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US 2019/0102581 A1Published application
Shopping cart monitoring system
OwnerNicholaus A. Jones, Steven J. Lewisinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to detect shopping carts and/or estimate the number of shopping carts in a specified area of a retail facility. In some embodiments, detected magnetic fields from an area are compared with values from a database to estimate the number of shopping carts present, and notifications may be provided regarding actions to be taken based on the arrangement and density of shopping carts in the area.
Claims20
An apparatus for detecting shopping carts in a shopping cart storage area of a retail facility, the apparatus comprising:
- a shopping cart storage unit comprising:
- an open end configured to receive and dispense the shopping carts;
- a closed end opposite the open end and configured to contain the shopping carts in a storage volume between the open end and the closed end;
- at least two generally parallel retention members connecting portions of the open end to corresponding portions of the closed end, each retention member having a length and spaced apart from each other by a width, to form the storage volume having a length and width sized to receive a plurality of shopping carts organized in one or more single-file lines between the generally parallel retention members;
- and
- a linear array of unidirectional magnetic sensors configured to detect a magnitude of an induced electromagnetic field, wherein the magnitude of the induced electromagnetic field varies depending on a presence of metal objects in the storage volume, the unidirectional magnetic field sensors spaced apart along the length of at least one retention member at approximately the same vertical position and oriented to face the storage volume and not face volumes outside of the storage volume;
- a power source coupled to the linear array of unidirectional magnetic field sensors;
- an electronic control circuit comprising a computer memory and being physically coupled to the linear array of unidirectional magnetic field sensors, wherein the electronic control circuit is in communication with a database correlating combinations of threshold values to store management options, the electronic control circuit configured to:
- control power to each of the unidirectional magnetic field sensors such that one or more of the sensors are selectively powered on and off and such that when powered a range of each sensor is limited to the storage volume;
- compare detected values obtained from each magnetic sensor to the threshold values from the database;
- and
- select at least one store management option based on a comparison of the detected values to the threshold values;
- and
- a wireless transmitter for transmitting information from the control circuit to one or more devices monitored by one or more sales associates.
11 more elements
An apparatus for estimating a quantity of stored shopping carts in a shopping cart storage area of a retail facility, the apparatus comprising:
- a shopping cart storage unit comprising:
- an open end configured to receive and dispense the shopping carts;
- a closed end opposite the open end and configured to contain the shopping carts in a storage volume between the open end and the closed end;
- at least two generally parallel retention members connecting portions of the open end to corresponding portions of the closed end, each retention member having a length and spaced apart from each other by a width, to form the storage volume having a length and width sized to receive a plurality of shopping carts organized in one or more single-file lines between the generally parallel retention members;
- and
- a linear array of unidirectional magnetic field sensors configured to detect a magnitude of an induced electromagnetic field, wherein the magnitude of the induced electromagnetic field varies depending on a presence of metal objects in the storage volume, the unidirectional magnetic field at approximately the same vertical position and oriented to face the storage volume and not face volumes outside of the storage volume, the magnetic sensors spaced apart along the length of at least one retention member and each supplied with an amount of power from a power source so that zones of respective magnetic sensors do not overlap;
- and
- an electronic control circuit comprising a computer memory positioned at the storage area and physically coupled to the plurality of magnetic sensors;
- wherein the control circuit is configured to generate a notification identifying each of the magnetic sensors that detect an electromagnetic field exceeding a preset magnitude within a time window.
6 more elements
A method for monitoring shopping carts in storage area of a retail facility, the method comprising:
- selectively powering on and off a linear array of unidirectional magnetic sensors such that when powered a range of each sensor is limited to the storage area;
- detecting a magnitude of induced electromagnetic fields through the linear array of unidirectional magnetic sensors, the magnetic sensors spaced apart along the length of a shopping cart storage area with each magnetic sensor at approximately the same vertical position;
- through a control circuit, comparing detected values from each magnetic sensor to respective threshold values from a database;
- and
- transmitting a notification regarding actions to be taken by a sales associate based on a comparison of the detected values to the threshold values.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.