Abstract: In frictionless shopping environments, there may be a variety of age-restricted products. Shopping areas within the frictionless shopping environment can include one or more smart shelving units that have various restricted areas to house these age-restricted products. These restricted areas can be locking cabinets or other method of preventing any customer from grabbing the products. The frictionless shopping environment can comprise customer tracking and matching to customer data within an enrollment server or other device that can include a verified age associated with a customer that can be utilized to provide access to one or more age restricted products. Verification can occur via scanning of identification cards which can be processed by image processing methods or via a human review. Once verified, the customer can be matched and tracked within a frictionless shopping area and provide automatic access to age-restricted products either by customer location, voice request, or time period.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for an intelligent shelf display system that creates an intimate customer experience and helps retailers increase operational efficiencies. The system is comprised of a cabinet top to display animated and/or graphical content and is mounted on top of in-store shelves. A fascia to display animated and/or graphical content is extended along each shelf of the in-store shelves. A media player executes multiple media files that are simultaneously displayed on the cabinet top and the fascia. The cabinet top and the fascia display content to entice customers to approach the shelves, and then the fascia switch to displaying pricing information once a customer is nearby. A proximity sensor detects the presence of the customer. Stock sensors track the inventory stocked on the in-store shelves. Alerts are created once the merchandise remaining on the shelves is reduced to a predetermined minimum threshold quantity.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, a shelving unit and one or more coupling brackets. Each coupling bracket includes a bracket-coupling body, one or more power couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, one or more data couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, and one or more integral fasteners such as a tongue extending from the bracket-coupling body configured for fastening the coupling bracket to the shelving unit. Also disclosed herein is a method for the electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, installing n coupling brackets in the shelving unit, running at least n+1 power cables or data cables through a slotted cable raceway of the shelving unit, and coupling at least two power cables or data cables to each other by way of the coupling bracket.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for an intelligent shelf display system that creates an intimate customer experience and helps retailers increase operational efficiencies. The system is comprised of a cabinet top to display animated and/or graphical content and is mounted on top of in-store shelves. A fascia to display animated and/or graphical content is extended along each shelf of the in-store shelves. A media player executes multiple media files that are simultaneously displayed on the cabinet top and the fascia. The cabinet top and the fascia display content to entice customers to approach the shelves, and then the fascia switch to displaying pricing information once a customer is nearby. A proximity sensor detects the presence of the customer. Stock sensors track the inventory stocked on the in-store shelves. Alerts are created once the merchandise remaining on the shelves is reduced to a predetermined minimum threshold quantity.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, a shelving unit and one or more coupling brackets. Each coupling bracket includes a bracket-coupling body, one or more power couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, one or more data couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, and one or more integral fasteners such as a tongue extending from the bracket-coupling body configured for fastening the coupling bracket to the shelving unit. Also disclosed herein is a method for the electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, installing n coupling brackets in the shelving unit, running at least n+1 power cables or data cables through a slotted cable raceway of the shelving unit, and coupling at least two power cables or data cables to each other by way of the coupling bracket.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a frictionless shopping system is disclosed. The frictionless shopping system may include a plurality of intelligent shelving units having inventory cameras, customer recognition cameras, shelves configured to hold inventory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the plurality of intelligent shelving units. A non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and having logic thereon may be included.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, a shelving unit and one or more coupling brackets. Each coupling bracket includes a bracket-coupling body, one or more power couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, one or more data couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, and one or more integral fasteners such as a tongue extending from the bracket-coupling body configured for fastening the coupling bracket to the shelving unit. Also disclosed herein is a method for the electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, installing n coupling brackets in the shelving unit, running at least n+1 power cables or data cables through a slotted cable raceway of the shelving unit, and coupling at least two power cables or data cables to each other by way of the coupling bracket.

Abstract: An automated inventory intelligence system is disclosed including, in some embodiments, an artificial intelligence (“AI”) agent configured to monitor inventory states in designated areas of an environment. The AI agent includes sensors, effectors, and an agent program. The sensors are configured to be disposed in the environment to collect sensory information on inventory items in the designated areas. The effectors are configured for response to inventory state changes in the designated areas. The agent program is configured to receive sensor data from the sensors for current inventory states, as well as send instructions to the effectors for the response to the inventory state changes. In addition, the automated inventory intelligence system includes a system memory configured to store an instance of the agent program at runtime and one or more previous inventory states for determining the inventory state changes from the current inventory states.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for an intelligent shelf display system that creates an intimate customer experience and helps retailers increase operational efficiencies. The system is comprised of a cabinet top to display animated and/or graphical content and is mounted on top of in-store shelves. A fascia to display animated and/or graphical content is extended along each shelf of the in-store shelves. A media player executes multiple media files that are simultaneously displayed on the cabinet top and the fascia. The cabinet top and the fascia display content to entice customers to approach the shelves, and then the fascia switch to displaying pricing information once a customer is nearby. A proximity sensor detects the presence of the customer. Stock sensors track the inventory stocked on the in-store shelves. Alerts are created once the merchandise remaining on the shelves is reduced to a predetermined minimum threshold quantity.

Abstract: A fully integrated completely wireless mobile media system for digital signage applications receives content from a mobile telephone network. The received content is wirelessly distributed to point of sale locations and wireless local hotspots via IEEE 802.11(n) or later communications protocol. Audio and high definition video are streamed over MIMO RF technology incorporating JPEG2000 or later compression algorithms providing transmission quality up to or better than wired connectivity over a wireless link. The system requires no wired communications infrastructure such that the entire system may travel, or advertising displays are readily relocatable within the retail environment. Media content can be unicast for point to point (single endpoint) or multicast for multi-endpoint delivery. The system supports wireless local hotspot connectivity.