# US 10,481,256 B2 · Shopping cart corral system and associated systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,256 B2 - Document ID: US10481256B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/479,658 - Filed: 2017-04-05 - Published: 2017-10-12 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-06 - Assignees: Walmart Apollo, LLC - Applicants: Walmart Apollo, LLC - Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones; Robert James Taylor; Aaron James Vasgaard; Matthew Allen Jones - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481256B2 ## CPC - G01S 13/88: Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) - A47F 10/04: for storing or handling self-service hand-carts or baskets - G01S 13/04: Systems determining presence of a target (based on relative movement of target G01S13/56) - B62B 3/14: characterised by provisions for nesting or stacking, e.g. shopping trolleys {(collapsible shopping trolleys B62B3/027)} - B62B 5/0096: {Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]} - G08B 13/24: by interference with electromagnetic field distribution - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - A47F: SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS - B62B: HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES (characterised by animal propulsion B62C; propulsion of sledges by driver or engine B62M) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract Example shopping cart corral systems and associated systems and methods are described. The example shopping cart corral system includes a corral structure, a radio-frequency transmitter, a radio-frequency receiver, and a controller coupled to the radio-frequency transmitter and the radio-frequency receiver. The controller estimates a quantity of shopping carts disposed in the shopping cart corral based on at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal. An example shopping cart counter system includes an elongated structure, first and second electrical contacts, a power source and a processing device. The power source applies a voltage or an electrical current to the first electrical contact and the shopping carts complete an electrical circuit between the first and second electrical contacts. The processing device estimates the quantity of shopping carts disposed in the elongated structure based on an electrical resistance associated with the shopping carts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A shopping cart corral system, comprising: a corral structure including a proximal end, a distal end, and an enclosure configured and dimensioned to extend between the proximal and distal ends, the enclosure defining an interior area for receiving one or more shopping carts, the proximal end of the corral structure including an opening for entrance and exit of the one or more shopping carts from the enclosure; a radio-frequency transmitter to transmit a radio-frequency signal into the interior area of the enclosure, the radio-frequency signal interacting with the one or more shopping carts in the corral structure to generate a reflected radio-frequency signal having at least one property that differs from the radio-frequency signal based on interference of the one or more shopping carts with the radio-frequency signal; a radio-frequency receiver being configured to receive the reflected radio-frequency signal; and a controller operatively coupled to the radio-frequency receiver, the controller being configured to estimate a quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure based on the at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal received by the radio-frequency receiver, a degree to which the one or more shopping carts interfere with the radio-frequency signal indicative of the quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency transmitter is disposed at the distal end of the corral structure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The shopping cart corral of claim 2, wherein the radio-frequency transmitter transmits the radio-frequency signal from the distal end towards the proximal end of the corral structure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency transmitter transmits a plurality of radio-frequency signals into the interior area of the enclosure and the radio-frequency receiver receives a plurality of reflected radio-frequency signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the reflected radio-frequency signal is a radiated wave reflection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the degree to which the one or more shopping carts interfere with the radio-frequency signal increases as a number of shopping carts disposed within the interior area of the enclosure increases. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The shopping cart corral of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine that zero shopping carts are in the interior area of the enclosure of the corral structure in response to a first value of the at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The shopping cart corral of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine that half of the interior area of the enclosure of the corral structure is filled with the one or more shopping carts in response to a second value of the at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The shopping cart corral of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine that three-quarters of the interior area of the enclosure of the corral structure is filled with the one or more shopping carts based on a third value of the at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal. ### Claim 10 A method of estimating a customer count, comprising: providing a shopping cart corral system, the shopping cart corral system including (i) a corral structure including a proximal end, a distal end and an enclosure configured and dimensioned to extend between the proximal and distal ends, the enclosure defining an interior area for receiving one or more shopping carts, the proximal end of the corral structure including an opening for entrance and exit of the one or more shopping carts from the enclosure, (ii) a radio-frequency transmitter, (iii) a radio-frequency receiver, and (iv) a controller operatively coupled to the radio-frequency receiver; transmitting a radio-frequency signal with the radio-frequency transmitter into the interior area of the enclosure, the radio-frequency signal interacting with the one or more shopping carts in the corral structure to generate a reflected radio-frequency signal having at least one property that differs from the radio-frequency signal based on interference of the one or more shopping carts with the radio-frequency signal; receiving the reflected radio-frequency signal with the radio-frequency receiver; and estimating a quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure with the controller based on the at least one property of the reflected radio-frequency signal received by the radio-frequency receiver, a degree to which the one or more shopping carts interfere with the radio-frequency signal indicative of the quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising estimating a customer count using a shopping cart within a retail environment based on the estimated quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising transmitting the radio-frequency signal with the radio-frequency transmitter from the distal end towards the proximal end of the corral structure. ### Claim 13 A customer count estimation system, comprising: a corral structure including a proximal end, a distal end, and an enclosure configured and dimensioned to extend between the proximal and distal ends, the enclosure defining an interior area for receiving one or more shopping carts, the proximal end of the corral structure including an opening for entrance and exit of the one or more shopping carts from the enclosure; a first radio-frequency transmitter to transmit a first radio-frequency signal into the interior area of the enclosure, the first radio-frequency signal interacting with the one or more shopping carts in the corral structure to generate a first reflected radio-frequency signal having at least one property that differs from the first radio-frequency signal based on interference of the one or more shopping carts with the first radio-frequency signal; a first radio-frequency receiver being configured to receive the first reflected radio-frequency signal; a second radio-frequency transmitter disposed at an entrance of a retail environment to transmit a second radio-frequency signal into the entrance of the retail environment, the second radio-frequency signal interacting with one or more shopping carts passing through the entrance of the retail environment to generate a second reflected radio-frequency signal having at least one property that differs from the second radio-frequency signal; a second radio-frequency receiver being configured to receive the second reflected radio-frequency signal; and a controller operatively coupled to the first radio-frequency receiver and the second radio-frequency receiver, the controller being configured to (i) estimate a quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure based on the at least one property of the reflected first radio-frequency signal received by the first radio-frequency receiver, a degree to which the one or more shopping carts interfere with the first radio-frequency signal indicative of the quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure, (ii) estimate a quantity of shopping carts that are disposed within the retail environment based on the at least one property of the reflected second radio-frequency signal received by the second radio-frequency receiver, and (iii) estimate a customer count using a shopping cart within the retail environment based on the quantity of shopping carts that are disposed in the interior area of the enclosure and the quantity of shopping carts that are disposed within the retail environment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the radio-frequency transmitter is disposed at the distal end of the corral structure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter transmits the first radio-frequency signal from the distal end towards the proximal end of the corral structure. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter transmits the second radio-frequency signal across the entrance of the retail environment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second reflected radio-frequency signals are a radiated wave reflection. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the degree to which the one or more shopping carts interfere with the first radio-frequency signal increases as a number of shopping carts disposed within the interior area of the enclosure increases. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the at least one property includes at least one of a power, an amplitude, a phase, a frequency, or a polarization that the reflected radio-frequency signal that differs from the radio-frequency signal due to interference of the one or more shopping carts with the radio-frequency signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The shopping cart corral of claim 1, wherein the interference of the one or more shopping carts with the radio-frequency signal includes at least one of reflection, refraction, diffraction, or absorption of the radio-frequency signal by the one or more shopping carts disposed in the interior area of the enclosure.