Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for unmanned flight optimization. A system for unmanned flight comprises a set of motors configured to provide locomotion to an unmanned aerial vehicle, a set of wings coupled to a body of the unmanned aerial vehicle via an actuator and configured to move relative to the body of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a sensor system on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a control circuit. The control circuit being configured to: control the unmanned aerial vehicle, cause the set of motors to lift the unmanned aerial vehicle, detect condition parameters based on the sensor system, determine a position for the set of wings based on the condition parameters, and cause the actuator to move the set of wings to the wing position while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for facilitating delivery of products purchased over the internet by the customers to the customers from a selected product stocking facility of the retailer. The products can be delivered to the customer from the selected product stocking facility of the retailer via a worker of the product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle.

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.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to enable delivery to a delegate of a user. A calendar function of the user can be utilized to determine whether a delivery can be successfully completed. In several embodiments, a system as described herein can access wireless smart devices of the user and one or more delegates thereof to schedule a delivery of one or more products. The system analyzes locations and times of scheduled events to determine whether the user has a conflict for a delivery time and, if so, whether any of the delegates are authorized and available to receive the delivery. The system can send out notifications and/or invites based on priorities determined by the user.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via unmanned aerial vehicles, of products ordered by a customer of a retailer to a customer-selected physical location of a person other than the customer.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface for receiving an order corresponding to a customer and for receiving a time period during which the customer requests to pick up the order; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine a plurality of shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine when the order would be available for pick up; determine the subset of shopping facilities where the order would be available within the time period requested by the customer; transmit the location to the customer; and at least one shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during the requested time period.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to monitoring item distribution. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for monitoring item distribution including: a camera system comprising a plurality of cameras configured to capture a plurality of video streams along a distribution chain; an item record database comprising one or more monitored items; and a control circuit configured to: receive the plurality of video streams; identify a monitored item of the one or more monitored items; extract video data associated with the monitored item from at least one of the plurality of video streams; aggregate the video data to form an item distribution record; associate the item distribution record of the monitored item with a customer order for the monitored item in the item record database; and provide the item distribution record to a user associated with the customer order via an item record user interface.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface for receiving an order corresponding to a customer and for receiving a time period during which the customer requests to pick up the order; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine a plurality of shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine when the order would be available for pick up; determine the subset of shopping facilities where the order would be available within the time period requested by the customer; transmit the location to the customer; and at least one shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during the requested time period.

Abstract: In some embodiments, system, apparatuses and methods are provided useful for delivering packages. One such configuration may include storage lockers and a control circuit that detects proximity of delivery agents to a locker, and in response, sends a code to an agent that verifies the agent upon receipt of the code therefrom. In another configuration, the control circuit associates a storage locker with a customer profile, detects a customer approaching and a first authentication aspect, receives a second authentication aspect, and compares the authentication aspects with the customer profile. In another example, a control circuit associates a delivery container with a customer profile and the delivery agents handling the container, and upon receiving a package scan, compares the scan with aspects associated with responsible delivery agents. In another example, a control circuit receives sensed data from a customer and authenticates delivery by comparing the sensed data with delivery agent profiles.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided to track objects at a retail store, comprising: a mobile RFID transmitter system comprising an array of RFID tags; multiple RFID tag readers; a tracking control circuit communicatively coupled with the multiple RFID tag readers, and configured to: receive, from a sub-set of RFID tag readers, RFID tag information of each detected first set of RFID tags of the array of RFID tags; obtain a first set of rules and evaluate over time the received RFID tag information and identify over time threshold changes from a set of base information of received RFID signals from the array of RFID tags, wherein the threshold change is consistent with a first object traveling between the array of RFID tags and a corresponding one of the first sub-set of RFID tag readers; and track the first object.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for facilitating delivery of products purchased over the internet by the customers to the customers from a selected product stocking facility of the retailer. The products can be delivered to the customer from the selected product stocking facility of the retailer via a worker of the product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to receiving retail products at a delivery destination. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for receiving retail products including a housing; a retail product delivery locker formed within the housing; a cleaning system configured to: initiate a first cleaning based on a default cleaning process; and initiate a second cleaning based on a first level-up cleaning process in response to receiving a start-clean signal; a first sensor; a second sensor; and a control circuit configured to: receive a need-clean request from a user at a first time; receive first data indicating an opening of the retail product delivery locker; receive second data indicating at least one compartment is empty; and provide a start-clean signal to the cleaning system in response to the receipt of the first and second data and the need-clean request from the user.