Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.

Abstract: A technique for monitoring the quality of objects is disclosed. A container includes a multiple sensors and is configured to receive an object. The sensors monitor various metrics associated with the quality of the object, and a display is affixed to the container for displaying a visual indication of the quality of the object. The visual indication is based on data collected from the sensors. A quality monitoring module is executed by a processor to control the sensors to switch operation between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based on a detected change in one of the metrics monitored by the sensors.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for securing merchandise. In one embodiment an apparatus for securing merchandise comprises a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items, one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key, and a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device. The control device being configured to store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device and determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to provide an indication of stock level for products within a retail location. A marking material can be used on particular products to provide notification that the stock of the product is in or approaching a low stock situation. In some embodiments, a reader or sensor can be provided at or near a point of sale that is configured to detect the marking material and create a task.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided herein useful to determining cart movement in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a system includes a collection device, wherein the collection device is configured to receive material from a cart that was collected throughout a shopping facility. The system can also include a measurement device, wherein the measurement device is configured to determine an amount of material that was received from the cart. The system can also include a control circuit communicatively coupled to the measurement device. The control circuit can be configured to receive, from the measurement device, an indication of the amount of material that was received from the cart.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitate expedient shopping in a physical retail facility. In one embodiment, a shopping system directed to pre-filling shopping carts with retail items prior to a customer's arrival at the physical retail shopping facility includes a user database of user profiles having one or more partialities associated with customers, a product database of retail products with identified vectorized characterizations or product vectors, a plurality of physical shopping carts, and a control circuit. By one approach, the control circuit is configured to access the user database and the product database and identify suggested retail items for a particular customer based, in part, on comparisons between the identified partialities and the identified vectorized product characterizations of the retail products.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for monitoring stock information in a shopping space. A system for monitoring stock information in a shopping space comprises: a support structure configured to hold a plurality of items in the shopping space, a sound emitter device configured to produce a sound in response to a movement of at least one of the support structure and an item placed on the support structure, and a sound sensor configured to capture a sound produced by the sound emitter device and transmit the sound produced by the sound emitter device to a stock tracking system.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for tracking carts in a shopping space. A system for tracking carts in a shopping space comprises: a sound sensor array, a cart location database storing location information and sound profiles associated with a plurality of shopping cart identifiers, and a control circuit configured to: identify a cart sound made by a movement of a shopping cart traveling in the shopping space, determine a current location of the shopping cart based on the cart sound, match the shopping cart to a shopping cart identifier in the cart location database, update the location information associated the shopping cart identifier in the cart location database based on the current location of the shopping cart; and update the sound profile of the shopping cart identifier based on the cart sound captured by the sound sensor array.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to locating containers with low inventory in a shopping facility. Some of these embodiments include systems for identifying and determining the location of containers in a low inventory condition in shopping facilities, the system comprising: a container configured to hold merchandise items in a shopping facility; a light sensor disposed in the container, the light sensor calibrated to detect an ambient light level and to respond when the detected ambient light level exceeds a predetermined ambient light threshold; and a control circuit operatively coupled to the light sensor and configured to transmit a signal indicating a low inventory condition when the light sensor determines the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail shopping facility to maintain stocked shelves, in part, from obtaining images of the store shelves via cameras mounted onto shopping carts. By one approach, the images obtained from the shopping carts are compared with planogram images to determine where retail products are needed to restock the shelves. In some examples, the shopping cart has a control circuit that determines when to capture electronic images based, in part, upon a sensor mounted onto the shopping cart, instructs the camera to capture the electric image, and stores the captured electronic image in the memory.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of estimating whether additional space for a product being binned is available on a sales floor include an electronic inventory management device configured to: receive an indication that a product is being placed into a storage bin after a determination that no space for the product is available in a primary display location of the product on the sales floor; obtain a demand for the product on the sales floor during a predetermined interval of time; retrieve at least one inventory position estimation factor associated with the product when the demand for the product during the predetermined interval of time is greater than zero; estimate whether the inventory position estimation factor supports a likelihood that the product is in a feature display location on the sales floor; and output an indication of possible space availability for the product on the feature display location.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems for determining stocking locations of products having more than one stocking location on a sales floor of a retail facility include an electronic inventory management database that stores product identification data indicating an identify of one or more products at the retail facility and product location data indicating a stocking location of the products on the sales floor of the retail facility. An electronic inventory management device including a processor-based control circuit is configured to correlate the product identification data and the product location data stored in the electronic inventory management database, determine that one or more products are stocked in first and second stocking locations on the sales floor of the retail facility, track worker task events associated with the products, and determine whether the product is to be stocked or was stocked at the first or second stocking location.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for securing merchandise. In one embodiment an apparatus for securing merchandise comprises a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items, one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key, and a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device. The control device being configured to store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device and determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of monitoring featured product displays at retail sales facilities are described. For one or more products received at a retail sales facility and designated as a product for a featured product display at the retail sales facility, a predetermined time interval is set from a delivery time of the one or more products to the retail sales facility to a time for generating an indication that the one or more products has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility. Then after the expiration of the predetermined time interval, electronic data is generated indicating that the one or more products delivered to the retail sales facility has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to monitoring temperature or movement of merchandise during and after transport of the merchandise. Some of these embodiments include systems for monitoring the temperature of merchandise items comprising: a temperature sensor disposed at or near one or more merchandise items; a control circuit operatively coupled to the temperature sensor, the control circuit configured to: read temperature measurements from the temperature sensor at predetermined time intervals; generate and encode a barcode with data representing a first temperature measurement; and update and encode the barcode with data representing the first temperature measurement and one or more subsequent temperature measurements; and an interface operatively coupled to the control circuit and configured to display the updated barcode.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided herein to improve RFID tag reading. Some embodiments provide retail RFID tag exclusion systems that comprise: a set of RFID tag readers; and an RFID evaluation control circuit configured to: access a set of current tag read criteria associated with an RFID tag; access multiple sets of previous tag read criteria; access and apply a set of tag evaluation rules and identify when a threshold number of the set of current tag read criteria are each within corresponding criteria thresholds of a corresponding previous tag read criterion of a previous set of tag read criteria; and exclude the RFID tag when the threshold number of the current tag read criteria are within the corresponding criteria thresholds of the corresponding previous tag read criterion of the set of previous tag read criteria.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for securing merchandise. In one embodiment an apparatus for securing merchandise comprises a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items, one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key, and a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device. The control device being configured to store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device and determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for detecting traffic in a shopping facility. A system for detecting traffic in a shopping facility comprises: a plurality of light emitters coupled to motion sensors configured to emit light when motion is detected by the motion sensor; a light detector having a field of view including at least one of the plurality of light emitters; a database; and a control circuit configured to obtain data from the light detector relating to light emitted from the light emitters, estimate a location of the light emitted from the light emitters based on location data associated with the light emitter stored in the database, and track a path of a customer based on successive light emissions from the light emitters.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided herein to improve RFID tag reading. Some embodiments provide retail RFID tag exclusion systems that comprise: a set of RFID tag readers; and an RFID evaluation control circuit configured to: access a set of current tag read criteria associated with an RFID tag; access multiple sets of previous tag read criteria; access and apply a set of tag evaluation rules and identify when a threshold number of the set of current tag read criteria are each within corresponding criteria thresholds of a corresponding previous tag read criterion of a previous set of tag read criteria; and exclude the RFID tag when the threshold number of the current tag read criteria are within the corresponding criteria thresholds of the corresponding previous tag read criterion of the set of previous tag read criteria.