In store voice picking system

• US 9,928,531 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Michael Donovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Haq, Naeem U
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sutch, Jr., Norman Donald
• Application Number:
  US14/627,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory processor readable media of the various embodiments enable in store voice picking systems. In various embodiments, an end-to-end voice ordering and fulfillment system for a retail store may enable a customer to place an order over the phone, a personal shopper to be directed to fill the order via voice commands, and the order to be made available for pickup at the retail store by the customer or delivered to the customer from the retail store.

Claims

1. An in store voice picking system, comprising:

a customized cart used by a personal shopper and having more than one cubby and a scale;

a memory containing an electronic layout of a selected one of a store layout and planogram that identifies locations of more than one radio frequency identifier (RFID);

a server processor that is communicatively coupled to the memory and configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

barcode scanning one or more items at a location in a retail store to obtain an identity of the one or more items;

for each item of the one or more items, detecting at least one RFID that is within range of the location of each item;

uploading the identity of each item and an associated location of the detected at least one RFID to the memory;

receiving an order for one or more items in a retail store;

for each item, accessing in the memory the associated location of the item;

assigning at least one cubby of the customized cart to a selected order based on cubing an expected volume of the one or more items;

sending voice indications of the items to a personal shopper system worn by the personal shopper to direct the personal shopper to the associated location to pick the one or more items in the retail store and place the one or more items in the retail store in a selected one of a bag and a carton in the assigned at least one cubby;

illuminating the at least one cubby to indicate placement of the one or more items that are picked to fulfill the order; and

detecting, by the scale, a weight measurement of any articles placed in the at least one cubby to verify placement of the one or more items.

2. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations such that receiving an order for one or more items in a retail store comprises:

receiving a voice call from a customer'"'"'s mobile device; and

generating the order for one or more items in the retail store based on voice inputs received from the customer during the voice call.

3. The in store voice picking system of claim 2, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations such that generating the order for one or more items in the retail store based on voice inputs received from the customer during the voice call further comprises applying brand preferences associated with the customer.

4. The in store voice picking system of claim 3, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising selecting a language for the customer from a series of available languages, wherein generating the order for one or more items in the retail store based on voice inputs received from the customer during the voice call comprises generating the order for one or more items in the retail store based on voice inputs received from the customer during the voice call in the selected language.

5. The in store voice picking system of claim 4, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving an indication of the location of the personal shopper in the retail store from the personal shopper system; and

sorting the one or more items of the order based at least in part on the indication of the location of the personal shopper.

6. The in store voice picking system of claim 5, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations such that the indication of the location of the personal shopper in the retail store is based on a GPS coordinate, a signal triangulation, an RFID tag reading, a light sensor measurement, a floor marker image, or an indication of a last item scanned.

7. The in store voice picking system of claim 6, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising selecting a language for the personal shopper from a series of available languages, wherein the voice indications of the items are in the selected language for the personal shopper.

8. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising sending a replenishment request to a warehouse server in response to sending the voice indications of the items to the personal shopper system.

9. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

sending the voice indications of the items to an approximate location; and

barcode scanning the one or more items at the location in the retail store during picking of the one or more items to fulfill the order to update the approximate location with an exact location.

10. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising barcode scanning the one or more items at the location in the retail store during a selected one of a putaway event and a cycle count to obtain the identity of the one or more items.

11. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

in response to receiving the order for one or more items in a retail store;

accessing inventory data for the one or more items;

decrementing the inventory data based on an estimate of the one or more items have been picked by other shoppers that are currently shopping in the retail store;

determining whether the decremented inventory data has a sufficient quantity to fulfill the order; and

directing the personal shopper to pick the one or more items in response to determining that he decremented inventory data has the sufficient quantity.

12. The in store voice picking system of claim 1, further comprising a portable receipt printer, wherein the server processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising causing the portable receipt printer to print a receipt for affixing to a completed order.