System and method for monitoring gas emission of perishable products

1. A system for automatically monitoring gas emissions of perishable goods in a retail sales environment comprising:

a display fixture configured to store and display for sale a group of perishable items;

one or more gas emission sensors associated with the display fixture and configured to measure gas emissions from the group of perishable items;

a control circuit coupled to the one or more gas emission sensors and configured to:

receive a gas emission measurement;

compare the gas emission measurement with stored gas emission data associated with a category of the group of perishable items; and

make a determination corresponding to the group of perishable items based on the comparison; and

determine whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items based on the determination.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the group of perishable items comprises one or more of produce, dairy, meat, seafood, plant, floral, deli, prepared meals and bakery goods.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the category of the group of perishable items corresponds to one or more of a genus, a species, a variety, a cultivar, a growth location, and a growth time.

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

identify the group of perishable items based on the gas emission measurement and determine the category for the group of perishable items.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more gas emission sensors are integrated into a structure of the display fixture.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determination comprises a determination of one or more of: freshness, estimated expiration date, item presence, item location, and item type.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stored gas emission data comprises a gas emission over time profile uniquely associated with the category.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein a history of the gas emission measurement is recorded and compared with the stored gas emission data.

9. The system f claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

determine whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items further based on one or more of a forecasted rate of sales, an expected time between purchase and use by a customer, and incoming inventory information.

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

collect gas emission measurements from a plurality of groups of perishable items and compare the collected gas emission measurements with a planogram of a retail space to determine whether the planogram is followed.

11. A method for automatically monitoring gas emissions of perishable goods in a retail sales environment comprising:

taking a gas emission measurement with one or more gas emission sensors associated with the display fixture, the display fixture configured to store and display for sale a group of perishable items;

providing the gas emission measurement to a control circuit;

comparing, by the control circuit, the gas emission measurement with stored gas emission data associated with a category of the group of perishable items;

making, by the control circuit, a determination corresponding to the group of perishable items based on the comparing; and

determine whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items based on the determination.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the group of perishable items comprises one or more of produce, dairy, meat, seafood, plant, floral, deli, prepared meals and bakery goods.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the category of the group of perishable items corresponds to one or more of a genus, a species, a variety, a cultivar, a growth location, and a growth time.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

identifying the group of perishable items based on the gas emission measurement and determining the category for the group of perishable items.

15. The method of claim 11 ; wherein the one or more gas emission sensors are integrated into a structure of the display fixture.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the making the determination step comprises making a determination of one or more of: freshness, estimated expiration date, item presence, item location, and item type.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stored gas emission data comprises a gas emission over time profile uniquely associated with the category.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a history of the gas emission measurement is recorded and compared with the stored gas emission data.

19. The method of claim 11 ,

wherein whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items is determined further based on one or more of a forecasted rate of sales, an expected time between purchase and use by a customer, and incoming inventory information.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

collecting gas emission measurements from a plurality of groups of perishable items and comparing the collected gas emission measurements with a planogram of a retail space to determine whether the planogram is followed.

21. An apparatus for automatically monitoring gas emissions of perishable goods in a retail sales environment comprising:

a control circuit; and

a non-transitory computer readable memory storing a set of instructions executable by the control circuit and configured to cause the control circuit to perform the steps of:

receive a gas emission measurement measured with one or more gas emission sensors associated with a display fixture configured to store and display for sale a group of perishable items;

compare the gas emission measurement with stored gas emission data associated with a category of the group of perishable items;

make a determination corresponding to the group of perishable items based on the comparison; and

determine whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items based on the determination.

22. A method of automatically monitoring gas emissions of perishable goods in a retail sales environment comprising:

by a control circuit,

receiving a gas emission measurement measured with one or more gas emission sensors associated with a display fixture configured to store and display for sale a group of perishable items;

comparing the gas emission measurement with stored gas emission data associated with a category of the group of perishable items;

making a determination corresponding to the group of perishable items based on the comparing; and

determining whether to apply a discount to the group of perishable items based on the determination.