Patents Examined by Paul Danneman
  • Patent number: 11657403
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods related to managing inventory by validating and returning fresh items for use with a user interface in a fulfillment center. A method for managing inventory comprises receiving, from a mobile device associated with a non-manager, a defect quantity associated with a fresh item, wherein the defect quantity is determined by an acceptability standard retrieved from a database, and storing an inspection task for validating the fresh item by at least one manager if the defect quantity is over a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Coupang Corp.
    Inventors: Hyeona Ha, Jinwon Jeong, SungWoo Kang, Jeong Seok Oh, Sun Young Hong
  • Patent number: 11645618
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring items in publicly available inventories, such as websites, are disclosed. Items to be monitored in the publicly available inventories are identified based on embeddings obtained for the inventory items. For example, matching inventory items may be identified based on proximity of the embeddings, such as the cosine distance between embeddings, or a classification machine learning model may be trained to infer matches, e.g., based the embeddings as well as information related to the user and source of the publicly available inventories. The inventory items in the publicly available inventories may be monitored to detect changes which may be reported. Feedback related to the match between inventory items may be used to adjust one or more parameters used for matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Yair Horesh
  • Patent number: 11645614
    Abstract: A system and a method for the automated fulfillment of retail orders in a facility is disclosed. A sorting control device aggregates a plurality of orders into a master picklist divides the master picklist into sub-picklists based on a location of the items. The sub-picklists, a first location of an item, and the location of a dock to a conveyor system are transmitted to an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV). The AGV navigates to the first location and obtains the item. The AGV iterates the sub-picklist navigating and retrieving each item. The AGV navigates to the AGV dock of a conveyor system and deposits the items at an inlet of the conveyor system. The conveyor system scans each of the items as they pass through a scan tube. Based on the scanning, each item is directed by a set of computer controlled rollers and actuated platforms to a destination isolation wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Velten, Jason Bellar
  • Patent number: 11638490
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and device for identifying a product purchased by a user and intelligent shelf system. The method includes acquiring a weight of products carried in a container, acquiring a first monitoring image acquired in a monitoring area corresponding to the container, identifying the first monitoring image, and obtaining an identification result, wherein the identification result comprises user identity information when it is determined that the weight of the products is reduced, acquiring a time when at least one product carried in the container is picked up, and determining information of at least one picked-up product, obtaining the user identity information corresponding to the at least one picked-up product, and associating the user identity information with the information of the at least one picked-up product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignees: BEIJING JINGDONG SHANGKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BEIJING JINGDONG CENTURY TRADING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei Liu, Yu Chen, Qiang Liu, Zhi Weng, Yijun Feng, Zhongyu Zhang
  • Patent number: 11638419
    Abstract: A system for managing and monitoring a sensor network that senses pest activity. A plurality of sensor stations may be controlled by the system, such sensor station configured for detecting the presence of pests at a baiting station, or for alerting users to the presence of a pest in a trap, as well as a related system of data collection and data management of pest activity data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: SERVICEPRO.NET LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Deering, Richard Deering, James Rice, Denis Leanos, Jonathan Adam Holt
  • Patent number: 11636456
    Abstract: Techniques and arrangements for analyzing previous tickets of a customer at different merchants—specifying interactions of the customer at the different merchants—to determine subsequent recommendations to send to a particular merchant in real-time when the customer is located at the particular merchant. Other techniques and arrangements facilitate annotation of merchant tickets by the merchants to enrich the data maintained by the tickets and, in some instances, to enhance the described real-time recommendations. Still other techniques and arrangements create a merchant ticket for recording interactions between a merchant and customer upon the customer creating a reservation at the merchant for a specified future time, or being added to a waitlist of the merchant. Upon the customer arriving at the merchant proximate to the specified future time, the merchant may use the created ticket to track items ordered by the merchants, track tenders used to pay for items, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Block, Inc.
    Inventors: Mathew Wilson, Derrick Huhn, Jonathan Andrew Wolter, Ryder Moody, Dan Simms
  • Patent number: 11625764
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting a pick-up of an item and processing payment based on the detected pick-up are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Wiliot, Ltd.
