System for Inventory Management

• US 20160132822A1
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Swafford, John
• Application Number:
  US14/591,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems and methods related to a store intelligence system can include a plurality of end-point devices associated with a product shelf configured to display product, and a plurality of hubs each positioned adjacent to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices. One or more of the plurality of end-point devices can be configured to detect and transmit inventory information to a predetermined adjacent hub of the plurality of hubs or to receive and display price information or product information from a predetermined hub of the plurality of hubs. Each of the hubs can be configured to receive inventory information from one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices, provide alerts, transmit inventory information to a network, receive price information and product information, and transmit the price information and product information to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of product shelves;

a plurality of end-point devices associated with at least one product shelf of the plurality of shelves configured to display product; and

a plurality of hubs each positioned adjacent to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices;

wherein one or more of the plurality of end-point devices are configured to detect and transmit inventory information to a predetermined adjacent hub of the plurality of hubs, and one or more of the plurality of end-point devices are configured to receive and display or transmit at least one of price information, product information, and marketing material from a predetermined hub of the plurality of hubs;

wherein the plurality of hubs are each configured to;

receive inventory information from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices,

provide one or more alerts depending on the received inventory information,

transmit inventory information to a network,

receive price information, product information, and marketing material, and transmit the price information, product information, and marketing material to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices, and

communicate with the plurality of end-point devices via a low energy transmission protocol.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the end-point devices comprise at least one of the following:

product door sensors, peg-hook security sensors, inventory-measuring pusher sensors, electronic shelf label displays, beacons, and interactive touchscreen displays.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to calculate a number of products based on the inventory information received from the one or more end-point devices.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the number of products calculated by the plurality of hubs is received by the network and the network calculates the number of products in a facility.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to transmit one or more of a message, audio, or visual indicator upon the detection of a predetermined rate of products being displaced from a product shelf.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to transmit one or more of a message, audio, or visual indicator upon the detection of a predetermined level of product.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to aggregate and accumulate inventory information and transfer the inventory information to the network.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the low energy transmission protocol is one or more of Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy or ISM.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to monitor the end-point devices and report statuses of the end-point devices.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the end-point devices are configured to send a periodic transmission to a predetermined one of the plurality of hubs indicating a status.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of hubs is configured to track the position of one or more of the end-point devices.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one of the plurality of hubs is configured to detect a possible occurrence of a theft based on a change in position of the one or more of the end-point devices or calculate an inventory level based on the position of the one or more of the end-point devices.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the end point devices comprises a product pusher and is configured to detect the position of the product pusher.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portal for viewing the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices and for modifying the price information, product information, and marketing material transmitted to the one or more end-point devices.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network configured to receive the inventory information and wherein the network is configured to request additional inventory based on the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network configured to receive the inventory information and send notifications once an inventory level has reached a predetermined value.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs each comprise a series of indicator lights configured to illuminate when predetermined conditions occur.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to update software or operating systems of the end-point devices.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of hubs are configured to send selected information to the end-point devices at predetermined times.

20. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of end-point devices associated with a product shelf configured to display product;

providing a plurality of hubs;

providing instructions to position each of the plurality of hubs adjacent to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices;

configuring one or more of the plurality of end-point devices to transmit inventory information to a predetermined adjacent hub of the plurality of hubs;

configuring one or more of the plurality of end-point devices to receive and display or transmit one or more of price information, product information, or marketing material from a predetermined hub of the plurality of hubs;

configuring each of the plurality of hubs to receive inventory information from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices, to transmit inventory information to the network, to calculate a number of products based on the received inventory information, to transmit the number of products to the network and to communicate with the plurality of end-point devices via a low energy transmission protocol;

configuring a network for receiving and transmitting information to the plurality of hubs and to calculate a total number of products within a facility and to receive price information, product information, or marketing material and to transmit the price information, product information, or marketing material to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the end-point devices as one or more of the following:

product door sensors, peg-hook security sensors, inventory-measuring pusher sensors, electronic shelf label displays, beacons, and touchscreen displays.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to transmit one or more of a message, audio, or visual indicator upon detection of a predetermined rate of products being displaced from a product shelf.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to aggregate and accumulate the inventory information and transfer the inventory information.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the low energy transmission protocol as one or more of Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy or ISM.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to monitor the end-point devices and report statuses of the end-point devices.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring one or more of the end-point devices to send a periodic transmission to a predetermined one of the plurality of hubs indicating a status.

27. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring at least one of the plurality of hubs to track the position of one or more of the end-point devices.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising configuring the at least one of the plurality of hubs to detect a possible occurrence of a theft based on a change in position of the one or more of the end-point devices or to calculate an inventory level based on the position of the one or more of the end-point devices.

29. The method of claim 20 wherein one or more of the end point devices comprises a product pusher and detecting the position of the product pusher.

30. The method claim 20 further comprising providing a portal for viewing the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices and for modifying the price information, product information, and marketing material transmitted to the one or more end-point devices.

31. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring a network to receive the inventory information and configuring the network to request additional inventory based on the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices.

32. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring a network to receive the inventory information and send notifications once an inventory level has reached a predetermined value.

33. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing each of the plurality of hubs with a series of indicator lights configured to illuminate when predetermined conditions occur.

34. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to update software or operating systems of the end-point devices.

35. The method of claim 20 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to send selected information to the end-point devices at predetermined times.

36. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

configuring a network for receiving and transmitting information to a plurality of hubs;

configuring one or more plurality of end-point devices to transmit inventory information to a predetermined adjacent hub of the plurality of hubs or to receive and display or transmit one or more of price information, product information, or marketing material from a predetermined hub of the plurality of hubs;

configuring each of the plurality of hubs to receive inventory information from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices, to transmit inventory information to the network, to calculate a number of products based on the received inventory information, to transmit the number of products to the network, to receive price information, product information, and marketing material and to transmit price information, product information, and marketing material to one or more of the plurality of end-point devices, and to communicate with the plurality of end-point devices via a low energy transmission protocol.

37. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to transmit one or more of a message, audio, or visual indicator upon detection of a predetermined rate of products being displaced from a product shelf

38. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to aggregate and accumulate the inventory information and transfer the inventory information.

39. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 comprising configuring the low energy transmission protocol as one or more of Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy or ISM.

40. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to monitor the end-point devices and report statuses of the end-point devices.

41. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring one or more of the end-point devices to send a periodic transmission to a predetermined one of the plurality of hubs indicating a status.

42. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring at least one of the plurality of hubs to track positions of one or more of the end-point devices.

43. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 42 further comprising configuring the at least one of the plurality of hubs to detect a possible occurrence of a theft based on a change in position of the one or more of the end-point devices or to calculate an inventory level based on the positions of one or more of the end-point devices.

44. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising providing a portal for viewing the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices and for modifying the price information, product information, and marketing material transmitted to the one or more end-point devices.

45. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring a network to receive the inventory information and configuring the network to request additional inventory based on the inventory information received from one or more of the plurality of end-point devices.

46. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring a network to receive the inventory information and send notifications once an inventory level has reached a predetermined value.

47. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising providing each of the plurality of hubs with a series of indicator lights configured to illuminate when predetermined conditions occur.

48. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to update software or operating systems of the end-point devices.

49. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 36 further comprising configuring the plurality of hubs to send selected information to the end-point devices at predetermined times.