Patents by Inventor Robert J. Taylor

Robert J. Taylor 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).

  • Patent number: 12236412
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Aaron J. Vasgaard, Matthew A. Jones
  • Patent number: 12136049
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to reassigning meeting rooms. In some embodiments, a system comprises a mobile device configured to receive user input to request a meeting room, determine a location of the mobile device, and transmit an indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, sensors associated with the meeting rooms configured to detect occupancy of the meeting rooms, a scheduling database configured to store scheduling information for the meeting rooms, the control circuit configured to receive the indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, determine that all meeting are booked, receive occupancy information for the meeting rooms, determine that one of the meeting rooms is unoccupied, reassign the one of the meeting rooms to the user, and cause transmission of a notification that the one of the meeting rooms has been reassigned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Remington R. Rice, Gerald C. Murphy, Nicholas Paul Dowd, Carlos R. Alvarez
  • Publication number: 20240095650
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, JR., Jason D. Bellar
  • Patent number: 11868947
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, Jr., Jason D. Bellar
  • Patent number: 11810414
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for user access to smart locks at a retail shopping facility. In one embodiment, a system for user access to smart locks at a retail shopping facility includes an access member, a smart lock securing the access member, and a control circuit. The control circuit configured to receive authentication data from the user interface device; determine whether the authentication data matches within a threshold of stored authentication data associated with a profile stored in a database; determine that the user is a trusted user based on the determination that the authentication data matches with the stored authentication data within the threshold; and provide an optical key to the user interface device, wherein the smart lock is configured to unlock the access member in response to receiving the optical key from the user interface device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Jeffrey D. Franklin, Melissa M. Wacha, Mark McCrary
  • Publication number: 20230351273
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to reassigning meeting rooms. In some embodiments, a system comprises a mobile device configured to receive user input to request a meeting room, determine a location of the mobile device, and transmit an indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, sensors associated with the meeting rooms configured to detect occupancy of the meeting rooms, a scheduling database configured to store scheduling information for the meeting rooms, the control circuit configured to receive the indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, determine that all meeting are booked, receive occupancy information for the meeting rooms, determine that one of the meeting rooms is unoccupied, reassign the one of the meeting rooms to the user, and cause transmission of a notification that the one of the meeting rooms has been reassigned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Remington R. Rice, Gerald C. Murphy, Nicholas Paul Dowd, Carlos R. Alvarez
  • Patent number: 11741399
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to reassigning meeting rooms. In some embodiments, a system comprises a mobile device configured to receive user input to request a meeting room, determine a location of the mobile device, and transmit an indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, sensors associated with the meeting rooms configured to detect occupancy of the meeting rooms, a scheduling database configured to store scheduling information for the meeting rooms, the control circuit configured to receive the indication of the request, the location of the mobile device, and the user, determine that all meeting are booked, receive occupancy information for the meeting rooms, determine that one of the meeting rooms is unoccupied, reassign the one of the meeting rooms to the user, and cause transmission of a notification that the one of the meeting rooms has been reassigned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Remington R. Rice, Gerald C. Murphy, Nicholas Paul Dowd, Carlos R. Alvarez
  • Publication number: 20230214748
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of prioritizing retrieval of products from a plurality of bins at a retail sales facility are described. The methods include receiving an identification of a product being binned at a retail sales facility, then determining the size of the product, and then ranking the products in the bins based on the time stamp of a time of binning of the product. The physical size of the product and the ranking of the product are correlated to a size of the bins to determine the relative physical locations of the products in the bins. A pick of a product from a bin is generated based on a determination that the location of the product to be picked in one of the bins is higher than a location of at least one identical product in at least another one of the bins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Matthew A. Jones
  • Publication number: 20230122649
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Aaron J. Vasgaard, Matthew A. Jones
  • Publication number: 20230079572
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, JR., Jason D. Bellar
  • Patent number: 11531953
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, Jr., Jason D. Bellar
  • Publication number: 20220358803
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for user access to smart locks at a retail shopping facility. In one embodiment, a system for user access to smart locks at a retail shopping facility includes an access member, a smart lock securing the access member, and a control circuit. The control circuit configured to receive authentication data from the user interface device; determine whether the authentication data matches within a threshold of stored authentication data associated with a profile stored in a database; determine that the user is a trusted user based on the determination that the authentication data matches with the stored authentication data within the threshold; and provide an optical key to the user interface device, wherein the smart lock is configured to unlock the access member in response to receiving the optical key from the user interface device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Jeffrey D. Franklin, Melissa M. Wacha, Mark McCrary
