IP Library Granted Patent US 10,885,577
Granted Patent B2
US 10,885,577 · App. 15/625,273 · Granted Jan 5, 2021

System and method for retail space management

Inventors: Jon Parker (Bentonville, AR); Steven J. Clark (Bella Vista, AR); Ian Townsend (Rogers, AR); Jyoti Prakash Malik (Bentonville, AR); Kehinde S. Onadipe (Bentonville, AR); John Wynn Plummer (Fayetteville, AR)
Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
G06Q30/0643G06Q30/0625
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,885,577
App. No.
15/625,273
Granted
Jan 5, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein useful to manage a retail space. In some embodiments, cubic product representations within the retail location are provided herein which represent the actual space and location of products within the store. Data for the retail space, such as blueprint, floorplan, and item modular data, can be merged and transformed into a central database to create the cubic product representations. Further, the cubic product representations within the retail location can be provided to users through a user interface, such as a web viewer.

Claims (47)

1. A retail location management system, the system comprising:

a control circuit:

a central database accessible by the control circuit and configured to store retail space two-dimensional data, spatial data, and product location data for the retail location;

wherein the control circuit is configured to:

retrieve the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data;

create, using the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data, a two-dimensional overhead graphical representation (GUI) configured to display an overhead view of at least a portion of the retail location and the overhead GUI comprising: a two-dimensional representation of at least a portion of at least a first product display of multiple product displays, and further identifying multiple primary product categories of multiple different product categories, wherein the multiple primary product categories are spaced along the portion of the first product display that displays products for sale at the retail location, and define, in creating the overhead GUI, locations relative to the first product display of multiple secondary categories of additional products, wherein each of the multiple secondary categories is hidden in the overhead GUI by at least one of the primary product categories;

create, using the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data, three-dimensional cubic product representations within the retail location;

store the cubic product representations on the central database;

provide the overhead GUI to users via user devices; and

provide the cubic product representations within the retail location to the users via the respective user devices.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

dynamically provide, in response to detecting a selection through a first user device of the user devices of a perspective view icon, a three-dimensional perspective view virtual representation of at least a portion of the first product display at the retail location utilizing the cubic product representations to a first user of the users via the first user device; and

dynamically provide, in response to detecting a selection through the first user device of a plan view icon, a plan view virtual representation of at least the portion of the first product display at the retail location utilizing the cubic product representations the first user via the first user device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to retrieve product images; and each of the perspective view virtual representation and the plan view virtual representation utilizes the product images.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to receive, from a first user of the users through the overhead GUI via a first user device of the user devices, edits to one or more of the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data and store the edits in the central database, the edits being represented in the cubic product representations.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data is provided to the central database from one or more secondary systems; and the control circuit is configured to update the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data in the secondary systems with the edits.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

receive a product search query from one of the user devices for a desired product; and

identify a location of the desired product within the retail location utilizing the cubic product representations.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the location of the desired product is accurate to the inch.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the retail space two-dimensional data comprises blueprint data and the spatial data comprises floorplan data, modular data, and product dimensional data.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to define, relative to an origin location defined on the first product display, facing locations for each product of a set of products of the primary category based on dimensions of each product defined to be positioned on the first product display.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to

define facing locations of each product on the first product display of a set of the multiple different product categories by translating and rotating each point in a geometry collection of a product per an offset and an insertion point defined in the retail space two-dimensional data an relative to an origin defined for the first product display.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit, in creating the overhead GUI is configured to cause the overhead GUI to display a secondary category icon indicating that the multiple secondary categories are defined and hidden, and to cause at least a first secondary product category to be displayed in the overhead GUI relative to a respective location relative to the first product display in response to detecting a selection, by a first user of the users through a first user device of the user devices, of the secondary category icon.

12. A method for providing a retail location management system, the method comprising:

by a processor-based control circuit communicatively coupled with a central data base:

retrieving retail space two-dimensional data, spatial data and product location data from the central database with the control circuit;

creating, using the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data, a two-dimensional overhead graphical representation (GUI) configured to display an overhead view of at least a portion of the retail location and the overhead GUI comprising: a two-dimensional representation of at least a portion of at least a first product display of multiple product displays, and further identifying multiple primary product categories of multiple different product categories, wherein the multiple primary product categories are spaced along the portion of the first product display that displays products for sale at the retail location, and defining, in creating the overhead GUI, locations relative to the first product display of multiple secondary categories of additional products, wherein each of the multiple secondary categories is hidden in the overhead GUI by at least one of the primary product categories;

creating, using the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data, three-dimensional cubic product representations within the retail location with the control circuit;

storing the cubic product representations on the central database;

providing the overhead GUI to users via user devices; and

providing the cubic product representations within the retail location with the control circuit to the users via the respective user devices.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein providing the cubic product representations within the retail location comprises dynamically providing, in response to detecting a selection through a first user device of the user devices of a perspective view icon, a three-dimensional perspective view virtual representation of at least a portion of the first product display at the retail location to users via user devices utilizing the cubic product representations to a first user of the users via the first user device; and

dynamically providing, in response to detecting a selection through the first user device of a plan view icon, a plan view virtual representation of at least the portion of the first product display at the retail location utilizing the cubic product representations the first user via the first user device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein providing the virtual representation of the particular shelf further comprises:

retrieving product images with the control circuit; and

providing each of the perspective virtual representation and the plan view virtual representation utilizing the product images.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving, from a first user of the users through the overhead GUI via a first user device of the user devices, edits from one of the user devices to one or more of the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data, the edits being represented in the cubic product representations; and

storing the edits in the central database.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data is provided to the central database from one or more secondary systems; and further comprising updating the retail space two-dimensional data, the spatial data, and the product location data in the secondary systems with the edits with the control circuit.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving a product search query for a desired product from one of the user devices; and

identifying a location of the desired product within the retail location utilizing the cubic product representations.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the location of the desired product is accurate to the inch.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein retrieving the retail space two-dimensional data and the spatial data comprises retrieving blueprint data, floorplan data, modular data, and product dimensional data.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2018
From: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
To: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
Reel/Frame 045959/0017 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE EXECUTION DATE OF ASSIGNOR JOHN WYNN PLUMMER PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 042923 FRAME 0726. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jul 13, 2017
From: PARKER, JON; CLARK, STEVEN J.; TOWNSEND, IAN; MALIK, JYOTI PRAKASH; ONADIPE, KEHINDE S.; PLUMMER, JOHN WYNN
To: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
Reel/Frame 043185/0291 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 6, 2017
From: PARKER, JON; CLARK, STEVEN J.; TOWNSEND, IAN; MALIK, JYOTI PRAKASH; ONADIPE, KEHINDE S.; PLUMMER, JOHN WYNN
To: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
Reel/Frame 042923/0726 →
Cited By (3)
US 12,189,915 US 12,211,161 US 12,430,856