System to identify and communicate irregular product types and related methods

• US 9,659,273 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Atikoglu, Berk, Daniyalzade, Eytan
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/642,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 23546208, 235385, 235375, 235487, 23546201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Some embodiments include a method. The method can include: identifying a first consumer location of a consumer; identifying a first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location; and receiving a selected limited irregular product type of one or more first limited irregular product types. The first limited irregular product group can have the first limited irregular product type(s). Further, an irregular product group can have multiple irregular product types, the multiple irregular product types can have the one or more first limited irregular product types, a master product group can have multiple product types, and the multiple product types can have multiple regular product types and the multiple irregular product types. The multiple irregular product types can satisfy at least one irregularity parameter distinguishing the multiple irregular product types from the multiple regular product types. Other embodiments of related methods and systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing one or more first computer instructions configured to identify a first consumer location of a consumer;

executing one or more second computer instructions configured to identify a first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location; and

executing one or more third computer instructions configured to receive a selected limited irregular product type of one or more first limited irregular product types from a consumer computer device of the consumer;

wherein;

executing the one or more second computer instructions comprises;

executing one or more fourth computer instructions configured to select, based on identifying the first consumer location, the first limited irregular product group from multiple limited irregular product groups;

the multiple limited irregular product groups are different from each other and are associated with different consumer locations of the consumer;

the multiple limited irregular product groups comprise the first limited irregular product group;

the different consumer locations comprise the first consumer location;

the first limited irregular product group comprises the one or more first limited irregular product types;

an irregular product group comprises multiple irregular product types, and the multiple irregular product types comprise the one or more first limited irregular product types;

a master product group comprises multiple product types, and the multiple product types comprise multiple regular product types and the multiple irregular product types;

the multiple irregular product types satisfy at least one irregularity parameter distinguishing the multiple irregular product types from the multiple regular product types; and

the one or more first computer instructions, the one or more second computer instructions, and the one or more third computer instructions are configured to run at one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises a barcode placement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises a product weight.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises a product size.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the multiple product types comprise product types of a particular store; and

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises a product location within the particular store.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the multiple product types comprise product types of a particular store; and

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises a product location within the particular store relative to the first consumer location.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to identify the irregular product group;

wherein;

the one or more fifth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the one or more first limited irregular product types comprise multiple first limited irregular product types;

the method further comprises executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to arrange the multiple first limited irregular product types; and

the one or more fifth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

executing the one or more fifth computer instructions comprises executing one or more sixth computer instructions configured to arrange the multiple first limited irregular product types according to an irregularity weight factor of the multiple first limited irregular product types.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein:

executing the one or more fifth computer instructions comprises executing one or more sixth computer instructions configured to arrange the multiple first limited irregular product types according to a selection popularity weight factor of the multiple first limited irregular product types.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to send the first limited irregular product group to the consumer computer device of the consumer;

wherein;

the one or more fifth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to receive a quantity of products of the selected limited irregular product type of the one or more first limited irregular product types from the consumer computer device of the consumer;

wherein;

the one or more fifth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

executing the one or more first computer instructions comprises executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to receive the first consumer location of the consumer from the consumer computer device of the consumer, the consumer computer device of the consumer having detected the first consumer location using at least one navigation system of the consumer computer device of the consumer.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after executing the one or more second computer instructions, executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to identify a second consumer location of the consumer; and

executing one or more sixth computer instructions configured to identify a second limited irregular product group associated with the second consumer location;

wherein;

executing the one or more sixth computer instructions comprises;

executing one or more seventh computer instructions configured to select, based on identifying the second consumer location, the second limited irregular product group from the multiple limited irregular product groups;

the multiple limited irregular product groups comprise the second limited irregular product group;

the different consumer locations comprise the second consumer location;

the second limited irregular product group comprises one or more second limited irregular product types;

the multiple irregular product types comprise the one or more second limited irregular product types; and

the one or more fifth computer instructions and the one or more sixth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

after executing the one or more sixth computer instructions, executing one or more eighth computer instructions configured to identify that the consumer has returned to the first consumer location; and

executing one or more ninth computer instructions configured to identify again the first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location;

wherein;

the one or more eighth computer instructions and the one or more ninth computer instructions are configured to run at the one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein:

executing the one or more first computer instructions and executing the one or more second computer instructions occurs in real-time.

