Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for delivering products to customers while analyzing and satisfying product-associated and/or delivery location-associated restrictions. The delivery attempt of the products is commenced after the product-associated restrictions are determined to be satisfied. The delivery of the product or products to the customer or an authorized person is authorized after the delivery location-associated restrictions are determined to be satisfied.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for controlling the temperature of a product during delivery. A system for inventory management comprises: an internal compartment; and a delivery control circuit coupled to the internal compartment; a configuration control circuit coupled to the delivery container, the configuration control circuit configured to: identify a product for delivery in the internal compartment; determine an optimum delivery temperature for the identified product; and initially configure the internal compartment to provide the optimum delivery temperature for the identified product, wherein the delivery control circuit is configured to maintain the optimum delivery temperature in the internal compartment during delivery of the identified product.

Abstract: At least one unmanned aerial vehicle operates in conjunction with a control circuit via a network interface. The control circuit receives informational content from the unmanned aerial vehicle and automatically processes that informational content to identify specific content of interest. The control circuit then automatically submits that identified specific content to at least one social networking service to thereby publicly share that content as social media.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided that limit the change in temperature and/or control a temperature of a product during delivery. Some embodiments provide systems to limit temperature changes, comprising: an evaporative product cooling system comprising: a product cavity that supports a product while the product is transported to a delivery location, wherein the product cooling system comprises an interior wall defining the product cavity, an exterior wall, an evaporative cavity between the interior and exterior walls, a coolant dispensing system, at least one evaporative opening, and a temperature sensor; and a temperature control circuit configured to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor while the product is in transit, determine that a temperature of the product is greater than a transport temperature threshold, and autonomously activate the coolant dispensing system to release evaporative coolant into the evaporative cavity while the product is transported.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided that limit the change in temperature and/or control a temperature of a product during delivery. Some embodiments provide systems to limit temperature changes of a product during transit, comprising: aerosol temperature control system comprising a product holder configured to support a product, wherein the product holder is separate from the delivery vehicle and comprises a temperature sensor, and an aerosol dispenser system that comprises a reservoir configured to hold aerosol material, an actuator and a dispenser; and a temperature control circuit coupled with the temperature sensor and the actuator, wherein the temperature control circuit is configured to receive temperature data, determine based on current temperature data that a temperature of the first product is greater than a first transport temperature threshold, and to autonomously activate the actuator while the first product is in transit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided herein useful to assess purchase opportunities corresponding to the sale of retail products. In some embodiments, systems are provided to assess purchase opportunities corresponding to the sale of retail products and may include a communication transceiver communicatively coupled to a control circuit. By one approach, the database may include a plurality of partiality vectors (“PV”) each associated with a commercial object or a consumer. The control circuit selects a purchase opportunity that identifies a consumer and commercial objects. The control circuit determines a first and second alignment value that define a relationship between the consumer and a commercial object or a replacement commercial object. The control circuit can replace the commercial object with the replacement commercial object when the second alignment value is higher than the first alignment value by at least a threshold value.

Abstract: Vectorized product characterizations can be based upon information that includes various characterizations of the corresponding products. This information can comprise objective information and/or subjective content as desired. Such information can be sourced, for example, by third-party product testing services, user-based product characterization sources (such as on-line consumer review sources), and otherwise as desired. One or more rules can be employed to automatically resolve conflicts between such characterizations before using such characterizations to form the corresponding vectorized product characterizations.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for content-based product recommendations. A system for content-based product recommendations comprises a content monitoring device configured to monitor video content viewed by a user, a customer vectors database, a product vectors database; and a control circuit being configured to: detect, via the content monitoring device, a video content being viewed by the user, identify an item associated with a current segment of the video content viewed by the user, determine a product category associated with the item, determine alignments between the customer value vectors and the product characteristic vectors for each of the plurality of products in the product category, select a recommended product from the plurality of products based on the alignments between the customer value vectors and the product characteristic vectors for each of the plurality of products, and initiate an offer of the recommended product to the customer.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided to enable package delivery and interaction with customers. Some embodiments comprise unmanned aircraft system (UAS), comprising: a crane system comprising a first spool system and a crane motor, the first spool system comprises a first cord that is extended and retracted; a retractable interface system cooperated with the first cord; a package holder configured to hold a first package to be delivered by the UAS at a delivery location; a control circuit coupled with the crane motor to control the crane motor, and to activate the crane motor to extend the first cord and lower the retractable interface system while the UAS is maintained in flight at least at a threshold height; wherein the retractable interface system comprises an input interface to receive input from a customer at the delivery location.

