Grid pixelation enhancement for in-stock analytics

• US 8,577,136 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Ascher, Andrew W., Jones, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Niu, Feng
• Application Number:
  US12/980,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for presenting product stock information. In some implementations, an image of a portion of a retail store is received from a camera and analyzed to divide the image into macroblocks. Each of the macroblocks can be associated with one or more product facings associated with products placed on a shelf in the retail store. A color from the macroblock is optionally identified and compared to a product color or a shelf color to determine a stock level of the product. In some implementations, a reporting module presents the stock level in a graphical user interface to a user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an image from a camera, wherein the image is of a retail environment;

dividing the image into a plurality of macroblocks, wherein each of the macroblocks is sized corresponding to a size of a product facing on a shelf in the retail environment;

analyzing each of the plurality of macroblocks in the image to determine a color of the macroblock;

identifying a product color of a product provided by the retail environment, wherein the product and the product color are associated with one or more of the product facings represented by the plurality of macroblocks and wherein the product color differs from a shelf color;

comparing the color of each of the plurality of macroblocks to the product color or the shelf color, wherein each of the plurality of macroblocks that corresponds to the product color represents a location of a product facing on a shelf in the retail environment;

determining, based on the comparing, a current stock level of the product provided by the retail environment; and

presenting the current stock level of the product provided by the retail environment in a graphical user interface on a display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises:

identifying a subset of the plurality of macroblocks, wherein each of the macroblocks in the subset of the plurality of macroblocks is associated with the product provided by the retail environment;

identifying a maximum stock level of the product provided by the retail environment;

identifying a portion of the subset of the plurality of macroblocks, wherein the color of each of the macroblocks in the portion of the subset of the plurality of macroblocks is the same as the shelf color; and

determining an out of stock percentage of the product provided by the retail environment, wherein the out of stock percentage is based on the maximum stock level of the product and a number of macroblocks in the portion of the subset of the plurality of macroblocks, and wherein the current stock level is based on the out of stock percentage of the product.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the macroblocks in the subset of the plurality of macroblocks comprises a location within the image, and wherein identifying the subset of the plurality of macroblocks comprises identifying the locations of the macroblocks associated with the product provided by the retail environment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising comparing the out of stock percentage of the product with a threshold out of stock percentage to determine if the out of stock percentage of the product is greater than the threshold out of stock percentage and wherein the presenting is based on the comparing of the out of stock percentage of the product with the threshold out of stock percentage.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the presenting comprises displaying an order quantity of the product, wherein the order quantity of the product is based on the current stock level and the maximum stock level, the method further comprising:

ordering the order quantity of the product from a vendor; and

presenting an order confirmation message on the display.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing the order quantity of the product with a threshold order quantity and wherein displaying the order quantity of the product is based on the comparing of the order quantity of the product with the threshold order quantity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from an inventory system, a calculated stock level of the product and wherein the presenting comprises displaying a comparison of the calculated stock level of the product and the current stock level.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing, to the inventory system, the current stock level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a first macroblock from the plurality of macroblocks has a first size corresponding to a first product facing of a first product and a second macroblock from the plurality of macroblocks has a second size corresponding to a second product facing of a second product, wherein the first product is different from the second product and the first size is smaller than the second size.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a size ratio between the first size and the second size is greater than about 2:

1.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first macroblock comprises a plurality of said first product facings of the first product.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the current stock level comprises a ratio of product outs, wherein the ratio of product outs is based on the plurality of said first product facings of the first product and a maximum stock level of the first product.

13. A system comprising:

an image analysis module configured to receive a plurality of images of a retail store, wherein the image analysis module divides each of the images into a plurality of blocks of pixels, wherein the image analysis module determines a principal color associated with each of the plurality of blocks of pixels, and wherein each of the plurality of blocks of pixels is associated with a product provided by the retail store and an identifier, the identifier being representative of a region of the retail store, wherein each of the plurality of blocks of pixels including at least a portion of an image associated with the product includes multiple colors such that the principal color associated with the block of pixels is representative of a corresponding one of the products, and wherein each of the plurality of blocks of pixels is sized corresponding to a size of a product facing of the product on a shelf in the retail store;

an out of stock determination module configured to receive the principal colors and the identifiers associated with each of the plurality of blocks of pixels, wherein for each of the plurality of blocks of pixels the out of stock determination module identifies, based on the identifier associated with the block of pixels, a product color of the product associated with the block of pixels and a shelf color of the shelf the product is placed on, and compares the principal color of the block of pixels with the product color or the shelf color to determine an out of stock quantity for the product; and

a reporting module configured to receive the out of stock quantity for the product,

wherein the reporting module displays the out of stock quantity for the product on a monitor.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the out of stock determination module identifies a subset of the plurality of blocks of pixels associated with a specific product provided by the retail store and determines a combined out of stock quantity of the specific product based on the out of stock quantities corresponding to the subset of the plurality of blocks of pixels associated with the specific product, and wherein the reporting module displays the combined out of stock quantity of the specific product on the monitor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the reporting module is configured to order the combined out of stock quantity of the specific product from a vendor.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the reporting module is configured to display an order confirmation based on ordering the combined out of stock quantity of the specific product from the vendor.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the image analysis module is configured to receive the plurality of images from a plurality of retail stores and the reporting module is configured to order the combined out of stock quantity of the specific product for each of the plurality of retail stores from the vendor.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the image analysis module is configured to receive the plurality of images from a plurality of cameras physically located at the retail store and the out of stock determination module is configured to determine a first out of stock quantity for a first product facing based on a first image from the plurality of images and a second out of stock quantity for a second product facing based on a second image from the plurality of images.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the reporting module displays the first out of stock quantity and the second out of stock quantity on the monitor.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first image is of a first region in the retail store and the second image is of a second region in the retail store and the first region is the same as the second region, wherein the first product facing and the second product facing are the same product facing, and the out of stock determination module is configured to average the first out of stock quantity and the second out of stock quantity when determining the out of stock quantity for the product.