Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for providing package release for an unmanned aerial system. An apparatus for releasing packages for retrieval by an unmanned aerial system comprises a plurality of arms configured to surround a plurality of packages stacked vertically in an extended position, a plurality of powered hinges at a base of each of the plurality of arms, and a control circuit coupled to the plurality of powered hinges. The control circuit being configured to: determine a height for a first lowered position for the plurality of arms at which the plurality arms do not obstruct an unmanned aerial vehicle from coupling with a coupling structure on a first package of the plurality of packages positioned at a top of the plurality of packages, and cause the plurality of powered hinges to pivot the plurality of arms from the extended position to the first lowered position.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided to enhance customer service through the distribution of mobile sales vehicles comprising: an engine and a drivetrain; a point of sales system; product storage storing pre-selected products selected in response to an evaluation of location demographic information, and in response to an evaluation of population demographic information, wherein the pre-selected products comprise a sub-set of potential products available from a retail entity operating the sales vehicle; and a product distribution system coupled with the point of sales system and comprising a control circuit configured to authorize access by a customer to one or more products stored in the product storage and purchased by the customer.

Abstract: A system for purchasable item delivery comprises an electronic device at a storage area of a first store customer wherein items purchased by the first store customer are temporarily stored after receipt from a retail establishment, and are available for purchase from the first store customer by a second store customer, the electronic device collecting data regarding the items; and a last mile system that processes the data to track an inventory of the items, and determines whether an item in the inventory of items is available for the second store customer from the storage area of the first store customer. The last mile system comprises: a device manager that monitors a location of the items at the at least one storage area; and an inventory management unit that monitors an inventory of the stored items at least at one of the at least one storage area of the first store customer or at the retail establishment.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for providing a virtual shopping space. In one embodiment, a system for providing a virtual shopping space comprises a projection display device, a motion tracking device, a control circuit coupled to the projection display device and the motion tracking device. The control circuit is configured to: cause the projection display device to project at least a portion of a virtual store into a physical space to a user, the virtual store comprising a plurality of interactive virtual items, modify the display of the at least the portion of the virtual store based on user motion detected by the motion tracking device, receive a user selection of an interactive virtual item in the virtual store, and submit, to an order fulfillment and shipment system, a purchase order for a real-world item, corresponding to the selected interactive virtual item in the virtual store.

Abstract: An airborne drone training track includes both a ground track and a ceiling track. The ceiling track can be disposed above and be at least essentially aligned with the ground track. Airborne drone attachment tethers movably attach an airborne drone to each of these tracks. A lower airborne drone attachment tether movably attaches to the ground track and to a bottom portion of the airborne drone. A plurality of upper airborne drone attachment tethers movably attach to the ceiling track and to upper portions of the airborne drone. By one approach there is only one lower airborne drone attachment tether and four upper airborne drone attachment tethers.

Abstract: A loyalty transaction system and method comprise a member enrollment confirmation module that determines whether a store customer is a member of a loyalty program offered by the store; a channel determination module that communicates with a database to identify one or more channels available to the store customer for acquiring an item of interest, and determines whether the store customer as a member of the loyalty program uses the one or more channels to acquire the item of interest, the database storing records including data related to the one or more channels, associated customer purchase data, and incentive data corresponding to the channels; a matching module that processes the database records to determine a relationship between the item of interest and the one or more channels for acquiring the item of interest; a point recordation device that associates an incentive with the one or more channels when the item of interest is acquired; and a price comparator that outputs to an electronic device informa

Abstract: These teachings provide for dispatching an airborne drone to an item of inventory located within a retail shopping facility, securing that item of inventory to the airborne drone, and then directing the airborne drone to carry the item of inventory to a delivery area located within the retail shopping facility. In a typical application setting the flightpath of the airborne drone will not include any traversals of open space.

Abstract: A control circuit is configured to use monitored-crop information from a crop-monitoring airborne drone to automatically facilitate changes to the fresh produce display of one or more retail shopping facilities. The crop-monitoring information can include, for example, one or more of information regarding crop maturity, weed infestation, insect infestation, a plant disease indicator, parched conditions, irrigation status, land-area yield, temperature conditions, conflicting neighboring crops, and post-harvest waste. Using such crop-monitoring information the control circuit can assess at least the likelihood that a particular crop of a particular produce item will be available for display in the fresh produce display by a particular date, in a particular volume, and having a particular quality. This same information can also serve to determine a distance that such crops must travel to reach the retail shopping facility and hence whether the produce items are fairly characterized as being locally sourced.