    Inventors: Roberto Sandre, Mathieu Hoffmann, Yaroslav Ross, Stephen Statler, Tal Tamir
  • Patent number: 11625704
    Abstract: A method performed by at least one computing device. The method includes receiving a credit request from a self-checkout device before a customer completes an instore checkout process and sending a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) to one or more authentication computing devices. The authentication computing device(s) send the URL to the mobile device. The method includes sending a credit application to the mobile device after the customer selects the URL, receiving a submission of the credit application from the mobile device, approving credit based on the submission, and forwarding a code to the mobile device. The code indicates that the credit is to be used to complete the instore checkout process when scanned by the scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Synchrony Bank
    Inventors: Jake Miller, Joseph Nelly, Jared King, Kaeli Stichler, Shawn Dole, Timothy Christensen, Jennifer Muller, Taylor Young, Seamus Sullivan, Prakash Kothandapani
  • Patent number: 11625676
    Abstract: A method operates different transport systems in a logistics area, wherein the logistics area is divided into a plurality of zones. The method receives a first reservation request to reserve one or more zones of the logistics area for a first transport system. The method determines an occupation status of the one or more zones. The method reserves the one or more zones for the first transport system depending on the occupation status of the one or more zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Kay Emmrich, Ruediger Julius, Daniel Klukas, Ronny Mehnert, Mirko Winkler
  • Patent number: 11625678
    Abstract: A system, method and computer program product provide inventory tracking and management. The operations may include analyzing images captured by a mobile camera secured to a forklift operating within a warehouse to identify that the forklift has performed a first loading event, analyzing images captured by a stationary camera that is located in a receiving area of the warehouse to identify the forklift and identify an inventory item that is loaded on the forklift moving from the receiving area to a storage area of the warehouse, and analyzing images captured by the mobile camera secured to the forklift to identify that the forklift has performed a first unloading event and identify a storage location within the storage area associated with the first unloading event. The operations may further include storing an entry in an inventory database to indicate the identified inventory item is stored in the identified storage location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Inventors: David W. Cosby, Jian Li, Gary D. Cudak
  • Patent number: 11615454
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments described herein relate to systems and/or methods for presenting user-interactive, dynamically-generated contextual content for individual articles of clothing. A QR or other code is provided to the article of clothing. The QR or other code is scannable by an electronic device, causing the electronic device to access a webpage or the like. The webpage (or similar information display) includes information typically found on a tag or label, together with additional dynamically-generated and organized content relevant to the article and/or person for whom the article was made. The techniques described herein are usable in connection with mass-produced, small batch/boutique items, as well as custom articles of clothing. Thus, it becomes possible to quickly and easily convey a broad scope of information about an article of clothing directly from that article of clothing, without having to include large and potentially irritating tags or labels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: KNOT STANDARD LLC
    Inventor: Matthew Mueller
  • Patent number: 11615459
    Abstract: Systems and related methods providing for online ordering of menu items from a merchant are discussed herein. Circuitry may be configured to generate an online menu based on menu information stored in a menu database. The menu information may be also configured to facilitate point-of-sale functionality at the merchant, such as by a point-of-sale device. The online menu may be provided to a consumer device. An online order may be received from the consumer device. The circuitry may be configured to process the online order, such as by facilitating a reservation, order preparation, and payment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: GROUPON, INC.
