Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for store management. A system for store management comprises: a storage system in a backroom area, a conveyor system, a return sensor system, and a control circuit. The control circuit being configured to: receive an interact request from a customer via a user interface device in a showroom area, cause the conveyor system to retrieve one or more items from the storage system and transport the one or more items to the item interaction area based on the interact request, receive a return request, cause the return sensor system to collect data from the at least one item, determine whether to accept the return request based on the data collected by the return sensor system, and cause the conveyor system to retrieve the at least one item from the customer and make the at least one item available for another customer.

Abstract: There is provided systems and methods involving a portable distribution center for distributing merchandise in response to emergencies. The distribution center includes a transport vehicle with a locomotion system for movement of the transport vehicle to an emergency location. It also includes a conveyor system for sortation and distribution of merchandise items upon arrival at the emergency location. The conveyor system includes merchandise identifier for reading identification data from merchandise item; a plurality of sortation units for moving merchandise items to uniquely identified destination lanes; and a control circuit configured to: assign merchandise items to uniquely identified sortation destination lanes; receive identification data; and communicate with the plurality of sortation units. The distribution center also includes a power supply for energizing the conveyor system and a communication system.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitate expedient shopping in a physical retail facility. In one embodiment, a shopping system directed to pre-filling shopping carts with retail items prior to a customer's arrival at the physical retail shopping facility includes a user database of user profiles having one or more partialities associated with customers, a product database of retail products with identified vectorized characterizations or product vectors, a plurality of physical shopping carts, and a control circuit. By one approach, the control circuit is configured to access the user database and the product database and identify suggested retail items for a particular customer based, in part, on comparisons between the identified partialities and the identified vectorized product characterizations of the retail products.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of dispensing an insecticide to defend a crop-containing area against crop-damaging pests include an unmanned vehicle having a sensor that detects a crop-damaging pest in the crop-containing area and captures pest detection data, and an insecticide output device including at least one insecticide directed at the pest. The unmanned vehicle transmits the captured pest detection data via the network to the computing device and, in response to receipt of the captured pest detection data via the network from the unmanned vehicle, the computing device accesses an electronic database to determine an identity of the at least one pest. Based on the determined identity of the crop-damaging pest, the computing device transmits a control signal to the unmanned vehicle to cause the insecticide output device of the unmanned vehicle to dispense one or more insecticides specific to the identified crop-damaging pest.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for product storage location identification. Reconfigurable lights can be mounted to product storage locations and one or more of the lights can be illuminated to identify a particular storage location, such as for placement or pick up of a product. The system described herein can utilize radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips or tags to identify products and storage locations. So configured, the system can identify which storage location a particular product is in or can identify where a particular product should be placed.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided that limit the change in temperature and/or control a temperature of products during delivery.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to monitor a shopping facility. The shopping facility can include an array of radio frequency identification (RFID) readers distributed throughout the facility to thereby receive and read signals generated from RFID tags within the facility. RFID tags can advantageously be coupled to and associated with products within the facility so that readings of the tags can be used to monitor the status of the products. A control circuit can be coupled to the RFID readers to thereby analyze the readings and compile readings over time. With this, the control circuit can monitor the shopping facility to identify scenarios requiring follow up. Upon identification of one of the scenarios, the control circuit can instruct an automated ground vehicle (AGV) to inspect an identified product at a location within the facility. The AGV can operate a sensor thereof to determine a status of the identified product.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to monitoring and reconciling inventory.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for managing residual mobile display inventory. A system for managing a store inventory comprises a plurality of mobile modular displays, a mobile modular display inventory database, and a control circuit coupled to the mobile modular display inventory database and configured to: track, in the mobile modular display inventory database, inventory levels of mobile modular displays in a store location, detect a modular display replacement condition, cause a replacement mobile modular display to be deployed to replace the at least one mobile modular display on at a sales floor of the store location in response to detecting the modular display replacement condition, and determine a residual handling instruction selected from a plurality of residual handling methods for the residual products, and communicate the residual handling instruction to a user interface device.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for providing voice-initiated conversation interface on multiple devices. Some such systems provide a voice-initiated conversation interface on multiple devices and comprise a network connector configured to communicate with one or more other user devices over a network, a user interface device configured to communicate with a user, a memory device storing at least a portion of a distributed conversation database, wherein the distributed conversation database comprises a plurality of conversation records encrypted with public keys associated with each conversation and conversation database is updated based on communications with the one or more other user devices via the network connector, and a control circuit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) experiencing emergency landings and providing emergency alerts to the predicted emergency landing locations of the UAV. Each UAV includes sensors configured to detect at least one status input associated with the UAV during flight along its flight route. Each UAV analyzes the status inputs while in flight in order to predict an emergency landing location where the UAV would land if unable to fly due to an emergency condition. The UAV is configured to transmit an alert signal to electronic devices proximate the predicted emergency landing location to notify users of the electronic devices that the unmanned aerial vehicle is going to experience an emergency landing at the predicted emergency landing location.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for providing reminders. A system for providing reminders comprises a communication device configured to receive location information associated with a tracker coupled to an item, a movement pattern database, and a control circuit. The control circuit being configured to: track a current movement pattern of the tracker based on the location information received via the communication device, select an expected movement pattern from the movement pattern database based on the location information associated with the tracker, compare the current movement pattern of the tracker with the expected movement pattern, and generate an alert based on detecting a deviation from the expected movement pattern.

