# US 2022/0044530 A1 · Goods stocking system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0044530 A1 - Document ID: US20220044530A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/297,037 - Filed: 2019-11-26 - Published: 2022-02-10 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-27 - Assignees: CHEP Technology Pty Limited - Applicants: CHEP Technology Pty Limited - Inventors: Marco PANNICKE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220044530A1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting} - G08B 5/22: using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - 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 - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract The invention relates to a goods stocking system comprising a goods shelving unit (10), in which at least one goods storage compartment (12) is provided, a sheet-like sensor element (16), which is removably arranged on the bottom (14) of the goods storage compartment (12), an energy supply (54, 56) for the sensor element (16), a controller (52), which can evaluate a signal of the sensor element (16), and a data link (50) between the sensor element (16) and the controller (52). ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 A goods stocking system comprising: a goods shelving unit comprising: at least one goods storage compartment carried by said goods shelving unit and configured to store goods for consumption on a bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment, with the bottom surface descending diagonally towards a removal side of said goods shelving unit such that the goods stored thereon slide forward after removal of at least one of the goods by a customer, a sensor element arranged on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment and configured to wirelessly transmit a signal corresponding to how many goods are on the bottom surface, an energy supply coupled to said sensor element; and a controller configured to receive the signal transmitted by said sensor element to evaluate how many goods are on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, wherein said sensor element comprises a pair of spaced apart electrodes configured to form a capacitive sensor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The goods stocking system according to claim 12, wherein said sensor element further comprises an evaluation circuit configured to determine a capacitance of the capacitive sensor in response to the goods on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The goods stocking system according to claim 12, wherein the capacitive sensor further comprises, between said pair of electrodes, spaced-apart first and second main bodies, and a resilient material between said first and second main bodies, with the resilient material being deformed such that a distance between said pair of electrodes is reduced in response to how many goods are on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, wherein said sensor element extends substantially over all of the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, further comprising a display coupled to said controller to display a message indicating that the at least one goods storage compartment needs to be restocked. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, further comprising an oven coupled to said controller and configured to operate in response to the at least one goods storage compartment needing to be restocked. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, wherein said energy supply comprises a battery. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, wherein said sensor element comprises a first electrical contact and said at least one goods storage compartment comprises a second electrical contact, with said energy supply being coupled to the first and second electrodes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, wherein said energy supply comprises a first coil associated with said sensor element and a second coil assigned to said at least one goods storage compartment, with said first and second coils being inductively coupled together. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The goods stocking system according to claim 11, further comprising an inventory management system configured to receive an output signal from said controller, with the output signal being used to trigger an ordering process to restock the goods placed on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 22 A goods shelving unit comprising: a housing; at least one goods storage compartment carried by said housing and configured to store goods for consumption on a bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment, with the bottom surface descending diagonally towards a removal side of said housing such that the goods stored thereon slide forward after removal of at least one of the goods by a customer; a sensor element arranged on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment and configured to wirelessly transmit a signal corresponding to how many goods are on the bottom surface; and an energy supply coupled to said sensor element. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The goods shelving unit according to claim 22, wherein said sensor element comprises a pair of spaced apart electrodes configured to form a capacitive sensor. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The goods shelving unit according to claim 23, wherein said sensor element further comprises an evaluation circuit configured to determine a capacitance of the capacitive sensor in response to the goods on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The goods shelving unit according to claim 23, wherein the capacitive sensor further comprises, between said pair of electrodes, spaced-apart first and second main bodies, and a resilient material between said first and second main bodies, with the resilient material being deformed such that a distance between said pair of electrodes is reduced in response to how many goods are on the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The goods shelving unit according to claim 22, wherein said sensor element extends substantially over all of the bottom surface of said at least one goods storage compartment. ### Claim 27 (depends on 22) The goods shelving unit according to claim 22, wherein said sensor element comprises a first electrical contact and said at least one goods storage compartment comprises a second electrical contact, with said energy supply being coupled to the first and second electrodes. ### Claim 28 (depends on 11) The goods shelving unit according to claim 11, wherein said energy supply comprises a first coil associated with said sensor element and a second coil assigned to said at least one goods storage compartment, with said first and second coils being inductively coupled together. ### Claim 29 A method to evaluate how many goods are in a goods shelving unit comprising: storing goods for consumption on a bottom surface of at least one goods storage compartment carried by said goods shelving unit, with the bottom surface descending diagonally towards a removal side of the goods shelving unit such that the goods stored thereon slide forward after removal of at least one of the goods by a customer; operating a sensor element arranged on the bottom surface of the at least one goods storage compartment to wirelessly transmit a signal corresponding to how many goods are on the bottom surface; and providing an energy supply to said sensor element. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method according to claim 29, wherein the sensor element comprises a pair of spaced apart electrodes configured to form a capacitive sensor.