System and method for determination of unusable products

• US 10,641,754 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Steven J., Jones, Nicholaus A., Biermann, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yentrapati, Avinash
• Application Number:
  US15/873,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20180238848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/68 Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise

Abstract

A credibility weight for each of a plurality of users is stored and is associated with a reliability of the user in accurately indicating whether the products have become spoiled. Images of a plurality of products at a retail store are received and electronically arranged in an organized pattern. The organized pattern is rendered onto selected ones of a plurality of display devices. Electronic choices from selected ones of the plurality of the users are received. Each of the electronic choices indicates for a selected one of the plurality of products whether the selected user believes the selected product has spoiled or has become unusable. A spoilage score for each product of the products is determined. A control signal is transmitted to a receiver circuit at the retail store instructing a human or robot to perform an investigation when the spoilage score exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A system that is configured to determine whether products have become spoiled or unusable based upon inputs received from a plurality of users, the system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of display devices coupled to the network, each of the plurality of display devices operated by a plurality of users to execute a computer game;

a transceiver circuit disposed at a retail store and coupled to the network;

a sensor disposed at the retail store and coupled to the transceiver circuit, the sensor being configured to obtain images of a plurality of products at the retail store;

a database that is configured to store a plurality of separate credibility weights for the plurality of users, the credibility weights being associated with a reliability of each user in accurately indicating whether the products have become spoiled or unusable, wherein the credibility weights change over time based upon accuracy of predictions;

a control circuit that is coupled to the network and the database, the control circuit being disposed at the central processing center and configured to receive the images of the plurality of products obtained by the sensor at the retail store via the transceiver circuit and network, the control circuit configured to execute the computer game for each of the users, wherein execution of the computer game causes the control circuit to;

electronically arrange the received images in an organized pattern;

render the organized pattern onto the display devices via the network such that each of the different users views the organized pattern on their respective display device;

responsively receive choices from the users, each of the choices indicating for a selected one of the plurality of products whether the selected user believes the selected product has spoiled or has become unusable;

determine a spoilage score for each product of the plurality of products, the spoilage score being a numeric summation of credibility weights for each of the users that indicates spoilage for a product;

comparing the spoilage score to a first predetermined threshold;

transmit a control signal to the transceiver circuit at the retail store instructing a robot to perform an investigation when the spoilage score exceeds the first predetermined threshold, the control signal causing the robot to navigate through the retail store to the location of the products to perform the investigation;

such that execution of the game by the users collectively determines whether each product from the plurality of products has spoiled.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to further weight the spoilage score by a factor selected from the group consisting of:

a factor related to a type of product, a factor related to a cost of the product, a factor related to a number of the plurality of users, a factor related to a number of users having credibility weights exceeding a second predetermined threshold, a factor related to the number of users having a credibility weight below a third predetermined threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a store employee lowers a price of selected ones of the plurality of products based upon the investigation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the organized pattern is a matrix.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the credibility weight of the selected user is adjusted after the investigation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the adjustment is increasing the credibility weight.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the adjustment is decreasing the credibility weight.

8. A method to determine whether products have become spoiled based upon inputs received from a plurality of users, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of display devices operated by a plurality of users, each of the display devices being operated to execute a computer game;

storing a plurality of separate credibility weights for the plurality of users, the credibility weights being associated with a reliability of each user in accurately indicating whether the products have become spoiled or unusable, wherein the credibility weights change over time based upon accuracy of predictions;

at a control circuit at a central processing center, receiving images of a plurality of products at a retail store, the images being obtained by a sensor at the retail store, the control circuit also executing the computer game for each of the users, wherein execution of the computer game causes the control circuit to;

electronically arrange the received images in an organized pattern, render the organized pattern onto a plurality of display devices such that each of the different users views the organized pattern on their respective display device, responsively receive choices from the users electronic choices from the users, each of the choices indicating for a selected one of the plurality of products whether the selected user believes the selected product has spoiled or has become unusable, determine a spoilage score for each product of the plurality of products, the spoilage score being a numeric summation of credibility weights for each user that indicates spoilage for a product, compare the spoilage score to a first predetermined threshold, transmit a control signal to a transceiver circuit at the retail store instructing a robot to perform an investigation when the spoilage score exceeds the first predetermined threshold, the control signal causing the robot to navigate through the retail store to the location of the products to perform the investigation, such that execution of the game by the users collectively determines whether each product from the plurality of products has spoiled.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising weighting the spoilage score by a factor selected from the group consisting of:

a factor related to a type of product, a factor related to a cost of the product, a factor related to a number of the plurality of users, a factor related to the number of users having credibility weights exceeding a second predetermined threshold, a factor related to the number of users having a credibility weight below a third predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising lowering a price of selected ones of the plurality of products as a result of the investigation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the organized pattern is a matrix.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the credibility weight of the selected user is adjusted after the investigation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjustment is increasing the credibility weight.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjustment is decreasing the credibility weight.