Abstract: A retail shopping facility having at least one public entrance, a customer service area, a product display area, and at least one point-of-sale (POS) station also has at least one scanner configured to remotely and uniquely identify a product previously purchased from the product display area as that product re-enters the retail shopping facility via the public entrance with a customer. That scanner provides corresponding identifying information regarding that returning product to a control circuit that in turn uses that information to automatically process an exchange transaction of the returning product for a substitute product in the product display area such that the exchange transaction occurs without the customer engaging either the customer service area or one of the POS stations.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to temperature-controlled delivery of items. A conveyor mechanism disposed within a temperature-controlled compartment of a delivery vehicle can provide easy access to items within the compartment. In some embodiments, the conveyor mechanism can be operated by a control circuit to convey items within the compartment to position the items adjacent to the access door according to various inputs.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective UAVs to move themselves; and wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV of the multiple UAVs is configured to identify a second UAV carrying a first tool system configured to perform a first function, cause a notification to be communicated to the second UAV directing the second UAV to transfer the first tool system to the first UAV, and direct a first propulsion system of the first UAV to couple with the first tool system being transferred from the second UAV.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective UAVs to move themselves; and wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV of the multiple UAVs is configured to access power level data corresponding to each of the multiple UAVs, and select a second UAV of the multiple UAVs based at least in part on a power level of the second UAV relative to a threshold power level corresponding to a first task to be performed and a predicted power usage by the second UAV while utilizing a first tool system temporarily cooperated with the second UAV in performing the first task.

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, unmanned task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned vehicles each comprising: a control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective unmanned vehicles to move themselves; and wherein a first control circuit of a first unmanned vehicle of the multiple unmanned vehicles is configured to identify a second unmanned vehicle carrying a first tool system configured to perform a first function, cause a notification to be communicated to the second unmanned vehicle directing the second unmanned vehicle to transfer the first tool system to the first unmanned vehicle, and direct a first propulsion system of the first unmanned vehicle to couple with the first tool system being transferred from the second unmanned vehicle.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for receiving and storing delivered items. In some embodiments, a secured delivery locker is described herein that can communicate with delivery vehicles and/or users. In several embodiments, an autonomous delivery vehicle can communicate with a secured delivery locker to authenticate itself. The secured delivery locker can then grant access to the delivery vehicle, such as by opening a door to an interior thereof, so that the delivery vehicle can deposit a package therein. The locker can then confirm receipt of the package and close the door. Thereafter, the locker and/or the delivery vehicle can update a system to indicate that the package was delivered.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that include a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; propulsion system; and a universal coupler configured to interchangeably couple with and decouple from one of multiple different tool systems each having different functions to be put into use while carried by a UAV, wherein a coupling system of the universal coupler is configured to secure a tool system with the UAV and enable a communication connection between a communication bus and the tool system, and wherein the multiple different tool systems comprise at least a package securing tool system configured to retain and enable transport of a package while being delivered, and a sensor tool system configured to sense a condition and communicate sensor data of the sensed condition to the UAV control circuit over the communication bus.