Electronically connected environment

• US 10,667,227 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobile Tech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mobile Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Wylie, Hunter, Blaser, Robert Logan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Shawkat M
• Application Number:
  US16/710,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20200112935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 167 Days
• Field of Search: 325380, 325383, 375220, 705 1, 705 10, 705 26, 705 39, 726 2, 726 6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0025 synchronizing potentially movable access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Briefly, example methods, apparatuses, and/or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented, in whole or in part, to facilitate and/or support one or more operations and/or techniques for an electronically connected environment, such as implemented in connection with one or more computing and/or communication networks, devices, and/or protocols, for example.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of nodes that are connectable to a network, the network including a wireless network, each node having a digital identity that identifies the node within the network, and wherein the nodes comprise;

a plurality of post positions, each post position for displaying a product at a physical slotting position in a product display area, wherein each post position is configured to (1) receive a product identifier for the displayed product and (2) communicate post position data for dissemination via the network, wherein the communicated post position data links the product identifier for the displayed product with the digital identity for the post position;

a plurality of locks, wherein each lock is configured to (1) communicate lock status data for dissemination via the network, wherein the communicated lock status data links a plurality of lock statuses with a plurality of digital identities for the locks corresponding to the lock statuses;

an aggregator that includes a wireless interface, wherein the aggregator is configured to collect the communicated post position data from the post positions and the communicated lock status data from the locks via the network; and

a computer system;

wherein the aggregator is further configured to wirelessly communicate the collected post position data and the collected lock status data to the computer system via the wireless interface and the wireless network;

wherein the computer system is configured to generate first view data from (1) the collected post position data and (2) data that links the post position digital identities to their physical slotting positions such that the first view data tracks which products are located at which physical slotting positions via linkages among the product identifiers, post position digital identities, and physical slotting positions within the first view data; and

wherein the computer system is further configured to generate second view data from the collected lock status data such that the second view data tracks lock statuses for a plurality of the locks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicated post position data from the post positions further comprises lift statistics data regarding customer interactions with the corresponding post positions;

and

wherein the computer system is further configured to include the lift statistics data in the first view data such that the first view data associates the customer interactions with the physical slotting positions that are linked to the post position digital identities.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer system is further configured to provide reports to users regarding the lift statistics data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each of a plurality of the post positions comprises a liftable mounting puck for displaying a product;

wherein the lift statistics data includes data regarding customer lifts of the mounting pucks; and

wherein the lift statistics data associates customer lifts of the mounting pucks with the physical slotting positions that are linked to the post position digital identities corresponding to the post positions for which customers lifted the mounting pucks.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the lift statistics data further includes data that identifies the products displayed on the lifted mounting pucks.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the reports show a breakdown of lift statistics by the physical slotting positions for the post positions.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the lift statistics data further includes data that identifies times of day for the customer lifts of the mounting pucks.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the reports show a breakdown of lift statistics by time of day.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the lift statistics data further includes data that identifies a duration for the customer lifts of the mounting pucks.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reports show a breakdown of lift statistics by durations for the customer lifts.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer system is further configured to provide the reports to users via a graphical user interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises a local computer that serves as an access control entity.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer system further comprises a server linked to the local computer via the network, wherein the server serves as a global view entity.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of the post positions comprises a liftable mounting puck for displaying a product.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the post positions are arranged to serve as wireless nodes in the wireless network, the post positions configured to wirelessly communicate the post position data that links the product identifiers for the displayed products with the digital identities for the post positions to the aggregator via the wireless network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of a plurality of the liftable mounting pucks comprises a wireless interface such that the liftable mounting pucks with wireless interfaces are addressable on the wireless network, and wherein the liftable mounting pucks with the wireless interfaces are configured to wirelessly communicate the post position data that links the product identifiers for the displayed products with the digital identities for the post positions to the aggregator via the wireless network and the liftable mounting pucks'"'"' wireless interfaces.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the post position digital identities comprise digital identities for the wirelessly addressable liftable mounting pucks.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless mesh network that wirelessly meshes the wireless interfaces of the liftable mounting pucks.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer system is further configured to provide a view of the first view data for display to a user via a user interface, wherein the view of the first view data relates product identifiers for the displayed products to physical slotting positions in the display area.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the physical slotting positions comprise position numbers at a display table.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the product identifier comprises at least one of a model, type, and make for the product.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the locks comprise electromechanical locks for securing a plurality of merchandise cabinets.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the locks are arranged to serve as wireless nodes in the wireless network, the locks configured to wirelessly communicate the lock status data to the aggregator via the wireless network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless mesh network that wirelessly meshes the locks.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer system is configured to wirelessly transmit a lock command to an individual lock within the wireless network based on the digital identity of the individual lock;

wherein the individual lock is configured to (1) receive the transmitted lock command via the wireless network, and (2) lock itself in response to the received lock command.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer system is configured to wirelessly transmit an unlock command to an individual lock within the wireless network based on the digital identity of the individual lock;

wherein the individual lock is configured to (1) receive the transmitted unlock command via the wireless network, and (2) unlock itself in response to the received unlock command.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer system is configured to generate the unlock command in response to a user input.