Monitoring unit depletion in an independent real-time mass storage unit system by using an estimated tare mass of the item

• US 8,275,665 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bodin, William K., Watt, Stephen J., Masterson, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Champagne, Luna
• Application Number:
  US13/049,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/22
• 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: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for estimating, refining, and using the tare mass for an item to determine and monitor item depletion. In response to detecting an initial presence of an item in the storage unit, a controller collects data about the item. The controller then searches a database for a recorded item containing the same item identification. The tare mass of the item is set equal to the refined tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database. The tare mass is then used to calculate a depletion threshold for the item.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a storage unit, the method comprising:

responsive to a computer detecting an initial presence of an item in the storage unit, collecting, by the computer, an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item; and

searching, by the computer, a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;

retrieving, by the computer, a total mass of the recorded item from the database;

comparing, by the computer, the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item; and

responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount, setting, by the computer, a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database;

responsive to the computer detecting the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit, collecting, by the computer, a current mass of the item; and

determining, by the computer, a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item; and

responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion, the computer alerting a user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is greater than a predetermined amount, the computer prompting the user to confirm the identity of the item; and

responsive to a positive confirmation of the item, calculating, by the computer, the tare mass of the item as (Tr/R_tot)/Ii, wherein Tr is the tare mass of the recorded item, R_tot is the total mass of the recorded item and Ii is the initial mass of the item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to an absence of the recorded item in the database, the computer prompting the user to provide a net weight of the item, an instruction to search for a similar item, or an instruction to estimate the tare mass of the item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein responsive to the user providing the net weight of the item, the tare mass of the item is set, by the computer, equal to the initial mass of the item minus the net weight of the item.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein based on the computer finding the similar item, the tare mass of the item is set, by the computer, equal to a tare mass of the similar item, provided that the difference between the initial mass of the item and a total mass of the similar item is less than a predetermined amount.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein provided the difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the similar item is greater than a predetermined amount, calculating, by the computer, a new tare mass of the item as ((Ts/S_tot)*Ii), wherein Ts is the tare mass of the similar item, S_tot is the total mass of the similar item, and Ii is the initial mass of the item.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein responsive to the user providing the instruction to estimate the tare mass of the item, calculating, by the computer, the tare mass of the item as a predetermined percentage of the initial mass of the item.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to an absence of the recorded item, searching, by the computer, for a recorded similar item.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the computer detecting a last measured mass of the item has occurred, setting, by the computer, the recorded tare mass of the item equal to a simple average, the last measured mass of the item, or ((No*Tr+Il)/(No+1), wherein No is a number of occurrences of the item, Tr is the recorded tare mass of the item, and Il is the last measured mass of the item.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein collecting, by the computer, the initial mass of the item and collecting, by the computer, the current mass of the item comprises:

adding up a total increase in mass measured by a portion of a grid of mass sensors of a mass sensor shelf of the storage unit on which the item is resting.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each dimension of surface area of each mass sensor is between one and two centimeters.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein each mass sensor of the grid of mass sensors of the mass sensor shelf of the storage unit on which the item is resting measures the mass of the item wholly or partially based on a footprint of the item.

13. A computer program product for monitoring a storage unit, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device;

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to detect an initial presence of an item in the storage unit and responsive to detecting the initial presence of the item in the storage unit, collect an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to search a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to retrieve a total mass of the recorded item from the database;

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to compare the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to set a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database, responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to collect a current mass of the item responsive to detecting that the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to determine a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to alert a user, responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to prompt the user to confirm the identity of the item, responsive to the difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is greater than a predetermined amount; and

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to calculate the tare mass of the item as (Tr/R_tot)*Ii, wherein Tr is the tare mass of the recorded item, R_tot is the total mass of the recorded item, and Ii is the initial mass of the item, responsive to a positive confirmation of the item identity.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to prompt the user to provide a net weight of the item, an instruction to search for a similar item, or an instruction to estimate the tare mass of the item, responsive to an absence of the recorded item in the database.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to set the tare mass of the item equal to the initial mass of the item minus the net weight of the item, responsive to the user providing the net weight of the item.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to set the tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the similar item, responsive to finding the similar item and provided that the difference between the initial mass of the item and a total mass of the similar item is less than a predetermined amount.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to calculate a new tare mass of the item, responsive to finding the similar item and provided the difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the similar item is greater than a predetermined amount, as ((Ts/S_tot)*Ii, wherein Ts is the tare mass of the similar item, S_tot is the total mass of the similar item, and Ii is the initial mass of the item.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to calculate the tare mass of the item as a predetermined percentage of the initial mass of the item, responsive to receiving the instruction to estimate the tare mass of the item.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to set the recorded tare mass of the item equal to a simple average, the last measured mass of the item, or (No*Tr+Il)/No+1, wherein, No is the number of occurrences of the item, Tr is the recorded tare mass of the item, and Il is the last measured mass of the item, responsive to detecting a last measured mass of the item has occurred.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a user interface;

a tag reader; and

a controller, wherein the controller further comprises;

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains a computer usable program product; and

a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to detect an initial presence of an item in a storage unit and responsive to detecting the initial presence of the item in the storage unit, collect an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item; and

search a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;

retrieve a total mass of the recorded item from a database;

compare the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item; and

responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount, set a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database; and

responsive to detecting the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit, collect a current mass of the item; and

determine a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item; and

responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion, alert a user.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to set the recorded tare mass of the item equal to a simple average, a last measured mass of the item, or (No*Tr+Il)/No+1, wherein, No is the number of occurrences of the item, Tr is the recorded tare mass of the item, and Il is the last measured mass of the item, responsive to detecting the last current mass of the item has occurred.