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that permit a customer to purchase products from a retailer and elect an option for a friend or family member of the customer to pick up the ordered products from the retail facility of the retailer associated with the geographic location of the customer. If the friend or family member of the customer agrees to pick up the products for the customer, and if the customer agrees to have the selected friend or family member of the customer pick up the products for the customer, the friend or family member is allowed to pick up the products at the retail facility associated with the geographic location of the customer. The customer is then allowed to either pick up the products from such a friend or family member or the friend or family member may deliver the products to the customer.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to automatically determining a discount for an item. In some embodiments, a system comprises an item database including information about a plurality of items, a control circuit configured to determine substitute items, calculate a score indicative of how similar a substitute item is to an item, determine a group of substitute items including items for which the score is above a threshold, determine a list of negotiable items, generate a user interface including the list of negotiable items, receive selection of one of the items from the list of negotiable items, determine the discount for the one of the items, and update the user interface to present the discount for the one of the items, a display device configured to present the user interface, and the user input device configured to receive the selection of the one of the items.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to monitoring locations of products in a facility. In some embodiments, a system comprises a plurality of RFID readers placed at predetermined locations about the facility, a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the RFID tags are associated with products, and a control circuit configured to receive, from one or more of the plurality of RFID readers, an indication of an RFID read, determine, based on the indication of the RFID read, a product associated with the RFID read and a location of the product, compare the location of the product with locations of previous reads of a same type of item as the product, determine, based upon the locations of previous reads of the same type of item as the product, if the location of the product consistent with the location of the previous reads.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that permit a customer to purchase products from a retailer and elect an option for a friend or family member of the customer to pick up the ordered products from the retail facility of the retailer associated with the geographic location of the customer. If the friend or family member of the customer agrees to pick up the products for the customer, and if the customer agrees to have the selected friend or family member of the customer pick up the products for the customer, the friend or family member is allowed to pick up the products at the retail facility associated with the geographic location of the customer. The customer is then allowed to either pick up the products from such a friend or family member or the friend or family member may deliver the products to the customer.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to access and advance a work flow for a product or a plurality of products during unloading and loading shipments at a distribution center or unloading and processing shipments at a retail store. In some embodiments, RFID tags and wearable smart devices are employed such that products are monitored as they are unloaded from shipments at a retail facility, such as a distribution center, and repackaged into containers and onto a delivery truck for delivery to another retail facility, such as a physical retail store, or one or more customers.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and methods of enhancing protection of unmanned retail delivery vehicles. Some of these embodiments comprise: a plurality of unmanned delivery vehicles (UDV); a plurality of lure unmanned vehicles; and a procedure randomization system configured to randomly select a protection procedure that is not to be implemented by a first lure unmanned vehicle to enhance an attack vulnerability; and wherein a first lure vehicle control circuit of the first lure unmanned vehicle is configured to obtain a first lure route and control the first lure unmanned vehicle to travel along the first lure route while preventing the selected first protection procedure from being applied while applying at least a sub-set of the set of the plurality of protection procedures to a full capacity while the first lure unmanned vehicle travels along the first lure route.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to receive, facilitate, and manage food ordering, especially remote, electronic food ordering. In some embodiments, a food order processing and management system includes an electronic user interface that receives a food order, a database with a plurality of food preparation facilities and capabilities associated therewith, and a central computer coupled to the database, where the central computer is configured to maintain the capabilities of the various food preparation facilities, such as the available ingredients and preparation selections in the database, receive a retrieval time for a particular food preparation facility and present the available capabilities to the user based on the updated database, and notify the food preparation facility of the details of the food order including the selected ingredients and preparation details, along with the retrieval time.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for content-based product recommendations. A system for content-based product recommendations comprises a content monitoring device configured to monitor video content viewed by a user, a customer vectors database, a product vectors database; and a control circuit being configured to: detect, via the content monitoring device, a video content being viewed by the user, identify an item associated with a current segment of the video content viewed by the user, determine a product category associated with the item, determine alignments between the customer value vectors and the product characteristic vectors for each of the plurality of products in the product category, select a recommended product from the plurality of products based on the alignments between the customer value vectors and the product characteristic vectors for each of the plurality of products, and initiate an offer of the recommended product to the customer.