Patents by Inventor Richard Bennett Ulrich

Richard Bennett Ulrich 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: 20140372161
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed for generating a discrete forecasted staff report. The method commences with the definition of a set of shifts, each shift having daily and weekly time segments. Using these shifts, “baseline staff” coverage in then inputted into a work schedule to thereby meet, represent, or otherwise define an employer's current staff. Similarly, “projected staff” coverage is then determined in anticipation of meeting, representing, or otherwise defining a future staffing demand. With both “baseline staff” and “projective staff” in place, variance between the two is then calculated discretely throughout the work schedule for each daily and weekly time segment. The forecasted staff report is then generated such that the staffing information provided therein (such as, hiring suggestions) is composed as a function of preferably both (a) the variance and (b) at least one predefined staffing constraint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Richard Bennett Ulrich, Charles Brandon Fletcher, Christopher James Nowlin
  • Patent number: 8120482
    Abstract: A mobile sensor system and method for managing inventory of a store includes at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner for receiving readings from RFID tags, at least one external sensors for detecting at least one external events other than RF signals from the RFID tags, and a processor configured to update an RFID database for storing the readings from the RFID tags, wherein the update is based on a correlation function of the readings from the RFID tags and the external events detected at the at least one external sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Bennett Ulrich
  • Publication number: 20120013441
    Abstract: These teachings generally comprise interrogating a plurality of RFID tags and receiving corresponding responses from various ones of these tags. A corresponding plurality of end user-perceivable indications are then provided to thereby inform an end user of the RFID tag reader with respect to a completeness level of the reading activity. By one approach, this can comprise providing only one such end user-perceivable indication for each of the tags notwithstanding that a given one of the plurality might respond to the interrogation more than once. This can further comprise, if desired, only providing such end user-perceivable indications for responses from those of the plurality of RFID tags that comprise a previously identified RFID tag of interest. These indications can comprise any of an audible sound, a visual alert, and/or a haptic sensation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventor: Richard Bennett Ulrich
  • Patent number: 8002181
    Abstract: A method using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for managing a promotional merchandise display at locational spots in a store includes providing a locational spot in the store with a locational RFID tag uniquely identifying the locational spot, providing the locational spot with the promotional merchandise display associated with merchandise RFID tags, wherein each of the merchandise RFID tags uniquely identifies one or more products in the promotional merchandise display, scanning for radio frequency signals from the locational RFID tag and the merchandise RFID tags at or near the locational spot, transmitting information obtained from the scanning to a server, analyzing the information at the server for a determination of whether the promotional merchandise display is in compliance with a promotional display plan; and if not, generating a notice to the store, the notice including information relating to the locational spot and the promotional merchandise display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Bennett Ulrich, Simon David Langford
  • Patent number: 7997486
    Abstract: An RFID Point-of-Sale system for completing a sale transaction to a customer of a plurality of items associated with a plurality of unique RFID tags at a store includes an arrangement of a plurality of RFID tag scanners for detecting the plurality of unique RFID tags associated with the plurality of items, and a checkout platform including a transaction panel, wherein a list of the plurality of items is displayed on the transaction panel based on a matching of the detected plurality of unique RFID tags with information stored in an inventory database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, inc.
    Inventors: Richard Bennett Ulrich, Nicholaus Adam Jones, Justin C. Lewis, Jason Todd, Tim Webb, Ryan Cox
  • Publication number: 20090212915
    Abstract: A mobile sensor system and method for managing inventory of a store includes at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner for receiving readings from RFID tags, at least one external sensors for detecting at least one external events other than RF signals from the RFID tags, and a processor configured to update an RFID database for storing the readings from the RFID tags, wherein the update is based on a correlation function of the readings from the RFID tags and the external events detected at the at least one external sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Inventor: Richard Bennett ULRICH
  • Publication number: 20090101713
    Abstract: An RFID Point-of-Sale system for completing a sale transaction to a customer of a plurality of items associated with a plurality of unique RFID tags at a store includes an arrangement of a plurality of RFID tag scanners for detecting the plurality of unique RFID tags associated with the plurality of items, and a checkout platform including a transaction panel, wherein a list of the plurality of items is displayed on the transaction panel based on a matching of the detected plurality of unique RFID tags with information stored in an inventory database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Richard Bennett Ulrich, Nicholaus Adam Jones, Justin C. Lewis, Jason Todd, Tim Webb, Ryan Cox
  • Publication number: 20090101712
    Abstract: A method using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for managing a promotional merchandise display at locational spots in a store includes providing a locational spot in the store with a locational RFID tag uniquely identifying the locational spot, providing the locational spot with the promotional merchandise display associated with merchandise RFID tags, wherein each of the merchandise RFID tags uniquely identifies one or more products in the promotional merchandise display, scanning for radio frequency signals from the locational RFID tag and the merchandise RFID tags at or near the locational spot, transmitting information obtained from the scanning to a server, analyzing the information at the server for a determination of whether the promotional merchandise display is in compliance with a promotional display plan; and if not, generating a notice to the store, the notice including information relating to the locational spot and the promotional merchandise display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Richard Bennett Ulrich, Simon David Langford