17. A system comprising:

an input device;

a display device;

one or more processing modules; and

one or more non-transitory memory storage modules storing computer instructions configured to run on the one or more processing modules and perform acts comprising;

identifying a first consumer location of a consumer;

identifying a first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location; and

sending the first limited irregular product group to a consumer computer device of the consumer;

wherein;

identifying the first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location comprises;

selecting, based on identifying the first consumer location, the first limited irregular product group from multiple limited irregular product groups;

the multiple limited irregular product groups are different from each other and are associated with different consumer locations of the consumer;

the multiple limited irregular product groups comprise the first limited irregular product group;

the different consumer locations comprise the first consumer location;

the first limited irregular product group comprises one or more first limited irregular product types;

an irregular product group comprises multiple irregular product types, and the multiple irregular product types comprise the one or more first limited irregular product types;

a master product group comprises multiple product types, and the multiple product types comprise multiple regular product types and the multiple irregular product types;

the multiple irregular product types satisfy at least one irregularity parameter distinguishing the multiple irregular product types from the multiple regular product types; and

the input device and the display device are configured to permit an operator of the one or more processing modules and the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules to manage the one or more processing modules and the one or more non-transitory memory storage modules.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein:

the multiple product types comprise product types of a particular store; and

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises (i) a barcode placement, (ii) a product weight, (iii) a product size, (iv) a product location within the particular store, or (v) a product location within the particular store relative to the first consumer location.

19. At least one non-transitory memory storage module having computer instructions stored thereon executable by one or more processing modules to:

identify a first consumer location of a consumer;

identify a first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location;

send the first limited irregular product group to a consumer computer device of the consumer;

and

receive a selected limited irregular product type of one or more first limited irregular product types from the consumer computer device of the consumer;

wherein;

identifying the first limited irregular product group associated with the first consumer location comprises;

selecting, based on identifying the first consumer location, the first limited irregular product group from multiple limited irregular product groups;

the multiple limited irregular product groups are different from each other and are associated with different consumer locations of the consumer;

the multiple limited irregular product groups comprise the first limited irregular product group;

the different consumer locations comprise the first consumer location;

the first limited irregular product group comprises the one or more first limited irregular product types;

an irregular product group comprises multiple irregular product types, and the multiple irregular product types comprise the one or more first limited irregular product types;

a master product group comprises multiple product types, and the multiple product types comprise multiple regular product types and the multiple irregular product types;

the multiple irregular product types satisfy at least one irregularity parameter distinguishing the multiple irregular product types from the multiple regular product types;

the multiple product types comprise product types of a particular store; and

the at least one irregularity parameter comprises at least one of;

(i) a barcode placement, (ii) a product weight, (iii) a product size, (iv) a product location within the particular store, or (v) a product location within the particular store relative to the first consumer location.

20. The at least one non-transitory memory storage module of claim 19 wherein the computer instructions stored thereon are further executable by the one or more processing modules to:

after identifying the first consumer location of the consumer, identify a second consumer location of the consumer; and

identify a second limited irregular product group associated with the second consumer location;

wherein;

identifying the second limited irregular product group associated with the second consumer location comprises;

selecting, based on identifying the second consumer location, the second limited irregular product group from the multiple limited irregular product groups;

the multiple limited irregular product groups comprise the second limited irregular product group;

the different consumer locations comprise the second consumer location;

the second limited irregular product group comprises one or more second limited irregular product types; and

the multiple irregular product types comprise the one or more second limited irregular product types.