Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided to allow a customer to acquire product information from a scanning system. For example, in some embodiments, a method performed by a control circuit comprises establishing a wireless communication connection between a user's personal mobile device and a portable scanning system configured to optically scan identification codes of distinct products; wirelessly receiving at the mobile device product identifying information from the scanning system of each product scanned by the scanning system and available for purchase at the retail store; associating, at the mobile device, a plurality of the product identifying information received from the scanning system with each of a plurality of user specified product information locally accessible through the mobile device; and communicating from the mobile device to a checkout system, during a checkout process, the product identifying information received from the scanning system of each product scanned by the scanning system.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to quickly and accurately determine shelf notch height for a shelving unit. This is particularly advantageous to determine whether shelves in the shelving unit were installed at the correct height and/or for installing shelves at desired heights. In some embodiments, a measurement member is provided with a bottom offset and shelf notch indicator portions. A horizontal position indicator can then be aligned with a desired shelf notch indicator portion and project outwardly therefrom towards a shelving unit to provide a visual indication of the height of a desired shelf notch.

Abstract: A product display surface supports at least one product being offered for sale thereon. This product display surface has a weight-sensitive RFID tag associated therewith. This tag has at least one transmission element that moves with respect to a remaining portion of the tag as a function of weight being supported by the product display surface. So configured, the weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a first level when there are no products (or only a few products) on the product display surface and at a second level when there are at least a predetermined number of products on the product display surface, the first transmission level being less than the second transmission level. An RFID-tag reader reads the weight-sensitive RFID tag and a control circuit determines when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to monitoring condition compliance. In some embodiments, an RFID tag comprises a first chip and a second chip, an antenna, a switch, wherein the switch is configured to switchably connect the first chip and the second chip to the antenna based on occurrence of a condition, a memory device, and a control circuit configured to write, in response to a connection between the first chip and the antenna, a first marker and an indication of a first state to the memory device, write, in response to a connection between the second chip and the antenna, a second marker and an indication of a second state to the memory device, determine an amount of time in which compliance was not met, and transmit, to an RFID reader, an indication of the amount of time in which compliance was not met.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for product storage location identification. Reconfigurable lights can be mounted to product storage locations and one or more of the lights can be illuminated to identify a particular storage location, such as for placement or pick up of a product. The system described herein can utilize radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips or tags to identify products and storage locations. So configured, the system can identify which storage location a particular product is in or can identify where a particular product should be placed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in tracking product consumption. Some embodiments provide a product purchasing apparatus comprising: a transceiver; a control circuit; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: receive multiple product data from a restockable customer product storage unit located at a customer residence; evaluate each of the multiple product data relative to one or more thresholds within a continuously updated customer profile; identify one or more products to be replenished as a function of the continuously updated customer profile; automatically cause a purchase, on behalf of the customer, of at least a first product to replenish at least one of the one or more products to be replenished; and obtain payment from a source associated with the customer.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to determine an internal property of a food product. The system includes one or more analyzing devices, a camera and a central unit in communication with the camera and analyzing device. The analyzing device is configured to analyze an interior region of the food product. The camera is configured to analyze an external property of the food product. The central unit is configured to determine the internal property of the food product based on feedback provided by the analyzing device and the camera.

Abstract: Some embodiments include a system to encourage user pick-up over home delivery of an item being made available to a user for purchase. The system can comprise one or more processors and/or one or more non-transitory memory storage devices. The one or more memory storage devices can store computer instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform acts of: causing the item to be displayed on a graphical user interface; and when the item is to be received by the user by user pick-up, evaluating whether the item is eligible to be made available for purchase at a user pick-up discounted retail price that is less than a home delivery retail price at which the item is made available for purchase when the item is to be received by the user by home delivery. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A shopping cart deflection measurement system and associated methods are described. The shopping cart deflection measurement system includes a shopping cart, a sensor, and a processing device equipped with a processor. The shopping cart includes a frame, a basket portion pivotably mounted to the frame so as to enable deflection of at least one edge of the basket portion downward in the direction of gravity following a weight being placed in the basket portion, and a lower rack portion mounted to the frame and disposed below the basket portion. The processing device can be configured to execute instructions to measure deflection of the basket portion relative to the lower rack portion of the shopping cart using data acquired by the sensor. The measured deflection can be indicative of a fullness of the basket portion with one or more products.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided, some apparatuses comprise: a location controller separate from a motorized transport unit, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive communications from the motorized transport unit; a control circuit; a memory storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: obtain, from the communications, a unique light source identifier of a light source detected by the motorized transport unit, and relative distance information determined by the motorized transport unit through an optical measurement; process the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information relative to a mapping of the shopping facility; and determine, in response to the processing, a location of the motorized transport unit within the shopping facility as a function of the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information.

