SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING GOODS TO CONSUMERS

• US 20170116572A1
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Natarajan, Chandrashekar, High, Donald R., Gat, Dhaval
• Application Number:
  US15/297,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A system for purchasable item delivery comprises an electronic device at a storage area of a first store customer wherein items purchased by the first store customer are temporarily stored after receipt from a retail establishment, and are available for purchase from the first store customer by a second store customer, the electronic device collecting data regarding the items; and a last mile system that processes the data to track an inventory of the items, and determines whether an item in the inventory of items is available for the second store customer from the storage area of the first store customer. The last mile system comprises: a device manager that monitors a location of the items at the at least one storage area; and an inventory management unit that monitors an inventory of the stored items at least at one of the at least one storage area of the first store customer or at the retail establishment.

Claims

1. A system for purchasable item delivery, comprising:

an electronic device at a storage area of a first store customer wherein items purchased by the first store customer are temporarily stored after receipt from a retail establishment, and are available for purchase from the first store customer by a second store customer, the electronic device collecting data regarding the items; and

a last mile system that processes the data to track an inventory of the items, and determines whether an item in the inventory of items is available for the second store customer from the storage area of the first store customer;

wherein the last mile system comprises;

a device manager that monitors a location of the items at the at least one storage area; and

an inventory management unit that monitors an inventory of the stored items at least at one of the at least one storage area of the first store customer or at the retail establishment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the items include RFID devices that relay off beacon readers positioned in the at least one storage area for tracking the items.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory management unit processes data regarding shelf life, inventory movement, replenishment, recalls, and/or returns to track the inventory of the purchasable items in the at least one storage area of the first store customer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory management unit comprises a scanner for detecting a stock of the items as part of the inventory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the last mile system comprises:

a reputation integrity management system that performs an integrity check with respect to the first store customer;

an agent onboarding engine that uses at least one of a social profile, background check, or credit check to validate the integrity of the first store customer;

a goods status monitor that updates a list of inventory at the storage area if a determination is made of a product recall, damaged inventory items, identified returns, or other situations that may cause a change in inventory levels; and

an order processor that generates a replenishment order when the inventory drops below a predetermined threshold at the storage area or the retail establishment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the reputation integrity management system performs social personal profiling.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the items are protected by a background check or video analytics.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the agent onboarding engine ensures selection of the first store customer by using the social profiling, background, or credit check results produced by the reputation integrity management system, and validating the first store customer through related web services.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the order processor communicates with a point of sale (POS) system for receiving customer order information for updating a data record that includes data on the inventory.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the order processor communicates with an inventory management unit to determine which storage location among a plurality of storage locations has an item of interest for fulfilling an order.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second store customer is downstream in a retail supply chain from the first store customer.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the inventory of the items is for the first store customer and a second portion of the inventory of the items is for the second store customer.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second store customers are each store customers, and wherein the first store customer does not purchase items at the store for resale to the second store customer.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage area comprises at least one appliance for at least one of storing, maintaining, or dispensing the items for the second store customer, and the electronic device collects data from the at least one appliance.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one appliance communicates with an inventory management unit regarding inventory usage and restocking.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one storage area includes at least one of a freezer unit, a cooling unit, or a heating unit, or other device controlling an ambient temperature.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory or purchasable items in the at least one storage area of the first store customer is consumed by a combination of the first store customer and the second store customer.

18. A system for managing a delivery of goods to a consumer in a final stage of a supply chain, comprising:

an inventory management unit that monitors an inventory of items stored at a storage area of a first store customer or at a retail establishment providing the inventory of items to the first store customer, and determines whether an item in the inventory of items is available for a second store customer from the storage area of the first store customer;

a goods status monitor that updates a list of inventory at the storage area if a determination is made of a product recall, damaged inventory items, identified returns, or other situations that may cause a change in inventory levels; and

an order processor that generates a replenishment order when the inventory drops below a predetermined threshold at the storage area or the retail establishment.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a device manager that tracks and locates the items in or proximal the storage area of the first customer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the device manager includes an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a reputation integrity management system that performs an integrity check with respect to the first store customer; and

an agent onboarding engine that uses at least one of a social profile, background check, or credit check to validate the integrity of the first store customer.

22. A method for delivering store items to a customer, comprising:

storing an inventory of purchasable items at a plurality of warehousing customer locations, each warehousing customer location receiving store items from a store;

monitoring by an electronic device at the warehousing customer location in communication with a last mile system that determines availability and viability of the items;

receiving an order for a store item from a new customer;

determining a closest warehousing customer location; and

delivering the store item from the closest warehousing customer location to the new customer.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising contacting a delivery provider to deliver the identified inventory items from an identified storage location to the new customer.