Method and system for detection of presence in predefined location and delivery thereto

• US 10,463,095 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2019
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Jason D., Ulman, Rachael, Carr, David J., Ramsden, Richard, Burleson, Timothy J., Valentine, Mark J., Peach, Corey L., Gebisa, Kuleni
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US16/256,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20190150536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 718102, 705 1458, 705 268, 4554561, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/008 protecting against electric shocks or static electricity
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/0055 Plastic or rubber gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/015 Protective gloves A41D19/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/01529 with thermal or fire protection
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/01547 with grip improving means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Methods and systems of detection of presence in and delivery to location are provided. A method detects a presence of a mobile device within a perimeter of a geographic region. The method searches a database to determine whether the first mobile device is associated with any existing account. Responsive to determining that the mobile device is associated with a first account, the method searches the database to determine whether there is any pending task associated with the first account. Responsive to determining that there is a pending task associated with the first account, the method transmits a first message indicating the detection of presence of the mobile device associated with the first account. The method determines that the mobile device is at least approximately at a first location of a plurality of predefined locations within the perimeter. The method transmits information associated with the first location to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless detection devices arranged to form a wireless detection system around a geographic region where a retail store is located by forming a virtual perimeter around the geographic region where the retail store is located;

detecting, by the wireless detection devices of the wireless detection system, a presence of a first mobile device of a customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;

providing an electronic database, the electronic database storing data representing all existing accounts of customers of the retail store and including an identification of one or more mobile devices associated with one or more of the existing accounts of the customers, the electronic database further storing data representing all pending tasks associated with orders placed by the customers of the existing accounts;

searching, by a processing device communicatively coupled to the wireless detection system, the data stored in the electronic database to determine whether the first mobile device detected by the wireless detection system is stored in the electronic database in association with any existing account;

responsive to determining, by the processing device, that the first mobile device is associated with an existing first account, the processing device searching the electronic database to determine whether there is data stored in the electronic database indicative of any pending task associated with the first account;

responsive to determining, by the processing device, based on a search of the data stored in the electronic database, that there is a pending task associated with the first account, the processing device transmitting a first message to one or more computing devices of staff at the retailer store, the first message notifying the staff at the retail store of the detecting of the presence of the first mobile device associated with the first account within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located and signaling the staff at the retail store to start preparation for fulfillment of the order;

determining, by the processing device, that the first mobile device is at least approximately at a first location of a plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located; and

transmitting, by the processing device, information associated with the first location to the one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, where the determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter comprises receiving, by the processing device, a second message from the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store indicating that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location.

3. The method of claim 1, where the determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter comprises:

tracking, by the wireless detection system, a movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter;

determining, by the wireless detection system, non-movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store at least approximately at the first location for at least a threshold period of time; and

transmitting, by the wireless detection system, a result of at least one of the tracking or the determining to the processing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering, by the processing device, a timer to count down for a predetermined period of time upon determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the triggering the timer comprises transmitting a signal to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store to trigger a timer on the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the wireless detection system, a presence of a second mobile device of a second customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;

searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to determine that the second mobile device of the second customer of the retail store is associated with a second account;

searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to determine that there is no pending task associated with the second account; and

transmitting, by the processing device, a third message to the one or more computing devices to indicate that there is no pending task associated with the second account.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to identify one or more other existing accounts; and

storing, by the processing device, in the electronic database an indication that the one or more other existing accounts are associated to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more other existing accounts shares at least one common attribute with the first account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the processing device, the electronic database to identify one or more other mobile devices of other customers of the retail store; and

storing, by the processing device, in the electronic database an indication that the one or more other mobile devices are associated to the first account.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more other mobile devices of the other customers of the retail store shares at least one common attribute with the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically defining, by the processing device, the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located on a periodic basis or in response to receiving an operator input such that a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a first time is different from a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a second time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the presence of the first mobile device within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located comprises detecting the presence of the first mobile device using global positioning system (GPS) information received from the first mobile device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal received from the first mobile device, or a combination thereof.

13. A system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless detection devices arranged to form a wireless detection system around a geographic region where a retail store is located by forming a virtual perimeter around the geographic region where the retail store is located, the wireless detection system configured to wirelessly detect a presence of a first mobile device of a customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located;

an electronic database configured to store data representing all existing accounts of customers of the retail store and including an identification of one or more mobile devices associated with one or more of the existing accounts of the customers, the electronic database further storing data representing all pending tasks associated with orders placed by the customers of the existing accounts; and

a processing device communicatively coupled to the wireless detection system and the database, the processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

searching the data stored in the electronic database to determine whether the first mobile device detected by the wireless detection system is stored in the electronic database in association with any existing account;

responsive to determining by the processing device that the first mobile device is associated with an existing first account, searching the electronic database to determine whether there is any data stored in the electronic database indicative of pending task associated with the first account;

responsive to determining, by the processing device, based on a search of the data stored in the electronic database, that there is a pending task associated with the first account, the processing device transmitting a first message to one or more computing devices of staff at the retailer store, the first message notifying the staff at the retail store of the detecting of the presence of the first mobile device associated with the first account within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located and signaling the staff at the retail store to start preparation for fulfillment of the order;

determining that the first mobile device is at least approximately at a first location of a plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter; and

transmitting information associated with the first location to the one or more computing devices.

14. The system of claim 13, where, in determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter, the processing device is configured to receive a second message from the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store indicating that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location.

15. The system of claim 13, where the wireless detection system is configured to perform operations comprising:

tracking a movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter;

determining non-movement of the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store at least approximately at the first location for at least a threshold period of time; and

transmitting a result of the determining to the processing device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a signal to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store to trigger a timer on the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store to count down for a predetermined period of time upon determining that the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store is at least approximately at the first location of the plurality of predefined locations within the virtual perimeter.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a signal from the wireless detection system indicative of detection of a presence of a second mobile device of a second customer of the retail store within the virtual perimeter of the geographic region;

searching the electronic database to determine that the second mobile device of the second customer of the retail store is associated with a second account;

searching the electronic database to determine that there is no pending task associated with the second account; and

transmitting a third message to the one or more computing devices to indicate that there is no pending task associated with the second account.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

searching the electronic database to identify one or more other existing accounts or one or more other mobile devices of other customers of the retail store; and

storing in the electronic database an indication that the one or more other existing accounts are associated to the first mobile device of the customer of the retail store or an indication that the one or more other mobile devices of the other customers of the retail store are associated to the first account.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

dynamically defining the virtual perimeter of the geographic region where the retail store is located on a periodic basis or in response to receiving an operator input such that a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a first time is different from a size of the geographic region within the virtual perimeter at a second time.