Method and apparatus pertaining to monitoring item source locations

• US 9,704,124 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus A., Wilkinson, Bruce W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US13/804,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721, 705 28, 700215
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip

Abstract

One maintains a first historical record that correlates each of a plurality of items that each have a unique identifier with one of a plurality of locations with a facility. Upon then determining that a given one of those items is leaving the facility (for example, by detecting that the item is literally exiting a building that comprises the facility and/or that the item is being purchased), that item'"'"'s unique identifier and that first historical record are used to update a second historical record with respect to which locations within the facility are moving which items. By one approach the aforementioned unique identifier can comprise an electronic product code as comprises a part of a corresponding RFID tag.

Claims

1. A method to indicate which of a plurality of display locations within a retail-sales facility has a greater number of displayed categorically-similar products purchased by consumers as compared to other of the plurality of display locations that also display the categorically-similar products, where each of the categorically-similar products has a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag having a unique identifier such that each of the products can be individually identified, the method comprising:

maintaining a first historical record correlating each of the categorically-similar products with one of the plurality of display locations within the retail-sales facility;

determining that a given one of the categorically-similar products has been purchased by a purchaser;

using the unique identifier for the given one of the categorically-similar products that has been purchased and the first historical record to identify from which of the plurality of display locations the purchased product was selected by the purchaser;

updating a second historical record to indicate that the purchased product was selected from the identified display location to thereby facilitate determining which of the plurality of display locations that display similar products achieves a higher sales volume.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique identifier comprises an electronic product code.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the electronic product code comprises an electronic product code as specified by a standard denoted as EPC Radio-Frequency Identity Protocols Class-1 Generation-2 UHF RFID Protocol for Communications at 860 MHz-960 MHz Version 1.0.9.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of display locations at least include:

loose-inventory displays of some of the categorically-similar products; and

at least one pre-stocked retail display of some of the categorically-similar products.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first historical record and the second historical record comprise a shared historical record.

6. An apparatus configured to indicate which of a plurality of display locations within a retail-sales facility has a greater number of displayed categorically-similar products purchased by consumers as compared to other of the plurality of display locations that also display the categorically-similar products, where each of the categorically-similar products has a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag having a unique identifier such that each of the products can be individually identified, the apparatus comprising:

a first memory having a first historical record stored therein correlating each of the categorically-similar products with one of the plurality of display locations within the retail-sales facility;

a control circuit operably coupled to the first memory and configured to;

determine that a given one of the categorically-similar products has been purchased by a purchaser;

use the unique identifier for the given one of the categorically-similar products that has been purchased and the first historical record to identify from which of the plurality of display locations the purchased product was selected by the purchaser;

update a second historical record to indicate that the purchased product was selected from the identified display location to thereby facilitate determining which of the plurality of display locations that display similar products achieves a higher sales volume.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the unique identifier comprises an electronic product code.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the electronic product code comprises an electronic product code as specified by a standard denoted as EPC Radio-Frequency Identity Protocols Class-10 Generation-2 UHF RFID Protocol for Communications at 860 MHz-960 MHz Version 10.0.9.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the plurality of display locations at least include:

loose-inventory displays of some of the categorically-similar products; and

at least one pre-stocked retail display of some of the categorically-similar products.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first historical record and the second historical record comprise a shared historical record.