US 12,002,080 B2
Systems and methods for checking and confirming the purchase of merchandise items
Zhichun Xiao, Plano, TX (US); Lingfeng Zhang, Dallas, TX (US); Yao Liu, Richardson, TX (US); Jon Hammer, Frisco, TX (US); Yutao Tang, Allen, TX (US); Sicong Fang, Dallas, TX (US); Haining Liu, Dallas, TX (US); Yijing Sun, Dallas, TX (US); Mingquan Yuan, Flower Mound, TX (US); Shouyi Zhang, Dallas, TX (US); Pingjian Yu, Plano, TX (US); Ryan B. Reagan, Forth Worth, TX (US); Tianyi Mao, Dallas, TX (US); Shangeetha Ravichandran Susseelaa, Dallas, TX (US); Zhenyu Wang, Dallas, TX (US); and Feiyun Zhu, Allen, TX (US)
Assigned to Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Appl. No. 17/775,414
Filed by Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 12, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/060120
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/097019, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/934,056, filed on Nov. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0383383 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01); G06Q 20/20 (2012.01)
CPC G06Q 30/0629 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/209 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0633 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for checking and confirming the purchase of merchandise at shopping facilities, the system comprising:
a shopping cart containing a plurality of merchandise items that are to be purchased by a customer at a shopping facility;
a sales transaction database configured to store electronic transaction records involving the sales of one or more merchandise items at the shopping facility;
a point-of-sales system that records a sales transaction of the plurality of merchandise items and that generates a barcode or QR code on a paper or digital receipt corresponding to the sales transaction, the point-of-sales system creating an electronic transaction record identified by the barcode or QR code, the electronic transaction record being stored in the sales transaction database;
a mobile electronics device comprising:
a barcode or QR code scanner; and
a camera configured to capture an image sequence of the merchandise items in the shopping cart;
a control circuit at the mobile electronics device configured to:
receive the barcode or QR code;
access the sales transaction database using the barcode or QR code to determine the purchased merchandise items;
analyze the image sequence of the merchandise items in the shopping cart using a computer vision algorithm to identify the merchandise items based on the image sequence and create a computer vision receipt listing the merchandise items identified from the image sequence;
compare the purchased merchandise items indicated by the barcode or QR code on the paper or digital receipt with the identified merchandise items from the computer vision receipt, and determine a discrepancy; and
cause to display on the mobile electronics device the discrepancy, the display including one or both of a list of unpaid items or images of unpaid items; and
an automated vehicle configured to receive a control signal for retrieving an unpaid merchandise item.