  • Patent number: 11257016
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided to automatically identify overstated perpetual inventory (PI) conditions regarding an inventory level of an item in a retail space. For example, in some embodiments, a method performed by a control circuit comprises determining (504) that, a plurality of times, an item for sale at a retail store sells within a defined tolerance of a non-zero inventory quantity value and then stops selling for a period of time; and making (506) a determination that an overstated PI condition exists with respect to an inventory level of the item at the retail store. In some embodiments, the overstated PI condition is automatically quantified and may be automatically corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Roger Snelgrove, Rahul Tripathi
  • Publication number: 20210312414
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for a retail facility to maintain information regarding product location, in part, from correlating a shopper's cart path and their purchased items with those of other shoppers. In some approaches, the methods and apparatuses may determine a cart path for a particular shopping cart by analyzing aisle markers captured by an image capturing device in the shopping cart, associate that cart path with the purchased items from that shopping cart, and compare the associated cart path and purchased items with similar information from other customers. In some examples, by comparing the associated cart paths and purchased items form a plurality of customers, an aisle location of one of the retail items is identified and the database of aisle locations and retail items may be updated accordingly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Aaron J. Vasgaard, Matthew A. Jones
  • Publication number: 20210255128
    Abstract: A technique for monitoring the quality of objects is disclosed. A container includes a multiple sensors and is configured to receive an object. The sensors monitor various metrics associated with the quality of the object, and a display is affixed to the container for displaying a visual indication of the quality of the object. The visual indication is based on data collected from the sensors. A quality monitoring module is executed by a processor to control the sensors to switch operation between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based on a detected change in one of the metrics monitored by the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce W. Wilkinson, David C. Winkle, Matthew A. Jones, Aaron J. Vasgaard, Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Todd D. Mattingly
  • Patent number: 11093895
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of managing bins audits in a stock room of a retail sales facility include generating at least one bin audit management factor for the bins at the retail sales facility. The bin audit management factor can include an amount of time a total number of products stored in the bin does not change; a number of times a one product is binned or picked from the bin, a number of products stored in the bin; and an accuracy percentage of a worker at the retail sales facility during a preceding audit of the bin. Based on whether the value of one or more of the bin audit management factors meets a predetermined threshold value that supports the auditing of a bin, an indication to a worker at the retail sales facility is generated as to whether that bin is to be audited or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Matthew A. Jones
  • Publication number: 20210241196
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of prioritizing retrieval of products from a plurality of bins at a retail sales facility are described. The methods include receiving an identification of a product being binned at a retail sales facility, then determining the size of the product, and then ranking the products in the bins based on the time stamp of a time of binning of the product. The physical size of the product and the ranking of the product are correlated to a size of the bins to determine the relative physical locations of the products in the bins. A pick of a product from a bin is generated based on a determination that the location of the product to be picked in one of the bins is higher than a location of at least one identical product in at least another one of the bins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Matthew A. Jones
  • Publication number: 20210110624
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for determining and executing trusted user access. In one embodiment, a system for determining and executing trusted user access for smart locks at a retail shopping facility includes an access member, a smart lock securing the access member, a user interface device, and a control circuit coupled to the user interface device. The control circuit being configured to determine whether a user is a trusted user based on a determination that authentication data matches with stored authentication data within a threshold accuracy, and provide an optical key to the user interface device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Jeffrey D. Franklin, Melissa M. Wacha, Mark McCrary
  • Patent number: 10922645
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of determining whether to purge a bin in order to pick a product from the bin in a stock room of a retail sales facility include processing of bin purge factors associated with the bin and correlating the processed bin purge factors with bin purge threshold values associated with the bin. Based on whether the value of one or more of the bin purge factors meets or exceeds a threshold value that supports the purging of a bin, an indication to a worker at the retail sales facility is generated as to whether that bin is to be purged or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Nicholaus A. Jones
  • Patent number: 10922638
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of prioritizing retrieval of products from a plurality of bins at a retail sales facility are described. The methods include receiving an identification of a product being binned at a retail sales facility, then determining the size of the product, and then ranking the products in the bins based on the time stamp of a time of binning of the product. The physical size of the product and the ranking of the product are correlated to a size of the bins to determine the relative physical locations of the products in the bins. A pick of a product from a bin is generated based on a determination that the location of the product to be picked in one of the bins is higher than a location of at least one identical product in at least another one of the bins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholaus A. Jones, Robert J. Taylor, Matthew A. Jones