Abstract: Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for sorting items discarded in a shopping facility. A system for sorting discarded items comprises a motorized transport unit configured to travel around discarded items placed in a sorting area in the shopping facility, the motorized transport unit comprises a sensor device and an item mover device, an item characterization database storing characteristics corresponding to a plurality of items likely to be found in the shopping facility, and a central computer system. The central computer system is configured to receive data from the sensor device on the motorized transport unit, determine an item characteristic of an item among the discarded items in the sorting area, determine a sorting category of the item from a plurality of predefined categories, and cause the motorized transport unit to move the item, with the item mover device, from the sorting area into a category area.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to address incorrectly placed items. Some systems comprise: a plurality of motorized transport units that are each configured to perform multiple different tasks at a retail shopping facility; and a central computer system configured to instruct various ones of the plurality of motorized transport units to implement at least one of the multiple different tasks relative to the retail shopping facility, receive and analyze input data detected and provided by the motorized transport units while the motorized transport units perform the at least one of the tasks, and detect and categorize each item of multiple items that are incorrectly placed within the retail shopping facility according to one of multiple different predefined categories.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for providing mobile content display. A system for providing mobile content display comprises a display device on an exterior of a motored vehicle, a communication device, and a control circuit coupled to the display device and the communication device. The control circuit being configured to: authenticate a user device in proximity of the motored vehicle via the communication device, communicatively couple to the user device via a user interface program running on the user device while the motored vehicle is in motion, and cause the display device to display content based on a communication with the user device.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for monitoring a parking area. A system for monitoring a parking area comprises a satellite image database storing a plurality of satellite images of a parking lot taken by one or more satellites over time, a baseline database storing baseline models of a plurality of sections of the parking lot, and a control circuit coupled to the satellite image database and the baseline database.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for restoring shopping space conditions are provided. A system for restoring shopping space conditions comprises a motorized transport unit comprising at least one sensor, and a central computer system comprising a wireless transceiver for communicating with the motorized transport unit. The central computer system being configured to: identify a section of a shopping space having a dropped item, instruct the motorized transport unit to travel to the section of the shopping space and collect information associated with the dropped item using the at least one sensor, determine a characteristic of the dropped item in the section of the shopping space using the at least one sensor of the motorized transport unit, and select a cleaning task from a plurality of cleaning tasks based on the characteristic of the dropped item.

Abstract: A shopping facility assistance system includes a plurality of motorized transport units, a plurality of user interface units, and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the motorized transport units and the user interface units. The central computer system is configured to control movement of the motorized transport units through a shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the user interface units. More particularly, the central computer system controls movement of the motorized transport units such that a given one of the plurality of motorized transport units selectively leads a user to a destination within the shopping facility or follows the user within the shopping facility as determined by the central computer system. By one approach, the motorized transport units move through the shopping facility via a plurality of preferred pre-determined path segments.

Abstract: Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system witlessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided to monitor items on a storage unit. Some embodiments provide a system for monitoring items held on a storage unit, comprising: a scanner device configured to capture a 3D model of the storage unit; a memory configured to store a baseline 3D model of the storage unit in a predetermined stocked state and a plurality of 3D item models, each 3D item model corresponding to an item intended to be held on the storage unit; a difference extraction unit configured to compare the captured 3D model to the baseline 3D model and generate 3D difference data corresponding to a difference between the captured and baseline 3D models, and a product identification unit configured to identify items present in the 3D difference data based on the stored plurality of 3D item models.

Abstract: A motorized transport unit configured to move through a retail store space includes a location-determination component by which the motorized transport unit determines (either unilaterally or with the assistance of one or more remote elements) its location within the retail store space, a direct user-input interface by which a customer at the retail store space can request in-person human assistance, and a wireless network interface by which the request for in-person human assistance and a present location of the motorized transport unit is transmitted to a central computer system. The central computer system can respond to that request by tasking at least one person to present themselves to the customer.

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.