NOTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR USE IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20120321146A1
• 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, Farrow, Matthew, Morrin, James
• Granted Patent: US 10,853,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• 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 data generated in a retail environment;

identifying a customer involved in a transaction based on the data; and

in response to detecting that the identified customer is included in a watch list, generating a notification indicating presence of the customer in the retail environment.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transaction is a retail transaction, the method further comprising:

prior to the customer exiting the retail environment, providing the notification to retail personnel.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the watch list includes identities of multiple different customers, each of which has been included in the watch list based on a previous history of behavior of interest.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein monitoring the data generated in the retail environment includes monitoring point of sale data produced by a checkout terminal in the retail environment, the customer inputting the personal information to the checkout terminal;

and

wherein identifying the customer includes processing the personal information to determine an identity of the customer.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data includes video capturing images of the customer during the transaction.

6. The method method as in claim 1, wherein detecting that the customer is included in the watch list includes:

performing a facial analysis of the at least one image to determine that the watch list includes the customer based on the facial analysis.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data includes point of sale data generated during the transaction.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the notification to an alarm system in the retail environment, the notification causing the alarm system to produce an alert to at least the customer in the retail environment.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the alarm system is a pedestal designed to simulate the appearance and operation of an EAS (Electronic Article Security) pedestal.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data is point of sale data identifying the customer, the identifying information based on at least one resource in the group consisting of:

a customer loyalty card assigned to the customer,

a credit card used by the customer, and

an analysis of items purchased by the customer during the transaction.

11. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the notification to retail personnel in the retail environment, the retail personnel selected from the group consisting of;

a particular person,

a particular department,

a member of a security personnel in the retail environment, and

a remote video analyst.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the notification is a type selected from the group consisting of:

an SMS text message,

an e-mail message,

a command activating an alarm system located at an exit of a store alerting exiting customers of a potential security breach associated with the transaction,

a notification indicating to an employee in the retail environment to pay attention to the customer in a self-checkout lane,

a customer service notification indicating to an employee in the retail environment to provide assistance to the customer in a self-checkout lane,

a command to halt the transaction,

an alert message directed to a point of sale system, and

an alert message directed to a self-checkout.

13. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

producing the notification to include a resource type selected from the group consisting of;

text, a link to remotely available data, and video data.

14. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a cashier involved in the transaction; and

in response to detecting that a combination of the identified cashier and the identified customer are participants in the transaction, transmitting the notification to alert retail personnel.

15. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a grouping of multiple parties involved in the transaction based on the data, the data indicating;

i) a customer purchasing at least one item and ii) a store representative facilitating the transaction; and

responsive to detecting that a combination including the customer and the store representative is specified in a watch list of the retail environment, generating a notification to alert retail personnel.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the store representative is a self-checkout assistant cashier overseeing a self-checkout lane used by the customer.

17. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transaction occurs in a self-checkout lane in the retail environment.

18. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transaction occurs in a manned-checkout lane in the retail environment.

19. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transaction occurs using a mobile checkout device.

20. 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 data generated in a retail environment;

identifying a customer involved in a transaction based on the data; and

in response to detecting that the identified customer is included in a watch list, generating a notification indicating presence of the customer in the retail environment.

21. 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 data generated in a retail environment;

identifying a customer involved in a transaction based on the data; and

in response to detecting that the identified customer is included in a watch list, generating a notification indicating presence of the customer in the retail environment.

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