match the item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is different than the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location, further wherein at least one of an item category, an item type, an item function, or an item classification indicated by the item-descriptive data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as at least one of the item category, the item type, the item function, or the item classification of the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is at least one of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a near-field communication (NFC) device, a Bluetooth®

transceiver, a built-in network adapter, a network interface card, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) network card, a card bus network adapter, a wireless network adapter, a USB network adapter, or a modem.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring item-descriptive data is performed by scanning or photographing at least one of a barcode, a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a UPC code, an EAN code, a Code 39, a Code 93, Code 128, an ITF, a codabar, a GS1 databar, an MSI Plessey, a QR code, a Datamatrix code, a PDF417, or an Aztec associated with the item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring item-descriptive data is performed by interrogating an RFID tag associated with the item.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the item-property data includes a price of the item.

9. A method comprising:

determining a current geographic location of a mobile device in response to satellite broadcasts received by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the mobile device;

programmatically transmitting, by a communication device of the mobile device, the current geographic location to a location service hosted on a location server in communication with the mobile device via a mobile network;

receiving, from the location service, an identification of a plurality of geographic locations of interest, the geographic locations of interest being identified based, at least in part, on a distance between the current geographic location and the geographic locations of interest;

receiving, via a first firewall user-identifying information from the mobile device;

programmatically transmitting, via a secure network, the user-identifying information to a threat management server;

in response to a determination that the user-identifying information is not a threat, programmatically transmitting, via a second firewall, the user-identifying information to an authentication server of the secure network for authentication;

in response to receiving an authentication, programmatically transmitting a message to the mobile device authorizing relocation;

relocating the mobile device from the current geographic location to a selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

acquiring, by a data reader of the mobile device, item-descriptive data associated with an item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

receiving, from a user interface of the mobile device, item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

connecting the mobile device to the secure network by transmitting, from the communication device of the mobile device and via the mobile network, user-identifying information to a security authentication module of the secure network through the one or more firewalls;

programmatically transmitting, via the secure network and in response to receiving authentication from the authentication module, the item-descriptive data to a secure item database server in communication with the mobile device via the secure network through the first and the second firewall, wherein a load balancer transmits the item-descriptive data to at least one of a plurality of geographically distributed servers and the secure item database server;

receiving, from the secure item database server in response to the transmission of the item-descriptive data, (i) an identification of a corresponding item located at a different geographic location from the selected one of the geographic locations of interest, and (ii) corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location; and

programmatically determining, by a processor of the mobile device, a difference between the item-property data and the corresponding item-property data, the difference effecting a change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein effecting a change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server is achieved by programmatically instructing the secure item database server to update the corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location to match the item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is different than the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of an item category, an item type, an item function, or an item classification indicated by the item-descriptive data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as at least one of the item category, the item type, the item function, or the item classification of the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of acquiring item-descriptive data is performed by scanning or photographing at least one of a barcode, a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a UPC code, an EAN code, a Code 39, a Code 93, Code 128, an ITF, a codabar, a GS1 databar, an MSI Plessey, a QR code, a Datamatrix code, a PDF417, or an Aztec associated with the item.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of acquiring item-descriptive data is performed by interrogating an RFID tag associated with the item.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the item-property data includes a price of the item.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a mobile device to:

determine a current geographic location of the mobile device in response to satellite broadcasts received by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the mobile device;

programmatically transmit, by a communication device of the mobile device user-identifying information, via a first firewall to a threat management server that upon determining the user-identifying information is not a threat, in-turn transmits the user-identifying information, via a second firewall, to an authentication server of a secure network for authentication;

receiving, by a communication device of the mobile device, upon authentication, a message authorizing relocation of the mobile device;

programmatically transmit, by a communication device of the mobile device, the current geographic location to a location service hosted on a location server in communication with the mobile device via a mobile network;

receive, from the location service, an identification of a plurality of geographic locations of interest, the geographic locations of interest being identified based, at least in part, on a distance between the current geographic location and the geographic locations of interest;

relocate the mobile device from the current geographic location to a selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

acquire, by a data reader of the mobile device, item-descriptive data associated with an item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

receiving, from a user interface of the mobile device, item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest;

connect the mobile device to the secure network by transmitting, from the communication device of the mobile device and via the mobile network, user-identifying information to an authentication server of the secure network through the first firewall and the second firewall;

programmatically transmit, via the secure network and in response to receiving authentication from the authentication module, the item-descriptive data to a secure item database server in communication with the mobile device via the secure network through the first firewall and the second firewall, wherein a load balancer transmits the item-descriptive data to at least one of a plurality of geographically distributed servers and the secure item database server;

receive, from the secure item database server in response to the transmission of the item-descriptive data, (i) an identification of a corresponding item located at a different geographic location from the selected one of the geographic locations of interest, and (ii) corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location; and

programmatically determine, by a processor of the mobile device, a difference between the item-property data and the corresponding item-property data, the difference effecting a change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein effecting a change in corresponding item-property data in the secure item database server is achieved by programmatically instructing the secure item database server to update the corresponding item-property data associated with the corresponding item at the different geographic location to match the item-property data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the item associated with the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is different than the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location, further wherein at least one of an item category, an item type, an item function, or an item classification indicated by the item-descriptive data associated with the item at the selected one of the geographic locations of interest is the same as at least one of the item category, the item type, the item function, or the item classification of the corresponding item associated with the different geographic location.