Abstract: Provided are a system and method for displaying an item list, comprising: a list generator on a device that associates a list of items of interest at a retail establishment with feedback data according to locations of the items of interest relative to a location of the device; a location server that determines the locations of the items of interest relative to the location of the device; and an updater that reorders the list of items of interest and associates the feedback data with the reordered list of according to current locations of the items of interest relative to the location of the device. When the device is at a closest item of interest having a predetermined feedback data, the closest item of interest is swiped or removed from the list of items of interest displayed at the user interface, and the list of items of interest is reordered so that the next closest item of interest has the predetermined feedback data.

Abstract: Systems, methods and tools for tracking the amounts of merchandise being displayed or available for sale in a retail environment using measurements of air displacement caused by the movement of customers, employees and shopping carts throughout a retail environment. The disclosed embodiments may position air displacement sensors throughout a store and near the products being offered for sale. As the merchandise is removed by customers, a greater amount of air may be measured. Embodiments of each sensor device may be calibrated with a maximum threshold measurement of air displacement corresponding to the amount of merchandise surrounding the sensor. After enough of the products have been removed from the surrounding proximity of the sensor, the maximum threshold of air displacement may be reached, wherein upon exceeding the maximum threshold of air displacement a signal may be sent alerting employees to restock the specified merchandise proximate to the sensor's location.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to portable continuous integration (CI) devices configured to facilitate local CI development. In one embodiment, a portable CI device can comprise a housing comprising at least one external port for communications and power; a router disposed in the housing and communicatively coupled within the housing with the at least one external port; and a plurality of processor modules disposed in the housing and including a clock processor module, a memory processor module, a source code management processor module, a continuous integration processor module, a code quality processor module, and a repository management processor module, each of the plurality of processor modules being communicatively coupled with the router.

Abstract: Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for reading machine readable features of objects. A local terminal generates a temporary object number corresponding to an unreadable object and captures an image of the unreadable object. A message is sent to a number of portable devices requesting that a duplicate of the unreadable object be located and that a machine readable feature on the duplicate object be read. Once a duplicate object is located, one of the portable devices reads a machine readable feature on the duplicate object, and the portable device calls a service offered by a server to retrieve a data value corresponding to the duplicate item from a database. This data value is then sent to the local terminal invoking a service offered by the terminal to replace the temporary object number with the data value corresponding to the duplicate item.

Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses to fulfill customer orders comprising a motorized transport unit; a product pick unit (PPU) that cooperate with the motorized transport unit; a wireless communication network; and a central computer system configured to communicate with the multiple motorized transport units and the plurality of product pick units, and comprises a control circuit and memory storing instructions executed to cause the control circuit to: communicate an instruction to the motorized transport unit and direct the motorized transport unit to transport the product pick unit to a determined first location within the shopping facility proximate to where a first product having been ordered is located; and communicate an instruction to the product pick unit cooperated with the motorized transport unit and direct the product pick unit to retrieve the first product.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method can comprise receiving a request for one or more orders, and analyzing the one or more orders. Each of the one or more orders can comprise one or more items and at least a portion of the one or more items are available at a warehouse. The method can further comprise determining one or more pick lists based at least in part on the analyzing the one or more orders and also based at least in part on an inventory layout of the warehouse, determining a first route for a first pick list of the one or more pick lists, and determining a second route for a second pick list of the one or more pick lists, wherein the first pick list and the second pick list each comprise a first common item. Other embodiments of related methods and systems are also provided.

Abstract: In one embodiments, initiation of purchase transaction in response to a reply to a recommendation comprises a method. The method comprises, at a computer system having one or more processors and non-transitory memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, detecting a recommendation associated with a first user, the recommendation associated with a product or service. The method further comprises detecting a response from a second user to the recommendation, determining whether the response from the second user comprises a purchase decision, and in accordance with a determination that the response from the second user comprises the purchase decision, initiating a transaction for the second user to purchase the product or service associated with the recommendation. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: A method for providing purchase suggestions to a customer is provided. The method may include a computer server associated with a store receiving multiple receipts for past purchase transactions from a customer. The server may identify products on the receipts and analyze the products and receipt dates to determine a frequency with which the customer purchases a particular product. The server may also determine a date when the customer last purchased the particular product and transmit a purchase suggestion for the product to the customer at a time correlated with the customer needing to purchase the particular product based on a date when the customer last purchased the particular product and the frequency with which the customer purchases the particular product.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to track objects on a moving conveyor system. In some embodiments, an RFID based tracking system comprises a conveyor system to move and transport objects along a conveyance path, wherein each object includes a near field only RFID tag associated therewith and identifying the object. Each near field only RFID tag is not coupled to a far field antenna such that it is not readable in a far field of RFID communication and communicates only in a near field of RFID communication. An RFID tag reader is positioned to attempt to read the near field only RFID tag of each object. And a control circuit processes reads of the near field only RFID tags by the first RFID reader to determine an order of the objects being conveyed.