Patents by Inventor Joel Bennett

Joel Bennett has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20140214598
    Abstract: Embodiments for completing a purchase transaction without a customer having to move or touch an item within a retail store are disclosed. The embodiments include generating a shopping list of items the customer desires to purchase via scanning identifiers associated with the items, waypoints of the items, and a checkout waypoint to deliver the items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro
  • Publication number: 20140214608
    Abstract: Embodiments for determining whether the activity of a customer within a retail store violates a business rules are disclosed. The embodiments include a customer performing actions within a retail store via a mobile computing device, generating at least one business rule, and comparing the customer's actions with the business rules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140214577
    Abstract: A computer-implemented process aiding a customer scan and rapid checkout process can include monitoring a shopping cart basket weight. The process includes monitoring, in a computerized processor installed to a shopping cart of a customer, a signal from a weight device configured to monitor the shopping cart basket weight. The process further includes automatically generating a basket weight output value based upon the shopping cart basket weight. The basket weight output value includes one of a check against an expected weight of an item from a database, a billing statement total for a bulk good, a check against an expected total order weight to confirm presence of an un-scanned item in the shopping cart basket, and a check against unsafe use of the shopping cart. The process further includes providing a message based upon the basket weight output value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro
  • Publication number: 20140209687
    Abstract: A computer-implemented process for a customer to scan items for purchase and proceed to a rapid checkout can be operated within a processor of a portable computerized device. The process includes monitoring a scan of an item to be purchased, the scan comprising an image captured by a camera device of the portable computerized device, commanding deactivation of the camera device after execution of the scan, monitoring an indication by a user of the portable computerized device that an item is to be scanned, and commanding activation of the camera device based upon the monitored activation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Douglas James Pedley, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140214572
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for processing transactions at an in-store POS where some of the items of the transaction have not been retrieved, i.e. the customer neglected to add a needed item to a shopping cart. A customer selects a product on a user computing device and invokes display of an optical code corresponding to an unretrieved product. A point of sale (POS) device then scans the optical code to add the product to the transaction. The POS device or user computing device may transmit an alert to a representative computing device instructing a store representative to retrieve the product and deliver it to the POS or some other location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140214562
    Abstract: A method for providing an item suggested by a retailer to a user prior to an upcoming transaction at a point of sale terminal includes detecting a presence of the user at an item impulse device in a facility of retailer, wherein the item impulse device is located proximate to the point of sale terminal. When the presence of the user is detected at the item impulse device and prior to the upcoming transaction a purchase history of the user and one or more items the user currently possesses are obtained. The item suggested the retailer for the user to purchase is determined based on at least one of the purchase history and the one or more items the user currently possesses. A notification indicating the item suggested by the retailer is generated and provided to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140214619
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for using a mobile computing device corresponding to a user to purchase a product being offered for sale by a user includes, when the mobile computing device has selected an item indicating the product, obtaining item information related to the item. Item display data is generated based on the item information and transmitted to the mobile computing device. The item display data prompts the mobile computing device to display the item information and an operational input in a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device. A command is received in response to a prescribed number of actions input by the user to the operational input. The command causes a purchasing server to perform one or more operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Douglas James Pedley, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140214623
    Abstract: A computer-implemented process can be implemented to provide a customer with information about an item to be purchased. The process includes monitoring, within a processor of a portable computerized device, a scan of the item to be purchased, automatically referencing a remote database to reference a list of ingredients in the item to be purchased. The process further includes cross-referencing, within the processor, the list of ingredients to a shopping profile of the customer and Fdisplaying an alert to the customer upon a display of the portable computerized device based upon the cross-referencing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Douglas James Pedley, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140214618
    Abstract: A computer-implemented process can be implemented to provide a customer with nutritional information about an item to be purchased. The process includes monitoring a scan of the item to be purchased within a processor of a portable computerized device. The process further includes automatically referencing a remote database to identify nutritional information for the item to be purchased and displaying the nutritional information to the customer upon a display of the portable computerized device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140214571
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for providing a product to a user includes determining that an item obtained by a mobile computing device corresponding to the user is indicative of an oversized item. A first notification is generated indicating the oversized item and retrieval information related to the oversized item. The first notification is transmitted to a first facility computing device corresponding to a first facility attendant. When the user completes a transaction for the purchase of the oversized product at one of the point of sale terminal, terminal information related to the point of sale terminal is obtained. A second notification is generated related to the terminal information. The second notification is transmitted to a second facility computing device corresponding to a second facility attendant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR.
