Network-based grocery store

• US 8,972,043 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C2Morrow IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: C2Morrow IP, LLC
• Inventors: Foster, Simon, Clark, Bruce, Servais, Chris, Zosel, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US12/508,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

The present invention is a method and system for a network-based grocery store. The invention provides for network-based order placement, fulfillment, and delivery.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for fulfilling a plurality of network-based product orders in a warehouse using a wheeled cart, comprising:

storing a plurality of network-based product orders in a database;

utilizing a processing system to perform the steps of;

printing an order label for each of the plurality of orders, each order label comprising a bar code associated with a list of products in an order from the plurality of orders;

associating each of the plurality of printed order labels with one of a plurality of order fulfillment spaces contained in a wheeled cart, each of the order fulfillment spaces including an actuable indicator communicatively coupled to the processing unit and configured to light up for viewing by a user of the wheeled cart, wherein products contained in the network-based product orders are within one subgroup area of the warehouse;

receiving, from an electronic scanner communicatively coupled to the processing unit, data from at least one scanned bar code from the plurality of printed order labels, wherein the data identifies at least one product to be retrieved

receiving from the electronic scanner, data related to a scanned code associated with one of the at least one product to be retrieved for at least one of the plurality of network-based product orders, the at least one product located in the subgroup area of the warehouse;

identifying a network-based product order including the at least one product associated with the data related to the scanned code;

transmitting a signal to the actuable indicator associated with the order fulfillment space corresponding to the identified network-based product order containing the one of the at least one product with the scanned code, wherein the transmitted signal causes the actuable indicator to light up; and

receiving a signal indicating the product corresponding to the identified network-based product order has been added to the order fulfillment space, wherein the signal causes the lit actuable indicator to turn off and is received from one or more of

     1) the actuable indicator in response to the user actuating the lit indicator corresponding to the order fulfillment space containing the added product or

     2) the electronic scanner having scanned a bar code on a label associated with the network-based product order and corresponding order fulfillment space containing the added product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network-based product orders are grouped according to the subgroup area in which the products within the product orders are located in the warehouse.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of network-based product orders are subgroup orders, and upon fulfilling the subgroup orders, the subgroup orders are transported to a hub for aggregation with one or more other subgroup orders.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more other subgroup orders are filled in parallel with filling the subgroup orders associated with the wheeled cart.