Abstract: A retail shopping facility has a plurality of physical product displays where at least some of the physical product displays simultaneously display a plurality of different available items. A central computer system is configured to receive from a mobile device a customer message from a customer. This message includes information that identifies at least a portion of a particular one of the physical product displays (such as an empty part of the display). The central computer system is also configured to transmit to that mobile device a reply message that includes a pictorial depiction that corresponds to the aforementioned portion of this particular physical product display.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to track customer presence and movement within a shopping facility. More specifically, reflections of non-visible electromagnetic (EM) waves can be analyzed to locate customers within an area and track customer movement over time. Maps of the area can be created at first and second times and compared with one another to determine differences.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to determine a weight of products on a product support structure. More specifically, the product support structure can be provided on a suspension system having one or more springs that can be monitored for compression to thereby determine a weight of products on the product support structure. In several embodiments, non-visible electromagnetic (EM) waves, can be directed at the spring and reflections of the non-visible EM waves can be received and analyzed to determine a compression of the spring.

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, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to correlating cart activity with point of sale data. In some embodiments, a system includes one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to gather data associated with cart activity within the shopping facility and a control circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors, the control circuit configured to determine, based on the data from the one or more sensors, the cart activity within the shopping facility, determine, based on point of sale data, items that were purchased, and determine, based on the cart activity within the shopping facility and the items that were purchased, one or more tasks to perform.

Abstract: Various partialities (including but not limited to partialities based on values, aspirations, preferences, and/or affinities) for individual persons are represented as corresponding vectors. The length and/or the angle of the vector represents the magnitude of the strength of the individual's belief in the good that comes from that imposed order. Vectors can also be specified to characterize corresponding products and/or services. These vectors for persons and products/services can be leveraged in any of a wide variety of ways. By one approach a particular partiality vector is used to identify a particular customization for a geographic region (i.e., a particular customization to employ with a base product).

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, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to track customer movement within a shopping facility. To achieve this, a travel distance is tracked during a shopping trip and collected at or adjacent to a point of sale with an access device. The travel distance can further be correlated to products that were purchased during the shopping trip and, based on the location of the purchased products and the store layout, a travel path for the shopping trip can be estimated.

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, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to provide an indication of a stock level of a product support member. Compressed air is directed through a plurality of bores extending through the product support member. A sensor reading of the compressed air can be utilized to determine whether there are products stocked on the product support member due to the products blocking one or more of the bores.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to collecting and processing image data relating to retail deliveries. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for capturing images of merchandise delivery containers, the system comprising: at least one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having an optical sensor for capturing image sequences; a memory device for storing the captured image sequences; an image database including images of at least one of text, symbols, logos, graphic designs, and pictures from known merchandise delivery containers; and a control circuit configured to: receive the captured image sequences; compare the image sequences with the images from the image database; determine individual images in the image sequences that match the images from the image database to identify merchandise delivery containers; and determine, based on the image sequences, address information corresponding to the geographical locations of the identified merchandise delivery containers.

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 monitoring a facility, such as the safety, security, and status of individuals and items within the facility. In one illustrative approach, a retail facility maintains 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, a cart path may be determined, in part, by depositing compounds on a floor surface, provide shopping carts configured to pick up the compounds deposited on the floor of the retail facility, and capture, via a compound detector, the compounds deposited on the cart wheels of a particular shopping cart during a customer checkout at a point of sale terminal, and generate an estimated cart path for the particular one of the plurality of shopping carts.

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: 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, systems, and methods are provided herein useful for determining a task to perform based on a quality associated with a cleaning solution. A system for determining a task to perform comprises a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the surface cleaning apparatus includes a reservoir, wherein the reservoir is configured to contain a cleaning solution. The system can also include a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine a quality associated with the cleaning solution. The system can also include at least one of a memory device wherein the memory device is configured to store data related to the quality of the cleaning solution, and a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data related to the quality of the cleaning solution. The data related to the quality of the cleaning solution can be used to determine a task to perform.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein pertaining to sound analysis in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a system comprises one or more sound sensors distributed throughout at least a portion of a shopping facility and configured to receive at least sounds resulting from activity in the shopping facility and a control circuit, the control circuit configured to receive, from at least one of the one or more sound sensors, audio data, receive an indication of an employee, correlate the audio data and in the indication of the employee, and determine, based at least in part on the audio data and the indication of the employee, a performance metric for the employee.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided herein for performing sound analysis in a shopping facility. A system for performing sound analysis comprises: an array of sound sensors distributed throughout a shopping facility and configured to receive at least sounds resulting from people in the shopping facility, an audio database including information associated with one or more audio indicia, and a control circuit communicatively coupled to the array of sound sensors and configured to receive, from a plurality of sensors of the array of sound sensors, audio data, wherein the audio data includes audio from throughout the shopping facility, determine, based at least in part on the audio data and the information associated with the one or more audio indicia included in the audio database, an action be taken, and transmit, to a terminal, an indication of the action to be taken.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided to forecast expected sales and/or demand for one or more products at one or more retail shopping facilities. Some embodiments include systems to forecast retail sales, comprising: a network transceiver; a forecast control circuit; and a memory storing computer instructions executed by the control circuit that receives, via the network transceiver from at least one third party service unassociated with retail shopping facilities and accessed over a distributed computer network, reservation data corresponding with people traveling during a future period of time to a geographic region that is within a threshold distance from a first retail shopping facility; and forecasts expected sales, during the future period of time associated with the reservation data, of at least a first set of products at the first retail shopping facility as a function of the reservation data.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided to forecast changes in seasons and/or changes in expected sales at one or more retail shopping facilities. In some embodiments, a system comprises a forecast control circuit; a memory storing computer instructions that cause the forecast control circuit to: forecast when a first changing of a first season to a second season is to occur at a first geographic area based on a detected change in sales of at least a first set of products at a first retail shopping facility located within the first geographic area; and forecast when in the future a second changing of the first season to the second season at a second geographic area is to occur based on a seasonal delay factor of the second geographic area relative to the occurrence of the changing of the first season at the first geographic area.