Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for building a shopping list on a user device using a sensor unit attached to a shopping container. In one embodiment, a shopping apparatus is provided. The shopping apparatus includes a portable item container and a sensor unit attached to the portable item container. The sensor unit includes a sensor configured to detect identifying information from items gathered by a user and placed in the portable item container and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the identifying information of the items to a user device configured to use the identifying information to build a shopping list.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing method includes receiving an identification of a particular additive manufacturing model from a user along with a plurality of espoused manufacturing preferences. These teachings provide for automatically selecting a particular additive manufacturing platform from amongst a plurality of available additive manufacturing platforms as a function, at least in part, of the plurality of manufacturing preferences. The selected additive manufacturing platform is then used to manufacture an item based upon the particular additive manufacturing model identified by the user.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to determine a stock level for products on a product display using a mirror to provide a view of the product display and/or products stocked thereon. The mirror can have a convex or segmented convex configuration to provide a wider field-of-view than a flat mirror. Further, the system described herein can include an electronic imager or machine readable code scanner that utilizes the mirror to capture an image of the product display and products stocked thereon or to scan machine readable codes on the product display or products. The image or scan can then be sent to a control circuit for analysis and stock level determination. The control circuit can also create workflow tasks to check the product display, restock, order more inventory, and the like.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing perishable product freshness information is provided. The apparatus includes a portable device having an input device for receiving a product identifier associated with a perishable product, a sensor reader for receiving data from one or more sensors in proximity of the perishable product and the portable device, a display device to display information, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to: receive the product identifier associated with the perishable product, retrieve a list of one or more external sensors to detect, cause the sensor reader to scan for data from the one or more external sensors, receive detected sensor data from one or more sensors detected by the sensor reader, and cause the display device to display information associated with product freshness determined based on the stored sensor data and a sensor data history associated with the perishable product.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for building a shopping list on a user device using a sensor unit attached to a shopping container. In one embodiment, a shopping apparatus is provided. The shopping apparatus includes a portable item container and a sensor unit attached to the portable item container. The sensor unit includes a sensor configured to detect identifying information from items gathered by a user and placed in the portable item container and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the identifying information of the items to a user device configured to use the identifying information to build a shopping list.

Abstract: A draw type sun shield cap includes: a) a visor component being an elongated member in the general shape of a cap visor with a central area and opposing back segments; and, b) a crown component having a shape adapted to cover the central portion of a human head with a front, a back and opposing sides, the crown component being connected to the visor component at its front; c) a draw line connecting the back of the crown component to each of the opposing back segments of the visor component; wherein the sun shield cap has a first position wherein the draw line is undrawn and loose and wherein the sun shield cap is flat and the sun shield cap has a second position wherein the draw line is drawn tightly so as to bring the back of the crown component and each of the opposing back segments of the visor component to one another to create a three dimensional cap with side cross ventilation. Preferably, both the visor component and the crown component are created from a single piece of material.