Determining to audit a customer utilizing analytics

• US 9,311,668 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Pedley, Douglas James, Cancro, Richard Neil, Acker, Joel Bennett Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US13/754,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Embodiments for determining whether the activity of a customer within a retail store violates a business rules are disclosed. The embodiments include a customer performing actions within a retail store via a mobile computing device, generating at least one business rule, and comparing the customer'"'"'s actions with the business rules.

Claims

1. A mobile computing comprising:

a software location module configured to determine coordinates of the mobile computing device periodically at predetermined intervals while the customer is within the retail store, wherein, the software location module is configured to determine coordinates of an action completed by a customer in response to activity of a customer within a retail store;

a graphical user interface configured to;

receive the action in response to the activity of the customer within the retail store,

prompt the customer to enter data about the activity into at least one field, and

render a superimposed image on a map of the retail store in accordance with the coordinates of the action, the superimposed image indicating a location of the action;

a camera configured to record and transmit one or more identifiers related to the action to an audit server;

a software shopping list module configured to collect and store the one or more identifiers from the camera;

a communication device configured to transmit an action notification including data associated with the activity of the user to the audit server, the data comprising at least the data entered into the graphical user interface by the customer, the coordinates of the mobile computing device collected by the software location module, and the one or more identifiers collected by the software shopping list module; and

the mobile computing device further configured to receive, from the audit server, an audit notification when the audit server determines that the activity of the customer within the retail store violates a business rule.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the action being at least one of scanning an identifier of an item to add the item to a shopping list, removing the item from the shopping list, and scanning the identifier of the item to receive further information associated with the item.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determining if the activity of the customer within the retail store violates the business rule includes comparing the activity of the customer within the retail store to the business rule.

4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the determining if the activity of the customer within the retail store violates the business rule is determined in response to the customer completing a transaction at the retail store via the graphical user interface.