# US 10,769,716 B2 · Customer assisted robot picking

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- Number: US 10,769,716 B2
- Document ID: US10769716B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/210,775
- Filed: 2018-12-05
- Published: 2020-06-11
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-05
- Applicants: Locus Robotics Corp.
- Inventors: Bruce Welty; Michael Charles Johnson; Karen Leavitt
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10769716B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/0639: Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
- G06Q 30/0637: {requiring approval before final submission, e.g. parental approval}
- B25J 11/0005: {Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means}
- B25J 11/008: {Manipulators for service tasks}
- G06K 19/07758: {arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag}
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 10/08741: {by picking of items from inventory for fulfillment}
- G06Q 30/0208: Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
- G06Q 30/0224: {based on user history}
- G06Q 30/0235: constrained by time limit or expiration date
- G06Q 30/0236: {Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user}
- G06V 40/172: {Classification, e.g. identification}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

A method for customer assisted robot picking includes navigating a robot to a pose location within a retail space in proximity to an item to be picked, the retail space having items for purchase by customers, the robot identifying, by a sensor in communication with the robot, a customer located within a zone proximate the robot, communicating to the customer information identifying the item to be picked, detecting presentation of the item by the customer for identification, and updating customer performance data stored in a customer account to include data corresponding to picking of the item by the customer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for customer assisted robot picking in a retail space having items for purchase, comprising:
receiving an order of a first customer, the order comprising one or more items;
navigating a robot to a pose location within the retail space in proximity to an item to be picked for the order of the first customer;
the robot identifying, by a sensor in communication with the robot, a second customer located within a zone proximate the robot at the pose location;
communicating to the second customer information identifying the item to be picked for the order of the first customer;
detecting presentation of the item by the second customer for identification; and
updating performance data for the second customer stored in a customer account to include data corresponding to picking of the item by the second customer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
accessing, via the robot in response to the identification of the second customer, the second customer account.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the second customer account the updated customer performance data; and
rendering, on an interactive display device of the robot, in response to the second customer performance data, at least one graphic representation of customer assistance achievement.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the step of rendering further comprises: displaying at least one customer reward for the second customer on the interactive display device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one customer reward is rendered in response to a milestone achieved by the second customer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one customer reward includes one or more of an earned discount, a free promotional item, a store credit, a cash back incentive, redeemable loyalty points, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the milestone includes at least one of a predefined number of units picked by the second customer, a predefined pick rate of the second customer, or a predefined number of units picked by the second customer without scanning an erroneous unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying further comprises: reading, by the sensor, an ID tag of the second customer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the ID tag is at least one of a passive RFID tag, an active RFID tag, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a near field communications (NFC) beacon.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor is at least one of an RFID reader, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a NFC transceiver.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying further comprises:
capturing, by the sensor, a facial image of the second customer; and
comparing the captured facial image to an image recognition database.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor is at least one of a digital camera, a digital video camera, an image sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD), or a CMOS sensor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying further comprises:
capturing, by the sensor, at least one of a voiceprint of the second customer, a retinal pattern of the second customer, or a fingerprint pattern of the second customer; and
comparing the captured at least one of a voiceprint of the second customer, a retinal pattern of the second customer, or a fingerprint pattern of the second customer to a corresponding customer account database.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of an imaging device, a camera, a video camera, an audio sensor, a retinal scanner, a fingerprint scanner, an infrared scanner, a barcode scanner, or a RFID reader.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data for the second customer includes data corresponding to picking of items by the second customer from orders of customers other than the first customer.

### Claim 16

A system for customer assisted robot picking in a retail space having items for purchase, comprising:
a robot operating within the retail space; and
a sensor in electronic communication with the robot,
wherein the robot includes:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the robot to:
receive an order of a first customer, the order comprising one or more items;
navigate the robot to a pose location within the retail space in proximity to an item to be picked for the order of the first customer;
identify, by the sensor, a second customer located within a zone proximate the robot at the pose location;
communicate to the second customer information identifying the item to be picked for the order of the first customer;
detect presentation of the item by the second customer for identification; and
update customer performance data for the second customer stored in a customer account to include data corresponding to picking of the item by the second customer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: access, via the robot in response to the identification of the second customer, the second customer account.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: receive, from the second customer account the updated customer performance data; and render, on an interactive display device of the robot, in response to the second customer performance data, at least one graphic representation of customer assistance achievement.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: display at least one customer reward for the second customer on the interactive display device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is at least one of an imaging device, a camera, a video camera, an audio sensor, a retinal scanner, a fingerprint scanner, an infrared scanner, a barcode scanner, or a RFID reader.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one customer reward includes one or more of an earned discount, a free promotional item, a store credit, a cash back incentive, redeemable loyalty points, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the milestone includes at least one of a predefined number of units picked by the second customer, a predefined pick rate of the second customer, or a predefined number of units picked by the second customer without scanning an erroneous unit.

### Claim 23 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: read, by the sensor, an ID tag of the second customer.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The system of claim 23, wherein the ID tag is at least one of a passive RFID tag, an active RFID tag, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a near field communications (NFC) beacon.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The system of claim 23, wherein the sensor is at least one of an RFID reader, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a NFC transceiver.

### Claim 26 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: capture by the sensor, a facial image of the second customer; and compare the captured facial image to an image recognition database.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The system of claim 25, wherein the sensor is at least one of a digital camera, a digital video camera, an image sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD), or a CMOS sensor.

### Claim 28 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the robot to: capture, by the sensor, at least one of a voiceprint of the second customer, a retinal pattern of the second customer, or a fingerprint pattern of the second customer; and compare the captured at least one of a voiceprint of the second customer, a retinal pattern of the second customer, or a fingerprint pattern of the second customer to a corresponding customer account database.

### Claim 29 (depends on 20)

The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one customer reward is rendered in response to a milestone achieved by the second customer.

### Claim 30 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the performance data for the second customer includes data corresponding to picking of items by the second customer from orders of customers other than the first customer.