SMART VISI-COOLERS

• US 20110172848A1
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vendmore Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Vendmore Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Signorelli, Paul D., Breitenbach, Paul T., Zhuk, Igor
• Application Number:
  US13/004,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/348 by interrogating an information transmitter, e.g. a transponder B67D7/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, interfaces, methods, and articles of manufacture for smart visi-coolers are provided.

Claims

1. A smart visi-cooler, comprising:

a cabinet, housing;

(i) a product storage area storing at least one unit of a product;

(ii) a sensor coupled to detect a removal, by a customer, of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area;

(iii) an electronic processor in communication with the sensor, wherein the electronic processor is operable to receive a signal from the sensor, the signal being indicative of the removal of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area; and

(iv) a communication device in communication with the processor, the communication device being operable to transmit to an external device, in response to a command from the electronic processor, an indication of the signal.

2. The smart visi-cooler of claim 1, wherein the smart visi-cooler does not comprise a dispensing mechanism.

3. The smart visi-cooler of claim 1, further comprising:

a door coupled to the cabinet, wherein the door is operable to be opened, allowing the customer to gain access to the product storage area.

4. The smart visi-cooler of claim 3, wherein the sensor is coupled to detect removal of the at least one unit of the product by detecting a movement associated with an opening of the door.

5. The smart visi-cooler of claim 1, further comprising:

a data storage device in communication with the electronic processor, wherein the data storage device stores the indication of the signal.

6. The smart visi-cooler of claim 5, wherein the data storage device further stores at least one of (i) data descriptive of a number of units of the product in the data storage area, (ii) data descriptive of a number of units of the product that have been removed from the data storage area, and (iii) data descriptive of one or more customers that have purchased a unit of the product from the smart visi-cooler.

8. The smart visi-cooler of claim 1, further comprising:

an environmental control device coupled to manage the environment inside the cabinet.

10. The smart visi-cooler of claim 8, wherein the displacement comprises a displacement of the at least one unit of the product.

11. The smart visi-cooler of claim 8, wherein the displacement comprises a second displacement of a different unit of the product, the second displacement being caused by a first displacement of the at least one unit of the product.

12. The smart visi-cooler of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a linear variable differential transformer.

13. The smart visi-cooler of claim 11, further comprising:

a product push plate disposed in the product storage area; and

a product push plate drive mechanism coupled to the product push plate and operable to apply a force to the product push plate such that the force is at least partially transferred to the at least one unit of product when the at least one unit of product is disposed within the product storage area.

14. The smart visi-cooler of claim 11, wherein the linear variable differential transformer detects the removal of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area by detecting a displacement associated with the removal of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area.

15. The smart visi-cooler of claim 13, wherein the displacement comprises a displacement of the at least one unit of the product.

16. The smart visi-cooler of claim 13, wherein the displacement comprises a second displacement of a different unit of the product, the second displacement being caused by a first displacement of the at least one unit of the product.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a communication device communicatively coupled to the electronic processor, the electronic processor being further specially programmed to cause the communication device to transmit, to an external device, an indication of the inventory metrics for the plurality of product columns.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a data storage device communicatively coupled to the electronic processor, the data storage device storing indications of the first distance, the second distance, the information descriptive of the units of product stored in each column of the plurality of product columns, and the inventory metric for each column of the plurality of product columns.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus does not include an automatic dispensing mechanism.

7. (canceled)

9. The smart visi-cooler of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a laser triangulation sensor and wherein the laser triangulation sensor detects the removal of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area by detecting a displacement associated with the removal of the at least one unit of the product from the product storage area.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a cabinet comprising an interior space;

a plurality of shelves disposed within the interior space, each shelf of the plurality of shelves storing a plurality of units of product in a plurality of product columns, and each shelf of the plurality of shelves being coupled within the interior space of the cabinet, at an angle, such that a front side of each shelf is positioned vertically lower than the rear side of each shelf, causing a vector of gravitational force to exert forward pressure on each column of the plurality of product columns;

a plurality of sensors, each sensor of the plurality of sensors coupled to sense, for a column of the plurality of columns, a first distance from the rear side of the shelf to the rear-most product in the column, at a first time, and a second distance from the rear side of the shelf to the rear-most product in the column, at a second time; and

an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors, the electronic processor being specially programmed to (i) receive, from each sensor of the plurality of sensors, an indication of the first distance and an indication of the second distance, (ii) calculate, based on the first and second distances, a distance of displacement for each column of the plurality of the product columns, and (iii) determine, based on information descriptive of the units of product stored in each column of the plurality of product columns, an inventory metric for each column of the plurality of product columns.

21. A method, comprising:

determining, by a sensor in a smart visi-cooler, a first distance from a reference point to a unit of product positioned in the rear of a column of units of product;

determining, by the sensor in the smart visi-cooler, after the determining of the first distance, and is response to a self-service removal, by a customer, of at least one unit of product from the column of units, a second distance from the reference point to the unit of product positioned in the rear of the column of units of product;

receiving, by an electronic processor in communication with the sensor, indications of both the first and second distances;

determining, by the electronic processor and based on the first and second distances and information descriptive of the column of product, a metric descriptive of a change in inventory of the column of product; and

transmitting, by a communication device in communication with the electronic processor and to a device remote from the smart visi-cooler, an indication of the metric descriptive of the change in inventory of the column of product.