Merchandise location system

• US 20080215460A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leader Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leader Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McKibben, Michael T.
• Application Number:
  US12/012,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to providing an improved system for accessing merchandise location information in a sales environment. Specifically, the present invention implements a system to record, store, and make available for remote access by authorized users merchandise location information within a sales environment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented merchandise location system, comprising:

a location recording device for recording merchandise location information within a sales environment;

a location database adapted to store merchandise location information;

a data input device for creating at least one database record in the location database;

an output device adapted to output the at least one database record; and

a data management tool adapted to receive a request from an authorized user and, in response to the request, transmit the at least one database record to the output device;

wherein the data management tool allows the authorized user to perform data operations on the at least one database record;

and wherein the data management tool allows more than one authorized user simultaneous access to the at least one database record.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the merchandise location information includes at least one of aisle number, shelf description, location coordinates, cardinal direction, ordinal direction and location description.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location recording device includes at least one of a camera, a video recorder, an audio recorder and a data capture system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location recording device is operated by at least one of a sales environment employee, a sales environment contractor, and a sales environment customer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the merchandise location information includes at least one of text, video, audio, an image and a photograph.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sales environment includes at least one of a grocery store, an apparel store, a home furnishings store, a gas station and a general store.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data input device is further adapted to update an existing database record in the location database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device includes at least one of a computing device, a portable computing device, a printing device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a smartphone and a portable wireless device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data management tool is a software application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data management tool is accessible via at least one of a network portal, an intranet and the Internet.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data operations include at least one of viewing, editing, copying, moving, transmitting and deleting the at least one database record.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the location database is located within the sales environment.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the location database is located on a network outside of the sales environment.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the merchandise location information is accessible in real-time.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mapping component for mapping merchandise location information in an Enterprise Resource Planning system.

16. A computer-implemented merchandise location system, comprising:

a location recording device for recording merchandise location information within a sales environment;

a location database adapted to store merchandise location information;

a data input device for creating at least one database record in the location database;

an output device adapted to output the at least one database record;

a data management tool adapted to receive a request from an authorized user and, in response to the request, transmit the at least one database record to the output device; and

a compliance mechanism adapted to review the merchandise location information and notify the user when the merchandise location information is not in accordance with a predetermined agreement;

wherein the data management tool allows the authorized user to perform data operations on the at least one database record;

and wherein the data management tool allows more than one authorized user simultaneous access to the at least one database record; and

wherein the compliance mechanism is further adapted to generate a compliance report at a predetermined time interval.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the merchandise location information is determined, at least in part, using at least one of a barcode technology, a Radio Frequency Identification technology and a triangulation technology.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the data management tool associates merchandise location information with merchandise sales information within the sales environment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the merchandise sales information is located in a third party vendor database.

20. A computer-implemented merchandise location system, comprising:

a location recording device for recording merchandise location information within a store;

a location database adapted to store merchandise location information;

a data input device for creating at least one database record in the location database;

an output device adapted to output the at least one database record; and

a data management tool operating on a networked computing device, the data management tool adapted to receive a request from an authorized user and, in response to the request, transmit the at least one database record to the output device;

wherein the data management tool allows the authorized user to perform data operations on the at least one database record;

and wherein the data management tool allows more than one authorized user simultaneous access to the at least one database record.