# US 12,762,587 B2 · Method for tracking and maintaining promotional states of slots in inventory structures within a store

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- Number: US 12,762,587 B2
- Document ID: US12762587B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/777,452
- Filed: 2024-07-18
- Published: 2024-11-07
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-05
- Assignees: Simbe Robotics, Inc.
- Applicants: Simbe Robotics, Inc.
- Inventors: Bradley Bogolea; Jariullah Safi; Lorin Vandegrift; Shiva Reddy; Tom Gehani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12762587B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0248: {Avoiding fraud}
- G06F 18/22: Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 20/201: {Price look-up processing, e.g. updating}
- G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69)
- 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
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

One variation of a method for tracking promotional states of slots in inventory structures within a store includes: accessing an image of an inventory structure within a store; detecting a shelf tag on the inventory structure in the image; extracting a set of features from the shelf tag detected in the image; detecting a promotional tag on the inventory structure in the image; extracting a set of features from the promotional tag detected in the image; detecting a deviation between the shelf tag and the promotional tag based on a difference between the sets of features; and, in response to detecting the deviation between the shelf tag and the promotional tag, identifying the first promotional tag as erroneous, and notifying a store associate to replace the first promotional tag with a second promotional tag at the first slot, the second promotional tag correcting the difference.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for tracking price states of slots in inventory structures within a facility comprising:
accessing an image of an inventory structure within the facility, the image captured by an optical sensor located within the facility;
detecting a first slot in the inventory structure depicted in the image;
identifying a first product type assigned to the first slot;
accessing a first current price status from a product database, the first current price status assigned to the first product type;
detecting a first set of features in the image, the first set of features representing a first tag on the inventory structure, the first tag associated with the first slot;
interpreting a first price status advertised by the first tag based on the first set of features;
detecting a conflict between the first price status and the first current price status; and
in response to detecting the conflict, generating an electronic flag comprising a request to investigate the first slot.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the image of the inventory structure comprises accessing the image captured by the optical sensor integrated within a fixed camera and defining a field of view that intersects the inventory structure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising dispatching a robotic system, comprising the optical sensor located within the facility, to:
autonomously navigate along the inventory structure; and
during a first scan cycle, capture the image of the inventory structure via the optical sensor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1:
wherein detecting the first set of features representing the first tag comprises detecting a distribution of feature types in a first region of the image depicting the first tag; and
wherein interpreting the first price status advertised by the first tag comprises:
accessing a set of tag templates;
matching the first tag to a first tag template, in the set of tag templates, based on the distribution of feature types;
retrieving a target price status location and a price status interpreter for the first tag template;
identifying a target feature, in the set of features, located in the target price status location on the first tag; and
interpreting the first price status advertised by the first tag based on the target feature and the price status interpreter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1:
wherein accessing the first current price status assigned to the first product type comprises accessing a target price format assigned to the first product type;
wherein interpreting the first price status advertised by the first tag comprises interpreting a first price format advertised by the first tag; and
wherein detecting the conflict between the first price status and the first current price status comprises detecting a deviation between the first price format and the target price format.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1:
wherein detecting the first set of features representing the first tag comprises detecting the first set of features representing the first tag comprising a non-electronic shelf tag; and
further comprising, in response to detecting the conflict:
generating a print file for a replacement shelf tag based on the first price status, the replacement shelf tag comprising a replacement price status that corresponds to the current price status; and
triggering a printer to queue the replacement shelf tag for printing.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
scanning a digital product catalog defining a population of product types stocked in the facility for current price statuses of the population of product types; and
compiling current price statuses for the population of product types into the product database.

### Claim 8

A method for tracking states of slots in inventory structures within a facility comprising:
accessing an image of an inventory structure within the facility, the image captured by an optical sensor located within the facility;
detecting a set of shelf faces in the inventory structure in the image;
detecting a first set of features on a shelf tag on a first shelf face, in the set of shelf faces, in the image;
identifying a slot above the first shelf face based on a position of the shelf tag in the image;
identifying a product type assigned to the slot based on the first set of features;
retrieving a current price status from a product database, the current price status associated with the product type;
detecting an absence of a tag indicating the current price status at the slot in the image; and
in response to detecting the absence of the tag, generating an electronic flag comprising a request to investigate the slot on the inventory structure.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8:
wherein generating the electronic flag comprising the request to investigate the slot comprises:
generating a prompt to install the tag onto the first shelf face adjacent the first slot on the inventory structure; and
transmitting the prompt to a computing device accessible to a facility associate.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8:
further comprising dispatching a robotic system, comprising the optical sensor located within the facility, to:
autonomously navigate along the inventory structure; and
by the optical sensor, capture a sequence of photographic images of regions of the inventory structure during a scan cycle; and
wherein accessing the image of the inventory structure comprises assembling the sequence of photographic images into the image of the inventory structure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein accessing the image comprises accessing the image captured by the optical sensor integrated within a fixed camera and defining a field of view that intersects the inventory structure.

### Claim 12

A method for tracking states of slots in inventory structures within a facility comprising:
accessing an image of an inventory structure within the facility, the image captured by an optical sensor located within the facility;
detecting a first slot in the inventory structure depicted in the image;
identifying a first product type assigned to the first slot;
accessing a current price status assigned to the first product type from a product database;
detecting a first set of features in the image, the first set of features representing a first tag on the inventory structure, the first tag associated with the first slot;
interpreting a first price status advertised by the first tag based on the first set of features;
detecting a conflict between the first price status and the current price status; and
in response to detecting the conflict:
updating pricing data for the first product type in a point-of-sale system associated with the facility according to the first price status advertised by the first tag; and
generating an electronic flag comprising a request to investigate the first tag at the first slot.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to receipt of confirmation of replacement of the first tag with a second tag advertising the current price status, reverting pricing data for the first product type in the point-of-sale system according to the current price status advertised by the second tag.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising updating pricing data for the first product type in a point-of-sale system associated with the facility according to the first price status advertised by the first tag.

### Claim 15 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
accessing a second image of the inventory structure captured by the fixed camera;
detecting a facility associate in the second image; and
in response to detecting the facility associate in the second image, transmitting a notification associated with the electronic flag to a computing device accessible to the facility associate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1:
wherein detecting the first set of features representing the first tag on the inventory structure comprises detecting the first set of features representing the first tag on the inventory structure, the first tag comprising an electronic shelf tag; and
further comprising, in response to detecting the conflict, transmitting a price data file comprising a replacement price status, corresponding to the first current price status, to the electronic shelf tag.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
writing the electronic flag to a global restocking list; and
distributing the global restocking list to computing devices accessible to facility associates during a next scheduled restocking period in the facility.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12:
further comprising dispatching a robotic system, comprising the optical sensor and located within the facility, to:
autonomously navigate along the inventory structure; and
by the optical sensor, capture a sequence of photographic images of regions of the inventory structure during a scan cycle; and
wherein accessing the image of the inventory structure comprises assembling the sequence of photographic images into the image of the inventory structure.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein accessing the image of the inventory structure comprises accessing the image captured by the optical sensor, the optical sensor integrated within a fixed camera and defining a field of view that intersects the inventory structure.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein generating the electronic flag to investigate the first tag at the first slot comprises:
generating a prompt to replace the first tag with a second tag at the first slot, the second tag comprising a replacement price status that corresponds to the first current price status; and
transmitting the prompt to a computing device accessible to a facility associate.