Data mining techniques for enhancing shelf-space management

• US 6,922,706 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2000
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Levanoni, Menachem, Kurtzberg, Jerome M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/559,379
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1.1, 707 3- 4, 707/2, 707/5, 707/6, 707/100, 707/200, 705/10, 705/22, 705/28, 705 35- 38, 706 50- 54, 706/61
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A computer method for enhancing shelf-space management. The method includes the steps of providing a shelf-space-requirements database comprising a compendium of individual shelf-space-requirements history; providing a shelf-space-availability database comprising a compendium of at least one of shelf-space management solutions, shelf-space information, and shelf-space diagnostics; and, employing a data mining technique for interrogating the shelf-space-requirements and shelf-space-availability databases for generating an output data stream, the output data stream correlating shelf-space-requirements problem with shelf-space-availability solution.

Claims

1. A computer method comprising:

providing a shelf-space-requirements database comprising a compendium of individual shelf-space-requirements history;

providing a shelf-space-availability database comprising a compendium of at least one of shelf-space management solutions, shelf-space information, and shelf-space diagnostics;

employing a data mining technique for interrogating said shelf-space-requirements and shelf-space-availability databases for generating an output data stream, said output data stream correlating shelf-space-requirements with shelf-space-availability solutions; and

refining said data mining technique based on said output data stream.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating the shelf-space-requirements database.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said updating said shelf-space requirements database comprises updating the shelf-space-requirements database so that it includes the results of employing a data mining technique.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said refining said data mining technique comprises:

refining an employed data mining technique in cognizance of pattern changes embedded in each database as a consequence of updating the shelf-space-requirements database.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating the shelf-space-availability database.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said updating said shelf-space availability database comprises updating the shelf-space-availability database so that it includes the effects of employing a data mining technique on the shelf-space-requirements database.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein said refining said data mining technique comprises:

refining an employed data mining technique in cognizance of pattern changes embedded in each database as a consequence of updating the shelf-space-availability database.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said data mining technique comprises a neural-network data mining technique.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said neural network data mining technique comprises a neural network based classification of said shelf-space requirement features.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said shelf-space-requirements comprise shelf-space requirement features for a particular item.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said shelf-space requirement features comprise at least one of style, size, color, current local inventory and expected shelf-space-requirements by week for said particular item.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a correlation between said shelf-space-requirements and said shelf-space-availability solutions indicates a recommended solution.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said output data stream comprises a list of recommended solutions.

14. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for providing an interactive shelf-space management database the method comprising:

providing a shelf-space-requirements database comprising a compendium of individual shelf-space-requirements history;

providing a shelf-space-availability database comprising a compendium of at least one of shelf-space management solutions, shelf-space information, and shelf-space diagnostics;

employing a data mining technique for interrogating said shelf-space-requirements and shelf-space-availability databases for generating an output data stream, said output data stream correlating shelf-space-requirements with shelf-space-availability solutions; and

refining said data mining technique based on said output data stream.

15. A computer comprising:

an input device for inputting a shelf-space-requirements database comprising a compendium of individual shelf-space-requirements history, and inputting a shelf-space-availability database comprising a compendium of at least one of shelf-space management solutions, shelf-space information, and shelf-space diagnostics;

a processor for employing a data mining technique for interrogating said shelf-space-requirements and shelf-space-availability databases; and

an output device for generating an output data stream, said output data stream correlating shelf-space-requirements with shelf-space-availability solutions,

wherein said data mining technique is refined based on said output data stream.