    Inventors: Nathaniel B. Scholl, Jason Crawford, Joshua Puckett
  • Patent number: 11615482
    Abstract: Systems and methods for enhanced organizational transparency using a linked activity chain in a ledger are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method may include (1) a back end for an organization comprising at least one computer processor receiving a first communication from a first entity comprising a first customer interaction with the first entity; (2) the back end writing the first communication to a ledger for the organization as a first block in a linked activity chain; (3) the back end receiving a second communication from a second entity comprising a second customer second activity with the second entity; (4) the back end writing the second communication to the ledger for the organization as a second block in the linked activity chain; (5) the back end calculating a summary score for the customer based on the blocks in the linked activity chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
    Inventors: Joe Vieira, Kam Sat Lee, Murali Pingali, Michael Cornell, Suresh Shetty, Samer Falah, Ankur Sambhar
  • Patent number: 11615369
    Abstract: A computer system collects and processes data related to a series of shipments from a number of sources (e.g., in the form of a set of event streams formed by grouping and/or processing information from respective sources into information to be processed by the computer system). Some of the information received in the event streams is sufficient to enable the computer system to track shipments and to store on a blockchain network and/or read from a blockchain network information related to the event streams and/or the information generated within the computer system. In such a configuration, third-parties may be able to utilize the blockchain information to determine information about relevant shipments (e.g., tracking information, point of delivery information and even delivery exception information).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Trimble Transportation Enterprise Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Leonard, Vasanth Srinivasan, Joseph M. DeBoth, Mark Botticelli
  • Patent number: 11599864
    Abstract: A transaction is detected on a terminal. A context for an association of items, bags, shelving, carts, and individuals present during the transaction is maintained from images captured during the transaction. Rules are processed to determine actions to process during the transaction and/or after the transaction based on reported transaction details, the context, and analytics derived from the images for the context. In an embodiment, at least one rule identifies an action that overrides an attendant intervention at the terminal, which would have been issued for a detected weight discrepancy by a scale of the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Edwards, John C Allard
  • Patent number: 11587026
    Abstract: An inventory management system and method using RFID tags for the tracking and management of individual items of inventory or work-in-process. The system uses a cloud-based service device to manage inventory at a facility via a communications hub. RFID printers, RFID readers, and antennas located at the facility relay information through the communications hub. Movement of items is monitored by tracking RFID tags associated with each item. Information on the tracked items may be recorded, displayed, and used to generate reports and notifications by the cloud-based services device. Historical tracking records may also be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Allied Inventory Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal Jason Lober
  • Patent number: 11587032
    Abstract: Systems and methods of the invention relate to managing an inventory of items within a storage container. A storage container can house one or more items for distribution among one or more users such as, for instance, employees. The storage container discussed herein provides authentication of a user, tracking of the inventory each user removes or returns, video/image capture of user during access of the storage container, wireless tracking of items housed within the storage container, among others. The storage container can provide flame retardant protection and/or electrical isolation to one or more items located within the storage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: 3 Strike, LLC
    Inventor: Leonard M. Bashkin
  • Patent number: 11580477
    Abstract: A method and system for capturing research decision flow in a Research and Development (R&D) activity are provided. The method includes defining an objective of the R&D activity and determining one or more requirements for fulfilling the objective of the R&D activity. Further, the method includes identifying a set of risks associated with failure to satisfy the one or more requirements. Furthermore, the method also includes defining a set of tests to verify that the requirements are satisfied or the risks have been mitigated. Furthermore, the method also includes developing a task plan to satisfy the one or more requirements and mitigate one or more risks of the set of risks. Furthermore, the method also includes linking the objective, the one or more requirements, the set of risks and the task plan, to generate a linked information record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventor: Sandeep Mehta
  • Patent number: 11574292
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for payments through point of sale systems. A system comprises a plurality of in-store POS systems, a user accounts database, and a merchant payment system configured to communicate with a plurality of user devices and a plurality of digital wallet provider systems. The merchant payment system comprises a control circuit configured to associate a user account with a plurality of digital wallet accounts in the user accounts database, wherein at least one of the plurality of digital wallet accounts is associated with two or more payment methods, receive a transaction request from a user device associated with the user account, select a digital wallet provider from the plurality of digital wallet accounts associated with the user account, and send a payment authorization request to a digital wallet provider system associated with the digital wallet provider for payment authorization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: David M. Nelms, Bradley J. Kieffer
  • Patent number: 11568357
    Abstract: The systems and methods of automated auditing data entry for a distribution network of products: customizing product information based on an equivalent independent of brand; receiving data entry records from plurality of consumption locations operating independently with a product using a variable brand; applying a set of rules on the data entry records to identify errors that uniformly conform the following perspectives: consumer, seller and manufacturer; determining whether errors exist; identifying whether errors that exist are of error types that can be fixed; fixing errors if errors exist of error types that can be fixed; identifying whether errors that exist are of error types that cannot be fixed; queuing errors for human review if errors exist of error types that cannot be fixed; analyzing subsequent actions triggered by human review to modify the rules; and approving the data entry record for further processing or completion only if no errors exist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: GREENLINE, LLC
    Inventors: Phillip G. Shackelford, Nick Meurrier