Methods and systems for monitoring a retail shopping facility
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A shopping cart apparatus comprising:
- a cart frame with a plurality of cart wheels coupled to the cart frame; and
an image capturing assembly including;
an electronic image capturing device coupled to the cart frame, the electronic image capturing device configured to capture electronic images of shelves within a retail shopping facility, the electronic images usable to indicate a stock level of retail items within the retail shopping facility;
a memory configured to store at least some of the electronic images taken with the electronic image capturing device until the at least some of the electronic images are transferred to a central computer;
at least one sensor configured to measure cart conditions effecting image quality of the electronic images captured by the electronic image capturing device;
a power storage device configured to store electrical energy sufficient to periodically capture electronic images and store the at least some of the electronic images; and
a control circuit operably coupled to the electronic image capturing device, the memory, the at least one sensor, and the power storage device, the control circuit configured to;
determine when to capture the electronic images based, in part, on information from the at least one sensor;
instruct the electronic image capturing device to capture an electronic image; and
store the captured electronic image in the memory;
wherein the control circuit instructs the electronic image capturing device to capture the electronic image when the at least one sensor indicates that the cart frame is within a predetermined distance from one of the shelves and when the shopping cart apparatus is moving below a predetermined speed or the shopping cart apparatus is not moving.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail shopping facility to maintain stocked shelves, in part, from obtaining images of the store shelves via cameras mounted onto shopping carts. By one approach, the images obtained from the shopping carts are compared with planogram images to determine where retail products are needed to restock the shelves. In some examples, the shopping cart has a control circuit that determines when to capture electronic images based, in part, upon a sensor mounted onto the shopping cart, instructs the camera to capture the electric image, and stores the captured electronic image in the memory.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A shopping cart apparatus comprising:
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a cart frame with a plurality of cart wheels coupled to the cart frame; and an image capturing assembly including; an electronic image capturing device coupled to the cart frame, the electronic image capturing device configured to capture electronic images of shelves within a retail shopping facility, the electronic images usable to indicate a stock level of retail items within the retail shopping facility; a memory configured to store at least some of the electronic images taken with the electronic image capturing device until the at least some of the electronic images are transferred to a central computer; at least one sensor configured to measure cart conditions effecting image quality of the electronic images captured by the electronic image capturing device; a power storage device configured to store electrical energy sufficient to periodically capture electronic images and store the at least some of the electronic images; and a control circuit operably coupled to the electronic image capturing device, the memory, the at least one sensor, and the power storage device, the control circuit configured to; determine when to capture the electronic images based, in part, on information from the at least one sensor; instruct the electronic image capturing device to capture an electronic image; and store the captured electronic image in the memory; wherein the control circuit instructs the electronic image capturing device to capture the electronic image when the at least one sensor indicates that the cart frame is within a predetermined distance from one of the shelves and when the shopping cart apparatus is moving below a predetermined speed or the shopping cart apparatus is not moving. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A shopping cart apparatus comprising:
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a cart frame with a plurality of cart wheels coupled to a lower portion thereof; and an image capturing assembly including; an electronic image capturing device associated with the cart frame, the electronic image capturing device configured to capture electronic images of shelves within a retail shopping facility; at least one sensor configured to measure cart conditions effecting image quality of the electronic images captured by the electronic image capturing device; and a portable electronic device configured to be operably coupled to the electronic image capturing device and the at least one sensor, the portable electronic device configured to determine when to capture the electronic images based, in part, on information from the at least one sensor, instruct the electronic image capturing device to capture the electronic images; and
store the electronic image;wherein the portable electronic device instructs the electronic image capturing device to capture an electronic image when the at least one sensor indicates that the cart frame is within a predetermined distance from one of the shelves and when the shopping cart apparatus is moving below a predetermined speed or the shopping cart apparatus is not moving. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A method of obtaining electronic images comprising:
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coupling an image capturing assembly to a shopping cart, the shopping cart having a cart frame, a plurality of cart wheels, and a cart handle, the image capturing device having an electronic image capturing device associated with the cart frame and at least one sensor configured to measure cart conditions; capturing a first electronic image with the electronic image capturing device and storing the electronic image; sensing the cart conditions to determine whether cart speed and location are suitable for capturing electronic images; determining whether sufficient time or distance have lapsed since the first electronic image is captured; and capturing a second electronic image if sufficient time or distance have lapsed and if cart conditions are suitable for capturing electronic images; wherein the step of sensing the cart conditions includes determining whether the accelerometer indicates that the shopping cart is moving below a certain speed and whether the wheel power generator is generating below a certain amount of power. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification