Methods and systems for inventory management

• US 8,296,259 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David J. Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Original Assignee: David J. Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Inventors: Trandal, David Scott, Brahm, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TRUONG V
• Application Number:
  US13/359,357
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 707/603
• US Class Current: 707/603
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The present invention relates to inventory management solutions, and in particular, to methods and systems for inventorying items over wireless and data networks, using digital imaging, positioning, and data terminals. The user experience in performing inventory management is simplified and enhanced over existing methods.

Claims

1. A method of recording an inventory of household items, comprising:

providing an inventory software program associated with an inventory system, to a mobile device associated with a first user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the first user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the first user, or,

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the first user;

partly causing by the inventory system, an image capture instruction to be presented to the first user;

receiving at the inventory system from the first user'"'"'s mobile device, a one or more images of a one or more household items;

receiving at the inventory system, a one or more audio communications from the first user;

interpreting by the inventory system, the one or more audio communications from the first user using speech recognition to determine a one or more room type identifiers;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the images received from the first user'"'"'s mobile device that have an associated room type identifier and their associated room type identifier;

automatically identifying by the inventory system, a one or more items in at least one of the images using image processing based at least in part on a dictionary of common household items associated with a room type of the associated room type identifier;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the item identifiers in association with the images;

providing a user interface by the inventory system via which the images, the room type identifiers associated with these images, and the item identifiers within these images can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) searched or any combination of (a), (b), and (c).

2. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining by the inventory system an approximate appraised value or an approximate replacement cost of a one or more of the identified one or more items.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the audio communications from the first user is a spoken yes response or a spoken no response.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the audio communications from the first user is a spoken identifier for the room type identifier.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the room type is a bedroom, a kitchen, or a bathroom.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface search accepts search terms including a one or more identified items, a one or more room type identifiers, or any combination of the one or more identified items and the one or more room type identifiers.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing at the inventory system in computer readable memory, the images received from the first user'"'"'s mobile device that do not have an associated room type identifier.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

if the room type identifier is not assigned, identifying by the inventory system, a one or more items in at least one of the images using image processing based at least in part on a secondary dictionary.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the secondary dictionary includes jewelry items or art items.

10. A method of recording an inventory of household items, comprising:

providing a household inventory software program associated with an inventory system, to a mobile device associated with a first user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the first user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the first user, or,

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the first user;

partly causing by the inventory system, an image capture instruction to be presented to the first user;

receiving at the inventory system from the first user'"'"'s mobile device, a one or more images of a one or more household items;

automatically assigning by the inventory system, for a one or more of the received images of household items, (a) a room category, (b) a one or more item labels, or (a) and (b) using;

speech recognition based at least in part on a one or more audio communications from the first user, or, item recognition based at least in part on a dictionary of common household items;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the images of the one or more items of the household of the first user received from the first user'"'"'s mobile device, the assigned room categories associated with these images, and the assigned item labels associated with these images;

providing a user interface by the inventory system via which the images of the one or more items of the household of the first user, the associated room categories, and the associated item labels can be (c) viewed, (d) edited, (e) searched or any combination of (c), (d), and (e).

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the inventory system is the inventory software program.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the inventory system is at least in part an Internet connected server and the inventory software program.

13. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the room category is a bedroom, a kitchen, or a bathroom.

14. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the audio communications from the first user is a spoken yes response or a spoken no response.

15. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the audio communications from the first user is a spoken identifier for the room category.

16. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the image is one or more pictures, one or more videos, or any combination of pictures and videos.

17. A method of recording an inventory of household items, comprising:

providing an inventory software program associated with an inventory system, to a mobile device associated with a first user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the first user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the first user, or,

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the first user;

partly causing by the inventory system, an image capture instruction to be presented to the first user;

receiving at the inventory system from the first user'"'"'s mobile device, a one or more images of a one or more household items;

automatically identifying by the inventory system, a one or more items in at least one of the images using image processing;

converting audio to text using speech recognition for an audio communication received from the first user wherein the audio communication is associated with a one or more of the one or more identified items;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the images received from the first user'"'"'s mobile device and the items identifiers associated with the images;

providing a user interface by the inventory system via which the images, the associated item identifiers, and the converted text associated with the identified items can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) searched or any combination of (a), (b), and (c).

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the audio communication is a plurality of audio communications.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the audio communication is a notation spoken by the first user describing a make and a model number of the associated item.

20. The method as defined in claim 17, the method further comprising:

providing via the user interface a control via which the first user can associate (d) purchase receipts, (e) warrantees, (f) notes, or any combination of (d), (e), and (f) with the stored identified items.

21. A system comprising:

at least one computing device;

program instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed by the at least one computing device, are configured to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

providing an inventory software program, to a mobile device associated with a first user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the first user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the first user, or,

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the first user;

partly causing an image capture instruction to be presented to the first user;

receiving from the first user'"'"'s mobile device, a one or more images of a one or more household items;

automatically identifying a one or more items in at least one of the images using image processing;

converting audio to text using speech recognition for an audio communication received from the first user wherein the audio communication is associated with a one or more of the one or more identified items;

storing the images received from the first user'"'"'s mobile device and the item identifiers associated with the images;

providing a user interface via which the images, the associated item identifiers, and the converted text associated with the identified items can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) searched or any combination of (a), (b), and (c).