US 12,333,492 B2
System and method for perpetual inventory management
Greg A. Bryan, Centerton, AR (US); Cristy C. Brooks, Cassville, MO (US); David Blair Brightwell, Bella Vista, AR (US); Benjamin D. Enssle, Bella Vista, AR (US); Matthew A. Jones, Bentonville, AR (US); and Jesse L. Eaton, Springdale, AR (US)
Assigned to Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed by Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed on Nov. 29, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/522,520.
Application 18/522,520 is a continuation of application No. 17/199,619, filed on Mar. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,868,960.
Application 17/199,619 is a continuation of application No. 15/915,410, filed on Mar. 8, 2018, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/471,427, filed on Mar. 15, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2024/0095672 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/00 (2023.01); G06Q 10/08 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/087 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/08 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, the system comprising:
a retail store, the retail store including a product display unit and a back room, wherein the back room is disposed within the store and structured and arranged so as to not be accessible to the public;
one or more first sensors disposed in the back room of the retail store, the one or more first sensors deployed on an automated device or fixed in location within the backroom, wherein the one or more first sensors are configured to scan the backroom and obtain sensor data, the sensor data identifying a presence of a selected product in the backroom;
a plurality of other retail stores that are electronically coupled to a network;
an electronic interface disposed at a central processing center, coupled to the network, and configured to receive the sensor data from the one or more first sensors in the back room, the interface also configured to electronically receive adjusted PI values for the selected product from the other retail stores;
a database that is configured to store the sensor data, a perpetual inventory (PI) value for the selected product, a last PI adjustment time when the PI value was last adjusted, and a product display capacity value associated with the product display unit;
a control circuit disposed at a central processing center and that is electronically coupled to the interface and the database, the control circuit comprising electronic hardware, the control circuit configured to:
obtain the PI value, the sensor data, and the product display capacity value from the database;
determine whether the selected product was returned to the backroom from the product display unit;
block an adjustment to the selected PI value when last PI adjustment time is later than a time threshold;
block an adjustment to the selected PI value when an audit indicator is received at the interface indicating that the retail store is under an audit;
determine an adjusted PI value based at least in part upon the product display capacity value and adjusted PI values of the selected product in the other retail stores that have been received from the other retail stores via the network.