NOTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR USE IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20120320199A1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Kundu, Malay, Migdal, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 10,592,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

Embodiments herein include novel ways of alerting store personnel when various activities, events, conditions, etc., occur at the checkout in retail establishments.

For example, in accordance with one embodiment, the alerting can take place in substantially real-time, when the event occurs, allowing personnel to take appropriate measures, corrective or otherwise, to deal with the detected event. Examples of such events may include situations such as when a person of interest is detected as shopping at the store, when a cashier has missed scanning an item at the checkout, or to alert store personnel if a non-empty shopping cart has exited the store without payment (a.k.a., a cart push-out). Although the discussion below uses a grocery store as an example retail environment, embodiments herein can be used in any type of retail environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a shopping cart in a retail environment;

detecting presence of the shopping cart in a predetermined area in the retail environment; and

responsive to detecting presence of the shopping cart in the predetermined area in the retail environment, generating a notification indicating a cart pushout event.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating the notification in response to detecting that the shopping cart fails to pass through and checkout items in a checkout lane of the retail environment.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating the notification in response to detecting that at least one item in the shopping cart was not properly recorded for purchase as the shopping cart exits the retail environment.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the notification to the retail personnel, the notification instructing the retail personnel to verify proper purchase of items present in the shopping cart.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined area in the retail environment includes an exit path out of the retail environment, the exit path used by customers exiting the retail environment that bypasses the checkout lanes.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein monitoring the shopping cart in the retail environment further comprises:

analyzing video data capturing at least one image of the shopping cart in the predetermined area.

7. The method as in claim 6 further comprising:

based on analyzing the at least one image, detecting that the shopping cart includes retail items.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein monitoring the shopping cart includes:

analyzing video data in conjunction with analyzing transaction logs, the video data capturing images of the shopping cart, the transaction logs indicating items purchased by customers in the retail environment; and

generating the notification in response to detecting absence of a transaction associated with the shopping cart.

9. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating the notification to the retail personnel prior to the shopping cart exiting a doorway of the retail environment.

10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

analyzing captured images of the shopping cart in substantially real-time to detect that the shopping cart passes through the predetermined area in the retail environment.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined area is a checkout lane for purchasing items in the retail environment, the method further comprising:

generating the notification based at least in part in response to detecting that the shopping cart passes through the checkout lane without generation of a transaction.

12. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating the notification as the shopping cart exits the retail environment in response to detecting that the shopping cart fails to pass through a checkout lane of the retail environment.

13. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating the notification in response to detecting that the shopping cart attempts to leave the retail environment via an ingress pathway used by customers to enter the retail environment.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein monitoring the shopping cart includes tracking a path of a shopping cart with respect to checkout lanes in the retail environment.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined area is a checkout lane for purchasing items in the retail environment, the method further comprising:

generating the notification based at least in part in response to detecting that a point of sale terminal in the checkout lane does not generate a transaction around a time of the shopping cart passing through the checkout lane.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the notification triggers an alarm notifying the customer pushing the shopping cart of the cart pushout event.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor device;

a storage resource that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the at least one processor device; and

an interconnect coupling the at least one processor device and the storage resource, the at least one processor device executing the application and performing operations of;

monitoring a shopping cart in a retail environment;

detecting presence of the shopping cart in a predetermined area in the retail environment; and

responsive to detecting presence of the shopping cart in the predetermined area in the retail environment, generating a notification indicating a cart pushout event.

18. The system as in claim 17, wherein the at least one processor device further executes operations of:

generating the notification in response to detecting that the shopping cart fails to pass through and checkout items in a checkout lane of the retail environment.

19. The system as in claim 17, wherein the at least one processor device further executes operations of:

generating the notification in response to detecting that at least one item in the shopping cart was not properly recorded for purchase as the shopping cart exits the retail environment.

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33. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for processing data information, such that the instructions, when executed by at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to perform the operations of:

monitoring a shopping cart in a retail environment;

detecting presence of the shopping cart in a predetermined area in the retail environment; and

responsive to detecting presence of the shopping cart in the predetermined area in the retail environment, generating a notification indicating a cart pushout event.

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