  • Publication number: 20140207570
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for generating reminders to shoppers to purchase products. Using a customer's current location, products stocked at that location are identified and compared to the customer's purchase history. Items regularly purchased by the customer found among the products stocked at the location are identified. Upon departing the location without adding the product to an electronic shopping cart an alert may be generated to remind the customer to purchase the product. In some embodiment, an alert is generate for a product found in the purchase history if an elapsed time since purchase of the product exceeds an expiration period or purchase period for that product. The methods disclosed herein may be used in the context of a self-checkout using an electronic shopping cart and navigational aids to facilitate retrieval of items on a shopping list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140207591
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for integrating locally carried products into web services provided by a global server. A user computing device, such as a mobile phone, is used to scan optical codes for products. A product identifier extracted from the optical code is used to request product information from a global server system with respect to the product or to take an action with respect to the product, such as adding the product to an electronic shopping cart. For locally carried products, notice may be provided to the user computing device to scan the product using an in-store scanner. Upon scanning the optical code, the in-store scanner retrieves product information from a local server system and encodes this information in an optical code, which the user computing device scans in order to use with respect to a web service or web-integrated transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley, Richard Neil Cancro
  • Publication number: 20140188663
    Abstract: A method for sending notifications from a notification server to a mobile computing device to a user includes obtaining, at a processing device of the notification server, a request including user request information to notify the user when a product offered for sale by a retailer becomes available in a facility of the retailer when the mobile computing device scans a notification image. The user request information includes an item identifier corresponding to the product, facility information corresponding to the facility, and a user identifier corresponding to the user. When the product becomes available within the facility, the processing device retrieves the user request information from a user request database and generates a notification based on the user request information. The processing device transmits the generated notification to the mobile computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140180572
    Abstract: Embodiments for determining a route a consumer takes while traversing a retail store are disclosed. The embodiments include determining a store location of a retail store and a map corresponding to the layout of the retail store, receiving waypoint data including a plurality of positions within the map corresponding timestamps, determining a route in response to the waypoint data, and providing the route and the map for display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Richard Neil Cancro, Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140176348
    Abstract: A method to provide an active parking system includes receiving, at a portable computerized device, parking preferences of a user for a parking facility of a retail store, determining, within a parking space index server, an availability status of each of a plurality of parking spaces of the parking facility, identifying, within a computerized device, a preferred parking location for the user based upon the parking preferences and the availability statuses, and displaying, at a computerized display, directions for the user to navigate to the preferred parking location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Richard Neil Cancro, Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140172647
    Abstract: A method for sending a cost notification to a display monitor corresponding to a display apparatus, the display apparatus furnished within a facility includes obtaining display apparatus information corresponding the display apparatus. The display apparatus information includes display apparatus preferences being indicative of an item explicitly preferred by the retailer for being stocked at the display apparatus. The display apparatus information further includes location specific information being indicative of a geographical location of the facility at which the display apparatus is furnished within. A cost notification related to the item is generated based on the display apparatus information and the generated cost notification is transmitted to the display monitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140172649
    Abstract: A method for sending a request from a display apparatus server to a computing device corresponding to a retailer includes detecting a quantity of a selected item currently stocked at a display apparatus furnished within a facility of the retailer, the selected item indicating a product being offered for sale by the retailer. When the detected quantity of the selected item is less than a threshold, a request notification is generated to replenish the display apparatus with the selected item. The request notification is transmitted to the computing device corresponding to the retailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Publication number: 20140172650
    Abstract: A method for detecting one or more misplaced items currently stocked at a display apparatus furnished within a facility of a retailer includes receiving a display apparatus identifier broadcasted from the display apparatus and retrieving display apparatus information based on the display apparatus identifier. The display apparatus information includes display apparatus preferences being indicative of a selected item explicitly preferred by the retailer for being stocked at the display apparatus and location specific information indicating specific section of the facility at which the display apparatus is located. One or more item identifiers broadcasted from the display apparatus are received and a presence of one or more misplaced items currently stocked at the display apparatus are detected based on the received one or more item identifiers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Neil Cancro, Joel Bennett Acker, JR., Douglas James Pedley
  • Patent number: 8726817
    Abstract: A table may include a table top and a leg assembly. The leg assembly may be moved between use and storage positions, and the movement of the leg assembly may move a cross member between a first position in which the cross member resists folding of the table top and a second position in which the cross member facilitates folding and unfolding of the table top. The table top may include first and second sections with portions that overlap and/or interlock when the table top is unfolded. When the table top is in the unfolded position, movement of the leg assembly towards the use position may move the cross member towards the overlapping and/or interlocking portions, which may move the overlapping and/or interlocking portions towards each other. When moved towards each other, the overlapping and/or interlocking portions may be securely connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Lifetime Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Bennett, Kent Ashby
  • Patent number: 8573139
    Abstract: A table may include a table top and a leg assembly. The leg assembly may be moved between use and storage positions, and the movement of the leg assembly may move a cross member between a first position in which the cross member resists folding of the table top and a second position in which the cross member facilitates folding and unfolding of the table top. The table top may include first and second sections with portions that overlap and/or interlock when the table top is unfolded. When the table top is in the unfolded position, movement of the leg assembly towards the use position may move the cross member towards the overlapping and/or interlocking portions, which may move the overlapping and/or interlocking portions towards each other. When moved towards each other, the overlapping and/or interlocking portions may be securely connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Lifetime Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Kent Ashby, Joel Bennett